Archive for the ‘Alexandra’ Category
Helliot
Henry Elliot
Meet our new puppy, Henry Elliot, AKA: Helliot.
My boyfriend and I (after more than a bit of convincing by a certain little sister) decided to get a puppy so that we could partake in simple pleasures this spring. Instead of spending our weekends shopping and brunching, we would simply stroll around the city and play with our new puppy: for free. A puppy would lead to relaxing nights in, cooking, and old-fashioned pleasures.
In other words: the ultimate thrifty Nouveau Poor entertainment.
The initial puppy underwriting estimated some heavy upfront costs, followed by very reasonable monthly expenses that basically just included food. We did not realize that we would not be able to bear leaving our baby alone for the entire day: hence the recent acquisition of a dog walker ($15/day). Helliot also enjoys puppy pads – for about $1 each, at a burn rate of 5-6 per day.
We think Helliot is very cute…and he does attract a lot of new friends, sort of like a woman wearing a low-cut top, when we take him for walks. But the brunching and the shopping haven’t really stopped: we just bring Helliot with us.
He is an excellent bruncher/shopper. Last weekend he secured us a prime table outside of Pastis and then held court at the Theory store in the meatpacking district and drank Fiji water out of a little bowl while we perused the sale.
We are somewhat reconciled to Henry’s expenses as they do seem to help the local economy…everyone must do their part!
Nouveau Shoe Service
Leather Spa (formerly Shoe Service) On 55th Street, next to The Peninsula
I am absolutely allergic to cheap shoes.
No matter how Nouveau Poor I become, I insist on Miu Miu, Gucci, Sigerson Morrison, and Stuart Weitzman (for work, if I must).
As you have probably gathered from the premise of this blog, I unfortunately am not quite as free to purchase said favorites as I once was. This is where Leather Spa comes in. Walking into Leather Spa is almost as much fun as buying a new pair of pumps (ok, not quite). The space is richly appointed and radiates new shoe smell. These days, it is more populated than ever by socialites clutching their favorite Louboutins asking the cobblers if they could possibly restore them to their former glory.
Of course they can! Leather Spa stocks the exact shade of red that Louboutin uses and can refinish the soles so that the shoes look brand-new.
I bought a beautiful snow-white Dior bag last summer that was more of a steely gray than white when I took it out of storage a few weeks ago. For $75 (the bag retailed for about $1200) Shoe Service refinished the entire surface of the bag, cleaned the lining, and shined the hardware. The bag now looks better than it did when I bought it.
These guys are like plastic surgeons for footwear and handbags. They once entirely created, from scratch, a replacement patent leather ornament for one of my favorite Marc Jacobs shoes. How did they even do that?
If you only have a few hundred dollars to spend on shoes this spring, I highly recommend taking all of your old favorites to Leather Spa for a makeover instead of settling for something unworthy to adorn your fabulous feet.
Time to Shop
It's what I want
I keep a running list of everything that I currently “need.” It often runs from the sublime to the ridiculous (new Chanel bag vs., say, Draino).
A sample from my current list includes:
- Nannette Lapore or Rebecca Taylor summer weight skirt suit
- Black Fendi B-buckle flats
- DVF dresses
- Puppy bath wipes (more on this later)
- Light colored Theory pants
- Something to replace my favorite metallic Gucci flats from last summer that are looking a bit sad
- Camel trench coat, Gryphon or Burberry
- Interesting looking umbrellas, preferably either really small or full size with a cool handle
- Serving pieces
- Gourmet jars of antipasto (to whip out of my cupboard when guests show up unexpectedly)
I used to automatically buy whatever was on my list the first time that I saw it. Now, I have a new rule for myself: wait at least 2 weeks from the time that I think of a wishlist item until I purchase it.
I am finding that good things come to those who wait.
The Fendi flats have been on the list for awhile. Last week, I stopped by the Sigerson Morrison sample sale and found an awesome assortment of flats that fit the same category for about $75 each (as opposed to $495 for the Fendis). So, following my Nouveau Poor logic, I immediately bought 3 pairs! Now I can take the Fendi flats off of the list and I saved around $270!
Sometimes I realize that I don’t really need something after the item ages on the list for a couple of weeks. Often this happens towards the end of a season. The camel trench coat may fall off of the list if it gets warmer before its wait period has expired.
Sticking to the list can also help fend off impulse purchases of things that really aren’t what I need. I saw the coolest neon pink Adam jumper at Intermix, which of course I tried on, but did not buy because it hadn’t been on the list for the required 2 weeks. Once I got home, I realized that it may not be the most versatile of purchases.
For the things that I do end up buying after the waiting period, I have found that delayed satisfaction makes me appreciate them just a little bit more. I am counting down until this weekend to buy the DVF dresses!
Nouveau Poor is NOT Nouveau Cheap
*** 4 senses of “Cheap” (from synonym.com) ***
Sense 1:
Cheap (vs. expensive), inexpensive, bargain-priced, cut-rate, cut-price, catchpenny(prenominal), dirt cheap, low-budget, low-cost, low-priced, affordable, nickel-and-dime (prenominal), sixpenny, threepenny, twopenny, tuppeny, two-a-penny, twopenny-halfpenny
Sense 2:
Brassy, cheap, flash, flashy, garish, gaudy, gimcrack, loud, meretricious, tacky, tatty, tawdry, trashy,
tasteless (vs. tasteful)
Sense 3:
Bum, cheap, cheesy, chintzy, crummy, punk, sleazy, tinny, inferior (vs. superior)
Sense 4:
cheap, chinchy, chintzy, stingy (vs. generous), ungenerous
*** as I discovered this weekend, it’s not such a fine line between #1 and #2-4
Armed with a folder full of Corcoran printouts, color-coded maps and a sense of adventure, my boyfriend and I set out to the Hamptons Saturday morning to find the perfect summer rental.
Fast forward to Saturday evening.
Weary from a long day of house hunting, living-room comparing, budget tweaking, can-we-make-it-work?ing and price negotiating (more on this later – we call it the back-bid! back-bid! strategy), we make our way to the evening’s accommodations. Our pre-NP choice, the 4-star Maidstone Arms, was under renovation and while we are sure it is going to be beautiful post-reno, we feel abandoned and must improvise.
Enter the Wainscott Inn.
Our friendly Corcoran broker, Sarah, enthusiastically recommended the Wainscott Inn, touting its 3 C’s (“it’s so clean and convenient…and cheap!!!”).
Dusk descends.
Between the circa-1930s barrack construction, flickering light bulbs, no-flow showerhead, pre-war carpet, token cobwebs, and a high-school-science-experiment-worthy bedspread, fit to the stereotype was almost comical (or at least my bf thought so…although he also voluntarily watches horror movies). Oh – and the smell. Many stories behind that smell, I’m sure, but please don’t let me hear them.
Bottom line - our abode for the evening looked like the set for (your choice of):
1. Psycho
2. Vacancy
3. The Stand
4. Hostel
As it was getting late and we needed to primp before our reservation at Nick and Tony’s, we decided to deal. (Also the Wainscott runs a very NP $95/night). We drove back to the front desk to pick up 2 clean sheets (no, the Wainscott Inn does not offer room service) and completely swathed the bed so that we would not touch the filthy monstrosity.
We returned to the room/jail cell after about 4 bellinis and I was entirely convinced that we wouldn’t make it through the night. (Is that a blood stain on the blanket? Oh my god. Oh no – that’s just a shadow.) My bf clearly had other matters on his mind…ahem …NO, I will NOT get naked in that bed! I did put his arm to sleep by clinging to it for dear life throughout the night. (Did I mention the sounds this place made? He promised to sleep with one eye open but I was definitely writing my obituary as I lay awake in distress.)
We survived the night, thankfully, and laughed uncontrollably as we hightailed it out of there the next morning. Don’t they say a common struggle draws people closer?
NP Girls know there is a fine line between finding a bargain (see Sense 1) and being cheap in a negatively connoted way (see Senses 2-4). Had we done a little homework (a quick sampling of customer reviews on hotels.com and trip advisor would have revealed more than my old PA could have) we would have found something cheap, but not CHEAP.
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Kristie Huang is a recent college grad, attempting to find a solid career in the recession, while remaining as put-together and on top of trends as always.
www.facebook.com/kristiehuang
