Okay, I guess I DO have a lot of clothes.

In the middle of the night the other night, I was awakened by a somewhat muffled thud. When I opened my closet, I saw that the entire right side shelving/hanging unit, where I hang all my dresses, pants and skirts, had collapsed.

Was it that one last, perhaps unnecessary, dress I bought that put my poor closet over the edge?

Closet Epic Fail.

Rock sugar candy. Yum.

…  thus went the first-ever Boston Fashion Blogger Mixer last weekend.

Of course there’s much, much more.

When the day began I was a bit apprehensive.  Would my outfit be right? Would the other bloggers already all know each other? It was like the first day of sleep-away camp, circa 1988!

To ease my nervousness I told myself I’d just pop in for a few minutes, pick up some business cards, introduce myself to a couple bloggers, and quietly slip out. Wrong.

Hello, Lovelies. Where have you been all my life? These Pour La Victoire booties at Luna were a bit out of my price range, even with 25% off. Still, they are gorgeous and have inspired many a fantasy.

First off, the mixer was held at the fabulous Luna Boston handbag store (hello? handbag store?! It was like the venue was chosen especially pour moi!)  on Newbury Street, and the first thing I saw was a sign offering all bloggers 25 percent off anything. Now THAT’S what I call hospitality.

Then, just as I was filling out my nametag, some excitement erupted outside. We all ran to see. It was the annual Santa Speedo Run making its way down Newbury Street in all its Spandex glory.  Suffice it to say, we bloggers were all ready for a drink after that sighting.

The Santa Speedo Run ran just past the Fashion Blogger Mixer. It was a juxtaposition of sorts-- people who love wearing clothes, and people who love, well, NOT wearing clothes.

Thank goodness for Hpnotiq. If it sounds like I’m shilling for a big alcohol company, well, I am, just a bit. It was just that they sent over such lovely bottles of baby-blue liquor, along with bartenders to make delicious concoctions such as the  Roq Candy  which was stirred up with a stick of pale blue rock sugar candy.

(By the way, it seems we all inadvertently enrolled in Hpnotiq’s “Night School for Girls” (Click on 12.12.2009 Luna Boston)– since there are plenty of photos of the festivities on the company’s website.)

After we’d all had a few sips of these yummy drinks, the place really got hopping.

A Necklush. I feel a Jones of the Week coming on.

I met Lei Ann of Give Me Platforms… or give me death (I know, I love the blog name too) who was very Zen in her Buddha necklace.  She was also the lucky winner of a giveaway from Necklush, which makes super-sweet neckwear that is somewhere between necklace and scarf.

I met Amy of The Bargain Hunter Extraordinaire, Jessica of  Daucus Carota, Davita of Dita’s Style Buffet, Najeema of A Stylized Hysteria and Julie of Orchid Grey — all lovely and super-cool.

I met Jen of Jen Loves Kev and Amy, aka Punky of Punky Style, who also owns a very cool mobile vintage shop, Haberdash Vintage, and who supplied many of the goodies for the random drawing giveaway. (Yours truly won a crocheted clutch!). They, along with Liana of New Brahmin, organized the mixer and I,  for one, can not gush enough with gratitude.

Blogstress after fabulous blogstress confessed to me that she’d been nervous about meeting everyone and all I could say was: ME TOO! I had thought I’d stand in the corner, sneak out when no one was looking, and have a whole afternoon to kill before my 5:30 p.m. bus to New York.

Boy, was I wrong. Sometime around 3:30 p.m. I glanced at my watch and realized the afternoon had flown by and I didn’t even have enough time to take advantage of the shopping deals some Newbury Street stores were offering bloggers. In fact, I barely had enough time to pick up my bags and head to New York City.

I just barely made my bus and on the ride down (well, before those blue drinks sent me into a deep sleep), I thought, I don’t care what anyone says about fashion and New York– there is no city with a more fabulous sisterhood of fashion bloggers than Boston.

Booze and Shoes

Mom and I do a big outlet trip every year in the fall. It’s sort of become our thing.

And the way we plan for it and coordinate and juggle our work schedules and even pack for it (I like to make sure I have tights in case I want to try on skirts, boots to try on with jeans, jeans to try on with sweaters– you get the picture)  you’d think we were setting out for the Galapagos Islands to see some giant turtles, instead of for the outlet mall some 40 minutes south of Boston.

The trip usually generates some good stories (one day I’ll tell you the leaving-my-car-keys-in-a-random-bag-I-tried-on-at-Banana Republic-then-didn’t-buy-story). And there’s something about the anticipation of dozens of potential fabulous finds waiting to be found, that gets us really excited.

Navigating the outlets is no easy feat. There’s a lot of wheat to be separated from chaff.

This year we were also distracted by a family illness and almost didn’t make it. Still, we re-worked and rescheduled yet again and managed to keep our annual retail appointment. It’s sort of our thing now, and we didn’t want to miss it.

A lot of trying on takes place. A lot.  Thank goodness the Saks outlet provides actual supermarket-size grocery carts.

A grocery cart! Full of clothes! Way better than a grocery cart full of paper towels and Diet Coke and baby carrots. Come to think of it, I can’t remember the last time I had the patience to fill a grocery cart this full in an ACTUAL grocery store.

Oh, and because I know you were wondering, we totally scored, though the number of purchases we made at the Saks outlet paled in comparison to the number of things jammed into that cart.

My mom bought two Saks brand long-sleeved waffle weave t-shirts for about $15 each. I bought a pair of skinny blue JBrands and a black and white-checked blouse.

We celebrated our purchases at the Lindt chocolate outlet, of course. It’s part of the tradition, after all.

Who says I never win anything?

Oh, ahem. I do, I guess. Or at least, I USED to. Because now I stand corrected. I made it into this week’s Links à la Mode, the Independent Fashion Bloggers roundup of the top 20 fashion blog links of the week. I’m thrilled, and in some fabulously good company, so check out my compatriots.

—————–

Links à la Mode: The IFB Weekly Roundup

****for week of November 19, 2009****

Food for Thought

Edited by Ashe Mischief

This is my first time editing since I wrote Good Cop/Bad Cop: Participating in Links a la Mode. Thank you all so much for making this my most pleasurable experience in editing yet!

I’m not sure if it’s because American Thanksgiving is a week away, or because the blogosphere is ablaze with Kate Mosses’ unforgettable quote, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels,” but either way, I’ve got food on my mind. This week, you brought me the best kind of food–rich, decadent, and 100% calorie-free! That’s right–you delivered highly thoughtful posts on fashion, fashion blogging & communities, and more.

On a personal note, ferOHHHsh has asked that we share her post about her close friend’s near-fatal accident. I believe that the fashion community is one of surprising strength, dignity, caring and compassion, and that it was worth sharing. We’re sending your friend speedy thoughts for a wonderful recovery!

Links à la Mode : November 19th

• Awakened Aesthetic: – Eco-Friendly Stocking Stuffers (Part I)
• Crisis in Denim: – Crisis in Denim: I make gentle fun of a Banana Republic ‘rewards’ card I received in the mail, that seems designed to make me think I accomplished something by shopping at BR and earning ‘rewards’ points, by riffing on the president’s Yes We Can slogan.
• dramatis personae: – the Hat’s Out of the Bag! by Michelle at Wicked Whimsy
• Fashion X K8: – The importance of Fashion Ad Campaigns and analyzing the collective subconcious of fashion consumers. I beg the question, what makes a great Fashion Ad.
• Further Ado: – With many of their paper equivalents going bust, Further Ado finds 5 great online fashion magazines to keep you satisfied.
• Grit and Glamour: – yesterday The Psychology of Lace Lace, in spite of its implied fragility, holds very special power in the sartorial world.
• Idiosyncratic Style – Infatuation List: Five Fall Fashion Favorites
• Independent Fashion Bloggers – Fashion Blogging : The Road Ahead
• kaKofonie Of si(gh)lenS: – Interview with Lauren Jones of mydearthing
• Mystery Creature: – I love vintage, I love handmade… but I don’t love Etsy, as much as I want to.
• Oranges and Apples: – What drives fashion bloggers? Oranges and Apples in the Scotsman
• Random Fashion Coolness: – Musings on the power-partnerships in the Blogosphere
• Shoe Daydreams: – Collaborations and “inspiration”
• slsvgg fashion: – An interview with Gossip Girl actress LEIGHTON MEESTER, on her style
• Somewhere over the Skyline…: – rugality? Sustainability? The Recession! – Thoughts & Recommendations on Sustainable/Vintage Lifestyles
• Super Kawaii Mama: – Meet the Dr. of Dames and her new book Our Girl’s – Aussie Pin Up’s of the 40’s & 50’s
• THE COVETED: – Benefits of Chilly Days… Coats!
• The Curvy Fashionista – Got the Plus Size Bridal Dress woes? Enter in Cc.Elaine- A studio dedicated to the Curvy.Confident.Chic. Plus Size Bride
• The New Wave: – Underwear as Outerwear: How to wear this spring’s runway trend using vintage pieces.
• The Pixelated Blonde – Fashion: it’s an individual thing – a look at how to be stylish whilst maintaining one’s individuality.
• White Rabbit: – Lookbook.nu vs. Flickr’s Wardrobe Remix – the battle of “What I wore today” sites
• Wicked Whimsy: – Rene Geneva Designs – featuring a local, woman run eco-friendly design house that makes gorgeous clothes to boot!

I was going through my mail the other day, when I opened my Banana Republic bill, and found this inside:

Yes You Did. It was on a little card attached to $30 worth of gift cards I’d earned by sprucing up my work wardrobe at Banana Republic, and charging it all to my Banana Republic Luxe Card.

The next morning I was driving down my street and saw an Obama bumper sticker that read “Yes We Did!”

Three simple words, but I realized something. President Barack Obama’s election-night speech has so infused our culture in this last year, that everyone, even Banana Republic, is quoting it.

But it seemed a bit of a stretch. Were these gift cards, with their little “Yes You Did” notice, supposed to inspire the same swell of pride that President Barack Obama’s speech did, before that hushed Chicago crowd, just one year ago? I’m not sure I did very much to warrant channeling the president. I mean, what would the president’s acceptance speech sound like if you applied it to shopping at Banana Republic?

You. You selected the three best pairs of wool trousers out of a dozen styles and sizes. Yes You Did.

You tried them on with low heels and high heels, jackets and sweaters, to create the perfect outfit. Yes You Did.

You browsed the sale racks, searching for marked-down basics like shells and t-shirts, to fill out your wardrobe. Yes You Did.

You shopped strategically, passing up things you knew wouldn’t fit or that you didn’t need, asking the salesperson to show you the latest stock. Yes You Did.

Later, you helped your boyfriend find the perfect cranberry-colored sweater and wool trousers, then charged it to your BR card so he could get another 25 percent off and you would get the points. Yes You Did.

Actually, I am getting a bit misty-eyed just thinking of how much shopping I have accomplished. Thanks BR. You’ve inspired me. Still, I know I can’t grow complacent. To paraphrase that same election night speech: “There is so much more [shopping] to do!”

So this post is an outright plug for a store I really really like, Mint Julep. In fact, I daresay it is one of my favoritest of all favorite stores.

I have no problem giving Mint Julep a bit of free advertising because it is the kind of boutique where the people who work there are beyond nice, and helpful, to everyone who walks in the door. Even when, ahem, a certain customer spends an hour browsing the sale rack only to leave without buying a thing. I won’t name names.

Also, several staples of my wardrobe come from there, including all but one of my summer dresses.

So here goes. This is an awesome deal. Believe me. Twenty percent off everything. EVERYTHING.

So if you see a crazy blogger speeding by in a black Corrolla at 5:59 p.m. on Friday, either get out of the crosswalk fast, or hitch a ride, because that’s most certainly where I’ll be headed.