Got an email from RueLaLa.com offering anyone who signs up using my code (http://www.ruelala.com/invite/lifeinaustin) a $10 credit on their first purchase! It ain’t much, but every little bit counts. RueLaLa has quickly become my favorite of the members-only discount sale sites, surpassing HauteLook, who I still hang on to as my first sample-sale-love. But RueLaLa has great customer service, beautiful packaging, and one of those neat envelopes with all your packing slips inside–it’s the little luxurious details that make you feel like you’re ordering designer duds (you are) instead of just knockoffs.
Speaking of details, I want to talk details for a moment. After Saturday night’s fashion show, I was thinking about what makes some things so great (the dress I was wearing) and others so wrong (the dress many other people were wearing). It’s the details. Take, for instance, this pair of boots that I ALMOST bought:
Beautiful, right?
Smoking hot if not beautiful. Anyway, I love the bright red color (I already own vintage ’80s slouchy/studded red ankle boots), the almond toe, and the height. They’re $149, marked down from $295 (though also available on endless.com for $195), which isn’t cheap, but is a good deal for 100% leather knee-high boots.
But I couldn’t pull the trigger. I put them in my invisible shopping cart but refused to check out. I tweeted. I took a picture of my computer screen and texted it to my mom. Clearly something was not right, but I couldn’t give up on the idea of knee-high cherry red platform smokin’ hot boots.
Thankfully, as I was talking to my mom about the boots it hit me: I hated the fold-down flap. I have it on a pair of knee-high boots I own now (and have for two seasons, thankyouverymuch) and it is the only thing that keeps me from wearing those boots every single minute of every single day. It’s too Peter Pan. Too casual in my sexy boot. Totally out of place. Plus the boot has fake ruching, which I hate. I will wear the boot enough for it to ruche on its own.
So I didn’t buy the boots. And I was reminded that fashion is in the details. Fail to consider them, and you’ll be the one wearing something that almost works but isn’t quite right.
Oh… and are you curious about my dress? There is only a dark iPhone photo to show for it … and I cut myself out, because, you know, I’m anonymous and stuff. But it’s navy blue silk, vintage, and very, very sassy. Love it. Wore it with a vintage gold necklace and gold Calvin Klein platform heels.
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