A Lady in the Street

(above:  check out the over-the-knee boots on this girl.  Functional for a Saturday sword/pistol fight AND scorching hott)

Lately I’ve been noticing a creative, unique and whimsical marketing trend in the industry that has piqued my interest and allayed my boredom.  My inner child leaps for joy when the words ‘treasure’ and ‘hunt’ are combined and my outer grown woman starts clicking away when it sees the potential bounty at the end of her quest.  I’m calling the trend ‘tech treasure hunts’  which are genius ways for companies to get you invested in their brand.

I first spotted this fun trend when the Irish Street team for etsy.com recently organized a fun one for St. Patty’s day which you can see here:

 http://etsyireland.blogspot.com/2010/02/its-on-crafty-ireland-st-patricks-day.html.  

And now I see that Marshalls is tempting Facebook fan page clicks with the opportunity to win a shopping spree (or, shopportunity in their words) here:

http://www.facebook.com/Marshalls?v=app_110885905603198

I love this idea and am personally taking the time I had set aside for Farmville and taking up my quest for fashionable treasures instead.

Stay classy!

For those of us on the quest for the perfect fitting jeans (that’s everyone, right?) I may have the answer!  And for a reasonable price!  While I have tried on many a pair in search of the elusive perfect fit I have been shown that I am a size 8 in most brands, a 28 in others (european sizing), a 9 in girls (usually), at Alvin Valley I’m a size 40 and even that is uncomfortably snug, a 14-16 with PaperDenim&Cloth (yikes, that was a day!), a 6 at American Eagle and….*drum roll* A SIZE 2 AT WHITE HOUSE|BLACK MARKET.  How this is possible I attribute to this being a ‘grown womans store’.  Usually I cannot abide a ‘grown womans store’ because I find the style too cougar-ish for my tastes but they had some OK stuff in there.

I have NEVER EVER fit a size 2.  EEEVVVEERR.  I am no fool and am not naive so I understand that they must cut their sizes very generously and clearly with an understanding of the average American womans body type, and, probably EVERY womans state of mind, i.e. I can fit into a 2!?  Yiippee!….Let me have my illusions and I’ll take ‘em.

So, Lesson of the day:  WHITE HOUSE|BLACK MARKET knows what you want and will deliver at a reasonable price (on sale, my new pair of perfect fit jeans were only $53 and some change.  Regularly priced pants will set you back a bit more, in the $80-$90 range, but what smart woman buys regularly priced clothing?)

Till the next news flash, keep calm and carry on everyone!

Well…they’re not asian at all but they ARE my first willing and excited ladies to allow me to put their pictures on the internet under the great banner of the well-dressed.  When I first saw these two fancy friends I lamented that it was while I was working.  They were too good to let go, though, so I decided to risk it and take some pics of them while ‘on the clock’.  So I got the goods and I hope the pictures are good enough that you too can appreciate their funky and creative style.

Finer Points - Lady #1:  First, the rosette headband well-placed on a cute ‘do.  Second, the courdoroy jacket over a faded, striped button-down shirt with the waist cinched by the tasteful addition of a thin leather belt.  Add to that the skinny jeans and you’ve got yourself a very cute outfit, but she didn’t stop there.  The boots on this girl are probably my favorite part aside from the belt.  I wish I could’ve gotten a better picture of these and also the name of the store where she picked them up because they are perfect!  Well done blondie!  (I didn’t catch their names, if you guys check this out please let me know what you think in the comments section!)

Finer Points - Lady #2:  I think this young ladies best asset is her pale skin and red hair.  She sets these off beatifully with the color palette she chose including pale pink, cream, grey, and mauve.  Perfect for an unseasonably chilly winter day in florida which both ladies chose to tastefully tackle by layering their peices.  As for this outfit, highlights I’m particularly fond of are her houndstooth (or is that herringbone?) flats and the ’80s braided belt you can barely see here but was definitely eye catching in person.  Who else could pull off that belt?  Not many.

Well done you two and thank you for so graciously opening yourselves up to a fun opportunity and gawkers from around the world.  Stay classy!

Anyone who would like to be featured on the blog can send me a picture at ladyinthest@gmail.com.  Please write a little something something about the details of the outfit you are particularly fond of that make it stand out!  The details make the outfit, I always say.

(above:  girls having fun but unwilling to show it on their faces so they show it in their outfits)

For all you ladies out there who enjoy a good dress-up session with your buds at wal-mart or urban outfitters or your friends closet at home - this blog goes out to you.  Don’t pretend you’re not looking at all the girls out there in the world while you’re walking around, checking out what they’re wearing, appreciating (or hating on) their style and taking mental notes.  Here is the place we can all say ‘everyone come see how good I look’ like you know you want to. 

To join the party all you have to do is:

step 1:  get dressed (make it something you want people to notice, whether for it’s quirkiness, subtle sexuality, fierce-ness, originality, or the old i-woke-up-looking-this-fabulous nonchalance).  Don’t be shy - it’s the internet.

B:  take a (good quality) picture of yourself

and 3:  send it to me at ladyinthest@gmail.com (add a few words highlighting the details of the outfit you find especially pleasing and fun).

From there I’ll post your pictures to the site so that all the world (and especially me, because I’m taking notes too) can see how awesome, creative and fashionably brave you are.  Together, we can make this blog one well-dressed party!