The Pretty Pear

Shopping tip: An important question

I’m just going to say right off the bat that this tip isn’t my own. It’s actually from Tim Gunn’s book. Le Gunn is wise, though so we trust his advice.

Here’s a question to ask yourself whenever you’re tempted to buy an item that’s on sale, you have a coupon for, or the item is otherwise cheaper than full retail:

Would I be willing to pay full price for this item if it wasn’t on sale? Would I still want it as badly as I do now?

Now, I’m not saying to immediately drop the item and run out of the store if the answer is “No” (Incidentaly, Tim Gunn would say that but I’m nicer than he is, I guess). I am saying to stop yourself and consider why you want the item in your hands. Will it really add value to your wardrobe or do you want it because it’s cheap and you’re afraid to pass up an opportunity?

This question can be tough if you’re a bargain hunter like myself. In the case that I’m actively waiting for an item to go on sale before buying it, I don’t really ask myself the Big Question. In that case, it’s a planned purchase and I’m just waiting to get a good deal.

However, if I’m in a store or just putzing around online and come across something on sale and think “omg I need this right now or I’ll never be able to find anything like it ever again!!!”

I stop.

And ask, “Is this item so wonderfully unique that I will never find anything like it ever again at a similar price?” And the answer is almost always no.

The question isn’t intended to make you want to pay full price for everything you need. It’s just a way to measure how valuable the item is to you and whether you’d be willing to sacrifice a little more financially to have it.

A few reasons to love QVC

Customer reviews
QVC allows their customers to post reviews of products on the QVC site. I have seen that they’ll hide reviews for the Today’s Special Value items but other than that, they don’t filter out the negative reviews. I’m a lot more likey to buy something online if I can read reviews, especially if it’s clear that the reviews aren’t filtered to show only the good ones. The model works well for Amazon and Zappos and it’s great to see QVC encouraging their customers to share their experiences. Letting customers write reviews shows that QVC is confident in their products and that they put the customer’s satisfaction first.

One item, one price
Almost all of the apparel that QVC carries comes in sizes up to 3X or 26/28. But guess what? Every size is the same price. They don’t charge extra for plus sizes. Havng just one price for each item is logical for QVC but it’s totally different from how other retailers price their plus sizes, so it’s worth noting.

Standard sizing
QVC has one size chart and all of their clothes use that same sizing, regardless of designer or label. And if there are any differences, they’ll note that on-air. This means that you can order clothing with the confidence that the item is likely to fit. This doesn’t mean everything will fit 100% of the time but you can call the order number and the customer service rep will have measurements for any item you’re interested in.

And if you don’t like an item once you get it, you can return it within 30 days for a full refund, including the original shipping price. Their return policy is here, if you’re curious.

A few more reasons…
Great selection of my favorite beauty lines (Bare Escentuals and philosophy), PM Style on Monday nights with my favorite hostess Lisa Robertson, fun celebrity guests (like Carson from Queer Eye, even if you don’t buy any of his stuff, he’s so entertaining to watch!), Easy Pay…

Note: QVC didn’t pay me to write this and I have no affiliation with them at all, whatsoever. I just have a dorky love for home shopping.

Shoe of the week! Sistine by Naturalizer

If you have wide feet, you know how hard it is to find cute shoes that are the right fit and are at least somewhat comfortable. I was so excited when I first spotted these wedges from Naturlizer and immediately started thinking about how cute they’d be with summer dresses and capris.

My foot is a size 8 in length but about an 8.5 in terms of width. Not all of the shoes I wear are wides but I always choose that option when possible, especially when shopping online. I ordered these in an 8 wide and hoped for the best.

They are really super cute on but the instep is too tight and the top of my feet puff up around the edge. It’s not a cute look but it’s a problem I run into a lot. I’m going to try them in an 8.5 and I think those will work.

The wedge isn’t too high at all, even for me and I don’t handle heels well. There’s a good amount of padding in the footbed and overall, the shoe is pretty great quality for $60.

Sistine by Nautralizer is available in four colors and one print, sizes 5 – 12, narrow – wide widths for $60 from Zappos.

The scoop on the Right Fit Straight Leg jeans!

The folks at Lane Bryant were kind enough to send me a pair of the new Right Fit straight leg jeans to try. They’re Right Fit Blue size 6 petite in black (the pair pictured left are the “medium sandblast” blue). I’m between inseam lengths so for jeans, I’ll generally wear a petite length with flats and an average length with any other shoe.

Before even putting the jeans on, I noticed that the waistband is a little wider and there are double belt loops, which are nice touches. The black denim isn’t a true black; it’s a dusty, dark gray with distressing, whiskering, fading, etc. There's even a bit of subtle whiskering below the knee area. The denim itself feels much smoother than the denim used for the trouser jeans and is a nice, substantial weight (but not too heavy!).

I did a sniff test right out of the packaging and there was a definite chemically dye smell. I decided to wash them before letting the smell sway my overall opinion of the jeans. There was still a very faint smell after the first wash but I suspect it’ll fade over the next couple of runs through the washer.

Now for the important part – the cut. From the waist to the knee, the jeans fit a lot like the bootcuts. The cut from the knee to hem is straight but not so stick straight that the jeans are tight around my calves, which was my main concern. The leg is definitely straight and not tapered. The wider waistband is a welcomed improvement and should be more comfortable.

Overall, my first impression is that the straight leg jeans are a lot like the bootcuts but with… a straighter leg! I’ll be ordering the medium sandblast blue color in Blue 6 but in the average length. The inseam might be just a bit too long with most of my shoes but I think the hem will bunch around the ankle, in a cute way. I like the bootcuts in size Blue 5 but I have a feeling if I went down a size in the straight leg, they’d be a little too snug.

I can see these jeans being a really good alternative to skinny jeans if you want the same straight leg look, without the skinny-tightness. If you do want a skinnier look, you could try going down a size. These jeans are also good if you’re just over the bootcut/flare look and want a true straight leg.

The Right Fit straight leg jeans are available online now in average lengths for $54.50. They’re priced higher because of the additional detailing and (noticeably) improved fabrication. Honestly, I think $55 is a fair price for these jeans. If nothing else, I  know I can bend over in a pair of Right Fit jeans and not flash my panties at passersby! That’s actually a major issue for me, so the fit at the waist is worth the price of admission.

If you’re a fan of the Right Fit line in general, I think you’ll like this latest addition. If you have any questions about the new jeans, feel free to leave a comment on this post. I’ll try my best to answer!

New music from the Gossip!

So, the media has been abuzz with stories about Beth Ditto and her new line for Evans and the fact that she's fat. That's basically the news - she's fat and she designed a line of clothes. But uh, her band also happens to be coming out with a new album. It's out today, in fact. I'm excited to see Beth getting so much attention and I'm extra excited that she designed a line just for plus sizes but HELLO, NEW ALBUM!

I've been a Gossip fan for a while so I think it's funny that Beth herself is bigger news than the music at this point. I love her attitude and style but really, I love her band's music most of all. I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch the video for "Heavy Cross." The song is amazing and alright, fine - Beth looks awesome and sparkly.

$15 shoe event at Silhouettes!

This sale was a big hit last time so Silhouettes is doing it again! $15 shoe sale, 2 days only at Silhouettes.com! Offer ends tomorrow, June 24th.

1 day only: 25% off at eBags!

Get 25% Off a single Item at eBags.com. This is valid for today only so if you're looking for a new handbag or need luggage for your summer adventures, now is a good time to shop!

A tale of two Twitters

Well, not so much a tale as a reminder. I maintain two Twitter accounts! I’m cuh-razy!

pearblog: updates and things directly related to this blog. This is the one to follow if you want to know when I publish a new post. I also sometimes tweet coupons and sales there that I don’t mention here. That’s right, you might be missing out!

woops: my personal Twitter that’s mostly nonsense but I have been known to say funny things on occaision and I sometimes link to interesting stuff. This is the one to follow if you want to know what I’m up to, in 140 characters or less.

My thoughts on the NY Times piece

If you haven’t come across the New York Times "Fashion Reaches out to Heavier Young Women" article from Wednesday, go here and read it.

This quote from Stephanie Sack, owner of Vive La Femme (and all around awesome fashion chick) made me laugh:

She confided that when she was 20, “I would have choked somebody to get my hand on a studded belt to fit me.”

Word up, girl. I myself have nearly been driven to acts of violance in a maddening haze of fashion desperation.

Ok, now the serious part:

Andrea Marks, a specialist in adolescent medicine in Manhattan, suspects that “the vast majority of overweight girls are not so happy.” Apparent self-acceptance, she added, may be a cover for defiance or resignation.

I’ll get real for a minute and say that I dressed outrageoiusly as a teenager, partly to put up a facade of confidence and bad-assness. But I was a teenager and have you ever met a teenager who wasn’t putting up some kind of front? That’s what being a teenager is about! You adopt a persona that protects you from the reality of your utter dorkiness. It wasn’t just because I was fat. There are any number of ways that a teenager can feel like a freak. Being fat is just one of them.

And let’s think about this – maybe the “vast majority of overweight girls are not so happy” because they get about 15 million messages each day that they’re fat, stupid, ugly, unpopular, unlovable and fundamentally broken.

And sure, having access to cute clothes won’t fix the fact that we live in a world that hates fat people, especially fat women, and especially fat young women who don’t seem to know that their only role in life is to be skinny, pretty and popular.

Having more clothing options probably won’t change the stereotypes that fat girls are easy (or a prude), or unpopular (or loud mouthed attention whores) or stupid (or the smart, shy girl just waiting to be made over!), or any number of other cliches that have been so played out in the media and popular culture that they’re just accepted as truths.

But having access to basic consumer goods like, say, clothing does acknowledge that fat women are people with needs, like the need to fit in amongst their peers and feel normal. And what’s so bad about helping young women to overcome challenges like that so they can focus on the million other challenges of being a teenage girl?