no boys allowed in the room!!!!

Ha! I never had the cheekbones to pull of a Frischmann/Sadier look. When I was thin, I had a big long horse face. But the only time in my life I was thin enough to pull off that look, I lived off vodka and nutrigrain bars and walked everywhere because I was too poor to take the bus. It wasn't a healthy thing to do.

I will probably look into getting a bra fitting at M&S or HoF since I went to the ones in Croydon which are 5 minutes from where I work anyway, it would be easy to go back. I was just not in the mood for any more clothes shopping at that point.

Sounds like your shopping went not-so-bad, yay! No reason to push it at this point if you are tired of it.

(I have been trying to get myself to go score some new work clothes while the big US department stores are having their major sales, but keep stalling and stalling and stalling because I just don't find it that fun.)

Oh god, going through big department stores when there are major sales on is just complete hard work.

My Mum lives for that sort of thing, she will shop for hours if she thinks she will net a bargain but I just find it exhausting.

I've gotten good at very quickly identifying dresses that are likely to work for me; pants is much, much harder because you really can't tell a thing until they are on you. I stick to a very narrow range of dress styles, so I get to eliminate a lot right off the bat. I also stick to stores that actually sort dresses by size as opposed to having huge jumbled clearance racks of everything in every size, a la TJ Maxx (which I just refuse to do now, even if it means I miss out on bargains).

There is a reason I have never been and will never be a successful thrifter.

Oh and my mom is like yours; that trait must skip generations!

quincie we are like shopping sisterz. For some reason I thought I would go to Nordstrom Rack yesterday and I got a headache and left before I even looked though one rack of clothes.

Oh I give Nordstrom Rack wide berth, believe me!

Now regular Nordstrom, that I can get behind. I can park right by the entrance so I never have to enter "rest of the mall" territory, and they have a CAFE where I can take a break and have a nice bowl of tomato soup when I get overwhelmed. Merchandise is nicely organized, dressing rooms are not a disaster, and the staff are generally quite pleasant and helpful.

Actually I once came home and announced that in the future, I would only shop in department stores with sit-down cafes. The old Lord and Taylor in DC used to have on, and I liked that store for suites. Cafe was closed down, sadly. Now it is just Nordstrom for me.

I liked the L&T for suits, not suites.

If only I could find a department store that had a cafe that served alcohol, my shopping life would 100X improved.

i can never understand regular nordstrom! how do you find anything, it's organized so weird

i am wearing a shirt i got at nordstrom rack. it was truly chaotic and i hated it!

Lunch restaurants at stores make so much sense and are very civilized. Part of an old-fashioned kind of luxury shopping where you go for the day but at a leisurely pace, and every time you buy something, you give it to a sales person and they keep all your purchases until you're ready to leave the store. I wonder if any stores still do that for normal shoppers, or only the top, top most spendy ones.

I love the Walnut Room, which is the restaurant in Macy's, formerly Marshall Field, on State St. Love it. They serve booze! When I was a kid my mom, grandmom, and I would go shopping and each lunch in the cafe at I think Bloomingdales. I still associate club sandwiches and iced tea with shopping and being a grown up lady.

i love regular nordstrom and nordstrom rack! but i am kind of a cathy cartoon when it comes to shopping, i guess.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/eastgrandrapids.jpg

nordstrom was the first thing i missed about chicago, which i guess is sort of shameful.

Oh, carl, me too! We would always have quiche lorraine and tea.

Let me help you with your Nordstrom problems:

It is organized by budget!!! So, like, on the top floors, you have the priciest brands, and they are arranged roughly by how how au currant the selection is: "Savvy" describes itself as "Edgy, of-the-moment looks for the confident, fashion-forward woman. Featured brands: J Brand, MARC BY MARC JACOBS and Joie." Think 20-something fashionista's with their parent's credit card. Also "Collectors," which is 60-something Valentino/Oscar de la Renta ladies who lunch rags.

Moving on to "Individualist," you get "A collection of the most sought-after styles that take you from desk to dinner with ease. Featured brands: Vince, Theory, Tory Burch, Diane von Furstenberg, Milly and kate spade new york." Think 30-something fashionista, with or without parent's credit card.

Rounding out the top floor, we have Studio 121 (suits and workday separates) and Narrative (somewhat more casual, but aimed at a fairly conservative, older crowd), and t.b.d. (high end denim and curiously expensive tees). Then the "Women's" department (larger ladies), evening wear (for all those galas the top-floor crowd attends), and coats (in season).

Taking the escalator down one floor, we find cosmetics, accessories, shoes, and the Men's department--pretty straightforward.

Down another floor, you enter Quincie territory: "Point of View," which is like a down-market version of the top floor--think more Macy's pricing, but fuck a Macy's because that place is always such a disaster that I swear I'd rather go naked. Also on this floor is the best bra shopping experience in the city. And the cafe about which we have spoken previously. Also juniors, with it's own shoe department (worth a visit; cheaper than upstairs shoe department and sometimes has good finds). Tiny children's section--you don't find many kids running around Nordstrom (bonus!). There is like a small corner with shit resembling a "home" department, but it reminds me more of the tiniest Gump's every--more hostess-gift-for-the-hamptons sort of thing.

I hope you have found this guide to Nordstrom helpful. If you need further assistance, please see Customer Service on the top floor, near Savvy.

i hate macy's a lot

And every time we lunched there, my mom would tell us that when she went as a little girl with HER mother, they all wore white gloves. (She spent a lot of that era reminiscing about white gloves. And Easter bonnets. And...things from her childhood, I think. I wonder what was going on for her that those memories were so strong then.)

Dude, quince, that's quite an overview.

Macy's EXCUSE ME I MEAN MACY*S is a horror show. And so dirty.

hs, you and I will do the 8-hour shakedown of all the discount stores and clothe ourselves splendidly for a year in one day of shopping. I'm with ya, sister.

I hate clothes shopping enough that I have limited my shopping world to online and the bottom two floors of Nordstrom (bottom for clothes and underthings, one floor up for cosmetics, shoes, the occasional belt). I can totally see how the organization seems confusing to the uninitiated, but it really is a very practical arrangement!

Nordstrom is my favorite department store but I don't have to $ to shop there often. Went to the Nordstrom Rack in Chicago but I didn't find anything :( boo. Most Macy's are shitty but the one in Chicago was so nice and pretty!

I also love in store cafes. My mom and I used to go to the one in Nordstrom on Long Island and the Macy's in NYC.

that sounds like heaven, Laurel! also quincie, can i buy your fall work wardrobe for you?

OH MY GOD YES that would be soooooooooo awesome!!!

There is little I like less than clothes shopping. I went to an outlet center today and it was a nightmare but I got what I intended (not stuff for me) so in that respect it was successful.

nordstrom rack is v v hit or miss for sure. also ime at the chicago racks, often a stampede of crazed bargain-hunters.

xp yay! i am all about this, ilx women. let me personal shop for you!!!

I love my State St. Macy's but I think it's a flagship so they keep it nice.

Nordstrom proper in Chicago is on Michigan Ave which is its own nightmare, plus I can't walk there from work. Plus they have a shit shit shitty plus size selection.

UGH the flagship Macy's store in NY doesn't even have a nice place to eat now. I don't know what it had when you were younger, but I do remember maybe 6 yrs ago they turned the basement into a "food court" but all the vendors were a) independent, and b) as good as nice restaurant food. I guess that was too much work to coordinate because within a couple of years they outsourced the whole food area to one contractor and it turned into complete shit. It's like a hospital caf with a slightly wider selection now.

Er that was xp to ENBB.

you definitely need to fortify yourself with food on the hour if you're going to brave a nordstrom rack/filene's/tj maxx/marshall's/syms type situation.

xp :( that really sucks about the plus-size section, Jenny. sometimes i look at salon z by saks online and they have some nice stuff, but it is $$$. also not enough nice stuff imo.

but i suck at thrift store shopping. i am just bourgie.

The Macy's I was in in Chicago was in the loop and close to the nordstrom rack. It was really pretty inside. Is that the state street one? I think it had an old marshall field sign outside. :)

Oh that's a shame, Laurel. It definitely had a nice cafe on one of the upper floors years ago.

A plus-sized boutique just opened on the main st by my apartment, I think it's sizes 12-24? They had an opening day party when I biked by! I suspect their style will be...flamboyant, though, and not very helpful to ilx-type laydeez. Otoh hs might just find something in a nice fuchsia & gold lame.

horseshoe it would also be awesome if you could review my existing wardobe (which given its size will take approximately two minutes) so you can tell me what to keep, and also figure out what new stuff I should add to the staples. What I'm saying is I think you will need to come to DC and stay the night. I will lay in lots of wine!!!!

you definitely need to fortify yourself with food on the hour if you're going to brave a nordstrom rack/filene's/tj maxx/marshall's/syms type situation.

Yeah, this is what I can't do. The idea of browsing through rack after rack of crap to find things scares me. Plus I really hate trying on stuff. Basically I just suck at shopping for anything that isn't an accessory.

Shopping is more fun if you've reached a mutually satisfactory truce with your actual physical body.

Otoh hs might just find something in a nice fuchsia & gold lame.

― check the name, no caps, boom, i'm (Laurel), Saturday, July 28, 2012 7:06 PM (27 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol i once bought a gold lame bathing suit from an online plus-size retailer but it is not a reasonable garment and i have never been able to wear it.

also, quincie, it's a date!

See my Macy's has the Walnut Room, the 7th floor food court with food stations by bigwig local chefs (Rick Bayliss! Plus two other dudes I can't remember) AND a basement food court with a hot food bar that has really good meatloaf and macaroni and cheese. Also a Starbucks (maybe two, actually - one in the basement and one on an upper floor). All that was there when it was Marshall Field so Macy's only deserves credit for not fucking up an existing goof thing.

Xp yeah, E! That's the one!

(i would be guided by your personal style, of course; i would never foist gold lame on others just because i shop for clothes like i shop for candy)

Shopping is more fun if you've reached a mutually satisfactory truce with your actual physical body.

― check the name, no caps, boom, i'm (Laurel), Saturday, July 28, 2012 7:07 PM (11 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I imagine it would be. One day. Hopefully.

if i could afford it i'd by lots of classiques entier and lafayette 148 staples for my professional wardrobe fwiw

buy, i meant

x-posts Yeah, CA that was a beautiful store. I was really impressed by it. Some nice things too! I bought a skirt and a lip gloss oh and a handbag that was sold to me by the most wonderful advanced style type of old lady (http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com/). It was great.

Actually I think I could do gold lame and fushia if someone just showed me how! My personal style is boring not because that is what I like, but what I can manage given my shopping aversion. I have subscriptions to Vogue and Bazaar, so clearly I like more fashion-y things than I actually wear!

i think you are wrong because i definitely get a stylish vibe off your ilx persona

hahaha that is kind, but you shall be disappointed :)

I will try to budget for a nice piece or two from the top floor (e.g. classiques or layfayette 128). I don't buy stuff often and I wear my clothes for years and years and years, so I can justify the occasional pricey piece!

Macy's is often terrible, and I don't think I've ever bought anything in Nordstrom other than Xmas decs - but all of the (two) Nordstroms I have had food in the restaurant of, have been *really* good for a mall kind of place. The one in SF has white chocolate bread pudding which is sooo good.

Shopping is better in the UK I think, less department store navigating and tons of more do-able mid-range high st shops.

Nordstrom Rack is my faves clothing store of that type – way less trashed than your average Ross. I still shop at all those places because I loves $$$deals$$$. The great thing about Nordstrom Rack is it has SO MANY size 10 shoes available. Ridiculous amounts. Maybe because they are a harder-to-sell size?

for my whole life i've loved listening to dressed up old ladies in department store tearooms who wear hats and tuck into cream cakes with gusto and stoically discuss heartbreaking events. they are getting rarer but there are still a few around. my sister heard one talking about her daughter's marriage breakup, she said of her former son-in-law, 'unfortunately he let himself down very badly', which she found a refreshing and intriguing apportionment of responsibility for whatever had transpired. the person my sister was with started going on about something less interesting so she missed the rest.

my favourite department store tearoom in christchurch made it through the earthquakes, displaying the same knack for survival as its patrons. i cried when i heard it was reopening, so much of the city has gone but it's still there.