Turkey Day Haul

So who knew that Atlantic City, New Jersey, was a bastion of deals?

I'm a fan of the run down dichotomy of have and have-not - ok, not a fan of the dichotomy - it can be really pretty miserable - but I'm a fan of the city and what it was, is, and what it's trying to do. It's going a little "Vegas" on me, but it is fun, and it's still A.C. Where else can you stand at a craps table sandwiched between Pauly and Vinny, with 21-year-olds at the other end. It's the only place in the world where race, color, and creed really don't matter. At the gambling table.

Anyway. Diatribe on A.C. aside, what has also sprung up is a whole bunch of deals. Apart from the regular sales in the indoor shopping districts like The Quarter at the Tropicana and The Pier at Caesar's (I keep waiting for Scoop to open, but it's teasingly papered up...I peeked - the shelves are stocked, and there are people that distinctly look like hip salespeople inside, but they won't let us in yet!), they've got Outlets.

I know outlets are usually overhyped and not real deals - especially when you try to go to stores that are stores you might buy from regularly. But H and I did really well. A little patience, and an afternoon to ourselves yielded a Pretty Good Haul.

Among the purchases...

A lovely blue and brown-striped button down for H. Paired with the soft olive v-neck sweater he found, it brings a little color into his bizcaz dress. (Banana)

To replace my slowly dying LBD (that I love, it's got great detail, but I'm not sure it can survive one more trip to the cleaners), an acrylic and wool shift with darting detail. It's a little on the conservative side, but I like the mildly retro charm. (Banana)

A sweet little blousey cap-sleeve T in a great indigo and a softer than soft bordeaux angora v-neck sweater that'll both keep me from rewearing my brown merino v-neck 3 times a week. (Banana)

Mod, mod, mod. And short, short, short. So short that I really need to go find some opaque tights to funk it up. It's a sleevless, black and cream shift that harkens to Twiggy - amazingly good on me, especially since Twiggy I am not. (H&M)

Finally, a wrap dress that doesn't make me look thick in the middle. (I have a thing about me and belted stuff - dresses, shirts, you name it.) I've loved the look for years, and finally found a pop-arty black and cream (yes, there's a trend here) version that I'll be able to pair with my Daslu boots for a little office spunk. (H&M)

And last, but certainly not least, a little piece of British biker chick badass. H has been dying for me to have a leather jacket. And we just haven't seen one that was right. So the Wilson's Leather outlet finally came through. It's worn black, classic biker cut up top (lapels, easy drape), but box cut bottom, and tapered just enough at the waist so I don't look like a boy. But my favorite part? The buttons. Big, flat pewter buttons down the front and on the sleeves. Puts a little jaunt in my step. So Pauly didn't like them, but I do. And I can't wait to don it with my boots.

Asylum, here I come.