California: Part II

My husband had to schedule a business trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles, and in fashionista form, I couldn’t resist the urge to tag along for a week in these to cities for support and, well, shopping. And shop I did.
Our first business dinner as we arrived in San Francisco allowed me the opportunity to meet the fashion-forward lead singer of Karmacoda, Heather Pierce (check her out on iTunes or at www.karmacoda.com). We instantly bonded as she shared some secrets of San Francisco shopping with me.
Eager to begin exploring new parts of the city, I started with her suggestion of the shops near the cross streets of Haight and Ashbury. The decidedly San Francisco feel to the area is a fun experience, even if you are a non-shopper. After a quick lunch at The People’s Café, I headed on my way through this urban shopping jungle. There are divine stores in the Haight for all types of shoppers. Vintage and thrift store shoppers will be in heaven here with stores like La Rosa Vintage Boutique and Wasteland (dubbed the best place to sell your clothes by Rolling Stone magazine). Shoppers disinterested in perusing through thrift stores will also find joy in stores like Ambience and Shoe Biz. Ambience was mentioned in the previous San Francisco entry, and this Haight Street branch was no disappointment. Shoe Biz had a great selection of fun, unique shoes, and I found myself a pair of cozy brown printed boots that have been the recipient of dozens of compliments.
I also decided to visit the upscale Union Square, the well-known San Francisco shopping district. I entered this area thinking I would find myself in the midst of expensive global brands such as Yves Saint Laurent and Dior. I was right, but I also found myself blissfully lost in plenty of shops which are more difficult to find like Ted Baker and Ben Sherman. Union Square has more shopping than one could cover in one day…or week. I found a delicious creamy white winter coat at Ben Sherman that the salesperson tried relentlessly to talk me out of. She was sure I would want the more practical gray or black, but love is blind, and no matter how much more practical a black coat would have been, the white was too divine to pass up. I also fell madly in love with a pair of brown leather boots from Gucci. They were practical with no heel and a high arch, and they will most certainly get me fashionably and comfortably through this winter.
If you live in or near the San Francisco area or you are just planning a trip there, I would recommend picking up Crave San Francisco: The Urban Girl’s Manifesto. This manual will direct you easily to all the best shopping San Francisco has to offer.
We left San Francisco too soon for starstruck Los Angeles, staying within minutes of Rodeo Drive. If you haven’t been there, go there, for every fashionista needs to visit Rodeo Drive once because of its notoriety. But once you’ve been there once, there is very little need to go back. Rodeo boasts a few blocks of fantastic global brands like Tiffany, Cartier, Juicy Couture, and more, along with a few wonderful department stores like Barney’s. But Los Angeles has so much more to offer than this, so be sure to tear yourself away to visit some of the other LA shopping districts. Grab a cupcake (if the line isn’t too long) at Sprinkles Cupcakes, and hail a taxi to Melrose St.
Begin your day with lunch at Fred Segal. I don’t spend too much time in Fred Segal, but there are definitely a lot of fun clothes to look at for those of you who are interested. But be sure to head across the street to Miss Sixty. This fantastic store has a wide selection of denim along with lots and lots of fun tops. The only time I have left that store without purchasing something (a knee length dark wash denim skirt with a ruffled hem…sigh), I have greatly regretted it. This time around, I found a few great sweaters on sale. Melrose is laid-back cool, home to real Los Angelinos, not the high society women that shop on Rodeo to see and be seen. A two story Urban Outfitters is on this strip, and the rest of the stores follow suit with a relaxed, urban vibe. I had a lot of fun looking, but I only found a very cute ¾ sleeve sweatshirt at Paul Frank.
Our time in California ended with many shops unturned, but there will plenty to see when I return. And if you know of any fantastic finds in these shopping meccas, be sure to pass them on to us.

Nantucket: Shopping by the Seashore

When one thinks of Nantucket, she thinks of sandy beaches and East Coast relaxation, however, I must say the beaches of Nantucket have nothing on the shops. Start saving now, and when next summer roles around, take your savings to the beach.
I went to Nantucket after buying myself several pairs of desperately needed jeans at Nordstrom. Now, I adore Nordstrom, but I began to regret the $700 I had dropped on my designer duds once I saw the array of jeans in Nantucket’s cozy shops. Johnston’s Cashmere had a great selection of David Kahn jeans; I picked up the Nicole jeans because I adored the twisted seam and the friend with whom I was shopping so happened to be named Nicole. I also found a pair of super dark denim Hudson jeans at Nalu.
On the subject of Nalu, all fashionistas must make their way to this trendy store while in Nantucket. I believe Nicole and I made it there three times in our three days. In addition to my Hudson jeans, we found a wide selection of tried and true brands such as True Religion, Miss Sixty, Velvet, and Juicy Couture. Nalu is my number one must-shop store in Nantucket.
However, there are several other trendy shops in between the tourist shops and the (dare I say it) old lady shops. Nantucket boasts a Ralph Lauren and a Vanessa Noel, and the high-end Gypsy caused us to drool over the high-priced but gorgeous Missoni swimwear.
And make sure to get yourself out of the main shopping area to visit Elisabeth English’s Current Vintage store. Here, I found a gorgeous embroidered handbag with perfect condition mother of pearl trim dating back to the 1930s, and Nicole found a lovely anchor necklace.
Another unique store we discovered was Expressions of Don Freedman. We originally entered the store in search of souvenirs, but found our way to a selection of gorgeous jewelry including camel bone bracelets we quickly snatched up.
If you are on your honeymoon, don’t miss Lady Bird Lingerie or The Chocolate Lingerie. Chocolate Lingerie has a smaller selection, but the lingerie and swimwear is to die for. Lady Bird Lingerie has a plethora of bras and underwear even in the most difficult to find sizes.
And if cosmetics are more your thing, there are two stores I feel comfortable recommending. Beauty By The Sea carries brands like Bliss that all beauty divas will recognize. They also carry some lovely stationary as well. And Crush Cosmetics has some familiar lines as well as some that are more difficult to find (such as my all-time favorite Hourglass).
No matter what your fashion interest, Nantucket has it all. Nicole and I kept trying to get ourselves to Nantucket's sandy beaches, but we couldn't tear ourselves away from the extensive shopping. In the four days we spent in Nantucket, we could barely stop shopping long enough to eat (once our blood sugar got low enough). Nantucket may be a retired couple's paradise for the historic building and beautiful views, but the shops have something to offer everyone. Be sure not to miss it!

San Francisco, CA

At first glance, San Francisco’s shopping mecca is Union Square. Gucci, Tiffany, Saks, and more populate this upscale shopping district. And if your shopping desires lie in these tried and true brands, there’s no need to look any further. Union Square will most certainly satisfy you.
On the other hand, I came to San Francisco wanting to explore more than what I could find in every major shopping district in the world and so I found myself exploring two other more out of the way shopping areas.
The first district I perused was the Fillmore Street shops on, well, Fillmore Street. This street certainly has a lot to offer the upscale shopper. Dozens of trendy boutiques line the road and, with the exception of Betsey Johnson, all are fairly exclusive to the area. Besides a pair of Betsey Johnson shoes marked half-off, I merely found myself browsing the racks of admittedly adorable but high priced items. Interspersed between these kittish shops are several thrift and consignment shops which, I have to admit, impressed me. I didn’t find much to my liking, but I would recommend these stores to any girl on a budget or who maybe just loves a bargain. In particular, Crossroads Trading Company had a selection of brands no fashionista goes without including Nanette Lepore, Dolce & Gabbana, Betsey Johnson, and more. I even found a fake Louis Vuitton handbag.
Health and beauty stores also dot the map of Fillmore. I found myself in the biggest Kiehl’s store I had ever seen or dared to imagine during my meander and also stocked up on several other beauty products along the way.
After walking up and down Fillmore Street, I headed to the Union Street shops. This decidedly different atmosphere was a perfect fit for what I was hoping to find on my trip to San Francisco. Undoubtedly more crowded and cheaper, I found myself in a number of equally adorable shops along Union Street. One shop I found particularly charming was Entrance. The shop was run by a Japanese woman, and the Japanese influence was obvious. And coming from a woman who witnessed Japanese girls climbing Mt. Fuji in stiletto boots and miniskirts, this isn’t a bad thing. In this second story, two room store, I found a plethora of cheap jewelry and original clothing. I walked out of the store with a white belt with a large skull buckle, a navy blue tee with oversized white buttons running down the front and center, and a frilly, fitted mustard yellow hooded sweatshirt designed with hearts, flowers, and - you got it - skulls. Later in the evening, I paired this new sweatshirt with a wifebeater and jeans to wear to the Giants game, and it elicited a handful of compliments from the men who attended the game with me. The one item I coveted but refused to buy was a white floral printed handbag with fantastic orange trim similar to this season’s Betsey Johnson handbag line. I fell in love with the bag, but walked away due to the sheer needlessness of another handbag on my already full shelf.
The other great find on Union Street was a multi-room store called Ambience. I had to stop myself from pulling every adorable item from the crowded shelves, because I could have very easily left the store with everything in it (had my credit card limit not prevented that). I narrowed my options down to two reasonable priced, trendy tops and a black jumper (which will perfectly compliment this season’s colorful leggings). Numerous other worthy shops dot this street, and I would recommend any girl headed for San Francisco to check it.
Certainly, there is even more to San Francisco shopping scene than I had time to explore. I’m certain the case will be the same for many of you. So, if you only have a few hours to kill, here’s my suggestion. If you are a glam girl with money to spend and you don’t often make it to big cities, head to Union Square. It has all the typical tried and true city fare, and who can ever get sick of Gucci? A step down from these couture shops, but still hip and pricy are the Fillmore Street shops. I felt this was a worthy shopping experience, but after the eight or ninth high priced shop, the clothes all began to look the same. The thrift stores are fun for those willing and ready to peruse for a bargain. Just five blocks from Fillmore (down the steepest hill I have ever walked in my life discluding the Rocky Mountains) is Union Street which is sure to satisfy the hearts and budgets of most visiting shoppers. No matter your budget, San Francisco has something for us all.

Tokyo: Harajuku Girls Got the Wicked Style

Want a fabulous place to shop? Look no further than Tokyo. This city truly has it all for any fashionista.
As with nearly any other city, Tokyo has an upscale shopping district that boasts the likes of Tiffany, Dior, and Louis Vuitton. Yet, Tokyo has stores larger than life. Does a four story Tiffany or a five story Hermes sounds up your ally? Then head to Tokyo’s Ginza district, and spend to your heart’s desire. This district is probably the most photographed district in Tokyo, deemed the Times Square of Japan.
If you are looking for a more authentic Japanese shopping experience, Harajuku, a division of the Shibuya district, is the place to be. On the surface, the area seems to be rows of more luxury shopping. We began by passing Dolce and Gabbana, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc. Yet, as we made our way further down the street, we found ourselves in the trendy Japanese shops that define Harajuku. These shops made Betsey Johnson look tame, and now I understood why stylish celebrities like Gwen Stefani had sung the praises of Harajuku. It was still fun to see the glitzy shops with names translated in English like Ashes and Diamonds. In all price ranges (although one must remember that Japan is generally more expensive than the U.S.), Harajuku has a wide variety.
Alas, I am about a foot and a half taller than Japanese women, and the clothes were never going to fit me. But I was determined not to leave Japan without something wonderful.
We had also visited Osaka*, and there I had looked at several adorable Dior keychains and charm bracelets.
Yet, I found myself transfixed on a beautiful silk printed Celine handbag. This deep brown bag (think as close to black as brown can get) mesmerized me. The large, but not oversized, carpetbag shape and gold details were perfect. In fact, I believe this is the most lovely bag I have owned in my life. Compliments everywhere I go have only confirmed this for me. No clothes left Tokyo with me, but my handbag is sure to please for years to come.

*The reason I am not mentioning Osaka further is that I didn’t feel it merited a post. Osaka, from my limited experience, bore only the same upscale shopping as the rest of the world. However, Japanese women love to shop, and I am certain there is more than met my eye during my short visit.

NYC: Shopping the Fashion Capital

Girls weekend! In need of some retail therapy, a girlfriend from high school and I went to exciting New York City for a weekend of shopping and, well, more shopping.
Our hotel, the Ritz Carlton, was located merely a block away from fabulous Fifth Avenue where we spent the majority of our weekend. Saturday morning, as soon as the shops opened, we energetically began perusing the racks at Bergdorf Goodman. Floor after floor of beautiful clothing beckoned us. Three hours and a pair of Armani pants later, we emerged slightly less energetically from the historic walls and began our walk down Fifth Avenue. Louis Vuitton, Prada, Tiffany, Escada, Cartier, Gucci! We could have shopped for days, if our feet would have allowed it. After making it halfway down the strip of shops, my perfectly pedicured and Manolo Blahnik shoed feet begged me to take a break. Reluctantly, we stopped into a sandwich shop for lunch. After reenergizing with food and rest, we found ourselves back on Fifth Avenue in Yves Saint Laurent. I was in search of a pair of sunglasses that would fit my face, and be trendy without being too trendy. Erin, my good friend and former optician’s assistant, had been brutally honest about the glasses I had been trying on throughout the day. But we both found ourselves falling in love with a pair of dark brown round lenses in YSL. I usually deliberate over my potential purchases, but I didn’t blink before handing the sales associate my credit card.
Erin’s beautifully tailored Armani pants and my YSL sunglasses were the only purchases made on this first day. We walked tiredly back to the hotel, purchases in tow, to collapse in our room watching The Cosby Show before heading out for the evening.
We did not leave that first shopping day without a valuable lesson, though. Food, caffeine, and comfortable (while still cute) shoes are necessary for the abundant amount of shopping we had planned.
The next morning was a fresh start. Donning my much more practical Cole Haan sandals, we ate a hearty breakfast (okay, I had a Coke, a waffle with chocolate syrup, honey, and sugar on it, and a bowl of fruit, but I was not lacking energy afterwards). The evening before, we had made a list of all our must see stores and we started on our trek to find them. By chance, we wandered into Salvatore Ferragamo where I found a perfectly adorable silver charm bracelet. In addition to two Ferragamo horseshoe charms, there were two crystal studded shoe charms and a crystal encrusted heart. As I mentioned earlier, I brood over my potential purchases before committing to them. Erin and I made it exactly one half block before I made us turn around so I could buy the bracelet.
We then proceeded to SoHo where we stopped for lunch. Long term energy was a goal in this meal, so I stuck to a turkey sandwich, no chocolate syrup on top. In SoHo, we wandered through the narrow streets taking in the New York City atmosphere and searching through the shops. The crowds and hot, humid weather started to exhaust us and so we began searching for a Starbucks. What we found was even better...Betsey Johnson. The boutique seemed a wonderful resting place. Erin could relax while I got to try on all those adorable girly girl dresses and shoes. To our dismay, the air conditioning in the store was not working but it didn’t stop us. The dress I found had an old fashioned rose print on cream fabric and a pink silk bow wrapped around to create an empire waist. The classic style was redefined with a form fitting shape and a double cut V neckline. I also found myself purchasing the most perfectly pink stiletto heels. For lack of a better way to describe them, I have nicknamed them my Barbie shoes. They are bright pink with an ankle strap and a peep toed heel adorned on top with a large pink and light pink wire and glass beaded flower. I love the dress because it will never go out of style and any time I want to feel feminine, I now have the perfect shoes to do so in.
We spent a significant amount of time debating the pros and cons of a sexy black and red corseted and ruched gown in Dolce and Gabbana, but I ultimately decided against it and we headed back to our Central Park hotel.
Monday, our last day in the city, we found ourselves back on Fifth Avenue one last time to visit Burberry (where Erin found a trendy pair of blue shades with the Burberry plaid logo on the sides) and Christian Dior. In Dior, I found a gorgeous brightly colored bikini (for half off, mind you) and a cute gold bracelet with pink glass beads and charms that spelled out Dior. Shopping in Dior was the perfect way to end our perfect New York weekend.
If you find yourself in New York City, I would recommend going to SoHo before Fifth Avenue. The area feels much less touristy and much more New York City. July, although quite hot, is a great time of year to visit. All the pre-fall clothing is coming in and stores have dropped the prices on many of the summer clothes to make room for the new merchandise. Be sure to think carefully and plan out your excursion. There is so much shopping to be done in this metropolis and you could never make it into the stores you truly want to see if you don’t plan carefully. Don’t do as Erin and I did and look hopelessly for Saks on Madison or Park Avenue without remembering that the store is called Saks Fifth Avenue. Check to see what time shops open before you get up early to go to them just to find they are all closed. No matter how comfortable you think your three inch Jimmy Choo stilettos are at 10 am, don’t wear them. They won’t be comfortable at 3 pm when you are making your way up four flights of stairs at Louis Vuitton. Be sure to eat a healthy breakfast, drink lots of Starbucks and water, stop for lunch, and, most importantly, have fun!

Outlet Shopping in Minneapolis

I grew up in Minnesota and my memories there consist mainly of climbing trees, hiding in cornfields, and later in life, high school football games, pep rallies, and the Mall of America. Even in my college years when I was merely minutes away from Cole Haan, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nieman Marcus, Ralph Lauren, and other high fashion stores, my college budget kept the confines of my shopping strictly to dreaming as I perused the pages of my Vogue magazines.
Recently, I went back to the land of ten thousand lakes to visit my friends and family. Although I had spent my life near Minneapolis, the Nicollet Mall shopping area was still fairly foreign to me.
It was Father’s Day, so my mother and I dropped my dad off at the bookstore and headed for a Saks Fifth Avenue outlet down the street. I don’t have much patience for outlet stores and their crowded, unorganized racks. Like any normal American girl, if I am going to buy something I would ideally like it placed in my line of vision. I want to find my size easily and be escorted into a plush dressing room with a place other than the floor to set my handbag. When I choose to buy something, I want to be greeted by adoring sales people at the register and I want my purchase wrapped in pretty paper and placed delicately in a sturdy, stylish shopping bag. Clearly, outlets rarely offer any of these luxuries, but the thing that I hate the most is searching, often in vain, for my size. This outlet was surprisingly well organized and I became excited as I started to see the significant markdowns on such beautiful clothing.
The first thing I found to purchase was a long sleeved pink Juicy tee that read Confessions of a Couture Girl. I have told people before that I can’t stand Juicy Couture. I don’t want the word Juicy tattooed across my butt or chest (for the obvious implicit meaning) and, quite frankly, I can’t imagine spending hundreds of dollars on a sweatsuit because it says Juicy.
This shirt had Juicy written only on the label on the inside of the shirt and was marked down from $90 to $24.98 (and I must remind you that there is no sales tax on clothing in Minnesota). The tee fit well and the sleeves were long enough, a rarity for a girl with arms as long and gangly as mine.
Sifting through the racks, my eyes landed on a gorgeous white cashmere Magaschoni sweater with sequined white snowflakes adorning the bottom and, don’t hate me, a rabbit trimmed hood with furry pom poms. I must clarify that I am not a believer in harming animals for any type of vanity. If I were not in a state of fashion euphoria at this gorgeous sweater, I would have checked the label. Instead, I gasped in delight, ripped the sweater off the rack, and then asked my mom, "do you think this is real fur?" She ran her fingers across the hood and replied, "No, I don’t think so." So I slipped the sweater on and fell in love. The best part? The $500 sweater was marked down to $44.98. I could barely breathe as I made my way to the register.
At this point, I must note that my mother found a stunning gray Calvin Klein dress for $50, originally priced at $500.
I have recently began discovering the beautiful world of brown. I have always been a black and white buyer. In fact, in college I wore black dress pants nearly every day. I love the dramatic look that black and white can offer, but the recent purchase of the most comfortable chocolate brown skirt from Bebe has converted me to the delicious and versatile world found in the basic color. Before the fashion-altering skirt, my venture into the world of brown went as far as khaki pants. Yet, I have begun discovering the rich shades brown has to offer. My last two finds at the Saks outlet were creamy, long-lasting browns.
I first found a chocolate brown knit shrug by Gracie for $24.98, marked down from $80. The comfortable shrug is the perfect way to dress up jeans and a tee.
Last, I found a gorgeous sleeveless sweater in a smooth coffee brown with intricate beading combining yellow, orange, and brown wooden beads with real seashells. The beach-inspired style was perfect for my leading role as bride and program director for an upcoming week in Hawaii. Originally $96, I purchased this WR Studio top for $34.98.
I tried on the clothes in a tiny and dim dressing room, waited in a long line to check out, and walked out of the store with a heavy plastic bag (one of the handles even broke before I made it back to the bookstore to get my dad), but I must say this was one outlet shopping trip worth enduring.

Los Angeles: Pursuing the Perfect Handbag

I had shopped in Los Angeles before, but the enormous city has enough shopping to satisfy any fashionista in any budget. I went to LA with one purpose: to find a new handbag. For the past year, I had been using a gorgeous deep purple suede Coach bag that I loved. Yet, as every girl who lives for fashion knows, eventually you start to itch for a change.
Although there was so much of Los Angeles to explore, I started my handbag search on Rodeo Drive, the mother street of all Los Angeles haute couture shopping. My criteria for a handbag were fairly simple. I didn’t want a white handbag because I know myself all too well. Five minutes after purchasing it, I am sure to have spilled coffee on one side or dropped in a puddle. No matter how trendy white is right now, I wanted something more resilient. I was counting on Christian Dior to pull me through. I have been falling in love with everything Dior makes right now and so I started there. Sadly, I couldn’t find a single Dior handbag that I liked. Don’t worry, I assured myself, there is a handbag out there calling your name somewhere. I wandered up and down Rodeo Drive in search of the perfect handbag. I found a gorgeous black embroidered clutch in Gucci but it was too small. And I found a fabulous perfect-for-summer white and gold canvas bag in Roberto Cavalli, but, as I just mentioned, it was white. I left Rodeo Drive without a handbag, but I did discover a pair of glitzy gold Stuart Weitzman heels that were too fun to walk away from. These shoes are festive enough to glam up jeans and a tank top for a girls night on the town and glam enough to wear dancing the night away in a ballroom.
After my unsuccessful handbag shopping trip on Rodeo, I headed to Fred Segal. I had never been, but always wanted to go since they mentioned in on Clueless. I drove there and I think people thought I was a celebrity. I didn’t realize there was a huge back parking lot and so I pulled into one of like three spots in the front. I was driving a brand new Corvette convertible and was wearing a huge sunhat and huge trendy tortoise shell sunglasses (except mine are from Target which isn’t very celeb-like). Anyway, I think everyone thought I was a celebrity because I pulled up in the front like a person with a big sense of entitlement (except I was really just a person that didn’t realize there was a big back parking lot) with my big glasses and big hat and new Corvette. Everyone was really staring and smiling at me until my sunglasses came off and then everyone ignored me, including the salespeople. Anyway, I wandered around the store briefly but I have to be honest. I don’t see what the big deal about Fred Segal is. It looked like a upscale Hollywood-ized version of Wet Seal to me.
The day before we left sunny California, I decided to stop in a shopping mall called the Beverly Center. I had chosen this shopping center to stop in because it had a Bloomingdales. I grew up loving Bloomingdales and believing it was the epitome of fashiondom. I am sad to tell you that Bloomingdales is not the store it used to be. The Bloomingdales at the Beverly Center had rap music playing (does anyone else remember the days of live grand piano music?). Rack after rack of Juicy bags constituted the handbag section and I swear I saw Kate Spade and DKNY handbags on the floor. I couldn’t handle the blasphemy and hurried out of the store. (I must note that not all Bloomingdales are not like this. I more recently went to a much better kept Bloomingdales in the Mall of America.) I searched the store locator map for any other glimmer of handbag hope. No luck. I was sadly planning to leave LA without a handbag. I decided to go in Dior again just to peruse.
I walked into the store and found myself in a whole new world of handbags. This Dior had a much better selection of handbags than the Rodeo Drive Dior. I found myself torn between several bags, but finally settled on a limited edition sky blue (not white) leather handbag with a rich navy interior (translate: no visible lip gloss stains!). The bag is adorned with colorful butterfly decorations connecting the handbag and it’s handles. I couldn’t leave LA without it.

Fun in the Sun! Shopping Key West

I was looking very forward to shopping in Key West. I imagined this fun-in-the-sun location to be filled with lots of fun, unique shops. I found unique and I did find some fun, but I didn’t think the city was everything I imagined.
Duval Street is at the heart of Key West’s partying and shopping and so I started my shopping excursion on this tourist-filled street. The first shop I visited was Evan and Elle, and this shop also ended up being my favorite. This shop carried an equal selection of mens and womens clothing, like many other shops in Key West. I found myself perusing well-kept racks of name brands like BCBG and DKNY. If you are in the market for a new pair of jeans, this shop should be your first and last stop. There were rows and rows of jeans in different trends, colors, and styles. Among the designer digs, were less pricey and equally cute items by labels like Esprit. They were few and far between, but there were good deals to be found in this trendy store.
I wandered down Duval Street with little luck in finding anything worthy of my money. Luck struck me in a store called Play Time where I found a delightful white tank top with a flower design. The tops came in a multitude of colors with different designs and were a handy one size fits all. I had a hard time deciding which of these tops I wanted most, but finally decided on the white.
I meandered from store to store in search of something, anything to buy. I was in the mood for shopping and couldn’t find anything I wanted. The street is unfortunately littered with tasteless t-shirt shops and I was discouraged at the gaudy tackiness of the boutique-like shops. In a store called MM Couture, I tried on two tops that looked fantastic on the rack but made me look like a Playboy playmate once they were on my body.
I bypassed Banana Republic and Express because, although I often find myself in these stores at my hometown mall, I was searching for local flavor. I also passed up a Coach Factory store that bragged of $199 handbags. I adore Coach handbags, but why would I spend $199 on a last season handbag when I could buy myself a this season handbag for a mere $40 more?
I was nearly completed with my shopping with only one purchase, when I discovered the delightful Lilly Pulitzer. Located a block off Duval Street on Simonton Street, this gem was nearly tourist-free and girly but not pin-up girly like the rest of Duval Street. I know Lilly Pulitzer is a chain and can be found all over the country and I know I said I was avoiding chain stores like Express, but it is rare when you find a Lilly Pulitzer store and the style is so Key West that I had to go in. Here, I found a gorgeous white strapless dress that had a crocheted flower overlay and a dainty white bow around the waist. I may sound strange telling you this, but I had a fantasy once about this very dress and it was suddenly before my eyes. The other item I adored was a white skirt with a large colorful butterfly pattern creating the hem. Both items were priced at $188.
Here is my number one tip to shopping in Key West. I discovered, after walking away from potential purchases in a few shops, that sales people were willing to discount the price for you to get you to buy. When I turned down a pair of black sandals that had originally caught my eye, the sales person was willing to drop the price from full price to twenty percent off to fifty percent off. Try your luck with getting them to give you a better deal. And whatever you do have fun. After all, it is Key West!

Shop & Ski in Whistler

Nestled between the ocean and the mountains is the gorgeous town of Whistler, British Columbia. This Canadian jewel is known mostly for it’s skiing and is home to the 2010 Olympics.
Beyond the beautiful scenery and snowy ski slopes is Whistler Village containing a variety of shops to interest anyone. There are a fair share of typical ski shops selling warm jackets, snow pants, and ski boots, but further exploration of the village will bring shoppers into several hipper shops.
The first store I discovered was the popular Canadian brand Lululemon Athletica. Known for its functional but trendy women’s workout clothes, I found myself in a sea of shoppers in the otherwise quiet village. After a few minutes of browsing the selection, I began to see why. The store is packed full with enough styles of workout pants, bras, and tops to satisfy any gym rat. I was interested in restocking my sports bra collection and grabbed a handful of bras that were available in multiple styles and an abundance of colors. My favorite bra was a turquoise sports bra with removable padding. The padding didn’t make me any bustier, but provided more bounce protection than any sports bra I had yet to own.
I discovered one small shop that carried a variety of ultra-hip and super sparkly apparel. Being a girl that loves anything that sparkles, I was instantly drawn into the store. After a perusal of the racks, I walked out empty-handed. Although the clothes were fun, the price tags weren’t. Nothing seemed unique enough to drop hundreds of dollars on.
I found my other purchase at a gift shop. Not one to pass by any store that could possibly be carrying an item I could love, I walked into the gift shop expecting the usual tees with Whistler screen printed on them and not much else. I was mostly right. Yet, hidden in the back of the store was a light blue tee with a cartoon drawn of a 1950s photo of a slender dark-haired woman staring up at Whistler Mountain with her navy 50's ski outfit on. Below the picture was the word Whistler sewn in cursive with bright red thread. The laid-back simplicity of the adorable tee spoke to me more than the sparkly glamour of the other shop. After all, Whistler isn’t about glitz, it’s about skiing and bumming around. The t-shirt captured the essence of the quaint town. And for $15 American dollars, I couldn’t pass it up.