My "New" Jeans, love the J Brand black denim

I had a few pairs of favorite jeans in the 7th grade. The two pairs that stand out in my mind (because they were awesome)were Guess and Jordache, and they had zippers at the ankle. The Guess pair was dark and simple, the zipper was on the outside of the calf. The Jordache pair was a really light color (I do not want to call them acid washed) and there was a bow at the top of the zipper which ran up the back of the calf. Love. really. My middle school friends have to remember those jeans, Jenny?

Anyway...I posted a little while back about skinny black jeans, and yesterday at Bloomingdales I indulged myself with these beauties:




Now, you should realize that on me they do not look cropped, they go to the floor and will look respectable with flats or heels, and definitely tucked into boots. That is important because THEY HAVE THE ZIPPER. yup. the ankle zipper of my youth is back, and while I thought I would find it super cheesy, I love it just as much at 31 as I did at 12.

The jeans pictured above with said zipper are the J Brand Deal in Noir (with a 10 inch ankle circumference), now if you like the style but not the zipper they also make the Pencil style -




This one has a 12 inch ankle circumference, and while the model looks totally uncomfortable and like she needs a good meal, your hip bones do not need to be visible in order to wear this style. I swear.

I also tried the J Brand Skinny style, which is somehow different from the Pencil and the Deal, and not in a good way. Those puppies hardly fit over my feet, and that is just weird.

a mellow new years eve

Friends we visited in Argentina (yes, we visited friends on our honeymoon and it was a lot of fun! Thanks Bea and Dani) taught us how to play the card game hearts. So there we were, sitting at an outdoor table at a cafe in Mendoza playing this game, then the cafe closes and we move to a restaurant to continue the game, only we need a second table to keep our food on while we play, and play we do! It was fun and we couldn't stop until Dani shot the moon, I lost big time. Our waitress was not so amused.

So New Year's Eve we will be hanging out with friends here in Berkeley and we are hopeful they will feed our love of the game.

For that I certainly don't need a new dress or anything, and to be honest after all the clothes I bought for the wedding weekend, it's nice to not have to think about it. That doesn't mean that people don't care what they wear to dinner parties though, and with that I can help! Well, sales help too, oh, and overnight shipping.

Pink Mascara
is giving an additional 20% off sale items. Use code 20offsale.

Active Endeavors is giving 40% off of new items, use code newyear.

I went to Banana Republic yesterday and all their sale items are another 20% off, pretty spectacular. I got a really cute sweater for $25. Although I do question their sizing because I'm not sure anyone smaller than me can possibly wear their clothes anymore. It's crazy how big things are there now, I'm an XS? I'm nobody's XS. weird. Everyone likes the idea of buying a smaller size, but it's like grade inflation on acid.

I also bought a cashmere sweater at Bloomingdales which had been marked down once, and then was marked down another 50%. very good deal, I must say. But again, the sizing thing is crazy.

Now is a great time to buy sweaters on sale. Also pants. Everything, it's all been marked down so many times at this point. Happy shopping.

The Real Ally McBeal - New Office Dressing

A friend sent me this Daily Mail article, apparently London law firms want women to look like women, or what they have decided women should look - high heels and skirts. nice. Apparently London lawyers are cavemen.

My Favorite Sales This Sunday

Piperlime is offering an additional 20% off sale handbags, this is not to be missed! Use code WOW to get the discount.




I am still obsessing over certain Kooba bags which are marked down now...I am trying very hard to control the urge to buy these days. Now with my *husband* moved in we just have WAY too much stuff. He does not begrudge me my stuff, but I am feeling a little smushed in the apartment. I will however continue to dream of one day converting a small bedroom into my dressing room.

In the meantime - you should not feel smushed into your clothes - to remedy that situation, particularly dire after too much eggnog and way too many cookies - for that you definitely need to head to Bare Necessities for some fantastic undergarments on sale -

pots and pans on the brain

I keep thinking about possible blog posts, and then I go back each and every time to pots and pans. I usually write about clothes and accessories, but housewares is still shopping-related.

I am way totally preoccupied with that. Now that the wedding is over we are thinking about all of the fun cooking tools we received and setting up our kitchen together. My husband (I still feel funny using that word!) is obsessed with efficiency in all things. So he is totally focused on induction cooktops, . I have never used one but they are supposed to be incredibly efficient, and the surface doesn't get hot, only the pot. It's perfect for preventing kids and clumsy adults like me from burning themselves.

So, this affects us how, you might ask. Well, many types of cookware don't work on induction cooktops. And because we are planning to set up a kosher kitchen, we need two distinct sets of cookware so that we never get them mixed up. All-Clad stainless steel cookware does work on induction, those will be our meat set, but for dairy we are torn. I had originally planned to have a mix of Calphalon One and All-Clad LTD -they are stainless on the inside and anondized aluminum on the outside- so they look very different. But the aluminum doesn't work on induction so that throws a wrench into the system. Cast iron works well and we are thinking about a set of Le Creuset but it's so heavy I can't imagine regularly hoisting 30 pounds on the stove when I make a big pot of soup.

It is really pretty -






They cook incredibly well and clean very easily, and yet it's been tough to decide...I know, woe is us.

Sales Everywhere

I returned from my looooong hiatus to so many sales my head is spinning.

Bluefly is offering 30% off of everything today, Banana Republic's big after Christmas sale already started and pretty much everything you could possibly want is marked down somewhere.

Some other great sales at great shops-







Happy Shopping

New Boot Obsession

Before I have even settled back into life I found something new to be obsessed over - grey boots. I tried on an amazing pair in Buenos Aires, but alas they didn't have my size. So I came back bootless and with an eye for all things grey leather.

Lo and behold - they would be perfection if it weren't for two pesky things - first the 3.5 inch heel, and 2nd, the $314 price tag at ALREADY half off.

I have already thought of all the incredible outfits I would build around these boots, but with those heels I wouldn't actually be able to walk anywhere. I would look like a very well dressed statue. Still, a girl can dream...

I'm Back!

We had an amazing honeymoon in Brazil and Argentina, and now it's back to real life...As I get settled I will return to the blogging. I can't wait to write about what I saw in South America, and the wedding of course.

coming soon...