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We are 95% unpacked and have a few minor "improvements" that we need to make - possibly installing some closets in the hallway to accommodate my dresses :) and some full wall book shelves.  All in all? Enjoying the new place and my deck!

Bitter Sweet

After 3.5 years we are moving out of our rental and into the condo that we purchased way back in the beginning of March.  I have spent the past few weeks packing and the past week or so moving things over.  ALL my clothes, shoes and accessories are now put away (though I am lacking some closet space).   Max's room is being built out with all new furniture and I feel pretty good about being able to unpack the kitchen tomorrow with all my things put away.

I have also been dealing with some of the CHEAPEST people on earth via Craigslist and the things we are selling (Max's toddler bed, Max's book case etc). It amazing that I could offer a toddler bed with mattress and slats from Ikea for $50 and someone still asks to pay $40 (retail? $220). The same with some hanging lights that came with our bar at the new place that were not find of - I stated with $60 and now someone is buying them for $30 (though anything to get them out of the house).

My plan tomorrow is to go to the gym and then deal with the move. Hoping it goes well.....

Countdown to Moving

Tuesday is quickly approaching. Because we are only moving three blocks I have become pretty obsessed with moving over whatever we can pack in suitcases, tote bags and shopping bags, unpack and repeat. So far I have moved about 1/3 of my clothes. This would be all my jeans, shorts, sweater and tops plus about 30 dresses. The aforementioned pieces have all been put away in drawers and the small closet built in.  I still have another 40 dresses to move AND shoes AND handbags.  I am going to have a much smaller closet than I currently have which was the only downside to the place that we bought.   I am going to have to figure out a way of organizing....

Yves Is Available

After some issues with my buyer paying Yves is again available. Please let me know if you are interested - email mzimlin@gmail.com.  Sweater is $121.99 (includes US shipping) and I prefer to be paid as a "gift"

 Thanks!

Packing

I have spent weeks packing, but now I find myself at the point where we are moving in 5 days and its tough to gauge what else that isn't essential. Can I pack my spices?  Give away the old dishes?  The apartment is slowly being taken over with boxes....

Jazz Age

The one pair of shoes that I simply MUST HAVE this fall. Marni black Suede and gold Mary Jane sandals. Completely impractical, devastatingly gorgeous.

Summer Dresses

Last week I popped into JCrew to return a necklace and walked out with two dresses exactly the same but different colors (in the end I paid for one and the other was paid for with the return AND some sale price adjustments).   I love everything about both of these dresses. The pockets the fit and most of all the ease that they both offer.

I have also found myself very attracted to the below lace dresses (the black version also comes in yellow)

Both of these dresses like the ones I bought can easily be dressed up or down with the right accessories.  I think I am going to have to hold out however for sale. I move Tuesday and my main priority is finishing Max's room.

Falling For Fendi

Two very fun fall pieces  that arrived in my in-box this morning from Saks.com

Mayle + Yves = Sweater For Sale!

Won on eBay, an incredible cardigan in mint condition. Asking $115.99 + shipping. Size Small.

Moss Still Boss

Kate Moss shot by Terry Richardson in Jamaica for the June/July issue of Harper's Bazaar - still as stunning as the day she graced the cover of the Face in an Indian headdress more than 20 years ago

Law & Order + Food?

Jon found this great blog completely dedicated to Law- Order meals. Hilarious....

Miu Miu Fall

On a daily basis I get emails from department stores and brands taunting me with lush images of covetable "must haves" for the coming season. Yesterday it was Neiman Marcus playfully teasing with velvet heels and silk bags from Miu Miu... Here are a few of my new favorite things....

Little White Jacket

I adore this little white jacket (take on the little black jacket) from Chanel cruise 2012-2013

Hoarding Guilt

If there is one thing that I feel extreme guilt about its hoarding magazines (only European ones). It started years ago with issues of the Face (some of which have been recycled much to my dismay during a storage clean out - also missing from that purge is a pair of glitter Miu Miu heels).  With the move in just two weeks I have found myself packing (16 boxes of books - check) and I counted 4 boxes of magazines filled with Lula, British Vogue, Vogue Paris, The Gentlewoman among others. I also found 4 issues of the now defunct Cookie Magazine.  Jon of course is beside himself that we actually have to move magazines.  These do not include what I have shuttled to our storage space over the past few years. I claim that I need these for insparation - but do I?  I wold hate to throw them away. Any suggestions? It would be great to actually have a site to buy/sell/trade old magazines.

The Quest For Black Shorts

Every summer I go through the same debacle - where will I buy black shorts? I always end up at GAP buying a pair of somewhat ill fitting shorts for say $30 that I end up spend an additional $30 tailoring. Sad. I know.

I rarely wear shorts (and I tend to stay away from patterns, white or anything that stands out). I only have two pairs of shorts- one pair of black wool Mayle shorts (now too big) and a fancier pair from summer 2007 that are silk with brass accoutrements. So imagine my surprise when Max and I walked to GAP yesterday (to buy Max some new shorts) and inquired if they had black shorts. The sales clerk said no. They weren't doing black shorts this season. How is that possible?   After a search online, I have come up with nothing.  Any suggestions?

Mothers Day

Max and Jon gave me this wonderful Tom Ford coffee table book for Mothers Day.

You Had Me At Hello

The floral print of this Tucker dress had me at hello.

Purging Continues

The purge continues with some JCrew and other brands over at the Community Closet page.

Terrible Day

Things have been in flux lately I won't get into specifics but changes at work and in my personal life. Today started out delightful and ended the complete opposite. Know when your day just isn't going well and then someone says something to you that really is just a game changer? like its possibly the meanest most insensitive thing that anyone could say? And out of nowhere? That happened to me today and again I won't get into specifics, but I did cry multiple times - breaking my "never let them see you cry" rule. And its funny because as I have gotten older I have become more sensitive. In the past when I might have say thrown my phone at said person, or smacked my hand down on a table on top of theirs or simply screamed at them until they cried I find myself just freezing like a deer in headlights. Is this what 3.5 years out of NYC has happened? Have I lost my chutzpah?  I would like to think that tomorrow is another day - because as I went to the gym and did my run I had five minutes left on the treadmill, was listening to a stereophonics song ad my iPhone fell off of the treadmill tray, flew over my shoulder and fell on the floor. Of course as I pressed the emergency stop I stepped the wrong way breaking my big right toe, toenail in half. Can this day just be over?

Met Gala

My favorite looks from the annual Met Gala.....

Louis Vuitton Exhibit

My friend Jeffrey is in Paris and checked out the Louis Vuitton retrospective. Knowing I am a fan, he snapped some photos. I have always dreamed of owning a vintage Vuitton trunk to use as a coffee table. I wish I lived closer to Europe, this show looks very intriguing.

The Purge Continues

With the move in just  2 days I am under the gun to seriously make hard decisions.  As a clothing collector, its hard to say what I want to part with. I tend to hoard (even those designer collab collections with Target).  Today Jon went out to buy moving boxes and I took down storage boxes and made a few piles. 

I started out with the "it fits but not in season" this box filled up quickly and is filled with tons of 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 Mayle pieces.  I thought I would have more from say 2008 to add but then realized all those dresses are silk and a part of my daily wardrobe. 

I quickly moved on to the "wow 5 pounds from now" storage bin - Sasha dress, Elvira among others stored away.

I also rediscovered some great resort 2007 pieces that now suddenly fit which made me so happy.

I also did a quick perusal of what currently hanging and stored some other items. I also decided to sell a majority of my designer collab pieces for Target - including a Zac Posen dress, Tucker dress, Libertine dress I never wore and the floral Karl Lagerfeld for Macy's dress.  I got a little real as well for consignment and my blue mad men for banana dress and two JCrew dresses will be making their way to my local consignment shop.

As for Mayle? I decided that my Asia slip in persimmon that I haven't worn in two years (and only wore 1x) could find a new home in addition to a Holiday 2006 sweater. A Jeffrey Montiero dress also made the cut.  One piece I was on the fence about are my black Mayle wool shorts - which are so big now. but I think my tailor may be able to work her magic.

Today I did bring home a great NWT Milly dress in a fabulous print for $79. I also had the opportunity to downsize to a size 0 Jemeem which was tight, so I will stick to my size 2.

More Typical eBay BS

A month or so ago I purchased a pair of Loeffler Randall shoes on eBay from Linda's Stuff. I had owned these shoes several years ago and sold them thinking that I wouldn't wear them. They have been on my mind ever since and when I saw them pop up in what looked like mint condition for $60 and free shipping - I noticed that they had been around awhile with the price kept getting dropped so  I had to buy them.   I have had some experiences with Linda's stuff before - some good, some bad and I have always left appropriate feedback.

It was a Friday the day that the shoes arrived and I tore open the box, and what I saw made me burst into tears - as what I received was a pair of shoes, shoved into a USPS mailing box that literally look as if they were on their last legs. They smelled. I did not want to touch them. The heels had come completely off. These were shoes that I would not even giveaway to Goodwill.  What pissed me off the most was that they looked completely different than the photos that Linda's Stuff had posted - including the close up shots.   As I was upset and disappointed I left appropriate feedback - no different than feedback that's been left for me in the past by someone dissatisfied.

So imagine my surprise when I go on eBay today to bid on a Mayle camisole that I want that they are selling and I am blocked from buying ANYTHING on eBay from Linda's Stuff. So I called them, and spoke to a staffer there who told me that negative feedback = being blocked because it equates to financial loss for the company. Considering that they have over 38 negative feedback's in the past month, 199 in the past 6 months and a whopping 339 for THIS YEAR alone (and its only MAY so thats about 67 negative feedbacks a month) I posed the question, do you block everyone who leaves negative feedback? Are all 339 people blocked - to which the answer was "I can't share that - each case is different negative feedback means loss of profits for this company" so if you leave a negative feedback it means NO SHOPPING FOR YOU! Though they did offer that I could shop their e-commerce site or call them with item numbers and they would be more than happy to accommodate me.

The net/net?  I have probably bought 10 things from Linda's Stuff in the past year or two, with one well deserved (they should know better for even listing or accepting this item to sell) negative feedback and they are taking a good customer who had a bad experience and turning them away - someone who would most likely buy other things. If a store like Barneys or Bergdorf did this they would be out of business hence their amazing customer service policy.

The sad thing is, I really still want that camisole and if they unblocked me, I would buy it and they would receive positive feedback (if it was actually a great item).

Bag Envy

 Completely lusting over these two bags as seen on Refinery 29's street style slideshow - a YSL and a Celine. It's been nearly a year since I got my PS1 - time for a new bag, no?

Thakoon Edition

 

Gorgeous. $1,000 (of course)

Concussed

Its been a stressful few days - Saturday Max and I had dinner with some friends, post meal we went to the local park and he was jumping around on top of a stone area and ended up falling and hitting his head. Of course the entire time I asked him to stop jumping. But he didn't listen. Now, it turns out that he has a concussion, his 2nd in the past two years so the future means NO contact sports - not that he would be allowed to play football or hockey or lacrosse anyway (also not a fan of him playing little league). What is it with little boys being so rough and tumble?  It probably doesn't help that I am incredibly neurotic and every time Max hurts himself it sends me into a non-functioning tailspin.

I ended up at the gym tonight trying to alleviate some of the stress, clear my mind which worked until it was time to come home and again my mind is filled with worry. I wish that I could be more free with my worry (ie: not stress out about everything and obsess) but its so hard - especially when I am about to turn 40 and Max is well, my only one.  If this is happening at 5, I am already stressing about what could happen at 15.

Loving Liberty Prints

Lovely Liberty Prints for spring. I especially love the high top dunks and the peacock suitcase.