Aves-vous un Roat?

I managed to stumble upon this hilarious website this morning, and literally spent almost an hour scrolling through on my iPhone and laughing out loud.  The site is www.engrish.com and it features a bunch of pictures of the misuse of English by various Asian countries.  Now, I love Asians, especially preppy ones, and Fasians (Staci Griner), so I'm not knocking them, but this is just laugh out loud funny.  I've posted a few of my favorites here.



All my bags are sneaks...no wonder my money disappears!

Try Sorry, this register is closed?

Room Service, yes, can you please send up a samurai sword so I can defend the mattress that fall down?  Thanks.

Not sure what is going on in this bathroom, but it sounds like fun.

What do happen?

 Also, brilliant responses to signs in actual English:

Wow, spelling is free??  Sign me up!!  I'll take some drit while you're at it!

Where can I find one of these bacon dispensers??

If you're shopping today, J. Crew is having an additional 40% off sale items and factory items, and free shipping on any order (not just those over $150) with the code LOVEIT.  I haven't loved it recently, but I did pick up a cute pair of shorts, a cardigan for work, and some white jeans for $48 shipped.  Not bad, J.Crew.   I feel like I've returned a bunch of stuff lately which is probably a good thing.  Both Old Navy dresses I bought a couple weeks ago are a no go....I probably won't order online from them again.  Stuff just looks so different when you see it in person.  I also took the Elizabeth and James shoes back to Saks.  I decided they would get incredibly dirty because they are a woven material, and it just wasn't worth spending that much on them if I'd be paranoid about wearing them outside.

I'm headed to Jackson, MS on Sunday to take the MS bar.  After that three-days-of-my-life-that-I'll-never-get-back is over, I'm headed to NC for the weekend for a couple days at the beach with my mom and sister.  My sister, who graduated this past year with her degree in elementary education, is on the job hunt as well, and she has an interview in Raleigh next week.  Keeping my fingers crossed for her!!   We are also stopping at the semi-new outlet mall in Mebane on our way back...Saks Off 5th, here I come!  I am sure I will have cute things and great deals to blog about when I get back.

J. Crew Who?

I'll speak only for myself when I say this, but I'm sure there are others of you that agree:  the J. Crew of today is not the J. Crew I loved during college.  I miss the days of long tables piled with every color of preppy chino shorts imaginable and cute summer dresses hanging on those heavy wooden hangers.  Nowadays, I seem to only find these things at the J. Crew outlet.  I generally have shopping success when I visit one of their outlet stores, although I honestly can't remember the last time I bought something at a regular J. Crew retail store.  It has probably been at least 2 years. Some of you are probably surprised at that, I know.  But, I'm just not into sequin trimmed cropped cargo pants. Or jumpsuits.

I would not wear this in a million years, even if I was Gisele Bundchen.

I feel like J. Crew has strayed from its preppy roots and the loyal customers that anchored its popularity for so long.  I think I have also become less preppy over the years, but, I still love a good pair of worn in chino shorts and a button down with some sort of patchwork preppy belt (my go-to is the Vineyard Vines patchwork D-Ring belt.)  Since J. Crew has consistently failed to come through for me in that department since about 2008, I've looked elsewhere to get my preppy fix.  Vineyard Vines, check.  Ralph Lauren, check.  Southern Tide, you got it.  But, I didn't come across Lands End Canvas until a couple days ago.  Think old school preppy J. Crew grows up a little bit.  Really cute and affordable basics and accessories.  They are having a great sale that ends today, so go check it
out. 

Hallelujah!

LOVE this.

In other shopping news, Ideeli, my newest deal site obsession, was offering out of this world deals over the weekend.  Not good for my bar studying, but fantastic for my closet, even though what I bought might have to be stored in my Swedish mobile closet (thanks, Dwiggy!) instead of my real one.  It was seriously heaving for a bargain shopper like me.  Since we're on the topic of preppy brands, I scored a white Vineyard Vines tunic, polo and large patchwork beach tote for less than $50 total, a pair of Paige skinny jeans for the fall for $29, a couple of cute dresses, and 2 pairs of Chloe sunglasses for $60 each, one of which I'll keep, and the other I'll put on eBay to pay for everything else I bought.

 I haven't sold anything on eBay in a long time, but I used to do it a lot in college, and it was a great way to clear out my closet and make a little money.  Selling stuff I didn't use on eBay paid for all of my spring break trips.  I've been thinking about doing this again, mainly because I have a ton of nice stuff I don't wear anymore, and I just need to clear some things out.  The money would be nice too.  I had this in mind when I bought the second pair of Chloe sunglasses this weekend.  I happened to check the eBay completed listings while they were being held in my shopping cart, and saw that the average selling price was $180.  Hmmm, opportunity to make some money?  Every once in a while, you'll come across something that is such an incredible deal it is hard to pass up, but its not really your style, maybe a size too big or too small.  In college, when I would find something like this, I would buy it and put it up on eBay, set the minimum bid so that I'd make my money back, plus a little more, and see how the auction went.  I would find Seven for All Mankind jeans on sale at Saks Off 5th for $20, and easily triple that on eBay.  I did the same thing with a $1000 lambskin Ralph Lauren Purple Label jacked I picked up for $100 at a sample sale, and made $400.  If you can spot in demand items or brands at a great deal, know how to play the game and research completed listings, you can do well.  Maybe at some point I will post some tips if any of you want to try the eBay thing.  Adios!

Weekend Warrior

For the next couple of weeks my blog posts will probably be fewer and further between, thanks to the Mississippi Bar Exam.  My bank account will probably also thank me considering my string of recent purchases.  I head to Jackson on July 24 to try and tackle this monstrosity of a test.  If I can pass it with all that has been going on at work this summer, then I should probably just start taking bar exams for fun.  I need to schedule a vacation pronto, although it will probably be October before that happens.  And a trip to an outlet mall.

Just wanted to give you all the heads up about a few deals I've come across in recent days.

First, if you are a fan of Banana Republic, Gap, or Old Navy, they have a code for 35% off your purchase.  Shipping is free if you spend $50 before the discount.  Not a bad deal, considering the stuff is easy to return to the store if you get something you don't like or that doesn't fit.  The code is BRONGAP35.  There was nothing that really caught my eye at BR or Gap, but I picked up a couple of cute dresses online at Old Navy.  Here's one:

***Update: Just checked, and apparently its gone down to 25% off today.  Sometimes if you try the other code it will still work.  Just a heads up.

I also got my hair trimmed this weekend and decided to run by TJ Maxx to grab a couple of nude bras since two of my favorites have started stabbing me with protruding underwires.  In true shopaholic fashion, I go in looking for something specific, and come out with a round brush, 2 bras, 2 pairs of heels (Charles David for $25 and Pour La Victoire for $60- total steals!), a cute dress and a shirt for work.  I love high heels, but the jury is still out on whether I will be able to actually walk for more than a few steps in the Charles David pair.  I kind of want to make a Casey Anthony reference here...too soon?

In other news, a couple of irritating things from the weekend.  1- Cars that parallel park and leave a ton of space either in front of or behind them, particularly on streets were parking is tight anyway.  One of the joys of living in New Orleans is the scarcity of driveways.  This leads to both expertise in parallel parking and living in constant fear of having your mirrors knocked off.  The street I live on is fairly busy, and parking on my block can be difficult at times, due to the multi-family residences on either side of my house.  Seriously, people...there is no reason to take up space for two cars to park your Honda Civic.  Brush up on your parallel parking etiquette.  2-  5'2" guys at bars who try to quiz you with stupid trivia questions, then proceed to mark on your new handbag with a pen (see Rebecca Minkoff bag, below.).  This is not a game show.  I do not care what the biggest state in the union is.  And do not write on my stuff, especially my bag, unless you want to fork over the dough to buy me a replacement.  Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 in Monogram Idylle, anyone?

Minkoff in the Mail!

If you know me, you know how much I love bags.  I love the smell and feel of high quality, soft, buttery leather.  Even though I am a bargain shopper, I can stroll through the handbag aisles at TJ Maxx and, without fail, pick out the most expensive bag in stock without even looking at the price tag.  My friend Brittany has this beautiful little taupe satchel by Rebecca Minkoff that I just adore.  I considered buying it for myself, but didn't want to copy her.  Our shopping trips already present enough risk that we'll end up with the same dress or shoes.  While procrastinating on eBay one evening, I came across a great Rebecca Minkoff "Swoon" hobo bag (which retails for $495), but there were only seconds left in the auction and no bids.  I did not bid, but emailed the seller and offered her the price she listed as her minimum bid with shipping included, if she'd relist the bag Buy It Now for that price (which was $75).  She agreed and I bought it immediately.  She told me she bought it on Rue La La for about $250 and was selling it because when she carried it, the dye from her jeans rubbed off a little on the inside.  Well...I received it in the mail yesterday, and it looks brand new.  It even smells brand new.  You honestly would not be able to tell if I just plucked it off the rack at Saks or bought it used.  Definitely good luck on this one.  I used to sell a fair amount of clothing, bags, etc on eBay that I didn't wear or use anymore, but stopped after an unfortunate ordeal with a pair of Versace sunglasses.  I've spent a bit more time on eBay recently and hit the jackpot a couple of times (see previous post Re: Tory Burch Reva flats for $50!).  So, shopping tip for the week- don't discount eBay if you're looking for some designer duds on a dime. 

Here's the bag:

Piperlime is another one of those websites I frequently forget about.  I despise paying shipping, particularly if it is something I am not sure will fit, or if the color might not be right, etc.  If there is any good reason to return something, I usually err on the side of not ordering it, unless it is just such a steal that I can't turn it down.  With Piperlime, both shipping and returns are free, which is wonderful if you like options or want to order something without losing $20 or more getting it shipped to you or having to ship it back.  They have some cute things on sale right now, including this dress for $29.97- not totally sold on the ruffles, but it could be ok:

In other news, Karl Lagerfeld is releasing a line of fountain pens through  S.T. Dupont (who were also chosen buy the French government to furnish the official wedding gift to Prince William and Kate for you anglophiles) that somehow mixes his favorite nail polish with the pen ink.  Wonder how much one of those will set you back?  I can probably bet that one won't be nestled in the pen holder of my monogrammed padfolio any time soon!

Its America's Birthday: Buy yourself a present!

My parents are in town visiting for the weekend and we 've had a fantastic time so far.  They've been a welcome distraction from my job and constant studying.  In the past two days, we've been to Bud's Broiler and Salvo's Seafood (both awesome) and my Dad made eggs, sausage gravy and biscuits for Sunday breakfast, put new wiper blades on my car, crawled under my house to fix the AC ducts, and my Mom has weeded my flower bed.  I'm thinking they should move permanently closer to New Orleans.  We are spending the rest of the weekend staying downtown, where my Dad will probably disappear into the bowels of the casino and my mom and I will hang by the pool.  Staying downtown will probably inevitably lead to another trip to Saks or Anthro, maybe French Connection and/or Urban, so stay tuned for the possibility of some 4th of July finds.

In other news, the Donald's daughter, Ivanka Trump, has her own line which popped up on my daily visit to ideeli.  Ideeli should probably start paying me, because I feel like all I do is blog about stuff I find on their website.  Some of today's items:


Blush Topaz Small Flap: $45




Hali Wedge: $74 (also in white and leopard)



White Alexandrite Quilted Briefcase Flap: $89

Also, there are a TON of cute dresses.  I could easily spend hundreds of dollars buying dresses.  No purchases today, but here are some pics of a few of my favorites from today's sale:

BCBGMAXAZRIA $69



Donna Rico New York Bisque Strapless Faux Wrap Peplum Dress $39
 (I think the main reason I like this dress is because I feel like it is something Kate Middleton would wear)




Hype Blue Iro Denim Dress $49
Football game wear for my fellow Tar Heels?




Judith March Red/Black Layered Strapless Dress $49



JB by Julie Brown Red/Orange Jersey One Shoulder Tenley Dress $49



Marc New York Chambray Ruffle Neck Border Dress $59

 If I had any room in my closet (or more dollars in my bank account), I'd probably buy one of all of these right now. 

Hope you all have a happy and fun 4th of July!

Happy (Shopping) Hour!!

Fantastic Happy Hour Sale on ideeli today!  Just browsed through quickly and found some cute Vineyard Vines polos for my preppy friends for $22, some cute trendy dresses for less than $30, French Connection dresses for $60 or less, and miscellaneous other basics, all at really great prices.

If you haven't joined ideeli, you should.  If you buy something, you can remove individual items or cancel your entire order within 2 hours all on the website.  No calling, no punching in numbers on the phone and waiting 20 minutes to get a live person.  Click cancel order, and you're done!  I think that is pretty cool, especially if you are like me and constantly rationalize all of your purchases!

Here is a sample of some of the sale items:

Havana Dress $19

Vineyard Vines Navy 3/4 Polo $22

Vineyard Vines Pink Short Sleeve Polo $22