Sunday, February 21, 2010

Wandering in Wichita

So, here we are. Right across the way from a Timberline restaurant that has a gluten free menu! The mall that the hotel is by, has all the stores a person could want...the fancy ones! I can see a long stop at the border in my future! The fact of the matter is, though, that I have found just about evey item on my list at the stores we stopped at on the way here. Omaha remains my favourite city, as the people are just so nice, and there are lots of shopping options. This time round, Avenue had a few basics, but to my surprise, I found new black jeans at Macy's! And, Dillards had an Antonio Milani clutch that I just could not say no to. Very classic lines, removable chain handle...sooo soft! The finishing inside and out is faultless. And of course, the shiny croc patterned patent leather is a definite positive!

Since I have more than enough dresses, and the basics, all I really need is a good blazer. They say that every seven years, you are a whole new person...well, coming up to sixty, I have changed my cells over eight times. As with fashions, it seems that I am repeating myself. I spent the greater part of my adult life, in serious or Mummy clothing. Now it is time to go back to my sixties roots, and enjoy the jeans, tie-dyed dresses and fun things that are in the stores now. I figure that if anyone has the right to wear these things, it is those of us that made them what they are today - classics!


I found the missing basics for my Tim Gunn's list of necessities to mix with my own quirkiness:

1.red cable knit v-neck sweater, AVENUE
2.another poorboy turtleneck, in red LANE BRYANT
3.undies, 2 black, 2 beige,1 grey - instead of 12.50 each, these were a steal at 5 for 29 bucks!
4.black socks, the only comfortable socks in the world, from AVENUE. Made of bamboo, and generously cut.
5.poufy red vest AVENUE...now this is a new one on me, but the colour was right, and I guess you are supposed to wear it over a heavy sweater in the winter? Whatever.I think it will work well on spring and fall days, and for car trips...it is a nice long third layer, so I couldn't leave it behind!
6. Sand coloured hoody , AVENUE - made out of thermal underwear fabric! Long, and light for summer, or layering over a tshirt.
7. navy jeans, AVENUE a full size smaller and skinnier legs. No more droopy drawers for me!
8. black jeans from Macy's. Nice long legs, and a tummy tamer feature. Well, I know I need a whip and a chair, but this is a start. Yes, I can shop in regular people's stores! Not only that, but some clothes are too big!

9. long sleeved dressier t-shirt, empire waist, crossover top, black from TARGET. My favourite clothes have lots of spandex...this one has 7%, and again, a full size smaller!
10. straw sun hat for our next southern jaunt...actually looks okay. I have a tendency to look quite dorky in hats, but this one is nice. Crushable, and made of straw, not paper. I am glad I have taken the time to find the right hat, because quality is so much more important that getting something quickly! I also realized that hats are an absolute necessary to protect coloured hair.
11. Finally! A basic white shirt. Long enough, big enough, good material. A boyfriend shirt from AVENUE that is well made, and very well cut.
12. Two tank tops to match the long cardigans I bought in Ft. Lauderdale. These are very, very long and have their own arty kind of flare. The cardigans have a fishtail hems, and needed the underlayering of the tanks. Orange and black.
13. Milano patent leather clutch, that I am in love with....
14. Strappy biege sandals with kitten heels that are very comfy! My new rule is, since finding my Skechers is, that I have to be able to wear shoes out of the store in order to seriously consider buying them. Far too many mistakes in my shoe rack.

The best news is, that all of this came to well under 300 dollars. Yep. You read that right! The sales were fantastic, and absolutely everything I bought was on sale, well under the original price. The shoes were a whopping 1.96 because they were the only ones left in the store! So that wouldn't be a disount, it was an out and out gift! So, now that I have the basics on my list? I am free to buy on whim. Something tells me that there will be a lot of whims this week!

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