My Closet is a Spinning Vortex and it's Sucking Me In!

I swear, I am going to clean my closet and get rid of all the clothes that I do not wear on a regular basis. ....ok, some of the the clothes I do not wear. .... Fine. A few of the clothes I do not wear. I think I can manage that. We have to start small so my feelings of loss can be overcome by feelings of closure.

Also, I never realized how hard it is to give up a pair of jeans and how hard to find new ones you really love. I have a lot of jeans. But I have this favorite pair which really fits me well despite some of the truncal obesity I have acquired. The pair is really worn, and when I fell down the stairs two months earlier, my jeans shredded at the knee. It's still wearable, but it looks kind of weird. I've gone back to where I've gotten them, but I think the store has switched styles or whatnot because nothing fits me as well as this pair did. It's like buying a pair of shoes that you love and then when you finally run the life out of them, you're very upset because you can't find a pair exactly like them!! Wait. Is that just me?? I still have my Phoenix Sam & Libby black flip-flops which I should just finish wearing and then throw out, but I can't find a pair that I love as much as these! And it's been...5 years that I've continously looked!

Despite all this talk about paring down and throwing out stuff, I have to tell you. Forth and Towne sent me a $15 coupon card for me and a friend...so guess who's going shopping soon??! Also, in the newest Shape, Self, and Cosmopolitan issues, there are free coupons for a Victoria Secret's cotton panty. There is also a coupon in the May 22nd issue of People, in case that is still on the shelf.

Shopping Spree

Marshall Field's
Reaction Kenneth Cole Black Wedges $34.97
Clinique Clarifying Lotion II $19.00

So Good Jewelry
Sparkly necklace $9.99

Express
Camisole $5.99
Gauzy shrug $9.99

Gap
Black Bikini $0.97
Floaty brown Tank Top $1.97
Stretch Black Sleeveless Tank Top $1.97
Pink Classic Button-Down $12.97
Cream Jacket $19.97

Urban Outfitters
Gauzy sweater $29.99
Belt $4.99

Charlotte Russe
White peasant skirt $10.00
Black flirty dress $19.99
Stressed camisole 2 for $20

JCrew
Pink button cardigan $29.99
Distressed Chinos $19.99
Cargo Corduroys $19.99

Bath and Body Works
Aptiva Eucalyptus Sea Salt Scrub $20.00
breathe Serenity wash Free with coupon

Energy Boost: PRICELESS

A trip to Woodfield does wonders. C.O. Bigelow is opening a store in Woodfield. The Grand Opening is October 27. First 100 people who purchase something will get small travel samples of their Lemon Cream and Quince lotion. I wonder how they are going to balance Bath and Body Works and C.O. Bigelow in the same mall since they carry many of the same products!

Check out Forth and Towne, Gap's newest branding concept for career women over age 35. The store touts an Indulge membership which includes free alterations and specials once you spend over $500. They also offer free tea on Tuesdays, and their dressing rooms are like little boudoirs. The store is based on four tiers of merchandise: 1) Gap Edition, 2) Vocabulary, 3)Allegory, and 4) Prize, and the clothes range from relaxation clothes to business suits to party outfits. It manages to stay classic yet somewhat trendy and molds in what middle-aged women would want in an outfit.

Ruehl 925

New store at Woodfield: Ruehl 925. It bills itself as business casual style meets Greenwich Village attitude. The way I understand it is that it's a new concept store owned by Abercrombie and Fitch. This is the first Ruehl 925 to hit the Midwest. Catherine and I checked it out while we were shopping because it caught our eye. Instead of the usual storefront, it's a bungalow sort of facade with salespeople outside holding flowers and welcoming people. Inside, it's divided up into rooms like a house. Think of J.Crew meets Hollister/Abercrombie meets Banana meets Kenneth Cole. Yeah, that kind of nice. It's subtle lighting and none of that pulsing rock you get when you go to the teeny-bopper stores.

It's a bit more expensive than Abercrombie's main store; it's also a lot more mature. That means no baby tees. It's also the only Ruehl 925 in the Midwest so far.

This is Abercrombie's time to expand. Like Gap, they are stretching their brand name to different markets. They're adding this market to their current 727 Abercrombie stores, 171 Abercrombie Kids stores, and 197 Hollister stores. Seems to me that they're doing their branding in a more mature fashion also...none of that controversy that happened with their Abercrombie magazines and suggestive/racial t-shirts. I didn't even know that Abercrombie was Ruehl 925's parent company until I did some background research. We'll see how Ruehl 925 performs.

In other news, if you haven't heard by now, Gap is also extending their brand name into a new niche store for people in their middle ages. Their new concept store will be called "Forth and Towne" and the main market will be in Chicago with only one other store in NY, I believe. I think this might be a flop actually...it doesn't sound very trendy. Sounds matronly, actually. With all the questionable clothing at Gap nowadays, I think Gap needs to take a look at itself and go back to the old days when it was just all classic clothing that served all age groups. That was their brand, and I never really understood why they went away from it.