*Sigh* Happy, Happy!

Well the US Open is over so my life can get back to normal now...

I didn't have time to post ('cause I was busy sitting on the couch) but a wonderful package arrived a few days ago.  I opened it to find this:

Oh happy day, one of my favorite words, Prada!  Just the name makes me happy.  I LOVE her (their) designs, I love the clothes, the shoes, the handbags, the Roger Federer commericals, everything!  My very first piece of Prada was a backpack that Brian bought for me before we went to England back in 2003 or so.  He'd never been there and we were going to have a grand adventure.  I decided I needed something for my carry on items and he was feeling generous.  Look at it, it's so pretty, sigh.

 Now, granted when we bought it new at Saks it cost something like a grand, BUT I've had this thing for 8 years now and I've taken it to England, France, Egypt, Cancun, and all over the US and it looks as good as the day I bought it!  That my friend is quality.  It is form and function (and its pretty.)  I now have a few Prada purses as well as, some jewelry, clothes, and a few pairs of shoes.  

I'm not sure why I like designer wear, it's not really that I see the celeb's wearing it and I want it.  It's more like a gut craving when I see the style.  I also have various things (clothes, shoes, handbags, jewelry) from Dolce & Gabbana, Burburry, Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Kate Spade, Diane von Furstenburg, Gucci, Fendi, Badgley Mischka and various other more accessible designers like Michael Kors, Donna Karan, Coach, LAMB, etc.

I didn't buy them all at once, of course, I've collected them over the years and, a lot of the time, waited for sales.  Nordstroms has a half off sale twice a year and you there are also great deals on line.  I know some people think it's a waste of money but everyone wastes money, it just depends on what you waste it on.  Why go to Wal-Mart and buy a cheap pair of shoes you have to replace every month when you can spend a bit more upfront (or a lot more) and have shoes that will last you a lifetime.  Sure styles come & go but if you are going to spend $1000 on something you are going to make sure it is timeless.  Like my favorite Prada backpack, still going strong all these years later.

Back to my silver box that came in the mail....

I ordered these shoes from BeyondtheRack.com.  They were having a major sale and I got them for $125 I think, they were originally $350 or so.  

Pretty, practical, & Prada! ;-)  Notice the card next to the shoes in the picture above.  All real (aka non-fake) designers have authentication cards with each item they sell so that you know it isn't a knock-off.  I know lots of people buy fake designer wear for whatever reason but not me.  I have many reasons for this from the fact that those fakes are made by kids who get paid 30 cents a day to the fact that these designs are copyrighted.  Don't get me started, it's one of my biggest pet peeves seeing people walking around with Proda, Channel, or Coach & Louis Vitton with the wrong logo's!

Anyway, these are the things I splurge on.  Everyone needs rewards in their lives.  If you want something designer save up, find a sale, or get a rich relative to buy it for you! ;-)  If you choose wisely you will have pieces that you can use for years and that will never go out of style (or at least you will be able to count on it coming back in!)

Hellloooo

I know, I'm a slacker but I have a good excuse.  The US Open is on, all my spare time is devoted to watching tennis.  Granted, I could be sitting on the couch and still working on my laptop but then I might miss something important... ok, ok, I have the matches on Tivo so I could rewind but that wouldn't be the same either!

We are down to the quarter finals so things are wrapping up and I promise to get back in the groove.

In the meantime, have you seen some of the cute & not so cute dresses the girls are wearing:


Maria Sharapova looking very classy--too bad she lost.














Maria lost to Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, she was looking snappy in a Stella McCartney for Adidas outfit.

Here are a few of the other girls: Victoria Azarenka--she passed out on the court and had to be taken off in a wheelchair, very dramatic.

Ana Ivanovic made a pretty good run, she won the French Open a few years ago then dropped off the rankings, now she is working her way back.

Jelena Jankovic is slightly annoying to watch but she has great fashion sense.  She's started wearing clothes by a company out of China that doesn't seem to be distributed in the US yet.

You can't tell in this picture but this purple looks pretty cool on TV.

Finally, Venus Williams, she got it a bit of trouble at the French for wearing spankies (the shorts under the dresses) that wear flesh toned.  If you just got a glance it does seem a bit revealing but once you realize they are shorts, who cares!  Here is the controversial picture:

At the US Open she has worn a couple of different dresses this one was also kinda controversial because it was REALLY sparkly when she played under the lights in her night match.  So much so, that the commentators were talking about the fact it could be distracting her opponent.  She wore this same dress in red during the day matches.  Interestingly enough, her spankies this time are black but they also have sparkles on them.  When she finishes a long rally this dress was up almost past her waist so it's a good thing she was wearing something under there! ;-)  She designs her own clothes through her company Eleven.

Well, we shouldn't leave out the boys, there are some weird outfits out there... Novak Djokovic for one, he has crazy dragons and crap on his clothes lately... I don't get it.  I couldn't find a good picture of it, but I did find a nice one of him without a shirt. ;-)

Lastly, the two main hotties (in my opinion) Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer.  Rafa always has the newest, coolest Nike wear and Roger always has very classy--made just for him--Nike wear.  This shirt Rafa is wearing is HOT, you can't tell in the picture but it looks like it has darker stripes then a touch of green, whew!

Here they are:

Oh, one last note... Maria Sharapova is designing her own shoes and handbags with Cole Hahn.  I'm sure you noticed that she is no longer wearing Nike tennis shoes on the court.  It took me forever to find out that she is wearing her own design (with Cole Hahn) that is why there isn't a Nike stripe!