Worth Its Wait In Gold

My Marc Jacobs Jacket.. Love at First Sight

Early last fall I was attempting to fill a serious hole in my wardrobe by finding a sweet new leather jacket. I spent loads of time scouring the web for that perfect piece that would add the oomph to my recessionista wardrobe. I know (as all good NP’s do) that one killer piece can make all the rest of the discount items stand out and look amazing. After many hours analyzing every leather jacket I could find, I found my ideal one… but it wasn’t exactly a bargain. I did my footwork, fully comparison shopping to find the best price. I was ready to buy it but the only problem was, was it truly the “perfect” jacket? Was it exactly what I wanted? Most importantly, was it worth the price?

It turns out my weeks of waiting and contemplating paid off. Later in the fall, I was browsing Neiman Marcus’ online sale section when I came across my jacket… for 50% off! I immediately hit the checkout button fearing if I didn’t, they would run out. The jacket arrived at my door a few days later and it was exactly what I wanted, at a price that didn’t eat up my entire paycheck. Not only did I fulfill my need for a amazing new staple piece, I also saved a ton of money on it. I definitely get more satisfaction wearing it knowing that I saved on it then I would if I had bought it at full price.

Fashion is constantly changing and the hottest new styles for the “season” always come out way early (I’ve been getting emails about the shoes and clothing trends for the Spring season even though there’s several inches of snow on the ground). I know if I wait a few weeks, most likely those hot new items will go on sale. If you are buying a classic piece, wait until it’s worth it. For the really trendy items, check out Topshop, H&M, or Forever21.. when the trend dies out in three months, you’ll be glad you didn’t make it a major investment.

<3Kristie Huang

The Way to a Woman’s Heart Is Through Her Sole

Love and Louboutin's

Shoe story 2:

A guy we knew just did a very cute thing for his girlfriend. Upon the arrival of her birthday, he gifted her with a neatly wrapped package. She opened it to find a Gucci shoebox (10 points!) but after lifting the lid, immediately realized something was amiss- this was not the neatly folded and sealed Gucci tissue paper.. whatever was going on here?

She lifted the impostor paper to find… a pair of her own, old, worn out shoes. (uhm minus 10 points!?). She gingerly lifted them out and just as she was about to glance to her beau in confusion she saw a small slip of paper. It read “These shoes will magically transform into a new pair of shoes of your choosing, as soon as you decide what they are. Miu Miu? Louboutin? Gucci?” Not only did he gain 100 points for sweetness and originality, but she knew she’d found a keeper.

See, in my family, we know that one of the marks of a good man is one who understands the need for many different pairs of fantastic black shoes. He was out of his depth with the shopping, but he came up with the concept, arranged to get a Gucci box from a friend who had just gone shoe-shopping (we don’t hold on to those sorts of things in small, NYC apartments) and gave her just what she’d always wanted- shoes, and understanding.

Not A Glass Slipper But It Still Fits

It's Actually Called the "Relax" Slipper.. Don't Mind If I Do

I’d like to share a tale about love, and shoes.

My mother, Laura Ramsey Engler, has had a particular pair of Donald J. Pliner leopard print bedroom slippers for a while now. Like, a really long while, perhaps inappropriately long in the world of slippers. But what could she do? She loves them deeply and could not be persuaded to try just any other sort of pair. Alas, after years of love, the slippers had fallen into desperate disrepair. Mom had tried to get them fixed, and had been laughed out of several shoe-repair stores. After all, there wasn’t even anything left to stitch together. My dad sneakily stepped in just before Valentine’s day and stole the decimated slippers. When he also realized this particular pair could not be salvaged, he went on a hunt. He was able to track down a lone new pair left over from the original stock (which is, as you’ll recall, years old!). He had them shipped in post-haste, and was able to present them to Mom on Valentine’s day.. her very own Prince Charming! (Insert the Awww’s here!)

Men have to “get” the need for shoes.

That just reminded me of another good shoe-story.. stay tuned!

Save Yourself!

Save your thighs and your wallet, stick to what you meant to buy!

Has everyone noticed that the movie-theater concession method of sales is slowly spreading outward?

“Hi, I’d like a small popcorn, and a small diet coke”

“OK, But did you know that for just $.50 more each, you can have the largest size we serve?”

“Well, I didn’t want the largest size, but hey, it’s just another dollar, why not?”

This scene is playing out in other industries too. I called the cable company about their usurious billing, and the lovely Indian gentleman in the call center on the other end was far less concerned with whatever I had called about than trying to sell me their Triple-Play option “Miss, you can add phone service for just another $39.99 per month, it’s such a savings! Isn’t that GREAT?!” Well, sure, it would be, except I DON’T WANT YOUR STINKING PHONE SERVICE, so that’s really not saving me ANYTHING!

I don’t like the constant upselling. It’s prevalent with fast food, utilities, and electronics (OK, but if you buy the next model up, you get FREE $5 headphones.. uhm, that’s super, but it’s a $55 price difference..). Just Say No, NPs, you didn’t want the 1,000 extra calories in that giant popcorn, and you have a cell phone with unlimited minutes and free long distance. If you didn’t mean to spend the extra dollar on food or $40 on utilities, you haven’t saved a thing. Grab your regular sized snacks and back away from the concession stand slowly. Then, sit through two movies instead of one, because $12.50 is really too much to pay for one ticket anyway *

*NP does not condone illegal activities like crashing movies. Or at least that’s what the legal department would want us to tell you.

There’s No Free Lunch, But…

A Lunch Break Isn't Just for Lunching!

There ARE plenty of free activities you can do on your lunch break from school or work.

Alexandra and I like to try to take a walk during lunch every day. It breaks up the monotony of sitting at one’s desk (or in the copy-room, sigh, I love my life) all day long. On a class day where I have a strange break between classes- not long enough to go home, but long enough to cause severe boredom, I need to find ways to entertain myself. Here are some of the things we’ve done in NYC, besides the walking itself. What do you do?

- Go to Bulgari, Cartier, or Tiffany. Try on their jewelery, and let them clean and polish your small items (rings, earrings) for free!

- Check out some of the higher end designer stores, you’re likely to get a glass of champagne and maybe a cupcake or cookie while you browse, and stay on top of the latest fashions as well.

- Walk by the frozen yogurt shop, try every flavor’s free sample. Tiny portions = way less calories, but you still satisfy your sweet tooth, and your curiosity!

- Walk into a Sephora store, and play around with the makeup. At many stores, they have a new “express” station near the front where their in-house makeup artists will make you over free of charge. None of this “let me do half of your face so you can see the difference” business either. Granted, it was a little strange returning to afternoon class with blue, pink, and purple eyes complete with shimmer, but it looked great a couple of hours later when I went out!

- Go to a bookstore and read all your favorite trashy tabloids. No, I don’t need to spend $3.99 to read about Brangelina’s new alien baby from jupiter, or the fact that they will soon be adopting Jon and Kate’s entire 8, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested!!

- Browse a street fair, pet a horse, play with a puppy. Sit by a fountain, (this actually  costs a minimum of $.01 since you clearly need to toss some kind of coin in and make a wish!)

You’re pretty much only limited by your imagination and ingenuity. If all else fails, naps are free, find a spot to hide and don’t forget to set your cell phone to wake you up with enough time to touch up your makeup and get back to the desk!

Cutting the Cord

Free yourself for a mobile life, and pay less in the process

We know that our culture has turned to Blackberry and iPhone central. Laptops have mobile cards enabling them to pick up wi-fi and cell-phone signals just about anywhere. Many people have multiple cell phones for work and home, and an extra for secret affairs or as a bat-phone. Yet, there are still holdouts to eras past.

Those of you with land lines- listen up. While the rest of us have moved onward and upward, you are still residing firmly in the last century. You pay monthly fees for land line service, and astronomical amounts for long distance dialing. You say, yes, but what if we need to call the police? Let’s be honest, which is easier, grabbing your cell out of your pocket and holding down the ‘9′ key to dial on the run, or unearthing the hardwired phone in the kitchen, making sure the handset is charged, and stealthily dialing 911- nevermind the burglar that’s currently trying to break in through the back door (located in the kitchen). With the possible exception of serious old-timers (read: grandparents and/or great-grandparents) that are simply unable to grasp the newfangled tech of cellular telephones, no one needs a land line anymore.

The NP girls recently received this email from their equally NP parents..

RE: Death of the Landline

Call m+d on cell phones, text, bb, twitter, facebook, drum, carrier pigeon, smoke signals, mental telepathy.

But do not expect to call our “home” number because this is the end of analog phone service at the

Engler home.

Good step, Mom and Dad- now if only we could get you to switch your outdated satellite service (on which only one show may be watched on one TV in the house…) to speedy digital cable or Fios, we’d be in business.

How to Avoid Looking Like a Cougar

NP Girls of all ages can be overwhelmed by the prospect of putting together age and location appropriate outfits that reflect the current fashions.

The lines are blurred and we are as terrified of looking like our mothers as they are of being mistaken for us from behind.

Herewith a few tips for all ages:

1.         Create a personal profile in your mind of who you are and what you stand for and always stay true to that image.  Ask a good friend to describe your style and see if you’re projecting what you intend.

2.         Envision the occasion at which an outfit will be worn.  Run through the demographic of other attendees and decide whether your clothing would blend in or stand out- in a bad way.

3.         Stay away from the most attention getting get-ups.  Avoid loud patterns and colors that can easily strike the wrong chord and will be remembered vividly impairing your ability to wear again with the same group. 

4.         No matter how toned and fit your body, don’t overexpose it other than when you are seriously clubbing, or lounging poolside in Martinique.

5.         Consider even perhaps appropriately bare areas and ask yourself honestly if anyone else wants to look at them.  Even if skin is twenty and taut large expanses of it may not be the most appealing at the dinner table. 

6.         At some level ask yourself if you look your age.  Today that should mean look REALLY good for your age, but not as though you’re trying to look a decade younger, or older and more sophisticated.  It’s just as much of a turn off to see a fifty year old woman wearing Uggs as it is to see a twenty year old wearing St. John.

7.         Research the prevailing color palette and style of a given area when traveling.  While this is no time to buy a completely new wardrobe for a weekend if you’re lucky enough to be going away, you do want to look like you belong.  Is it Pucci or Pulitzer- wouldn’t want to get that one wrong. 

8.         Seasonless is safest.  A quick turn of weather could make white linen disastrous whereas taupe will go with the flow. 

9.         Look at your rear view and decide whether someone looking at you from behind would be surprised by what they see when you turn around.  A great term for this is the 16/60.  You may have a great body and look like a young woman from behind but you don’t want to dress in such a way that seeing a sixty year old face attached to the great butt is a shock.

10.       Never look like you’re trying- at anything.  If you don’t look like you’re trying to dress your hippest, sexiest, richest, chicest- and you will be 10 times hotter!

How VF Does NP

Vanity Fair July 2009 Issue

NP Girls love this nouveau guide to 2009 luxury living from this month’s Vanity Fair!