Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Motivation

L writes:

a) I am going to regret not going to bed at a decent hour tomorrow. Really, is it almost 12:45?

b) I have been decidedly uninspired in the last week. I've decided that this is because I dress up for people who I think will notice and appreciate it. Not that my team this week won't appreciate it, but they're no Brown Eyed Girl.

c) How do you get inspired when you're feeling fat, ugly, bored of your closet, and generally frustrated with life?

I have no answers at the moment.

Online shopping is just depressing me. I'm going to NYC in July for a week, and I've already promised myself a $500 budget. I can't afford to shop emotionally right now. I'll be staying with a friend in NJ, who has generously offered her mailing address if I wanted to order from some US retailers in advance and pick up my purchases when I arrive. I am, without a doubt, going to take her up on this.

But shopping is like a sonnet. The excruciating structure and the rules are what make it a creative endavour for me. I go for sale items. Price limits me. It limits my choices. I really need the guideline of price, otherwise I wouldn't even know where to start. Sometimes that scares me: if I were left to my own devices amongst a sea of regular-priced items, I don't know if I could really perform fashion-wise.

I've been trying to figure out what I want to buy online from US retailers, and I am simply overwhelmed. I've identified a few retailers that I need to hit up online, but I still feel like I'm browsing without focus.

Anthropologie
J.Crew
Victoria's Secret
Piperlime
Zappos
Nordstrom
Sak's

I want everything, but I'm too afraid to buy anything.

(Does this speak to the underlying guilt that seems to underpin the worldview of every immigrant child in Canada?)

2 comments:

  1. Hahahahaha too afraid to buy anything!!!! I hereby declare that the immigrant complex. We're too afraid to completely reap the benefits our new home has to offer (even if we've lived there our whole life!!)

    I can't think of any other US specific stores you can visit...Express maybe?

    I totally know what you mean about being overwhelmed with choices...it's like you're paralyzed by ultimate fabulousness. If you figure out how to deal with it, please do share it with us!!!

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  2. Hey Lu,

    Yeah Express is a good one because they have coupons all the time ($15 off $30, $30 off $75, etc.) Once you get here, I don't think you'll worry much about overspending. I mean, hell, Uniqlo is super affordable and great. You'll love it.

    Beware on Jcrew's site, their sale items are all final sale.

    I'll point you in the direction of cheap shopping when you get here (Century 21, Filene's Basement) so you can rummage through some bargain items!

    I can also direct you to some malls here in Jersey, but I'm afraid I've only passed by them and never gone (due to my harrowing fear of NJ state highways lol): there's a strip mall in Paramus that appears to be composed of entirely discounted stores (Nordstrom Rack, Saks OFF fifth; here's the site: http://www.bergentowncenter.com/index.aspx)

    Also there's a couple outlet malls, but I tend to shy away from them nowadays (since retailers make different crap for outlet stores). The cheap one is in Elizabeth (Jersey Gardens, but I haven't gone in a year and never buy anything there) and the expensive one is Woodbury Commons (where I fear $500 will not get you very far in the sea of high end designer goods).

    Anyway, it's all good! Still, I'd allocate more than $500 to shopping if you can manage it :) You will be distracted by tax-free shoes, no doubt!

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