Boutique Warehouse Sale Time in Atlanta

The Save the Date has been on my calendar longer than I care to remember or would actually admit.  A sacred date shared only with the closest of girl friends, those who know how to remain tight lipped and keep things of utter importance close to their vest.  And now the dawn of a new day is here, the sale of all sales in Atlanta, the Boutique Warehouse Sale has arrived!

It is no surprise that in the shopping mecca that is Atlanta, that boutiques reign supreme.  However, for a girl from the Midwest who is obsessed with fashion, Rachel Zoe style, with a fraction (okay smaller than a fraction) of a budget, boutique shopping can be intimidating especially in the current economic climate.  Thus the creation of the Boutique Warehouse Sale completes every shopping divas dream breaking up the monotony from our H & M and Forever 21 trips.  

The Boutique Warehouse Sale features all of the movers and shakers in the Atlanta Boutique clique from favorites of the Buckhead Betties to the Real Housewives of Atlanta.  Every fashion trend is featured from dresses, tops, pants, shoes to accessories and handbags, all at a minutia of the full retail cost.  Perhaps the best part of all, the Boutique Warehouse Sale, is all under one roof at one time.  No more exhausting trips from Decatur to Smyrna stuck in gridlock traffic on 285 searching for a last minute outfit for that dressy casual event. 

The stage is set, the doors are open.  Hoards of girls and young women take their marks hoping to find the deal of a century, will it be a cashmere sweater coat at less than cost or those perfect go to pants for work and play?  Competition is fierce and the dressing rooms can be scary for those not willing to undress in front of a throng of shoppers vying for your cast offs.  Have faith, the rewards can be great, especially when your co-workers ask those four simple words “Where did you get that?” A girl never tells, however a true bargain hunter always reveals the “For how much?”  Let the envy begin!  My finds will be posted shortly. . .

Jeggings

Jeggings

The name itself put my husband into fits of hysterical laughter along with anyone else who watched Conan O’Brien model them on his show.

I admit, I was very hesitant at first to try them.  However, after stuffing my favorite straight leg jeans into my knee high boots all last season, I was willing to try anything!  I can still see the zipper getting jammed over the bulkiness as I rushed out the door. 

Let me back track for a second, I initially started the fall/winter season by exploring the skinny jean trend.  My main issue was the cost and versatility. 

Would I be comfortable in my skinny jeans if I wasn’t wearing my knee high boots? 

Could I afford to venture into another trend, i.e. the booty? 

If it was a warm Fall or Spring day would I consider wearing them with flats?

Were they comfortable enough to wear all day without my lower legs cramping up from circulation loss?   

And worse yet:

Did my hips in skinny jeans (no longer balanced nicely by the bells of the wide leg trend) draw unneeded attention bringing to mind words like “hipster” and “child bearing”?

At the end of the day I didn’t feel the cost could justify the trend.  I decided I’m still a boot cut jean girl, and thank goodness I hadn’t conformed as I hear they are making a come-back this Spring!!

So on to Jeggings . . . I discovered these from a Nordstrom catalog that mistakenly got delivered to me instead of my neighbor (there are no coincidences).

I’m happy to say I’m the first of my neighbors and co-workers to venture into this trend and the compliments and conformers have been relentless!  Everyone in my office is jegging around in them!

These have become my go to winter staple for work and play!  

First of all, they are extremely comfortable; it’s like wearing pajamas to work some days. 

They come in so many styles and colors: denim, stone-washed, sweater, boucle, and corduroy "corduregging" just to name a few! 

Third, they look so much like skinny jeans or pants but without the huge price tag (under $50)! 

Plus for all of you nay sayers out there (and I measured), only about 12 – 18 inches of the jegging can actually be seen if you are wearing them correctly. 

Which brings me to my final piece of advice. . .

Jegging 101:

If you have larger calves, buy the jeggings one to two sizes larger than you would normally wear for comfort.  Same goes for you preggo girls, btw, my pregnant friends are loving them!

Always wear them with long tanks or tunics that fall a 6 inches or so from your knees, NEVER,NEVER,NEVER cross this rule or it will be huge embarrassment

Only wear with knee high boots until further notice

And to my co-worker’s dad who told his daughter to “put some pants” on after she sported some at Christmas dinner, GENTLEMAN:  I think you're just jealous! 

Goodbye calf strangulation, hello comfort and savings!  Click here to shop Hue brand jeggings at Nordstrom.

A Real Fashion Emergency

Fashion really can develop into an actual emergency sometimes.

For instance, last night my next door neighbor Jodi decided she needed the perfect pair of boots to go with her little black dress.  She wasn’t headed to an expensive night out on the town but to a dinner with our neighborhood “Mom’s Club”.  And with this group of girls, fashion is key if you know what I mean.

She needed my practical, not too fussy, not too pricey charcoal wedge boots.

Here’s why I like them:

• These are real boots for real girls who need to multi task!
• The wedge style makes them comfortable and casual enough for daytime, BUT, the heel height gives them a little something extra that doesn’t make you feel like you are sloshing through puddles in rain boots. 
• The charcoal color is unexpected and can save you from going out in all black.
• They can be paired perfectly with any evening look from leggings to dresses. 
• They are the perfect evening accessory to dress down a super trendy cocktail dress that assures others you aren’t trying too hard.
• The price!!!  Anytime you can find boots under $100 that are fashionable and can carry you day to night, I say FABULOUS!

The fit was great, they complimented her Judith March dress and she was off.

Being neighbors, we share a lot of things from a cup of sugar to bottles of wine.  When a neighbor is in need, we are there for them. . .so we do happen to have keys to each other’s houses.

I texted Jodi a short message at 10 p.m. letting her know I was headed to bed and that I would get my boots back another time and that she didn’t need to return them that evening.  I set our house alarm like normal, (I know house alarms are for the paranoid but let’s just say we live in area that’s being revitalized) and I was off to sleep. 

Two hours later my husband and I are awakened by the sound of sirens blazing.  Before I can get a word out to warn my unsuspecting husband, he’s on the phone with our local alarm company investigating what “Zones” have been violated.  As the operator and him isolate the violation to our front door, I can hear our call waiting beeping. 

Our shaken, slightly inebriated Mom’s Club diner Jodi is on the other line.   

Case in point, her fashion emergency turned into a real one!  But at least my boots are home safe and sound.

Click here to shop them at DSW:

http://www.dsw.com/shoe/mia+biscuit+suede+wedge+boot?prodId=197559