Sometimes I think of things to write when something strikes me and sometimes I just take the ideas that you all give me (like Lederhosen for women - thanks Janice!). My friend Aina asked me if I would write something on on-line shopping. This topic required some creative thinking about what angle I'd take since I don't really shop on-line, having got a little burned with some purchases in the past. (cue flashback...)
A few years ago, I fell for a metal belt by Valentino in the shape of a snake. I think I had this great idea of a waist-cinching belt that was a little Greek goddess, a little Goth, and a little Art Nouveau and that would pull in blousy tops over jeans and be both tough and pretty. Sadly, as with most things, the reality was a bit different from the fantasy and it didn't fit well (cast metal isn't flexible), was droopy (cast metal is heavy), and just didn't work with anything I owned (cast metal is weird). Luckily, they took it back.
After that, online clothing shopping lost a bit of its appeal for me.. The only things I have bought in the past year are a basic black cotton turtleneck (yawn), iTunes and Amazon downloads, some nice laundry products (double yawn), a suitcase, a PS2 game for my nephew, and food from freshdirect for a friend's baby shower party.. That's about it.
But it's not just once bitten, twice shy.. I like walking to a store, talking to people there, trying things on, getting a good sense of how something feels, fits, and works with what I have... Maybe that's why it always seems so appealing to shop when I'm traveling. The object I buy comes with a story and the interactive social experience of talking to salespeople and other shoppers and picking that thing (or things) out of everything else in the shop. Yes, there's a risk that I'm getting ripped off. I know I overpaid for my rugs and the "saffron" my sister and I bought in the souk in Morocco, but it was fun, we drank a lot of mint tea, and came back with some new stories to tell when we got home. And I didn't even have to carry the heavy rugs I bought as the chivalrous gentlemen who sold us our rugs made Megan carry mine as well as hers, as I had a broken wrist. Sorry Megan!
And if I'm not traveling, but am wandering around home in New York (aka shopper's paradise), I feel like I want a barrier to stop me from going into all the amazing boutiques rather than another means of access!!
A number of my friends have had much more luck than I have. My friend Annabel in London got a gorgeous dress from Net-a-porter and Ann (who wrote a comment on this blog about her experience with harem pants this spring) finds great stuff - and great deals through on-line shops. I have other friends who have a great eye (and success) on eBay, too.
I read in this week's FT "How to Spend It" magazine about on-line vintage shopping and thought this could be something I'd like. Like fishermen, many of us have our "great catch" stories of what we found in little hole in the wall vintage shops. (Mine are a 1970's Diane von Fuersternberg jersey dress and 1980's Ungaro blouse, both for peanuts.) But, to be honest, I didn't enjoy breathing in all that dust (those shops always felt a little dirty to me) and always felt like I needed to sanitize anything I bought.
Vintage now seems to have gone upscale with all the editing (and hopefully cleaning) already done for you. It's like looking at the Met's Costume Gallery - only it's all for sale! But, as I learned, if it looks like a collector piece, it's priced like a collector piece. The sites mentioned in the FT article had some amazing 100+ year old clothes. And, if one of them had actual online shopping and not just teaser photos with a London phone number, a gorgeous slinky 1940's cocktail dress would be mine. But then, for a different reason, another dress caught my eye: a 1970's floral dress from Montaldo's, an old school, and quite expensive shop that used to be in Winston-Salem, NC (and some other mid-sized US cities in the south and southwest). The dress was sweet, but what really grabbed my attention was the price - GBP 475, or $760. Maybe I'm missing something, but that's for used clothes, right? And this isn't exactly vintage Lanvin. That can't be right! I bet it had been donated to the Jr League Rummage Sale! Anyhow, it killed my desire to buy the 1940's dress online. Maybe, when I'm next in London, I'll stop by and check out the shop in person. Even though you'd think there would be more information and more transparency in on-line shopping, I feel about as easy a mark as I did in Marrakech.
Nothing in this photo was bought online, but my dress is the vintage DVF and the carpet is one of the two that Megan generously carried for me through the souk.
And Megan, I owe you again because I'm pretty sure the souk photo (main photo) I used is one you took.
As you can see from the photo directly above, I'm not a photographer (or a model).
I think I might have gotten screwed by a combo online/travel shopping. When I was in Buenos Aires in December I saw a beautiful necklace on my first day there. It was a bit expensive and since it was my first day I didn't want to commit to it. After a week of traveling I decided that was the souvenier for me. When we went back to the store - it was closed!! When I got home I did a lot of research and managed to find the store and the owner. After many emails I agreed to transfer the money into a US bank account and she would send the necklace (and a matching pair of earrings I decided I needed too). Needless to say, neither has arrived yet, but the money is indeed out of my bank account. I would blame the Argentinian mail system, but the owner claimed she was having a friend who was traveling to the states mail it to me from Miami. My emails to the jeweler have gone unanswered. Sigh. Just don't tell my husband!
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