The Blonde Diaries

OMG! I just can’t get over how many department stores that sell designer, European shoes and get the US size conversion wrong! If you are going to sell the shoes, you would think that they could properly convert the size for their customers but apparently it must be too hard.

So I’m sure you are wondering what has started this rant. Well, I’ll tell you all about it. I ordered a pair of Ivory Marc by Marc Jacobs pumps 2 weeks ago and opened the beauties today after work and noticed that their conversion of a 6.5 US to a European size was 36.5. A 36.5 while it looks like it would be a 6.5 US is actually a size 6 US! So the shoes are too small and I have to pay return shipping to DSW to send them back. Talk about frustrating. But DSW is not the only culprit. I’ve seen this on a ton of other online websites including some of the big names – Neiman Marcus is one that comes to mind. I ended up sending an email to DSW customer service about their incorrect sizing and I am hoping that they will comp the return shipping.

If anyone needs help converting their size here are a few websites that I found with correct sizing:
International Shoe Conversion
European to USA Shoe Conversion
Zappos Measure Your Shoe Size

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ramblers Way. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love fashion and trying to incorporate the latest trends in my wardrobe when they hit the store shelves. There are a few times where I cringe and back away from an item because of its fabric content. The most well known culprit is wool. I hate how some wools just itch to death. You either have to wear an undershirt or a button down under wool sweaters and cardigans to avoid the itch. In office buildings with heaters running at full blast you really don’t want a ton of layers.

Technology is finally making into fashion and helping improve fabrics. It started with the technology used to wick away sweat during workouts and it has since spread to organic fabrics, SPF fabrics, and now wool fabrics. Ramblers Way has started to incorporate their “WINDspun” technology into their wool products and it is turning wool into a soft, skin friendly fabric. No more itch and no more feeling like you are weighted down with a heavy fabric.  The technology has created a breatheable fabric that is light enough to wear wool year round.  Now that is pretty nifty because there are so many times when I am traveling that I end up wearing one thing during the day and then I have to run back to the hotel at night to change because of the changing temperatures – talk about a pain in the you know what! Now with WINDspun technology, I can wear a wool shirt that is light enough for the day and warm enough at night so that I am not cold. I am really excited to try this product out especially next time I am planning a trip up North. It should also work wonders in Houston during the winter when the sun is heating things up to 60 but then the temperature drops to the low 50s at night.

Have you tried Ramblers Way new wool products? I am looking for suggestions on what to order first.

Woo Hoo! Today is a Fabulous Friday! Why? Because I just got paid! I’m no longer poor and can set all of my monthly bills to pay and save a little extra money. On top of that, I should be able to pay my car off next month now that I see what my new paycheck will look like. It is a very exciting day for me let me tell you. The only thing left I have to do is to make it through my 1:30 meeting and absorb the discussions held so I can understand the business and then I’ll be ready to celebrate the weekend. My pretty little bag was also delivered yesterday (thanks for the notice UPS – NOT!) and I’m hoping Mike goes by and picks up the box for me at the apartment office. <3 I can’t wait to break it out and put all my stuff in there so I can start using it and figure out how to clean the leather bag I am using right now. The hot pink is gorgeous but boy has the dirt gravitated towards it and has made spots on the bottom. Bleh!

Hope you are having a Fabulous Friday wherever you are.

Man oh man am I in some trouble. Let’s just say that I am still celebrating my new job and I am seriously now going on the shopping ban I was talking about. Plus, I don’t want to buy fat clothes cause I just started going to the gym again and following Weight Watchers with some success. So with that said, here are a few little pretties that I happened to pick up this past week. I am placing some blame on Mike and Mikki for not talking me out of ANY of it. lol Yes all blame is on them!

First up is my birthday present. Botkier at 50% off just can’t be passed up (sign up for Gilt immediately). So Mike was willing to buy it early and let me have it now and not wait till September to use it. <3

Up next were the Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes at DSW. Again Marc Jacobs for $100 and they can be worn frequently to work. Must.Buy.Now! Plus I passed up a pair last year and they have haunted me ever since. I still can’t find a replacement pair.

And the patent red Jessica Simpson shoes from DSW. I already have these shoes paired with no less than 10 items in my closet. Finding a good, non-trampy pair of patent red shoes is very hard. So for $60 a girl just can’t pass it up.

And to finish off the damage, I did place one last Anthropologie order before the shopping ban. I just couldn’t stand the idea that I’m miss out on the two wheeler shirt dress the second time around like I did the first time (and it was placed on backorder for 2 months!) plus the Robin shirt from How I Met Your Mother went on sale. A pretty versatile shirt for spring, summer, and fall depending on the cardigan or jacket you pair it with. Lastly, the free flow tank – on sale of course. Another too perfect to pass up tank.

So after that damage, I’m officially done. For the next month, all you will be seeing is my wish listed items and my favorite outfits.

Back in November (yes November), I came across a shirt that I just fell in love with at Anthropologie. I’m not sure what it was about this particular shirt but it HAD to be mine. I mean it is just a dark gray t-shirt. Anywho, I ran over to Anthropologie one Sunday afternoon and literally spent over an hour searching for this shirt. I’m sure you guessed it, it was not there! I thought maybe if I go back next week I’ll have better luck as it was fairly new to the website. Yeah it didn’t happen and by then it was sold out online. What are the odds?

So I kept a watchful eye on this shirt for a little over a month and never saw it instore or online. That is until last week. Yes, 6 months later it appeared online on my wishlist as in stock. I don’t know what happened – whether the warehouse uncovered it during a cleaning or if someone was holding on to it and finally decided to return it but I FINALLY had my shirt. The best part is that in those 6 months the price dropped from $50 to $10 and I got free shipping!

Some might call me obsessive but I call myself persistent and lucky!

Anthro Swag Top, Fall 2009