A Note on Tough Times

Well.

It's been kind of ugly out there, hasn't it? As of this writing, the American markets have had a tremendous bounce and things are starting (knock wood) to look up a bit. But it's too soon to breathe completely easily, I think, although I'm cautiously optimistic. But all this money talk (and fear) got me to thinking this weekend.

Doing what I do means I'm basically an advocate for consumerism. And mostly I'm okay with that, because I like to think that the people who read my blog are adults who can make up their own minds about what they want, need, can afford, shouldn't go anywhere near, etc. But in situations like what's gone down in the last few weeks (thankfully, situations like the last few weeks are very, very few & far between) I get to thinking. It's possible that in an environment in which people have lost 20, 30, or even 40% of their retirement funds or are facing terrible debt or unemployment, blogs like mine might appear frivolous to the point of callousness. But blogs like mine also serve, especially in times like these, as entertainment. They're grist for the fantasy mill -- mine as much as yours, trust me -- and hopefully they provide inspiration and fun.

So if I post a delicous pair of shoes on the blog and you like them and you want them, by all means -- click on that link and bring 'em on home. I'll be perfectly honest: if you click through to a e-commerce site through my blog and make a purchase, I make money. But please -- don't put yourself into debt to do it. Don't rack up unmanageable credit card balances on my recommendation, I beg you. Be a careful consumer. Dream big, but shop smart.

That being said, along with any bargains I stumble across, I am going to continue to bring you beautiful -- and expensive -- things like the following... just because they're pretty and I like them and I think you will, too.

Thakoon Floral Inside-Out Dress

I saw this dress recently -- in Barney's, I think -- and it's even better in real life. It's a fantastic shape and a beautiful fabric, but it's the details of those inside-out darts that make it really special. Gorgeous.

I am dreeeeeeeaming about these shoes:

L.A.M.B. Gable Pump

Ayayay!! There is nothing about those I don't love -- I want to wear them with pencil skirts and with wide-legged slacks and everything in-between. And these are from Gwen Stefani's label, L.A.M.B., so they're not actually as egregiously pricey as some shoes you run across.

Like these:

Versace Patent Platform Mary Jane

Oh, yeah. Come to mama. I'm still having my purple moment, and these make my mouth water.

I'm not typically one to go all yayaya for the bags but I'm really crazy about this:

Dolce & Gabbana Miss Forever Buckled Bag, Chocolate

I mean, that's a bag you could carry forever. It's capacious without being so big you need a stroller to push it around, it's a classic shape and a great color and will never go out of style. But someone does need to 'splain me why the thing costs 2300 sad, tired American dollars. Seriously, that's a lot of moolah for a big leather pouch. I have several many various kinds of leather pouches, none of which cost even remotely close to that, and they all function admirably well. What the heck kind of cows went into that thing? Did they feed them hay sprinkled with diamonds and gold dust? Were they cows that lived at the Ritz? Pretty hard to justify, IMHO, especially when I found these:

Just $168 on Overstock. Or how about this

beautiful Cole Haan at Macy's for $275. $275 is not peanuts, I'll grant you, but again -- this is a bag you can carry for the rest of your life, and Cole Haan makes beautiful things. I'm a huge fan of this label.

I was going to call it an "investment purchase," but I think I'm going to give that phrase a rest for a little bit...