getting a taste of outlet store shopping

By now, our counterparts have grown used to our crazed shopping habits at outlets whenever anyone of us are sent on assignment. When asked for our activity for the weekend, it's no longer a surprise for them when we answer in chorus: "shopping".

Cha was asking me how much Coach bags can go for when on sale in the US. That got me reminiscing of my outlet store shopping experience. Being a sucker for deals, I was in for a treat and enjoyed every minute of it. I guess for now I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. And yes, I went crazy. In 4 months, I visited round rock 3x, San Marcos 3x and the one near Bradenton 2x. I don't think I ever went home empty handed though I had to restrain myself during the latter parts of my assignment lest I risk exceeding my baggage limit. I originally thought it was 70-70-50. On the last day I found out, I can actually go for 70-70-70. Too bad!

watch out for the sales!

a 30-minute drive from where we were at

apple store @domain

i thought you'd only see this in binondo! (fyi: trying to joke here)

in a hurry eh?

why hello coach!

after one whole day: the loot

gotta love shoes

Warning: Definitely a very low-EQ-moment-kind-of-post.

so today, i finally ended up buying not one but two pairs at payless (Greenhills Branch).

of course, wedges!

The second pair was totally unplanned because it was not the style I've been wanting to get...

can't find in the website anymore must be an old stock

I think it does look nice but if you know me this is really a departure from my usual. My siblings and I agree that it looks nice (not to mention cheap) and sexy but we are just not sure what I would wear it with. My sister was probably thinking more along the lines of something she can borrow as this would definitely be more of her style. But after learning from experience that if you find something that you like, don't go home to think about it when you know you'll eventually want to get it or else you might regret it.
I've been to a payless outlet (the one in Megamall) probably two or three times before this but in all cases, I ended up not snagging anything. I guess you could say I'm a bit of a skeptic. I mean during my short stay in the US, I didn't find myself drawn to this shop in any of the outlet stores. Yes, I would find myself entering it all in the name of soaking in that outlet store shopping experience but more often than not I didn't find myself that interested. I guess it was not until I had two other officemates buying from this store that finally encouraged(self-inflicted influence I guess) me to get one from here. I was thinking of sticking with Charles and Keith and the likes (or waiting for other brands to go on sale like Stella Luna or Zara or Melissa or Sueno de Espadrilles maybe).  Anyhow, until now I can't take the image off my mind though and how good one particular pair looked on my feet when I tried it on Megamall. I wish there's still a stock somewhere because I really want to get myself a pair of pumps:

I believe I have pretty wide feet but when I tried these on I thought it had some sort of slimming effect. Seriously, I really can't take my mind off of them. This led me to browse the online website of payless and left me drooling for one or two more:

love the detail!

 This one I'd say if it were to be available here in the Philippines would probably go around 2500-3000. Maybe not that cheap as with the others but if you think of it as a substitute for the VW Lady Dragon or probably a Stella Luna heel, then this is definitely a steal. So after the black rosette above, I'd definitely want to get myself one of these! (how I wish, money was not an issue but then again if it was not I'd probably not want this as a substitute but as an additional pair, you think?)

pink!

 Pink is not exactly my favorite but again the combination makes this a little less boring and common.

red rosette

I think I also want to get myself a pair of red heels (pumps if you may) and this red rosette I think will look as nice as the black one.

Amidst all these, at the back of my head I am still pondering on that wedge from VNC with the quite stripes detail and the low-heeled pumps from Grendha (not to mention black flats from I don't know where yet). The VNC I came close to buying but part of me was still being stingy and practical I was able to restrain myself knowing how (dirt) cheap pairs can go in Malaysia.

I think I need more closet space if and when I get the money. Either that or I should stop with the drooling and tell myself I'm good for this year. :D

online window shopping

you can say i am definitely hooked. while it doesn't come close to the real deal and getting to see the merchandise up close, it has its perks.

to date, I have only 3 online purchases to boot.
1. slik tripod from B&H photo and video
2. dkny watch from amazon

3. galeries from ebay

picture from seller

I can't give my verdict yet whether or not the gamble i took when i "splurged" online for items 2 and 3 are worth it since I had it delivered to a friend who's on assignment in the US. I won't be seeing them until she gets back hopefully this November. I have my fingers crossed that they are all good though. I can't wait to see them (and use them)! I am not too worried about the amazon purchase since a lot of the people I know in my circle have tried its service and so far been happy with all their purchases. But for ebay, you could say I am still a skeptic. I hope my judgement was spot on with the item and seller to make my first ebay experience a good one and not scarring!

here's the thing though, I think I'm having issues from stopping. Well at least from online window shopping. You could also say that I am wondering or tempted to buy some "finds" which I think I can eventually sell here. I am playing with the idea of trying my hand at selling stuff but I am not too sure whether or not I can do it. Maybe I should just go for it but right now the price isn't right for me to just risk it. Sure, I should start small but then again  the opportunity that's right before me is different. Dunno if I should grab it or not or maybe rethink that it might not be an opportunity after all! What do you think?

why did i have to see this?

 ok another low EQ moment... just when I was happy and contented with my galeries purchase (btw congratulate me, I managed to resist the urge to get the beige one as well!!!), I saw this on sale at kate spade:

Darn they are cute! Maybe just maybe if I saw these first I would have gotten them(either because I can only wish I could get both) instead of the galeries la fayette. Ladies, if you are looking to get the galeries as your first LC, you might want to check them out first. I'd say these are strong contenders don't you think?

**If I saw a coupon lying somewhere I'd probably get the black one as a "gift" for my mom for her 50th birthday... then I can borrow from her... hmmmm... nah! too selfish! I'm probably better off giving her cash and letting her shop for herself.

surprise blessing

I am not trying to justify my most recent purchase (aside from the LC bag) but I got a surprise blessing that just gave me that boost to just go for it. Introducing my first IPOD Shuffle:

but yes, I've been thinking about it for some time now... initially because ipod touch was too bulky for jogging.  When that broke, my old ipod classic is just too darn old and that iphone4 is still up in the air. Finally, something to plug in when I'm feeling anti-social. No need to hide in the laboratory or something. Again, thanks bossings, thank you Lord it was a welcome-very much appreciated-surprise-blessing!

and then my in-earphone broke! haha just have to do with the free earphone and the sony headphone... but in-earphone, why now???

playing dress up...

like i said, I like dressing up... if only I have the money, sense+style, courage and reason to... nevertheless, here's one of those rare moments I felt brave enough to wear a dress...

simple but boy it felt good. I guess a little confidence goes a long way because I thought I carried it pretty well. Never mind though the way I smiled on the bottom left. By the way, my curls suit me don't you think? although it's starting to look limp and straight...

can't get enough of...

first was the le pliage... now shoes!

let's start with the le pliage, first it was just mere curiosity until it gradually became an addiction. I would spend so many hours hopping from one site to another looking, liking, disliking the price etc. Since, I didn't really get myself anything yet for my birthday, I figured I might as well get myself one. And then I spent more hours looking for the  size, color and price combination that suits me fine... I did manage to find a reasonable one but I'm still waiting if that risk I took will pay off... *fingers crossed* hopefully they're not frauds

now, after having scored that stella luna heels at just 2k, I want more!!! especially the pumps with a satin bow... but darn, they are way out of my budget (as it is I'm already over budget) or price I'd like to spend on a pair of sandals/shoes. BUT heck I can't stop thinking about them. All of a sudden I remembered the Charles and Keith pumps/slingbacks I have that are waiting to be replaced. You suddenly find yourself justifying and finding reasons to want (or more like have) to buy more. This is even after I've told myself I would not buy any more. For someone like me, (I don't claim to be up there just right in the middle), I think I've already purchased more than what is necessary for this year. Now, I also want a melissa lady dragon and an espadrilles (suenodespadrilles). I ran into espadrilles at Greenbelt 5 and was ready to get myself one until I saw the price. (I was in a way wanting to get myself one) It was 4k more than what I was willing to spend. Goodness! Why am I running into these brands? I should stick with the old ones so I don't get wide-eyed and drool like this! Maybe, other brands have similar styles and I should probably get it from there. But the lady dragon and stella luna... tsk! guess I'll have to keep on dreaming (and maybe praying that they'd have some sort of price drop or something)... but it's looking like the target is to get myself a slingback, pump and an espadrilles-ish like wedge by the end of the year most likely from another (cheaper) brand... good luck to me! hahaha