I turn 27 tomorrow. I turn 27 tomorrow and I still carry my belongings to work in a backpack. It is not cute. It is sort of useful, in that it has various pockets for things like laptops and pens, but it is not cute. It's easier on the shoulders when carrying heavy stuff, but all I carry most days is my lunch and a few other papers. It's also decidedly not professional, but I'm not sure this really matters when people think it's worthwhile to complain about not being able to wear jeans to work.

[An aside, but I abhor the word professional when used as a noun. "I am a young professional." Turn-off.]

So here I am, ready to make the big bag switch to a big bag. Only past shopping experiences have shown that I am very picky when it comes to bags. I don't like excessive buckles, or weird textures, or anything too shiny. To make the whole process even harder, I wanted something big enough to fit papers, a lunch, and preferably with some separate compartments so there's some internal organization.

These bags exist, they do. The problem is that they all look something like this:


Fossil Executive Top Zip Tote

I mean, really. If I can barely tolerate the word professional, do I really want a bag that's called executive? No. I could wear this to work if I wore pantsuits and pumps every day, but thank god, I don't.

So off I went to other outlets. There were some contenders, but I had a really tall order to fill. (I also didn't really want to spend $200.)


the annie leather bag


xl tote shopping bag (sold)

As I looked at my options that were okay, but not perfect, I kept thinking back to that Target bag I spied a few weeks ago. Large. Simple. Cheap. I finally just bought it, knowing that it could be returned. But I tell you, it is growing on me.



I like that it has convertible straps (good for biking!), and it is nice and roomy for all sorts of things. It does have a divider and one internal pocket, but nothing else to help organize everything in such a cavernous space of a bag. That worries me a bit. But for $23, it's really not bad.

Anyway, if any of you shopping savvy folks have other ideas, let me know.

train of thought.

I just finished Plenty, which is about a couple eating locally for one year. I enjoyed it a lot, in part because it was engaging right away and I plowed through it in a week, and sometimes it's nice to just finish a book quickly. And even though it was non-fiction, it sort of played out like a story with suspense (how ever are they going to make it through the winter?!). But I would have liked more detail on things like how canning works and such.

The book got me to thinking about personal challenges and New Year's resolutions. I don't think eating locally is going to work too well, if only because I live alone and a CSA share can overwhelm even two people. But I feel like I should give something up.

The only thing I've thought of so far is not buying new clothing for a year. I really try to keep my purchases of stuff to a minimum for a variety of reasons, but clothes are my biggest weakness. Today, for example, I ended up in Urban Outfitters for no other reason than it was across the street from my brunch location. I ended up buying a pair of riding boots (not perfect, but good for $60), and then I needed new skinny jeans to pair with the boots, and then why not throw in a pair of $10 shorts for good measure? All of this without buying ANY presents for ANYONE! Ridiculous.

So yeah, it's something to think about. 2009 - the year without sweatshops?


(also, hello blog! I've missed you!)

i have confidence in shopping.

Without getting into the details, it hasn't been the best week. I was at my sister's yesterday and she was giving tips on what I could do to cheer up, one of which was shopping. For instance, I could buy a new fancy winter coat! And we laughed about how it seems absurd to spend so much money what with the economy and all, but screw it! I have consumer confidence even if no one else does. Which of course, only made us think changing the lyrics to "I Have Confidence" from The Sound of Music:

I have confidence in dresses!
I have confidence in coats!

Moving on. (And please note, I don't actually condone the wanton spending of money just for the sake of buying things, but I do condone carefully selected purchases that can keep one happy for number of seasons.) I'm looking at coats once again. I've been looking mostly at the Soia Kyo site, a brand I fell in love with last year.



Eh? What do we think? Of course, I am still concerned that either will be fabulously cute but not at all warm, which makes it even more ridiculous to spend more than $300 on a coat.

(I also want new boots, but I'm having trouble finding the perfect version of those as well.)

Last weekend I saw WALL-E. (Cute.) Later that night I was at a bookstore without periodicals so I was forced to browse books instead of fashion magazines. The horror! And the movie had me in an apocalyptic mood, so I thumbed through The World Without Us for a bit. I learned two things in my short reading:

1. I have no desire to actually read that whole book.
2. My exfoliating bath products contain tiny tiny bits of plastic that are killing precious sea animals. (See here for more info.)

God, just imagine what I could have learned had I decided to read the whole thing? Probably all sorts of truly horribly stuff.

Anyway, it got me to thinking about this entry I had seen on Nylon about how to make your beauty type items more enviro-friendly. So I started looking at ingredient labels of cleansers and stuff...and yeah, it's bad. It's all really bad and full of oil and plastic and junk.

This should be bad news, right? Well, sort of. But the good news is I now have all the more reason to shop at LUSH! Right now I'm most interested in the shampoo bars, since I've gotten into the glorious habit of seeing how long I can go with washing my hair. (Right now I'm averaging 3-4 days). I don't believe in throwing out items upon the realization that they're not super earth friendly (hello, wasteful), but once these products run out I totally intend to spend tons of money on yummy smelling lush stuff. Mmmm.


Ah hell, here's one more link: Treehugger's Guide to Greening Your Health Care Items

stream of consciousness.

I've really been enjoying my meals this week, much more so than usual. I could attribute it to the fine farmers at the market, the freshness of the fruit, or maybe that I'm just an awesome chef, but I know what the real deal is: it's just that time of month where everything tastes amazing. (Ladies, you feeling me? No? Well, it's cool. Me and my hormones are getting along, for the time being.) It doesn't even matter what it is: cucumber and tomato salad, tortillas filled with black beans, fresh corn kernels and avocado, homemade oatmeal with berries and bananas, or even a small sliver of Parmesan, it's all glorious and I am loving every mouthful.



I biked to my parent's house yesterday, and traded in the lady bike for a new bike, which is actually my old bike, but slightly improved since I last knew it. Meaning, the pedal arm (crank arm?) actually stays on, and it also has a rack and a pannier. And it fits so much better than that damn lady bike, I feel like a decent biker again. Never mind that braking is annoying because I need to get a new wheel or two, when I'm in motion I feel stronger, faster, not unlike a Daft Punk song! (Sorry, I myself am shaking my head at that one.)



Hi, my name is e and I'm addicted to dresses. No, this is not a dress, it's shoes to match a dress that I bought while at Target, intending to buy toilet paper or something. The shoes are surrounded by three dresses (bought in two weeks), plus one from my old bedroom closet that I decided is actually wearable again (after a decade). I try to buy cute tops or, I dunno, nice pants for work but no, dresses and skirts. That's it. So please, if you ever see me out shopping, remind me that I don't need any more dresses.

[Sorry for all these random posts lately.]

coat conundrum, part 2.

About a week ago, I ordered this coat from J. Crew. I had a 20% off code for the night only, I could get it in tall aand with thinsulate, so it seemed like the right thing to do. When it finally arrived, I put it on, looked in the mirror and sighed. It just wasn't right. I wasn't sure why, but it wasn't good. I whined to friends online who assured me that it probably wasn't that bad, why not take a picture and show us? So I did, and the results were the same: something was off with the fit. I sighed some more, promised to return it, and quickly deleted any pictures posted. For some reason, I felt embarrassed that I had bought a bad coat, even though it's not my fault! The pictures were cute! Other coats in the store were cute! How did this one go so wrong?

So, we're still on the lookout for the perfect coat that doesn't exist. I did move one of the buttons on my formerly way-too-boxy tweed thrift store coat to give it a little more shape. It's not fabulous, but better.

coat conundrum.

With the first major snowfall expected to arrive this weekend, it's time to face the facts:

• Winter is here.
• It was 10 degrees today.
• I am pretty much always cold.
• I don't like muttering "fuck" every morning when I head out the door.
  
• The last time I spent more than $50 of my own money on a coat was..well, never.
  

With all of these in mind, I figured now is the time to spend some hard earned money on a coat that is cute and warm. And hell, it's even okay to splurge a bit because coats are important in Minnesota.

Sounds easy, right? No. The problem is simple: cute coats are rarely warm. Coats built for warmth are always lacking just a bit in fashion. They look similar enough, but something is off and you can tell at first glance.

But I was (am?) determined. I started looking at J. Crew, and found some promising coats that I wouldn't want to buy without at least trying a few on. Which is how I ended up at the Mall of America tonight strutting around the store in this:

Yes, it's very cute. It's green and adorable and it feels like it is made out of NOTHING. And so I very sadly put it back on the rack and sighed, and moved on, emboldened to find the perfect coat.

I stopped at Macy's and immediately walked past the grays, browns, blacks, and creams. I needed color and would not settle for anything less at this point. Okay, or maybe patterns, like in this one:

Maybe it was just me acclimating to the mall climate, but somehow this one felt warmer. And it is rather cute as well. But I still can't shake the fact that I would be paying what I used to pay on rent for a coat that just isn't that warm. Perhaps that's the sacrifice we all make: cute and cold, or warm and dowdy.

i am my own sweatshop.

I've only been to American Apparel a few times (we just got a local store), and every time I go I'm somewhat dazzled by the array of colors and the comfy knits. But there's always something a bit troubling about it at the same time, something that I can't always put my finger on. And although their stuff is not prohibitively expensive, it's just expensive enough to keep me from buying any of it, especially when it seems like I should be able to make something so simple myself.

Never fear though, as I am on my way. Here is my copycat version of the sheer jersey scarf:


I'm sort of ashamed to say I even needed help coming up with this one, but I got the idea here. Let me sum up it for you:

1. Find some stretchy and thin jersey cotton in a color you enjoy. (Really, this is the hardest part.)
2. Cut it.

Et voila, a scarf! Now, American Apparel retails this for $15. Atrocious. I found clearance fabric for $1.50 a yard, and could probably make three scarves for less than $4 total.

Going back to American Apparel..I'm still a little confused as to why this girl has to model the scarf in 18 colors wearing a sheer tank top. There's nipple showing there! What the eff! (Yeah, this is probably why this place is a bit unsettling.)

skirts! for running!

So, I was emailing a friend about running this weekend and one of the google links on the side was about running skirts. I thought, "skirts? While running??" but was also very intrigued. And this is how I ended up at RunningSkirts.com. Some thoughts that went through my head as I explored:

• "Girly-girl" style? Ah, HELL NO.
• There's a whole side-tab designated for PINK SKIRTS? Oh god.
• Well, okay, let's check out the design.
• Kind of pricey, but HEY! THEY COME WITH POCKETS!
  
• Hmm...skirts in action...oh man, cute girls in cute skirts RUNNING. I must have one.

And thus was the process of my semi-brainwashing. But really it makes sense. I like running. I like skirts. Put them together? RUNNING SKIRTS! Sort of genius.

(It's kind of sad though, that I don't buy anything except food, drinks, and running gear as of late.)

Oh god, now I'm looking at another site and it's so ridiculous. They're telling me to embrace my gorgeous self....by wearing a running skirt. This ends now!

consumerisn't.

NYTimes article about freeganism.

With my recent interest in sustainability (that has not gone away), I found this article quite fascinating. In particular, I've been having pangs of guilt nearly every time I drive my car or buy bananas from Guatemala. It's hard knowing what's reasonable to cut out or change when you can't do everything. (Unless I join some commune and live off the grid completely. Yeah, not going to happen.) It's trying to find a balance and do more, knowing I can't do everything.

Anyway, some quotes!

"Not buying any new manufactured products while living in the United States is, of course, basically impossible, as is avoiding everything that requires natural resources to create, distribute or operate."

“It’s always hard to give up class privilege. But freegans would argue that the capitalist system is not sustainable. You’re exploiting resources.” She added, “Most people work 40-plus hours a week at jobs they don’t like to buy things they don’t need.”

I guess when I read this, I didn't immediately think, "I'm going to start rummaging through dumpsters!" (Although not a horrible idea, really...) To me it's just about simplifying things. Not buying things that aren't necessary. Buying used when possible. And just..having less stuff.

And of course, as I write this I'm thinking about when I should go to the Gap so I can use my reward certificate and also use my credit since I accidentally overpaid my bill. Sigh. Next step: cut up that damn thing.

diy. or, buy diy.

Anti-Factory

I stumbled across this through one of those funny blog trails, and I find it so inspiring. Really cute clothes altered beautifully using mostly found fabrics, thus reducing dependence on both sweatshops and farms to grow cotton and the like. It's silly how I always bookmark sites like this with the intention of emulating their designs and ideas, and rarely with the intention of buying anything. ($88 for a shirt is just not something I'm used to. Yet.) And do I make anything similar? Rarely. There is the hope that someday I will be able to make creations like these. Someday, someday.

omg shoes.

So I decided to keep these shoes:


I debuted them at the Peter Bjorn and John show. Unfortunately, I now have two blisters on my left toes, one of which is looking kind of bad. Oops.

So hooray for new shoes. But I am still on the lookout for cute espadrilles that do not have 4 inch heels. I swear, they barely exist! I'm still thinking about these ones. But I need to decide soon or they will run away. [haha. shoes. running away.] Anyway, in looking at possibly every shoe website imaginable, I must say that my new favorite is endless.com. Their search options are awesome, and it looks like right now they are paying you to send you stuff in the mail. Sweet!

(p.s. thank you to whoever thought of wedge heels. You are a delight.)
(p.p.s. I almost forgot! This is just...well, yeah. Wow.)