Cerulean Blue is a Cool Breeze

Any X-Files fans out there? I feel like The Pusher, trying to make it be Fall and about 20-degrees cooler by sheer force of will. This outfit was worn out to run some errands, check on some Gap items I'd been eying, pop into Anthropologie to see if I might want to interview there, and pick up rations at Trader Joes. Now *that* is a Friday!

For anyone who might be interested, I had gone out to try this Belted Waxed Jacket by Gap - I would have resold my polyester Cole Haan jacket for an even exchange and SYC preservation. A bunch of reviewers said it was big on them at 110 lbs... well, I'm at 125, and it's still big on me in XS. It was also way thinner than I'd thought and felt more like a cheap nylon jacket than a nice, waxed finish. No bueno.

Blue Rayon hi-low dress to combat 92-degree heat - flea market
Black bag with thin straps cross-body straps so as little leather sticks to my shoulder as possible - flea market
MIA boots as a manifestation of my denial - Amazon
Cuff photo watch for added weight and Fall feeling - DIY

Update: Macy's Men's Fragrance Department

In response to my recent complaint about a rude salesperson in Macy's South Bay Galleria's Men's Fragrance Department, the store manager contacted me and assured me that their entire staff has been briefed on proper, professional sales etiquette. They also identified the person who interacted with my husband and me - a "Fragrance Model" - and spoke with him individually regarding the inappropriateness of his actions.

I definitely appreciate that Macy's made a thorough effort to not only educate the Men's Fragrance Department as a whole, but also to identify and correct the individual Fragrance Model who offended us. I also think it was very kind and thoughtful of the manager to leave all of this information in my voicemail; although I very much wanted to call him back and thank him, Christmas madness has kept me too busy during store hours. I'm not using his name because, as I said, I was unable to talk to him directly and ask permission.

All in all, I'm comfortable with the way things turned out, and I feel very good about the management at the South Bay Galleria's Macy's. I'm glad I spoke up about our discomfort that day; if I had not, I might have carried ill will toward Macy's for a long time and possibly missed out on some great deals. Also, if I hadn't said anything, none of the salespeople would know that there was anything wrong with what happened - it may sound trite, but I hope that this helps to create a better shopping experience for future customers.

How about you, readers? Have you ever written a complaint letter? Did the company make it right?

Holiday Deal: Spendy Euro Style at Old Navy

On the left, we have Old Navy's Fishtail Anorak, currently $23.99 plus 20% off online. On the right is upscale UK retailer Toast's Parka in ink blue, currently 155 GBP (about $240).

I'd spied the latter version 3 months ago when introduced to the brand's AW 2011 catalog (pages 23-24) via my very favorite online style forum, YLF. Boy did my britches burn that 1) I'd fallen for yet another brand based outside the US and 2) that cool coat with the rockin' fishtail hem was way out of my league!

Then, by some strange twist of fate, I found myself browsing Old Navy's site - I don't follow Old Navy's offerings closely, because I usually prefer to save money by shopping secondhand - and I was instantly drawn to their own blue fishtail-hem topper. It took me a while to order it, because I couldn't find it in stores to try on for size - but when the Thanksgiving sales started to hit, I pounced (I paid $30). I got it. I wore it. I LOVED it so much I bought it in alabaster, too (to be dyed red).

The coat is lightweight, but well constructed. It feels solid, and the metal zipper, snaps, and thoughtful design elements make it look way more expensive than it is (even at full price, it'd be way cheaper than they'd ask for something similar at Urban Outfitters). I'm 5'4" with a 33-inch chest, and the XS fits in a nice, closely tailored way, hitting just above the knee in the front. I could also see sizing up for a more relaxed vibe. If you have long arms, the sleeves might be short for you. For me, I like how the cuffs of my shirts can peek out.

The similarity my anorak to the Toast parka didn't even hit me until just recently, when I logged on to Toast to see if they had any new stock to wistfully ogle from afar... I was already pleased as punch with my coat, but the fact that I'd basically secured something I'd assumed I could never have - and for about 88% off -  just made my day.

Retail Review: Macy's Men's Fragrances

Alternate title: Insults: Very Poor Sales Tactics

While out doing a little holiday shopping, my husband and I were recently appalled by the actions of a sales associate in the Men's Fragrance department of the South Bay Galleria Macy's.

We passed through Macy's - hand in hand - on our way to lunch. We had planned to return to the store afterward, as I had a Macy's gift card and also needed to buy Christmas gifts. On our way through, a man promoting a new cologne jumped out in front of us.

"Hey man, buy this new cologne, and the girls will be swarming all over you," he said, following us as we walked.

My first thought: "What? Am I such a troll that my husband needs this miracle tonic to attract a new, better selection of women?" But it's December, and I'm sentimental, so I bit my tongue and simply explained that my husband is allergic (which is true; I've spent years collecting a precious few perfumes that he can tolerate).

"Allergic to what?" The salesman laughed derisively. "Girls?"

Oh. No. A sales associate did not just question my man's sexual orientation, did he? Was I hallucinating? Were we really talking to a guy hawking designer impostor sprays out of his Ford Club Wagon? Nope. It was really Macy's. If you don't buy Cologne X, then you probably like dudes - super classy slogan, eh? -_-

I was fuming and ready to read this guy the riot act, but my husband was hungry and pulled me away. Still, I could not get out of my mind how rude and inappropriate this sales person was, and I just finished writing a complaint to the company.

It is never good business to insult a potential customer's significant other. It is not appropriate to "tempt" a man with some kind of self-professed babe magnet right there in front of his significant other. Even if he did not see our rings, we were clearly holding hands, part of a couple. The sales associate showed blatant disrespect for me and my relationship by assuming that my husband must want women to swarm him if he's out with me.

It is also never good business to insult a potential customer directly - no matter what you're trying to sell. If my husband had not been my husband, and was instead a homosexual friend, this employee's derogatory comment about him being "allergic to girls" would definitely open Macy's up to discrimination or sexual harassment complaints. I don't know who is training the sales staff to insult potential customers, but the practice is inexcusable.

I am currently awaiting a reply from Macy's, and I hope that the company can use this incident to improve its level of service. The main hit to them: I have absolutely no idea which fragrance the SA was trying to sell. The product was completely overshadowed by our bad experience. Now, even if I thought of someone else who might like new cologne (my dad? my cousin? a crazy uncle with overactive sweat glands?) I will definitely not think of the product promoted - and I will definitely steer clear of Macy's.

Retail Review: Shoebuy.com & Dr. Martens Marcie Wedge Boots

One of my favorite things? Credit card rewards! I know the hardcore-prudent thing to do would be to take cash back -- but seriously, I have an addiction sickness hobby to fund. :)

I noticed that a round of credit card rewards were set to expire soon, so I decided to use them to acquire these Dr. Martens Marcie boots. A twist on an old favorite, the Marcie combines a classic combat boot upper with a platform wedge heel that makes my stubby legs and flat-sole-averse arches sit up and take notice. Yes, please!

The Shoebuy Experience

• Order Placement Process: Excellent. They offer a bajillion payment options, and there were no freakish hoops or fetish props to jump through to place my order.
• Product Details: Average. The heel height listed ended up being a half inch shorter than the actual height... I suppose they might have arrived at their measurement by subtracting the platform, but it would have been nice to know that (if it were indeed the case); Some of us like to know whether we will end up taller than our boyfriends or sporting highwater jeans if we wear those shoes. Also, no calf/ankle circumference information was included.
• Pricing: Excellent. Whatever sale shoebuy was having at the time priced my boots at a full $30 cheaper than I saw them anywhere else. And they don't charge sales tax. And they offer a 100% price guarantee. I believe the term I'm looking for is booya.
• Shipping/Packaging: Excellent. Free, fast, accurately-tracked shipping in a discreet box covered in tape that reminds you to check for defects and damage before accepting the product.
• Return/Exchange Process: Excellent. Free returns, free return shipping, easy return tracking, and a convenient pre-paid label included in my box. They use an online form for return explanations instead of making you interpret weird "exchange codes" on the back of your packing slip. I took the site's advice for a speedy exchange and simply returned the larger size while placing an new order for the smaller, which did result in a speedily-recieved replacement - the only downside is that the boots were not the exact same price as before. I thought about calling customer service to inquire about a match, but it was small enough a difference that the CC rewards still totally covered the price (difference was about $5).
• Overall: TOTALLY EXCELLENT. I'm very impressed with the price, speed, and service. Very much like I remember ordering from Zappos, but I remember Zappos as always having higher prices - and Zappos didn't carry these particular boots. Shoebuy has officially replaced Amazon as my #1 shoe site due to their price matching and free shipping. :)

The Marcie Wedge Boot Experience

• Fit: based on what the Dr. Martens size chart says, these felt a 1/2 size too big... and they only come in whole sizes, so if you're on the border of two sizes like me, go for the smaller option. I initally ordered the 9 instead of my usual 8.5 and ended up swimming in them.
• Quality: Just what you'd expect from Dr. Martens: sturdy & well-made, so you feel like you can really kick some butt in these boots. :)
• Comfort: WOW. Possibly the most comfortable boots I've had. I've walked for miles in these and had none of the dreaded arch pain or muscle cramps that have plagued me in my GI combat boots. Lovelovelovelovelove!

All in all, this has been one of the best online shopping experiences I've ever had. No hemming and hawing over whether or not to try another size. No agonizing over the price until my desired item has sold out. Nothing but pure shoe bliss. :)

Plus, the cat seems to like 'em. >^..^<

Retail Review: Wholesale-dress.net

Wholesale-dress.net is a Chinese-based online purveyor of Asian-made clothing, shoes, and accessories. Their site boasts a plethora of of-the-moment pieces at amazingly low prices. They also offer deals for wholesale and drop-shipping orders, but this review recalls the retail experience only.
I've now ordered from wholesale-dress.net several times, with varying degrees of success. The crux of the issue seems to be that the customer can have a tough time determining which items are in stock -- a difficulty that can lead to severe disappointment.
For example, the first time I ordered from the site, I was absolutely rabid to have this red sweater -- the cat appliques are so sweet they made my teeth hurt. So I swallowed my reservations about ordering from China, added it to my cart, paid, and waited... only to be emailed days later with the news that my beloved sweater was out of stock. I stalked this sweater for a good year, hoping against hope that it would be restocked -- and one day, my prayers were answered. The sweater was back up, and the "add to cart" button was restored. Only the same thing happened: even though I was able to order the item, it was not in stock. I vowed never to order from the site again.





...but the truth is that the allure of cat-themed items always proves too strong for me. This was before the time of the iconic Miu Miu cat print; cats were nowhere to be found in America and entirely overpriced on YesStyle.com. And I fell in love with this quirky sweater dress. This time, the order went through without a hitch, and my sweater arrived! I liked it, but I didn't love it. It was shorter than expected based on the photo and measurements, and the knit was scratchy and of low quality. I figured it wasn't worth it to order from wholesale-dress.net again.





Lo and behold, however, registering for the site signed me up for their email list, and I was eventually drawn in again. This time, my pulse raced for this convertible bag with cheeky, checkerboard pattern in genuine leather. Disclaimers all over the site warned that, because of Chinese New Year, shipping would be delayed. I figured that that was fine with me; I just wanted to place my order good and early so that they wouldn't run out again. So this time I asked customer service if my item was in stock. I was assured it was available. I added it to my cart and checked out. But when I tried to pay, I was unable to! I waited about a month until the holiday was over and tried to pay again - nothing! Finally, I wrote to customer service and was informed that I would have to cancel the first order and create a new one... and you guessed it: after ordering and paying, I was informed that my bag was out of stock. I vowed never to order from the site again - again!

Most recently, I checked back into the site after I saw that Forever21 had done a Miu Miu-inspired dress. I figured that, if they had done it, then the Chinese had likely done it, too - I was right! I found the perfect blouse for about $7. I inquired about availability and was told it was in stock. I ordered, paid via Paypal, and waited. Two days after placing the order, I received an email shipping confirmation and tracking number. Five days after placing the order, my package arrived in California, and my blouse was everything I'd hoped it would be - minus some loose threads and the fact that all the buttons seemed to be sewn on with a single, uncut, unknotted thread. o_0

Pros:
-Insane selection
-Low, low prices
-Cute, quirky, unique items you aren't likely to find in a brick & mortar store
-Shipping can apparently be lightening-fast!


Cons:
-Browsing/Searching is difficult, as you cannot sort your search results by category (clicking on the category erases your search criteria), and your search will also pull up all other words that contain your search word (e.g. a search for "cat" also pulled up listings for "delicate.")

-No system that removes the purchase option once an item is sold out.

-Quality is a toss-up
-Shipping costs can negate what you thought would be an insane deal

The bottom line: Wholesale-dress.net is pretty much like shopping the Chinese equivalent of a Forever21 warehouse - you can score adorable, unique, never-see-it-again-anywhere-else items for a song... but the process might totally kill your shopping buzz. I say go ahead and risk it if you find something you truly can't find anywhere else, but don't count your kittens until they've shipped.

All images except the last two are from the wholesale-dress website.