Archive for the ‘shopping’ Category

14 Mar

Good Bra Karma?

Posted by Jamie Brazil in 2013 Resolutions, fashion, publishing, shopping, women. Tagged: , , , , , .

cute spring 2013 boat shoes

cute spring 2013 boat shoes

When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping, right? To say this week has been challenging is an understatement, so when I had the chance to bail yesterday morning, I DID.

Hello, outlet mall!

Given my limited budget, my resolution to shrink my closet, and a ten-dollar coupon for Famous Footwear I figured I was safe.  Right off the bat, a super cute pair of metallic boat shoes spoke to me.  They’re almost identical to the $98 Sperry’s in the current J. Crew catalogue, and they were marked down to $10. With coupon: FREE.

Nothing like a little retail therapy to improve one’s outlook.

Emboldened by my great find, I set off for The Jockey Store. Now usually bra shopping ranks right under swimsuit shopping as my least favorite shopping activity. But bras are one of the most important pieces of any woman’s wardrobe, and FINDING a new bra is right up there with scoring a free pair of metallic boat shoes.

Since getting properly measured I’ve stuck with my true size. But the problem is the so-called bra experts tell me I can “cheat” into other sizes.  For instance, my 32D equals 34C equals a 36A.

Ummm, not really.

I tried those 34s and 36s on yesterday and, yes, some of them functioned, but they didn’t feel like they really fit. With a hundred or so 75% off bras to choose from, I was tempted to buy a couple extra $4.99 cheaters.  In the end, I chose one high-impact, cotton sports bra in size medium.

Sure, it would have been nice to have a couple extra bras in the drawer, but I’d like to think there’s such a thing as good bra karma. By leaving those bras behind perhaps another woman will walk in and find her perfect fit… yet I’m still thinking about the deals I passed on.

What do you think? Would you have purchased the extra bras as backups, or put them back on the rack?  ~ Jamie

PS: The true highlight of this week, even better than metallic boat shoes and a bra, was Christy Carlyle sending over the cover to my next novel: The Commodore’s Daughter.  Stay tuned! Cover reveal via Facebook on Monday!

 

 

15 Jan

Shrink My Closet Progress Report

Posted by Jamie Brazil in 2013 Resolutions, fashion, shopping, vintage clothing, women. Tagged: , , , , , .

Now that the 9-day Resolve 2013 blog tour is over, I’ve had a week to think about this marathon of self-improvement. My personal resolution was to shrink my closet.  As in cull, donate, and sell off fifty-percent of my wardrobe because I have way too many clothes.  Since last week, I’ve realized a few things:

I’m tired of blogging about my clothes-shopping habit.

My closet really is shrinking.

My transgressions are less.

Re the last point: No, I didn’t walk away from that super cute red-and-white striped Izod Lacoste summer dress.  Made in France and only $16!  Who could resist? But otherwise, my January shopping has been limited to a $2 pair of socks and a pair of netted tights at Nordstrom Rack, as well as a steeply discounted pair of navy tights at J. Crew.  I refuse to pay $26 for tights (well, maybe Wolford tights… if I could find them at that price).  But $8… sign me up!

And hosiery, like lingerie, doesn’t count, right?

In the meantime, I’ve added another bag of clothes to the donations in the garage.  Plus there’s another ten items hanging in the second closet, all ready to be re-homed via a consignment store.  Finally, I think I might be ready to give up the Hudson’s Bay trench coat I’ve hung onto for decades even though the last time I can recall wearing it was in 2002.

While getting my hair cut last week, I read an article where the writer waxed nostalgic about clothing memories and cleaving to a cheap velvet blazer she bought in Paris on her honeymoon. Yet never wore.  I shrank in the stylist’s chair, guilty.  Her velvet blazer is my olive-green trench!

So, got any memories hanging in your closet?

 

 

 

 

9 Jan

Resolve 2013: Quantifying My Closet with Jamie Brazil

Posted by Jamie Brazil in 2013 Resolutions, fashion, handbags, publishing, shopping, vintage clothing. Tagged: , , , , .

art-resolve2013Greta Garbo had 67 pairs of trousers.  They’ll be auctioned off in the near future.

My friend Barb told me she has over 30 designer handbags.  I admire her shrewd bargain hunting skills.  Okay, I idolize her.

My own closet is overflowing with great stuff, too. Though, deep down, I know it’s time to downsize.  And I’m trying, really trying, to cut down on the amount of clothing I own.  Which is very difficult because I love the craftsmanship and styles of bygone eras as much I covet modern simplicity, butter-soft Italian knits, and great leather shoes.  Every piece of clothing in my closet – both my daily closet at home and the storage at my mother-in-law’s house – has a story.

Parting with any item feels like I’m giving up on it, like I’m sending it away to an orphanage, or worse, a landfill.  We might have had a beautiful future together!

Strangely, I feel none of this guilt when I abandon a story line, or kill off a character that’s not working.  If it’s what I need to do for the book, I do it.  I’ve killed off fiction babies for a long time and that’s just business as usual.

But clothes?  Oh my God.  Noooo!

There’s a reason Garbo, style icon that she was, kept 67 pairs of her signature trousers at the ready.  Not that I have a signature style, or even 67 pairs of pants, but I can appreciate what her thought process must have been. Tweed, tuxedo, palazzo, capri… *happy sigh*

I’d bet it’s the same pleasant feeling Barb has curating her 30 handbags.

One day, I’m going to calculate just how many pieces of clothing I own.  I’ve been avoiding it, like some avoid opening their credit card statement, or going to the dentist, I’d rather not know the actual tally.  If I don’t know the number, I don’t have to deal with the whole “hoarding” issue.  Until then, I’ll stick to the task at hand, slowly, but steadily, finding ways to re-home the sweaters, shoes, and yes, trousers, that no longer serve a purpose in my closet.

And I absolutely promise, cross my heart, that I will not go to the Garbo auction!

In the meantime, I look forward to connecting with you on Facebook and Goodreads!  Just click the icons below.

123facebookgoodreads_icon_100x100-bff70f2a14699328631d91f1b40e2d5a

This is the final day of  THE RESOLUTION TOUR – January 1 – 9, 2013.  I’ve had a great time blogging, meeting, greeting, and commenting.  Whether you’ve just dropped in, or you’ve been following this resolution madness for the last eight days, I want to thank you for supporting all of us in our endeavors.

Maggie Jaimeson – Take a Vacation

Jessa Slade – Get Organized

Paty Jager – Volunteerism

Linda Mercury – Creating a Literary (or Creative) Life

Jenna Bayley-Burke – Eat Healthier

Cassiel Knight – No More Procrastination

Cathryn Cade – Take Time for those OTHER Creative Passions

Susan Lute – Reduce Stress: Find and Follow Your Bliss

8 Jan

Resolve 2013: Loving in the Closet

Posted by Jamie Brazil in 2013 Resolutions, diet, fashion, romance novels, shopping, women. Tagged: , , , , , .

art-resolve2013Today is the second-to-last day of our nine-author blog-a-thon (gosh, there are a lot of dashes in this sentence) and it’s been a fun journey.  A couple week’s go, today’s guest, Maggie Jamieson, and I had a chance to sit down and indulge in hours of girl talk.  Of course, the topic of clothes came up, but we also chatted about publishing, family, and life.  Maggie is smart, and kind, and the sort of person you can start having a conversation with and lose track of time entirely.  Our morning of chatting made me think of one of my favorite quotes: Do not make excuses to stay, but reasons to return.

Resolve 2013: Loving in the Closet

Author name: Maggie Jaimeson

Book title: ETERNITY

In order to shrink my closet I have to shrink me first. Either that or decide what size I’m going to be the rest of my life.  Like millions of women who approach New Years, I always have a resolution to lose weight.  AND I always do, somewhere between 20 and 40 pounds.  AND I always gain it back.

maggie-wordstock-sittingThis then relates directly to my closet.  As I lose weight I give up my “fat” clothes and buy new clothes.  If I’m “in the money” I go to the mall. If I’m not, I go to the thrift store. But the reality is I ALWAYS buy new-to-me clothes as I lose weight. The problem is when I gain the weight back I then buy fat clothes again. But I don’t get rid of the other sized clothes because, being the perennial optimist, I’m sure that weight is coming off soon and I’ll need them.

So my tips below are in the form of do as I say, not as I do.  Maybe by writing them down I’ll find a way to stick to these too. There has been three times in my life when I did get rid of lots of clothes. When I did that I set up sorting rules so that I could approach it as unemotionally as possible.  There are only three rules because I can’t remember more than three things at a time. Here are those rules.

1. If I haven’t worn it in more than three years it goes to Goodwill, no matter what size it is or how wonderful it is. There is a reason I haven’t worn it and hanging on until I change my mind about it is ridiculous.

2. If it is something that fits (usually a blouse in my case), but every time I put it on I find myself taking it off again because it “doesn’t look quite right” for this occasion, then it goes to Goodwill. No excuses. Likely it was something I bought on a whim or when I was depressed or anxious and it will never work.  It’s amazing how shopping while depressed never yields something I love to wear.

3. If the item is more than two sizes smaller than my current size it goes to Goodwill. Yes, I still believe I will get there but when I do I know I’ll want to buy something new to celebrate.  So saving it is ridiculous.

I am not a fashionista like you so I don’t have other cool things to go through like purses and scarves and hats and sunglasses.  But the first two sorting rules still apply to those items too.

Now, here  comes the really big thing. Run, don’t walk. Or drive immediately to Goodwill or wherever you are taking it.  If you don’t, you will be tempted to retrieve things.  You really DO NOT want to do that. AFTER you return from Goodwill give yourself a little grieving time and a treat (not buying something else) for being such a good caretaker of your closet space.

Then grab your husband and duck inside, now that you have all that space, and do something naughty/nice/fun. Take your pick.

Good luck and Happy New Year!

Contacts: Website | GoodReads | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

Spread the word, THE RESOLUTION TOUR – January 1 – 9, 2013, is off and running!  If any of the resolutions below sound familiar, you might want to check them out:

Maggie Jaimeson – Take a Vacation

Jessa Slade – Get Organized

Paty Jager – Volunteerism

Linda Mercury – Creating a Literary (or Creative) Life

Jenna Bayley-Burke – Eat Healthier

Cassiel Knight – No More Procrastination

Cathryn Cade – Take Time for those OTHER Creative Passions

Susan Lute – Reduce Stress: Find and Follow Your Bliss

7 Jan

Resolve 2013: Coming Out

Posted by Jamie Brazil in 2013 Resolutions, fashion, Romance Writers of America, shopping, women. Tagged: , , , , .

art-resolve2013Jessa SladeJessa-Slade_portrait

The Darkest Night (A Marked Souls Christmas novella)

I’m afraid of my closet. I live in an old house where the only bedrooms are upstairs and the only closets are stuffed under the eaves, so my closet is long and low. The back is really dark. Thus my fear.

Because of the inaccessible nature of my closet, I tend to wear what I can reach from the doorway. In case you wondered why you always see me in the same green sweater. I love my green sweater! Also, it’s the only thing I can reach without crawling into the darkness of my closet where there are undoubtedly spiders and for sure there is a pair of plaid tartan thigh-highs that seemed like a good idea at the time.

Last year I swore I’d conquer at least the first three feet of my closet. Yeah, didn’t happen. So this year, I’m trying again. I’m thinking about tackling the entire thing at once since the first three feet idea was a bust. If I pulled everything out… I could put half of it in my XY’s closet and then mine wouldn’t look so bad.

So do you think I should try to do it all at once? Or do you think hijacking XY’s closet is more likely to succeed? Please share in comments.

Goodreads, My website, My newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
And follow my A LITTLE NIGHT MUSE blog tour for a chance to win goodies!

Spread the word, THE RESOLUTION TOUR – January 1 – 9, 2013, is off and running!  If any of the resolutions below sound familiar, you might want to check them out:

Maggie Jaimeson – Take a Vacation

Jessa Slade – Get Organized

Paty Jager – Volunteerism

Linda Mercury – Creating a Literary (or Creative) Life

Jenna Bayley-Burke – Eat Healthier

Cassiel Knight – No More Procrastination

Cathryn Cade – Take Time for those OTHER Creative Passions

Susan Lute – Reduce Stress: Find and Follow Your Bliss

« Older Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 117 other followers

%d bloggers like this: