Fashion Fright Friday: The Intervention
15 Comments posted by Kristi on Friday, April 06, 2007 at 7:39 AM
On Saturday morning of last week, I opened the door to my house expecting to find my three friends who were coming over to take me out to brunch for my birthday. My friends were on the other side of the door alright, but they were armed with a video camera. Together with my husband, sister, and mother, they were staging a fashion intervention for my birthday, a la What Not To Wear. Someone had obviously been reading this blog.
What follows are a few of the slides.
I wish my legs (hell, and my entire body!) looked like this. Cute dress, but the twin orbiting planets I'm currently sporting up top would likely runneth over in this.
This is my all-time favorite. I was pleased to report to my friends and husband that I currently wear something very similar for laundry day, so I won't be needing to pick up this little number.
Once the video was over, we traveled upstairs to my bedroom where my husband instructed my friends to raid my closet and pull out anything they'd consider a fashion disaster. Gone are a ginormous green J. Crew sweater circa 1992, which I called my "St. Patrick's Day sweater" because I only wore it once a year, a sweatshirt from a wine trail we used to tour all the time in the pre-baby days, and my beloved running shorts, deemed too masculine and too disgusting to see the light of day any longer. I wept bitterly over the loss of them all.
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This structured blue jacket from Ann Taylor Loft. (Michelle, aren't you proud of me?).
And this necklace from, you guessed it, Ann Taylor Loft again.
It was a great birthday surprise, and I think I would have done Stacy and Clinton proud with my purchases*, don't you think?
They came into my house, and the hubs threw a DVD in the player. It began with a video of Clinton and Stacy discussing the hot looks for spring (which, in case you're interested, include lace eyelit dresses and long Bermuda-style shorts). And then the video took a very wrong turn, because instead of mannequins showing my "rules" for the shopping expedition my friends were taking me on, what followed was a slideshow of visuals demonstrating the rules with yours truly's head on top of some killer model bodies. Oh, and the music playing in the background? Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy."
Oh yes, I am.
What follows are a few of the slides.
Here we have me in pink. Yeah, I don't own a single pink item of clothing. Not a sweater. Not a skirt. Not even a patterned sock in pink.
I wish my legs (hell, and my entire body!) looked like this. Cute dress, but the twin orbiting planets I'm currently sporting up top would likely runneth over in this.This is my all-time favorite. I was pleased to report to my friends and husband that I currently wear something very similar for laundry day, so I won't be needing to pick up this little number.Once the video was over, we traveled upstairs to my bedroom where my husband instructed my friends to raid my closet and pull out anything they'd consider a fashion disaster. Gone are a ginormous green J. Crew sweater circa 1992, which I called my "St. Patrick's Day sweater" because I only wore it once a year, a sweatshirt from a wine trail we used to tour all the time in the pre-baby days, and my beloved running shorts, deemed too masculine and too disgusting to see the light of day any longer. I wept bitterly over the loss of them all.
Next we hit the road to go shopping. I had a VISA card, purchased for me by the hubs and my mom, along with some spending money sent by my sister. My friends, each of whom is far more fashion-saavy than me, were to help me spend my dough. And while I only made a small dent in the credit card, given the limited time I had away from the babe before my girls exploded, I did purchase some cute (and trendy!! Yes, me, trendy!) things.
I bought this wrap dress at H&M.
This structured blue jacket from Ann Taylor Loft. (Michelle, aren't you proud of me?).
These peep-toe shoes from Ann Taylor Loft.
And this necklace from, you guessed it, Ann Taylor Loft again.
It was a great birthday surprise, and I think I would have done Stacy and Clinton proud with my purchases*, don't you think?
And along the way, I learned a few things.
1. Those pointy-toed shoes that are so in-style now, which look like they'd be extremely uncomfortable? Hell, they actually aren't at all! And while I didn't buy any on Saturday, I'm on a mission to buy some soon.
2. The skinny jean is the devil's work. Seriously, does anyone out there know a single person who can pull them off?
3. Shopping is hard work. I was totally exhausted when I got home on Saturday, and I had only been gone about 4 hours.
*And lest you fear Fashion Fright Fridays are over now before they ever really began now that my closet has been raided and I've bought a few nice pieces, never fear. There are plenty more questionable items of clothing lurking deep within and I plan on putting them all on display for you starting again next Friday.
OMG! That is funny that they did that! :) I am SO proud of you going to Ann Taylor Loft...and it seems like you hit the jackpot there, eh? It's a money pit for me. I can easily drop a few hundred within minutes of stepping foot in there. I have to strategically plan my visits-- usually during the time where they give you $25 cards to use at your next visit.
OH! And interesting about the IVF. We have no left over embryos. And Mike is really strict with this stuff for religious reasons (which I mentioned a long time ago-- right before we started IVF). So, he would not allow ours (if we had any left over) to be donated for stem cell research, adoption, or anything other than using them ourselves. Which poses quite an issue.
Excellent!! Very fun. You have one incredibly creative husband, Kristi, I must say. If anyone did this to me, I'd be left with a completely empty closet. And there wouldn't be enough hours in the day to fix the problem.
Pointy shoes comfortable?? Not for the wide-footed among us (like me)...
Happy weekend, Kristi!
Kristi - you have the best friends ever! How fun! And Ann Taylor Loft - trust me, will be your best friend. Prices are always good - and there's something always on the sale rack that's still in style. I'm a huge Ann Taylor fan and the best thing - anything you buy there stays in style forever. They are very classic in their cuts and patterns, so you can't go wrong! Love everything you bought!
What a great husband you have! I love how they did it in the What Not To Wear Style! :D
You're such a good sport. And what sneaky, scheming friends and family you have!
Forgot to mention how jealous I am that you live near an H&M!!
omg I love it... that is so awesome and so much fun hehehe... now I wanna see pics of you in your new clothes hehehe... fashion show!!!
If they did that to me, they have a LOT of stuff to throw out!
That's funny - and you were a good sport.
Incredible!!!!!!! I am so impressed that they did this. I think they would love to hear about this at the real What Not To Wear. Oh---if only you could be on that show. But, this was just as good (well the $5,000 they give you is really nice). Fabulous friends and family! And great dress!
Your family and friends are incredible! And do they want to adopt me?
I am proud of your purchases and Stacey and Clinton would agree with me, of course.
Also? Skinny pants are completely awful. I don't think the trend will last long, so fret not. I, at least, will never give in. Geez, at least give me a boot cut or straight leg to balance out my top (and booty!)- Thanks.
Whew, thank goodness for that disclaimer at the end. I was like, we're not going to get to see the running shorts?!
And, Sigh, you have an H&M near you, you lucky girl!
I love the dress, the jacket, the shoes ... wonderful! I bet you feel like a new person!
My SIL's favorite store is ATL.
M-I don't think I've ever been in ATL before. And I'm so glad I went, because they have some really nice (expensive!) stuff.
And about IVF: does Mike know the embryos leftover are thrown out anyway?
Marie-Oh believe me, I have a closet full of fashion disasters, which is why I can continue doing Fashion Fright Fridays. :)
Liz-You're right. AT pieces seem very classic.
Jenny-Yeah, you're right. Pictures are better, but that sweatshirt is comfortable!
Anne Marie-Yeah, I think I'll keep him. :)
L-I cannot believe that H&M doesn't have a store in Seattle. That's just so wrong!
Shannon-I'm embarrassed to admit they're still hanging on my closet door with the tags on!
Kenju-Oh, there was plenty more left in my closet that they didn't touch!
Christine-God, I hope not. They are awful.
Damselfly-H&M is a great store. And the shorts, sadly, are gone. :(
What a fantastic idea your family and friends came up with!
And a very happy (belated) birthday to you! It sounds like your day was an absolute 10/10.
OMG! Wow! Too cool that your friends did that for you! Were you upset about it, or did you think that it was really sweet of them? You bought some awesome stuff. I hope that I'm lucky like that on my shopping trip this weekend! :)