Why'd You Come In Here Looking Like That?: Not Enough Do's and Too Many Don'ts

[merkman]

So I didn't go to Vegas this week as I'd originally planned. Couple friends had to cancel, and I decided not to go alone for the 8th or 9th time.

Instead, I decided to do some shopping in the local area. But places I don't normally take time to go. So I put together some basic plans and here are the details...

Monday - Oct. 6th

Got up about 7am, and was having a good morning until I realized AnyDVD HD required updating to watch The Forbidden Kingdom (Jackie Chan and Jet Li). Tried installing the newer version without uninstalling the old, and that led to disaster. Trying to fix things, I ran a "cleaner" I found online, and that infected my computer with spyware. 2 hours later, I left SuperAntiSpyware running and headed for Tulalip...



Definately not quite how it sounds, Seattle Premium Outlets are actually well NORTH of Seattle. Hell, they are north of Everett, which is no small jant in traffic. Going at 10 to 11am on a Monday, I had pretty clear sailings... but it was a 60 mile drive and nothing I was taking lightly in less than perfect weather. The GOOD news was they had cover over most of the outdoor spaces, and the rain was a non-issue except during the drive. Once there, I had quite the time. Burberry (had never been in one before), Coach, Cole Haan, Sony, Nike, Fossil, and MANY more have outlets here. I saw many amazing clothes, bags, and more. But in the end I didn't find anything I couldn't live without and I left empty handed. Wasn't sorry I went, as I know where it is and what to expect in the future. But I didn't find much there.

I went to Bellevue Square primarily to look for sunglasses, having heard the Sunglasses Hut in Bellevue Square was the only one in the state with Bvlgari in-store. But unfortunately, as has so often happened in the past, the selection was poor, and I really couldn't decide on them. Instead, I looked at Polo, Prada, and Versace. Versace is the current leader, as they are said to be Rx lense friendly, and while pricey I felt they looked great on my face. They had these in several different frame colors with different lenses, but THESE were my favorites.

However, like ALL Sunglasses Huts, they don't do Rx lenses in store. So instead of buying a frame and HOPING another location would make them for me, the wonderful young woman wrote down all the style numbers for me, and I brought them home. (So I got THAT going for me, which is NICE!)

Tuesday - Oct. 7th

Having no interest with more computer trouble, I got up and only checked my e-mail, cleaned up, and was out the door by 9am. I went straight to Pacific Place in downtown Seattle where the parking is about as reasonable as it gets. Then I exited the building and went STRAIGHT to Nordstrom. Besides being a great store, Nordstrom had a trick up it's sleeve for me this morning. A nice young man named Paul. Paul it seems is a fashionable guy, and new nearly EVERYTHING you could want to know about designer jeans. Whether it was what size True Religions compare to other denim, to which style of boss jeans are boot cut, Paul knew it all! I was lucky to have him show me various styles, and get me some education before heading to the Nordstrom Rack.

Armed with some info, I went to the rack and looked around. There were SO many tables LOADED with men's clothes. I ended up looking at all the jeans in wonder, not really knowing where to begin. In fact, I ended up leaving without trying anything on at the Rack. It was simply fashion overload and I went another direction... shoes!

More accurately, boots. I recently discovered Mark Nason's as a high end boot brand, and have been anxious to get a pair. But at over $300 on sale for a pair of black leather boots I'd picked out... I hadn't yet pulled the trigger. So today when I found a nice pair of brown boots for $199 + tax... I gave them a SERIOUS look over!



While quite different from the Black Boots I'd been considering, these had the luxury of not being the "Mad Max" look some had called the black style I'd been considering. I think these will be something people will just get used to, and never comment on again. But while they DO comment, it's very fun. It's a totally new thing for me, this kind of boot. I actually spent a LOT of time in-store stretching the boot a little, making sure they weren't too tight at the END of the boot where they couldn't stretch out, and in the end I took the plunge.



I actually spent enough time at Nordstrom and the Rack, that I then went to lunch. There is an AWESOME italian place at Pacific Place called Il Fornaio. These pictures do NOT do the place justice, but you might get a basic sense.
http://www.ilfornaio.com/?page=138&type=360tours&restaurant_id=3916&tour=Ma in+Dining+Room

I ate in the main dining room, very near the windows. So I saw people working out at the gym across the street, Seattle traffic on the streets below, and many people having lunch at a quality restaurant before heading back to work, etc. My personal favorite dish is:
Pennoni alla Vodka.

Back out and about, I hit some of my usual jonts. Fossil at Westlake Center for example. Now that SouthCenter has a Fossil store, Westlake isn't the only one in the State anymore. But since they took the location out of Bellevue Square, they still aren't terribly common. I looked at their watches first, and found there were a couple new models within the last month since I'd been there. But still not happy with a single sided day retrograde, I ended up looking at wallets. And in the end, I brought this one home.



It's hard to see in these pictures, but Fossil makes wallets at several price points. And to this point in time, I firmly believe their $50 wallets are worth every penny. Made of superior materials to the cheaper models (even the $40 ones), my $50 fossil wallets go more than 6 months at a time without barely a mark, let alone requireing replacement. These are very nice and highly recommended.



Next stop I remember was Banana Republic. When I first went there maybe 3 years ago now, I found this great black dress shirt. It had stripes, and had a unique blend of colors that floored me. It was about $90, and I thought to myself "I'm sure someone else makes that shirt for less!" So I went to Nordstrom, Macy's, Nord. Rack, etc... and found NOTHING like it. I went back within a few hours and bought that shirt, and have been a Banana Republic fan ever since. I own one of their suits, some of their dress pants, and several nice dress shirts, almost ALWAYS bought on sale for great prices. And besides looking nice they hold up well (everything EXCEPT their jeans).

A month or so ago, I'd found this GREAT jacket. It was $250, so I was like no way, but when I went back in today... the Seattle location had them for $50!



Knowing this was a STEAL, I quickly asked for some help. A couple salespeople calling LA later, I was giving them my credit card info. It turned out that like on the web site, LA stores were still charging $97. But at more than 1/2 off, and getting a size that should work well, I really didn't complain too much.

http://www.bananarepublic.com/browse/product.do?cid=39413&pid=538921

I went back to Nordstrom Rack. I knew earlier in the day that 7's had fit me quite well, even if they were the "Levi's" of the designer jean world. Well, I found an ALL black pair that fit great (unlike the Lucky's I tried on), and I went with them.



Not the most stylish pair I'd seen all day, I just liked the look, the color was definately different from what I'm used to, and I think it's simple style to pull off wherever I might design to wear them.



Sorry the pics are so bad, but the true black just didn't seem to like my camera.

After that, it was a fairly simple drive home once I got out of downtown Seattle proper, and I've made trades in NBA 2K9, watched Pirates - Dead Man's Chest, and played a little poker in the room with Posh and Lum.

Definately a fun day and one I'll remember for a LONG time!