Sierra

The pros and cons of online clothes shopping

Jun 192013

In one of the new dresses...the hat is due to a peel the day before.

Confession: I hate clothes shopping. This is really a shame as I LOVE clothes. I also love to wear them, see them in my closet and look pretty. This creates quite a conundrum. An interesting twist is that I married a man who adores to go shopping with me. Well sorta. He really only likes to shop for dresses and skirts. All the other stuff and his eyes glaze over. I explained that even though I wear dresses and skirts every single day, I still need tshirts to wear with these skirts, lounge-y clothes for nights at home, shoes, bags and work out clothes. I therefore tend to pick up a few dresses throughout the year hear and there and put off everything else until I need something specific.

This past march when I celebrated my 36th birthday (I have to throw in the year just to shock myself every time I read it) Adam suggested I go shopping for summer dresses. A wonderfuly sweet suggestion, however...my body had not adjusted to living in the south yet and even though it can feel like summer in march, I still am my winter version at that time. I learned my lesson swiftly my first year in Austin when I bought my usually stack of summer dresses when they first hit the stores and by June they were falling off of me. So I held out. I held out until the dresses I had bookmarked started to sell out and then I panicked and just ordered an entire season of clothes all at once online. Because, the thought of going shopping was more then I could handle at that moment.

There are pros and cons to both doing all of your shopping at once and doing it online:

Pros:

1. You can shop in the comfort of your home and take as long as you want.

2. You can read reviews on sizing (invaluable with Anthroplogie).

3. You don't have to try anything on and be sad when it doesn't fit your body type.

4. There are always clothes available online only.

5. If you shop all once, its a painful but quick. Like pulling off a band-aid.

Cons:

1. You cannot try anything on, feel the fabric or have an array of sizes to choose from.

2. Backorders.

3. The total lack of instant gratification.

4. If things don't work you have to send them back or bring them to a store to return/exchange them.

5. Sometimes dresses look horrible in a photo and amazing in person...you'll miss out on these if you shop online.

6. You're stuck with whats available at that moment, where if you spread out your shopping over a season, new pieces are stocked.

I ordered from 4 stores. Anthropolgie for dresses, Gap for lounge-y shorts and work out shorts, Banana Republic for tshirts (I buy 6 in black, 6 in white of the same shirts and bam!, I'm done) and Nordstrom for a pair of yellow flats (to alternate with the green and fuchsia pairs I already own).

The winners!

How did I do? Well, the shoes were perfect, the lounge-y wear was so great that I exchanged that mistake of an orange cardigan for 2 more pairs. I did have to go to the mall for this...ugh. However, it worked out well because the 2 patterns of shorts I exchanged for looked much better in person and I would never have bought them online. The tshirts are so basic and fine that I just have to say I was sufficiently restocked for the year.

As for the dresses. Well...I ordered 8 and kept 4. They were sent each on their own and some took forever, so I ended up going to the store 3 times in a month to exchange things. On the 3rd trip, Adam joined me and he picked out dresses I normally would never have tried on that were awesome, so that worked out well. The dresses that were online exclusives (the 2 pink ones on the far right) ended up looking the worst on me, so I'm not sure it's worth dress shopping online. I'm pretty sure it would have been quicker to just go to the store to begin with.

The fails.

Both online and in the store there were some major fails though. 2 were heartbreaking as they were by a designer whom I usually swear by and these both flopped. The dressiest dresses didn't work at all, major bummer as I have a wedding to attend in July that I was hoping would be shopped for. Also...it makes me sad when you try on something and it makes you feel bad about yourself, especially when its on a silhouette you love but a slip has been added that is in the opposite shape, wtf is that all about?? Anyway, it looks like I'll have to shop for that wedding as it gets closer. I will however, go right to a store this time. Other than that...I am done for the season...except I need a new bathing suit, but that is an entire sitiuation in itself that I'm avoiding at all costs.

p.s. The best part about shopping all at once? A major pre shop closet clean out. After I weeded out a dozen or so dresses, I laid them all out in the guest room and during a recent girls night at my house had my girl friends go at it. Everybody wins this way!

No crying over failed kitchen endeavors

Food & Drink No Responses »

Jun 182013

Yesterday I was trying to hard boil eggs for lunch. I say trying as it was an epic fail. Usually they turn out perfectly as I have this blog post printed out and follow it to a T. The last two times though, not so much. The weird running egg phenomena was realized yesterday, thanks to instagram and explained by a friend who is a chef. The culprit is too fresh or too young eggs resulting in a thin membrane around the yolks. Farmers markets are apparently the bane of the hard boiled eggs existence. Any way, I got over the kitchen fail and went on with my day. Until dinner when the quinoa (also cooked with a no fail technique) was still had water in the pot at the end. WTF. Two fails in one day. For a brief second I wanted to burst into tears and yell "I'm never cooking again!!" but I quickly got over myself. I instead laughed and thought of my studio where I fail at things so often I don't want to admit. However, I tend to have less confidence in the kitchen than the studio ...so today I think it's salad for lunch.

5 reasons I should have blogged last week

Life of A Designer No Responses »

Jun 172013

You may have guessed from my post last Monday that I would be absent from the blog for a day or two, but somehow I managed to be gone for the rest of the week...oops, my bad. I was bummed about this, I really was. Bummed enough that I am both sharing my remorse and what I forget to tell you all in one tidy post of the 5 reasons I should have blogged last week.

1. I was so excited to share that Manic Trout is featured in the July issues of both InStyle Magazine and People Style Watch and they hit newstands last week. (!!)

2. I wanted to talk about my desire for planting an herb garden. Good news on that though, I heard that in Texas, you can plant herbs at any time, so I may bring that up again this week instead.

3. I was having a clothing crisis. I will perhaps visit this topic at some point this week as well...we'll call it the PTSD version of the crisis.

4. Blogging makes me happy. I talk a lot, enjoying sharing my thoughts and writing. So duh.

5. I finally made a new video and wanted to share it with you. Well, that I can still do right now...

That felt oddly cathartic getting all of that out. Ok...the week can start now. Happy Monday!

Dealing with ups and downs of self employment

Life of A Designer No Responses »

Jun 102013

Bowls all over the place in the studio = busy = good

It's no secret that owning a business means dealing with the ebbs and flows, the mountains and valleys, the busy and slow, however you choose to define it. All businesses have their busy and slow times and really, everyone who works deals with this...well except data entry. In my mind, data entry produces a never ending stream of monotonous work, and I fear that. But anyway...no matter how calm I am about the ebbs and how seasoned I am to knowing they will pass, and using that time to get the the little stuff done...when the flow hits I get caught off guard. All of a sudden I wake up to a full inbox containing all sort of !! and with an abundance of demands that I'm not quite used to at the moment. Sorta like taking a nap and waking up to remember that 20 people were coming to your house in an hour for a party and you totally had forgotten. You get up and as the sleep leaves your eyes, you start to get all...yeah thats what I'm talking about...party time!!! I realize I just admitted that I equate having a crazy amount of work to do as party time...but why fake it, we all know I feel that way.

What's the point of this rambling on a Monday morning...well mainly I'm using it to stall dealing with all of the emails. Ok, I'm really waiting for my studio manager, Lauren to arrive so she can deal with them but whatever...apples and oranges. The point is that I'm having a "woah, I was totally in slow mode and not prepared for what this week is really going to be like" panic attack in a public place. One of those moments when you wonder if the internet is being put to good use...your call. Ok...deep breaths...yay for busy!!

Green Grass

Food & Drink 1 Response »

Jun 042013

I attempted to juice wheat grass last week. Meh. It tasted fine and all but my goodness do you need to stand there feeding grass into the juicer for-ever to get just a teensy amount of juice. I don't have the patience for it. Are you a wheat grass fan?

Deep thoughts on a Monday

Deep Thoughts No Responses »

Jun 032013

I talk all the time about how much I love Mondays. Don't hate me. Today is an extra special Monday, it is also the first work day of the month, the first day of a fun Japanese sale I am doing for the second time AND the first day of a new exciting contrat. Woo hoo to Mondays!! Now on a less, my Monday is better than yours note...here are some deep thoughts.

Faye believes this is her side of the bed and reclaims it whenever she can.

Faye believes that this is her side of the bed and reclaims it whenever she can.

1. The smell of garlic sticks to your hands for days and days. Even when you wash your hands with lemon...and a stainless steel "bar of soap".

2. The right hat with the right outfit will make people think you're a celebrity which will distract them from the reason that you in said hat is that you had a peel.

3. Pineapples are ready to cut when they start to turn yellow and they're leaves pull out easily. Oops, that phase was a few days ago.

4. Creamed honey is amazing but if you want to make your own, you have to have a dollop of it to use as a starter.

5. No matter how hard I try, when designing jewelry during the summer...even if its for the Holiday Collection...oceanic motives will occur.

6. Sometimes I think Faye has a secret plan to get Adam away from me so she and I can live happily ever after and I will give her 100% of my attention. I think she has a plan for Manic Trout too.

7. Leather seats + 100 degree temps + wearing skirts = burned thighs all summer. Thank goodness I went with grey leather and not black.

8. A good book can be evil as it will keep you up much later than you should be awake because you cannot stop reading it.

9. Foot steps pitter pattering all over your roof sound just fine when you think they're squirrels, but as soon as you see the huge raccoon up there, you panic with every noise you hear thinking that it's managed it's way inside and is terrorizing the inside of your house.

10. Oddly the only live plant thriving in the house, is one that I thought was fake when I bought it. True story.

Dose of inspiration 6.2.13

daily muse No Responses »

Jun 022013

What caught my eye this week...

images via

Biblio-file…the month of May in books

Biblio-files No Responses »

May 312013

Are you a reader? I've talked about my voracious reading habits a great deal over the years on the blog, as I am and have always been one. I read a book a week and enjoying having a few overflowing, stocked shelves next to my bed so each week I have a selection to choose from. As you can imagine, this can be a costly habit...and library books don't work well for me. My solution is to find a place with a consistent low priced book sale of donated books (means they usually only charge a few dollars per book) and every few months I buy a stack. I usually come home with 15 or so books for about $35. I also love this method of shopping as I often find that it's easier to choose when there are less to select from. If I'm let loose in a huge book store, I tend to reminisce over books I've already read and spend hours just wandering the stacks and forget online...if I don't have a title in mind when I shop on Amazon, I am completely overwhelmed. I am also a fan of airport book stores for this reason...although with the invention 0f kindles, the selection seems to be shrinking. I read a great deal, so I'm not all that picky...I can very easily judge a book by its cover and know I'll enjoy it...and I realized that in shopping used books, I select travel memoirs a lot...I would never think to check out the travel section! Any way, my point in this long winded intro is that I thought I would share at the end of each month what I read, because if you're like me, you can always use a good book recommendation.

1. Drop Dead Healthy by A.J. Jacobs
I first found A.J. when I was given his book The Know It All as a sassy gift. Well the joke was on the giver, because it was a great book. The author decided to read the Encyclopedia Britannica in its entirety and wrote about doing so. This book is similar in nature...he give search part of his body a health make over one month at a time over a few years and shares his journey. I was basically quoting info from this the entire week I was reading it. Non fiction and incredibly interesting if you're into facts.

2. Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich
Super depressing, but well written. Ending came out of no where. I think I had to pick up another happier book mid way though for a few nights. If you like family relationship dramas...perfect for you.

3. Penelope by Rebecca Harrington
Admittedly I bought this as there was a running joke in my 20's after someone forgot my name once and referred to me as Penelope. I have since been fond of the name. Very cute. Dorky girl goes to Harvard and tries to figure out things her freshman year. I hardly slept the few days I was reading it as I could not put it down. My assistant is now reading it and is feeling the same way. Would make a great beach read.

4. Bella Tuscany by Frances Mayes
The follow up to Under the Tuscan Sun (and I believe classified as a travel memoir!!) I loved her first book and found this one equally charming. Although I was a bit confused as I'm pretty sure she was single when she bought the Villa in Italy in the first book and now she keeps talking about how she bought it with her boyfriend. Hmmm, I read UTTS years ago and may be confusing it with the movie version, but either way...a beautifully written book that will make you want to go to Italy immediately.

So what have you read lately?

Behind the scenes of a vintage scarf statement necklace

studio news 1 Response »

May 302013

As a designer, there are some pieces that you have an idea and BAM! they come together instantly and you're done...pretty much instant gratification in design. Then there are the mammoth pieces. The new bug necklaces are in that latter catagory. From flash of inspiration to the last of the 6 samples of the line being made...it was a looooooong process. In fact it took so long, that I documented most of the stages via instagram. Curious to see what goes into it? Then scroll baby, scroll....

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 01

The inspiration and gathering materials

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 02

Steaming the wrinkles out of the vintage scarves after they were washed

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 03

Vintage scarves being cut to size

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 04

Sewing the vintage scarves...vrooooom!

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 05

Turning the sewn vintage scarves right side out

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 06

Hand sewing each vintage scarf piece closed on both ends

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 07

Matching bug inspiration to each vintage scarf before selecting the glass colors

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 08

Designing a clasp concept and demonstrating it on a past season necklace. This one failed.

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 09

Making loops through the glass and connecting them in many, many strands

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 10

A close up of the glass part of a necklace

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 11

What happens to a hand when creating that many loops...and still has to keep going

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 12

Coming together!

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 13

Taking a necklace out for a test drive...have to make sure it fits well and is comfortable

manic trout bug scarf behind the scenes 14

The samples all ready to go!!

Now after all of that, you won't see them again until they launch in August! If you crave a bit more, I made a tiny animation of one of the necklaces coming together. I'm now off to make a huge amount of bling rings...

A sentimentalist dines out

Food & Drink No Responses »

May 292013

The spot we first met, 18 months later minutes before we got married.

The spot we first met, 18 months later and minutes before we got married.

Recently, I have been eating out less and less. Mainly due to most of the "great" local restaurants not taking reservations and having a 2 hour wait. It's beyond annoying to wait that long on a Tuesday for dinner. We however, still find ourselves dining out about once a week and tend to gravitate towards those places with the most sentimental value. Do you do that with restaurants? You know how when you hear a certain song, it takes you back to a specific time or feeling or person? Well, I do that with restaurants too. There's the place we first met...which became the place we "wedding bombed". We showed up for dinner and quietly were pronounced at our table of 5 between the entree and dessert. There's the place we had our first date...which became the place Adam proposed. The place that catered my fashion week event last year and the place I would get coffee and breakfast tacos when I used to set up Manic Trout on South Congress. New places are added to the list all the time...the place I hired my current assistant has only held that title for a few months now. Some I never even eat at anymore...like the place we got married. I'm not in love with the food, but every time we drive by it, I announce why it's special to me. I actually recite wistfully what sentimental power is held by a restaurant every time I eat there, see it or think of it. Some people like to think back only on all of the delicious food they enjoyed in a place, but I find myself remembering just as fondly, all of the wonderful people, conversations and mile stones that happened while we were there more than the food.

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