Matters of Style: Do You Shop for "Real" Life or for Your Imaginary Life?

 

You look fabulous, Darling.
(image taken from random google search. I think the photo is vintage Dior)

This topic came up on an online community I frequent, so I thought I’d explore it in more depth.

Fantasy land is a remarkable place. In it, I work out six days a week, blow dry my hair every morning before work, keep a spotless apartment and enjoy wine with girlfriends every weekend. Oh, and I wear fabulous ensembles 24/7.

In reality, I generally miss at least one work out, I normally opt for the au natural air dried hair look (sleeping in is king), my apartment is in shambles and my girlfriends and I keep busy schedules that prevent regular get-togethers. Oh, and I sometimes schlepp up to the grocery store in yoga pants.

Generally, I recognize where reality ends and fantasy land begins (I proudly admit that I’m no wonder woman). When it comes to shopping, though, this isn’t always true. I’m fairly certain anyone who has every purchased something impulsive—and outrageous—that was seen in a magazine, in a movie or on the runway and later asked her/himself, “how, or when, am I actually going to wear this?” has crossed that faulty fantasy/reality line, too. I know I have…again and again.

It’s easy to fall victim to imaginary-life dressing. Heck, just this week I was looking through the Nordstrom catalogue that arrived in the mail and began dog-earring pages with crazy faux fur vests and platform heels. I work in a super-casual office where people wear jeans half of the time. I walk everywhere (heels are only worn every so often). I have a cute faux fur jacket hanging in my closet (never worn). Do I need to be buying faux fur vests and platform heels? Hell to the no.

I think when I see things online, in stores or in catalogues that I’m looking through the eyes of the me that I want to be wearing those clothes (you know, the one who wears fabulous ensembles 24/7) and not the me here in good ole’ reality: the ordinary little me who braves the awful city humidity in wash-and-wear dresses and ballet flats.

A couple of years ago I had quite the collection of cocktail dresses accumulating (rough estimate, 25 +). Sure, I had work functions that warranted such attire, and I did go out on Saturday nights, but not enough to justify owning 25 plus dresses worth several hundred dollars each. I was delusional. Even now I have to fight the urge to purchase new cocktail dresses. They’re just so pretty. And glamorous…and not my reality. Can I please be a fabulous jet-setter just for one week?

Sure, we all have to dip into a little fantasy every now and again (see exhibit a), but not so much that it borders being excessive. Beautiful things are meant to be worn, not left hanging with tags in the closet because there’s no place realistically to go.

So now I’m asking you…
Do you shop for your real life or your imaginary one? What was your most fantastical purchase? Did you end up wearing it?

NYC Weekend in Photos

Up until this past weekend, I'd never been to New York City before. I feel so backwoods admitting that! I live so close now that it borders silly/ridiculous that I've never visited.

Yeah, so I dragged my backwoods butt but onto a bus on Friday and headed to NYC for one of my best friend's bachelorette party. Though she isn't tying the not until late October, our schedules are all going to be so crazy come fall that it made sense to party it up now.

The weekend did not disappoint. The bride-to-be is a *tad* obsessed with the 80's, so Friday night we dressed up and went out to rock out to some 80's tunes. God love New York. No matter how dumb or questionable your choice in clothing, there is always going to be someone in the city who will outdo you. We definitely stood out, but people seemed receptive and were very kind to the bride-to-be.

Your Type, no? (Picked that shirt up for $11 out of some trashy side street shop after getting off the bus)

The BTB looks like she stepped off of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" video

The couple's toast

Pretty woman walking down the street...

Lookin' all sorts of classy (or all sorts of something).

The next night was dress like a normal person and go out night. I didn't get an outfit photo, but I wanted to show the sparkly top I wore. Unfortunately, it's a photo with me holding a beer (which I swear I never ever drink)...

With the lovely lady of the evening...

Last but not least, I leave you with a creeper. Every bar/club has them, but this guy makes some of the shady folk I've encountered seem like the boy next door. He literally just stood in front of the stage where girls were dancing and snapped pictures of them on his phone. No shame whatsoever. I don't even want to know what he does with them. Ick. I caught him in the act.

Good times all around. Now I'm looking forward to the wedding :)

Oh, Right, I'm Getting Married

The Mister and I have been engaged for nearly four months now, and I kind of keep forgetting that we need to plan this gig and actually get married. We're both a bit lackadaisical when it comes to all of this wedding business. If it weren't for the wishes of our families, the courthouse would have already made me an honest woman and he whatever the fudge marriage makes a man (ornery?). People keep asking me about our wedding plans and it takes a minute for the little light bulb in my head to illuminate and me to remember that oh, yeah, I guess I should start planning that thing.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm working on another "Matters of Opinion" post that I'll have up next week detailing my thoughts on weddings and the feelings I have about about my own.

For now, I've started to think about my vision for the day. If we're not going to have the simple and nonchalant little courthouse ceremony and forgo all of the pomp and circumstance the way I'd like, I'd at least prefer that the day really truly reflect us.

As I started thinking about it, I remembered a spread in an issue of Martha Stewart Weddings from almost two years ago that depicted ballet-inspired wedding ideas. I'm a die-heard performing arts fan--ballet specifically. Cheesy, but I feel most alive when I'm sitting in a theatre seat engulfed in the movement on stage. Revisiting that Martha Stewart Weddings spread started me thinking. Imagining. I'm all about the arts, and the Mister/SO/whatever nickname I can give him so as not to reveal his identity is all about science. Time to find a way to bring the two elements together for the wedding...if that's the direction we go.

Seriously, aren't these spreads gorgeous?

Have you been to a wedding where it was very indicative of the couple? Seen anything that hasn't been done a kajillion times before that was truly memorable? Talk/type to me, baby.

Barcelona Part 3: What I Wore

I'm actually going to cut Part 4 and just place the last couple of scenic shots in the bottom of this post. The trip was great and all, but I'm tired of talking about it and you're probably tired of hearing about it!

Whenever I travel I keep it simple and pack things that can be worn more than once (i.e. a simple cardigan worn at dinner will be worn while sight-seeing the next day, etc). I prefer to take a carry-on size suitcase if at all possible. Obviously, this is easier to do when traveling in the summer than in the colder months. Boots and sweaters take up a lot of space.

But enough chatter. Here's what I wore.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm no fashion plait. I do know what works for my body and lifestyle, though, and stick with dresses, cardigans and simple walkable flats (and the occasional sassy shoe) 90% of the time. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Outfit #1
Dress: Juicy Couture
Cardigan: BCBG (pretty sure I had a death wish wearing a cardigan given the temperature)
Sandals: DV by DolceVita
Hat: Madewell

Outfit #2
Dress: Banana Republic (bought it from a blog sale!)
Sandals: DV by Dolce Vita
Hat: Madewell

Outfit #3
Dress: Va Va by Joy Han
Cardigan: Splendid
Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Outfit #4
Dress: Target (yeah, so I wore it last week. I'm a real people)
Shoes: DV by Dolce Vita
Cardigan: Splendid
Bag: Longchamp


And for grins and giggles, here are a few more scenic shots that I have not yet shared:

Okay, so not scenic, but the delicious calamari ravioli I had on my last night (nom nom x 10):

So who wants to start planning a blogger meet up in Barcelona? :)

Barcelona Part 2: Sightseeing

Once I actually found the will to drag myself away from the fabulous hotel, it was off to see the city. I'm learning that there are both drawbacks and advantages when it comes to traveling for business. In the case of sightseeing, we had a personal tour guide and van to take us around. Not too shabby. Speaking to that note (and to my previous post about the fabulous hotel), let me just say how incredibly fortunate and grateful I am to even have had this opportunity to travel and to have stayed in such amazing accommodations. If there's one thing I know about life, it's that everything can be pulled out from under you at any instant, and I'm well aware of how lucky I am to have been afforded this visit (business or not!)

But you probably want to see pictures.

La Sagrada Familia was absolutely amazing.

As was Park Guell...

The views from Montjuic were spectacular.

 

My co-worker and I spent our last morning in town checking out La Rambla in all its craziness. I particularly liked the live statues (wish the lighting wasn't so bad in my pictures).

Wouldn't see a shop like this all open and welcoming in the prudish USA :)

The St. Josef Market was fun to mill around. So many bright colors and items/foods to see. I can't imagine what it smelled like later in the day, though, as the temperatures rose and more people crowded in. The back of the market smelled REALLY fishy with all of the seafood stands at 11am.

Fun shaped bottles of sangria inside the St. Josef Market:

Some of the freshest fruit I've ever seen:

SUGAR!

Best sign ever.

We strolled around some more to take in the general architecture and vibe of the city. I was amazed by how many motorcyclists and moped riders there were.

And then, of course, there was the beach. I only made it down to the water on my very last evening in Barcelona (I opted to work out instead of spend time at the beach during my one afternoon off...don't know if I should congratulate or punish myself for that!) The beach by our hotel was partially a nude beach and, as my boss put it, there was a lot of bad naked going on out there.

As we walked to dinner one evening, we noticed a group of 30-something guys rinsing off in the public shower/rinse area. They were all laughing hysterically at the one in the group who had his swim trunks around his ankles as he shook his junk in the shower water, laughing along with them. Good times. Hope he enjoyed himself and managed to get all of the sand out. And then there was the woman wearing nothing else but a G-string (which was mostly hidden by her protruding stomach) who I managed to frame out of this picture I took of myself as proof that I did indeed set foot next to the Mediterranean Sea.

(G-string lady was literally just off to the right of this photo)

If I haven't lost you in this uber-long post, I'm surprised :)

Up next is Part 3: What I Wore

Barcelona Part 1: The W Hotel

If I could have it my way, I'd jump in a cab to Boston Logan and hop back on a plane to Barcelona. My trip this week was short for sure, but we packed a lot of punch into those few days.

Honestly, there's too much to cover in one post, so I'm breaking it up into four: Hotel Overview, Sightseeing Overview, What I Wore and Scenic Overview.

So about this hotel...

Photo I took of the hotel on my last night in Barcelona

We were put up in the W Barcelona. Freaking fabulous is the best phrase I could use to describe it. I've stayed in a handful of fancy people hotels now via work, but this was my favorite so far. I'll allow the photos to speak for themselves.

My suite (they upgraded me!!)

 

The view of the Mediterranean Sea from my window. I mean, really?!?

 

Cocktail, anybody?

Kick ass shower

The room itself was amazing, but the service was what really had me. Since our company will be doing business with the hotel in the future, they sent up some room gifts several times during my stay:

Wine + chocolates the first day (how cool are the hotel-shaped chocolates?) and a "jet lag" kit the second day (tea and red bull with a cute note)

But there was life outside of my awesome room and luxurious bed (I wanted to take it home with me). The hotel was hopping--probably the largest number of gorgeous and trendy people I've seen congregated in one place at any given time. Makes sense when you consider the ambiance of the hotel:

Indoor restaurant/lounge

 

Hotel Lobby

We hung out in the pool side lounge area several evenings. I swear I could have stayed there all night had I not had work obligations during the day. Chic for sure, but also very relaxed. Nothing like sipping a little champagne next to the pool :)

Pool bar

 

View of the hotel at night from our lounge area

The area we stayed in reminded me a lot of South Beach in Miami, but without all of the pretense. Lots of beautiful wealthy people hanging out, but displaying said characteristics didn't seem to be the name of the game. It seemed like most people were just out to relax and have a good time, not to see and be seen.

Next up is Part Two: Sightseeing Overview.