Fit to Print

Due to my work commitments, social commitments, and the general holiday bustle, I hardly had time to post. In fact, I hardly even have time to finish my Christmas shopping, and I don't think I've ever been this behind in this regard. The state of the economy is not good, but at least good deals are abound for the 11th Hour shoppers. Some of the deals are incredibly astonishing, especially from stores that I wouldn't imagine myself buying from. I'll try to finish up this weekend if I can, and if not, at least I have a couple more nights left.

I managed to squeeze in a little bit of shopping at the Ontario Mills outlet mall a few days ago. There were quite a few store closing sales, including the Virgin Megastore. I've already picked up some DVD's and CD's from Circuit City, but the discounts were not that low (just 25% for DVD's) while the pickings were slim and jumbled in a very chaotic store. The Virgin Megastore, by contrast, had 40% off CD's and DVD's, and the stock was well-organized and diverse. I ended up getting gifts for a good number of people in one fell swoop, saving a ton of cash in the process. My vision for one of the gifts is a package of DVD's, along with some snacks to go along with the movie enjoyment, so the sale was perfect.

I went into the Saks Fifth Avenue outlet with the expectation of picking up some makeup for my sister, but this was the one time when the selection disappointed me. Nothing really stood out. Fortunately, the rest of the Saks outlet had a really big sale--50% off all clearance items, including merchandise that look new and shiny as opposed to the typical half-yanked-and-beaten-up condition on things relegated to the clearance racks. Since I have plenty of solid-colored clothes, the only thing I wanted was something with an interesting print, so shopping was easy--no need to sort through the racks, just walk along and see if something pops out. Sure enough, this print dress did, at just $25. Given what it is, the silk jersey dress is a steal. It is clearly a summer dress, but I had no trouble winterizing it at all.

[Express turtleneck, Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress, Mike & Chris coat, Target tights, Christian Lacroix flats (I wear them so frequently that I think I've already gotten a return out of the investment)]