Prawn Centerpiece, $399 (was $499)
How to get invited back to your friend's cottage/cabin/beach house all summer long: take out a credit card, buy this thing, gift it to them and "accidentally" leave the receipt inside. People with cottages/cabins/beach houses love crap like this. There's even a soap dish version.
J. Crew Gingham Cropped Cotton Pants, $18 (were $75)
If you don't already have some version of this outfit, well what are you waiting for, Labor Day? Here are the right shoes:
Ecote Sunray Thong Sandal, $19 (were $39)
"She always went in for a leather shoe under $20." — My headstone, please.
Brian’s Training Wheels Print, $17.99 (was $25.99)
From the website: "We’re dedicating the description of this bike-inspired print to Brian, an Infrastructure Engineer in our Pittsburgh office! When he’s not touring this scenic town on his trusty two-wheeler, Brian is using his perfectly practical skills to teach others how to make the best out of their tech ‘gear.’... Illustrated in ever-cheerful shades of sky blue, asphalt grey, rust red, and sunny gold, this efficiently adorable print will quickly brighten your day, just like Brian!" Briiiiaaaan!
And while we're at ModCloth...
Bathing Beauty One Piece, $89.99
These never go on sale because they are literally THE BEST SWIMSUITS ON EARTH. Keep refreshing 'til they get the cherry one back in stock.
BBQ Grill and Drink Bucket, $29.99 and $23 (were $49 and $29)
$60 guarantees you first place in summertime Instagramming. It's a contest, right?
Alex Monroe 22-karat Gold-Plated Ant Ring, $86 (was $215)
Can't forget the ants at the picnic. Also, please buy this for me, please. Please. Please?!?
Risque Beauties Playing Cards, $7.99 (were $9.99)
Learn the greatest four-drunk-people-in-a-cottage card game ever invented or mentioned here yesterday: euchre. You can't look up how to play it online — trust me — so make a midwestern or Canadian friend. You should probably do that anyway. Nicole and I are available. Failing that, you'll just have to watch this perfect, epic film that someone told me is streaming on Netflix instant:
Auntie Mame. Look at that woman. I wonder what she would wear to the beach?
I MUST HAVE THOSE PLAYING CARDS, SO AMAZING! Also my parents used to host massive euchre tournaments with my godparents, and me and their kids would be banished upstairs and sit around talking about how awesome euchre must be judging by the merriment from downstairs. Much older, we realized that euchre IS fun, but really all those adults were just drinking and smoking and enjoying being away from their kids for a few hours. (Holla at me, Detroit!)
Now my friends and I play euchre and drink and people smoke and we spend the entire time gossiping. Full circle!
@The Lady of Shalott AHHHH, my family is a Euchre Family, and I get really bad anxiety around card games, so I usually hide.
@The Lady of Shalott !!!! My family is also a Euchre Family! Games always turn brutal and backstabbing and awesome, especially once my uncles start getting drunk and my mom gets in a war of passive aggressiveness with my aunt Ellen. Best. Nights. Ever.
Alas, when I moved south(ish), no one seems to know of this great game. Every now and again, I'll meet someone who knows and it takes all of my energy not to overwhelm them with my love and admiration. I suppose I could teach my friends how to play, but siiiiiiiiiiiigh.
@The Lady of Shalott Very definitely fun! I was introduced to the game with my new in-laws, and everything about how casual and friendly they were has stuck with me, and with my enjoyment of the game. You just can't be starchy and play Euchre. Ever.
@tessamae
Euchre Families UNITE! We still speak of the time Mother euchred Grandpa before he'd even laid a card down. It is legend. Sadly, the older I get, the more I'm starting to play like him....
@The Lady of Shalott Holla, Michigan (West Side over here). My family is also a Euchre Family (TM) although without the smoking and with an awful lot of Beatles and James Taylor albums.
I would play the shit out of euchre with that deck! (Well, I play the shit out of euchre as it is.) Euchre forevah!
THOSE SANDALS! Everything I've been looking for!
@TheRisottoRacket ME TOO! They are so perfect I can't believe it.
At all the baroque palaces I visited in Germany, sea snail shells were HUGE. They freaking loved making stuff out of them. So, get that prawn thing and you can be just like Augustus the Strong.
@WaityKatie They are nautilus shells! Super pretty, and aaalso sadly overfished.
@WaityKatie OMG! You know Augustus the Strong!?!?! He's my favorite baroque king. And y'all know that he got his epithet not because of his military prowess-- this is the dude that traded a regiment of soldiers for a set of porcelain vases-- but because of his love of the ladies. Boim chicky chicky.
@wallsdonotfall Oh! I think the placards in the museums identified them as sea snail shells, although that was probably a translation error of some kind.
@the angry little raincloud He might have loved the ladies, but judging from the statues and pictures I've seen...maybe they just liked him for his money?
@WaityKatie He had those great 18th-century man legs!
1. my sister is biking 959 km from toronto to boston this month to participate in a 100 km bike-a-thon soooooo I should get her that print. Or I should just donate the money I would have spent on it to her cause probably. But I really love that print!
2. Let's all play euchre right now til the end of infinity. I want those playing cards so bad.
3. hairpin fashion club! learn more than you never wanted to know about my personal life, just kidding we mostly kind of talk about fashion. kind of. mostly.
@redheaded&crazie oh yeah people should let me know their user names or tell me a hairpin in-joke or something when they join so i know you're not just sandra boiteau from facebook (j/k i know she wouldn't want to join anyway) (and i know i'm a big ol mean jerk)
@redheaded&crazie So hey...what’s the deal with your sister? She involved with anyone? Your sister. Is she married?
(Seriously, that's super cool.)
@Lila Fowler yeah she's pretty awesome. she did 115 k with like, i can't even imagine how much shit on her back/bike the other day. and VERMONT. all the mountains in vermont. jaysus.
also when i was a teenager one guy told me "so you know, your sister's a lot prettier than you" and it was kind of a sore spot for a while but it's cool i'm over it now!
@redheaded&crazie ALSO i ranted about this briefly within the HFC a long while back but she ended up going with some people so we all feel somewhat more relieved about her safety if anybody wanted to know that!
@redheaded&crazie Sweet zombie Jesus that's a lot of biking. Props to your sister! (But we still love you best!)
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher we are veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery different people these days and also i guess i lost a lot of weight so people no longer say that to me (UGH PEOPLE UGH). we are both great in different ways!
@redheaded&crazie I applied! What else do I need to submit? I really, really hope I'm accepted! :)
@sox you need to submit your first born child, roasted in gold
@redheaded&crazie Are the Quinn Morgandorffer of the Hairpin Fashion Club? Am I lucky to be commenting at you right now?
@redheaded&crazie WE STILL LOVE YOU BEST NOW HUSH YOUR MOUTH
@oh, disaster hahahahahaa who is quinn morgandorffer?
@redheaded&crazie just kidding that is a daria joke right? no, i'm the dumb jock. i don't know? my parents didnt let me watch tv as a kid
*least cool*
@redheaded&crazie I'd totally find a video of her on YouTube if it wasn't blocked at work, but yes, Daria's little sister.
@redheaded&crazie This is perhaps a silly question, but I was just approved (thanks!) and was wondering--is my gmail email totally visible now? To people other than me, I mean?
@siniichulok ummm I think it will be if you post comments. and maybe in the members section but that is restricted to members (like the general public cannot see anything). You can set up an alternate email and use that one instead if you prefer! that's what I/others have done.
also there may be a way to change your privacy settings within the group. like in edit settings you can change the nickname that is visible, but that only works if you post a response through the group rather than by hitting reply on an email that comes in.
e.g. my nickname is supposedly RH&C but because I usually just hit reply to emails my email name comes up. also yeah i think people can still see your email no matter what nickname.
@redheaded&crazie "also when i was a teenager one guy told me "so you know, your sister's a lot prettier than you"..."
I hope you hit him in the dick.
@tessamae if only.
@redheaded&crazie I would like in, so I can talk about the $100 I just spent on some RAWKIN items from Zellers!
@missvancity okay~!
@redheaded&crazie Haha, I had a (certified crazy) roommate tell me, upon meeting my sister, "Well, I guess she's the cute one in the family!" *disbelief face
I grew up in Pittsburgh, but I didn't become a biker till I moved to Chicago 6 years ago. Biking in Pittsburgh? Holy calf muscles!
ETA: And by biker, I mean cyclist. Not the big, burly, denim-and-leather-clad motorcycle type.
@olivebee I know! I'm so impressed with those people. I prefer biking on wide, flat, empty roads.
@olivebee I have nothing add except that it's a beautiful day in Pittsburgh.
@olivebee yeah seriously. i biked a little around brooklyn but now i live at the top of like a 3 mile long mini-mountain and i don't even know if i could walk up it let alone bike!
@madge I know! I brought my best friend from Chicago home to Pittsburgh with me 2 summers ago, and we were driving up some of the mini-mountains in downtown Pittsburgh, and she was gripping the car door for dear life. She was absolutely petrified that the car was just going to slip off the road and go careening down the very steep mountainsides. She laughed in my face when I suggested a trip up the incline.
@olivebee I am very impressed that you bike in Chicago. I'm so afraid! Everyone I know who bikes here has been hit by a car! (Well, around 65% of them have, anyways.) Previous to living here, I biked in various towns and cities of the West Coast for about 7 years, so I'm not a total novice, but the drivers here! They don't even LOOK. How did you get so brave, is what I'm asking.
@olivebee
The summer I lived in Pittsburgh, I made friends with some of the bikers there. The force of will required to bike in Pittsburgh creates fun personalities! We had a party with a Huffy-tossing competition.
@aphrabean I find the taxi drivers worse than the buses (stick to the LEFT SIDE of a bus whilst passing it - so it can pull to the right for its stops). But mostly: yelling is how I have kept from being hit by a car. I have a very loud voice though.
@olivebee Anything in West PA = holy calf muscles. My mom's from McKeesport/Dusqusne and you should see the calves on her and her sisters. Insane. Also insane, the injuries my brother sustained from insisting on riding his bike there.
@aphrabean Ha, my mom calls it stupidity not bravery. You're definitely right that the drivers don't look, so I take extra precautions. I only ride on residential side streets and main roads if they have bike lanes, and I always watch the cars parked to the right of me as I ride so that I can hopefully prevent getting door-ed before it happens. I also stop at stop signs (which is something most cyclists don't and probably how 90% of those accidents happen). But yeah, sometimes it's really intimidating, like crossing the 6-way intersections (Lincoln, Belmont, Ashland and Lincoln, Damen, Irving Park are TERRIBLE). Mostly I just enjoy riding my bike here because it's so flat!
Yay! I was just about to threadjack another post to ask ¿por qué no hay el bargain bin-o?
@New Hoarder y ahora tienes la respuesta, y puedes gastar toooooodo tu dinero. que bien!
@insouciantlover No tengo ninguno dinero. =-( Pero necesito todoooooooos en el bargain bin-o!
@New Hoarder mi tambien!
ANT BRACELET AND PRAWN THING
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher The prawn thing! I don't even have a beach house or like prawns, but I want it.
@meetapossum Prawn and mayo sandwich, in pre-packaged cardboard box = my favorite of all sandwiches. Why can't we have that here in the US??
@WaityKatie Because they're gross?
@WaityKatie I once had a boss who I did not like very much, but who used to bring me prawn banh mi for breakfast, occasionally. (I suspect that they were his leftovers but frankly, I just didn't care that much.)
@aphrabean Prawn banh mi!!! I need this.
@meetapossum Does gross mean delicious now? Because then yes, yes they are.
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher Is it just me, or does the ant bracelet look like it is made of taffy? Something about the shininess and the colour of it.
Pretty sure Mame is already wearing the perfect beach outfit in that shot! Yowza!
:)
@Katie Walsh That movie is candy for my eyeballs.
@Piegasm Auntie Mame is my fav movie! But only the one with Rosalind Russell. Lucille Ball is great but she shouldn't have tried to remake this movie.
Oh cheezus that cherry bathing suit is the cutest. I also like this plaid one. Oy.
This week's personal Bargain Bin: the jeans I am currently wearing, which were originally $59 but cost me a mere $6. I have a really hard time with jeans because of how much belly I have -- I can't wear low-rise jeans at all -- so finding these in my size and for dirt cheap totally made my week.
@camanda I would like to know what type of jeans are these that fit a belly?? (for a friend).
@camanda SIX DOLLAR JEANS. The best the best. I got two pairs from the Gap outlet store last week because I was all SIX DOLLAR JEANS WHY NOT GET TWO and one pair is two inches longer than the other? (Same pants, just...six dollar jeans, amirite?) But I like them both.
HIGH FIVE.
@WaityKatie Get thee to a Macy's! They're Style & Co., something called "Bottoms Up." Style & Co. generally is pretty forgiving for the more, uhm, gifted among us, so if you can't find these, it's worth trying any of them on the clearance rack. I can give you the style number if you want (they're not on the website because of the massive clearance but you can probs call a store).
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher HIGH FIVE. I kind of wish these were bootcut or flare instead of straight, but, as you say, SIX DOLLAR JEANS! Even I am not that picky.
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher Second pair is for heels girl!
@camanda
Questions: does Bottoms Up cut come in Men's, and how creepy would it be to lurk that aisle oogling generous man butts all day.
@Inkcrafter Style & Co. doesn't make any men's things, so my answer to your first question would be no, but I have no objection to the second thing myself.
@camanda
I understand I am fetishizing a body type and that's untoward, but their buttttsss. Can't not want, can't not creep.
Oh and I want that bathing suuuuuiiitttttt!
@Katie Walsh I have the plus-size versions of both the red and black polka dot varieties and they are so great. They fit perfectly.
@aliceandstuff I've been looking at those suits for a long time (soooo cute! So flattering!) but haven't taken the plunge because the site is so vague on the...support situation. How is that style for boob support/comfort?
@Katie Walsh i bought the black one with the white polka dots, i was SO EXCITED, it got here and didn't even come close to fitting me, at all :(
i have a long torso, which i think is the issue- it fit like, around *motions hands* but it didn't come up nearly high enough for like here *more motioning*. so i had to hike it all the way up for proper coverage, but then i had those 80's high-cut bottoms? ugh. i had to return them with a huge giant sadface :(:(
then i went to h&m and bought a little mini checkered bit of thing that is so much cuter and is the most comfy ever and was like $20 :D
moral of the story: whyyyyyyyy :( i wanted that retro suit.
@Katie Walsh They are not for the heavy-boobed. I bought the cherry one and it would have been absolutely adorable on me had my boobs not been hanging to approximately my stomach under it. So, if you have happy-perky-stand-up boobs, you're good, but if you are of the fertility-statue persuasion, you're much better looking for something else.
@Katie Walsh I have that suit too and I love it, but I tell ya, buy it direct from the Esther Williams site. Support her fantastic nineties html! It ends up the same price with shipping and all.
I love that bathing suit...but all of my allowance this week is going to Nightwish tickets.
@maybe partying will help My allowance this week went to an eye exam and new contacts. Your allowance is having more fun than my allowance.
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher
Ugggghhh I should probably get an eye exam. Definitely been like two years. :(
@maybe partying will help I only went because my contacts were so old they were literally falling out of my eyes, and I needed my prescription re-upped.
NEWSFLASH, eye exams are hella expensive.
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher My allowance is going to be on the vet probably :(
@Megano! Oh noes! Is something wrong with puppy?
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher He has had the runs for two, going on three days! Like, have to come home early from internship to take him outside, then like 6 more times, and at least once in the middle of the night bad. He's still eating and drinking fine but the food. will. not. stay. in. his. body! Needless to say, I am exhausted. We are going tomorrow because I have no money to pay them with today.
I want to go to the beach with Auntie Mame.
@dj pomegranate you rang?
I think.. I think i have that swimsuit? Or one just like it from pinupgirlclothing? Well, let's check it out anyway...
AHH SO MANY PRETTY SWIMSUITS!
NO! MUST RESIST.
Agh, comment keeps getting effed up, BUT. If you go straight to the Esther William's site (http://www.esther-williams.com/swimwear/1-pc-classic-sheath/, because apparently I cannot do the linky-code), that bathing suit is only $74. Yay!
@VolcanoMouse BUY ESTHER WILLIAMS SUITS. She makes gorgeous plus-size ones as well, though they are not so supportive of the boobies. BUT CUTE. (Yes, I am a one-track record sometimes. Oh well.)
@cherrispryte That one that Jane linked to is the plus size version. I desperately want the red polka dotted one. Though I wish wish wish there was a version that was boobie supportive.
@thebestjasmine I have the red polka-dotted one and it's the best swimsuit I've ever owned. I have a weird solution to the not-so-supportive issue, however, it doesn't work if you're going to be doing actual swimming like laps. If I'm planning on hanging out by the beach/pool all day, I wear an old, thin, not padded strapless bra underneath the suit to hold up my very large bosom and so the halter strap doesn't hurt my neck. I know this is weird, but I loved the suit so much. It's ok support without it, but I'm just more comfortable with it.
@VolcanoMouse I BOUGHT ONE FROM ESTHER WILLIAMS ALREADY, THE BLACK WITH CHERRIES ONE, IT IS SO HOT, OMG-D I CAN'T STOP SHRIEKING ABOUT IT. Seriously I put it on, looked in the mirror, and hit on myself. I look SO EFFING HOT in it, it is the most flattering thing like ever!
@stonefruit @VolcanoMouse Anyone have any luck with the swim dresses? I am a larger lady and also in addition to being self-conscious about my stomach/hips/behind I am also very self-conscious about my thighs. Are they actually adorable, or do they make you look like someone's grandma?
@VolcanoMouse agreed!!! Buy them at Esther Williams's site! It's a ridiculously basic website, but you get to look at all the grandma prints along with the cute gingham and save a couple bucks. Other than the fact that I've had to stitch up the side boning a couple times as it started jabbing me, I love my suit. It's really the first suit I've ever put on that I wanted to keep wearing cause it was so cute.
@VolcanoMouse I'm way late to this party, but: I bought a couple of swim dresses last summer (not from Esther Williams) and I LOVE them. I had to do a lot of looking to find ones that weren't super matronly, but I was ultimately successful. I think I just googled "plus size swim dress" and then poked around on the sites - I do know that one of them was from Macy's, so that's an option. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I recommend the swim dress. They're fun and kind of retro and I'm much more comfortable in them than most regular swimsuits.
Heads up! Those swimsuits run SMALL, like maybe two sizes too small.
@whereismyrobot Anyone know if the sizes are more standard on the Esther Williams site?
@wallsdonotfall Nope, the Esther Williams suits are the same sizing. And also if you are busty, be ware. While completely adorable, this suit was definitely not up to the challenge in the boob area.
@whereismyrobot Dunno about the Esther Williams ones, but Jcrew has a very similar style (minus the wee hint of skirtlet bit, which I actually prefer because the wee skirtlet just hits me at the widest point of my thighs and is not so flttering) in a bunch of colors and it's available in regular and D+ cups, for roughly the same price. I found the sizing to be pretty accurate/standard. (I have the navy/white dots and I lurve it, and if I had more need of a bathing suit than once or twice a year, tops, I would totally buy another in the Cerise/blue dots too.)
http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/swim/onepiecetanks/PRDOVR~58322/58322.jsp
@maiasaura So... the Esther Williams has a size chart that doesn't match what I'm used to. (In this case, 10-ish measurements are listed as a size 14.) Is that the size difference y'all have experienced, or should we size up even more than that (so that a 10 should order a 16?)
@wallsdonotfall Well, depends on what shape of a 10 you are. I think, basically, that the sizes are vintage/pattern sizes. I'm about a 10 usually, and I own a 16 in this suit. I am a pretty radical hourglass shape, and my hips are sometimes more of a 12 than a 10, so I think the 16 is about right, maybe a touch big. Mine is mostly big in the waist, but since it's a ruched one-piece, that's kind of ok. The real problem with the fit for me is that it's a shelf-bra style top, and since the 16 is on the big end, it is not nearly enough support. (I'm a 34F, so your mileage may vary in that department.) If you're a straighter up-and-down 10 than I am, you probably want a 14. Modcloth commenters also have a lot to say about fit, so you might read their comments to see if someone there is shaped like you.
@maiasaura So I am thiiiiiis close to buying one of those suits as a reward to myself. My only concern is sizing. Like, the size 10 would fit me perfectly except my waist is 3" larger than the measurements given. Should I size up? Assume it will stretch? Ahhhh.
ETA: @maiasaura, just saw your more recent comment. Am even more confused, haha. I'll wander over to Modcloth.
@phenylalanine If your measurements are right on a 10 according to the Esther Williams size chart, you're probably fine. The middle of the suit is very stretchy and forgiving in both directions. Really, I think the hip measurement is probably the most important, cause the leg openings are snug.
ETA: I'm usually a 10 in mainstream sizing, my measurements are about a 14 on the EW size chart, IIRC.
E(again)TA: Ok, I think they may have changed the EW size chart, cause I seem to be a 12 on their chart now. Crud. So, uh...follow the chart, erring on the order a bigger size side?
@wallsdonotfall I'm a pretty solid 12 (maybe a 10 in generous sizes), and I own a 14 in this suit and it fits me great. But I'm hourglass shaped.
@wallsdonotfall I got the two piece one last year- I was told to size up, so I did. I'm a 6-8, and the 12 fits pretty great for me. I bet a 10 would look fine as well, though. So yeah, I'd size up at least a size, if not two.
@whereismyrobot On the other hand, I didn't have that experience at all. So strange. Also, my dirtypillows are quite large (32G) and I didn't have the support problem others mentioned. I for sure have no idea what is going on except THIS BATHING SUIT IS SO HOT and I wish I could wear it every day.
@stonefruit I have it in a different print. Maybe that is the problem?
For what it is worth; I am smallish on top; a B and have a little extra tummy. The top was fine but the seams looked like they were being HEAVILY stretched.
@all Thanks. I think I'm going to order a 14 and just resign to getting it tailored--I've got a tiny bust but a giant bootay, which means nothing ever fits right off the rack.
I want that bathing suit in every color. A different one for every day at the beach.
Auntie Mame! And then go read the book! And everything else by Patrick Dennis! Especially the ones with female pen names. The House Party is so good, and he wrote a really funny foreword as himself. He was one of those writers who got drafted to write screenplays and just could not believe what he found there.
My dad gave me a barbeque bucket once. I thought he was just unloading his cheap garage sale crap on me (ugh-gain), but lo and behold, the man was onto something.
@meganmaria It looks kind of magical, I'm intrigued! Does it...work?
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher I never used it. He got it at walmart, so i was afraid of lead poisoning or some other such affliction from poor industrial standards.
I can't wear flat sandals without my legs looking like two tree trunks. Teach me your sandal secrets!
@parallel-lines Have slim but useless ankles, wear flat sandals with no arch support, sprain ankles so they swell up and turn purple, stop wearing flat sandals. Repeat. (This is less than helpful, but it's all I've got. My ankles are pretty but totally defective.)
@parallel-lines As a short-legged person, I've learned that it's all about the pants/skirts/dresses you wear with the flat shoes. In my case, flat sandals only look good with short, flowy (not tight/pencil-y) skirts and dresses, as well as skinny pants that are semi-cropped so that they hit about 1 to 4 inches above your ankle. Flat sandals do not work with flowy pants (which I do not own anyway, but the wider the pant, the shorter your legs look unless you wear heels).
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher Yeah, I can just picture what my podiatrist would have to say about those. Nothing nice!
@parallel-lines Samesies. I hate my stupid calves.
@parallel-lines Stand in front of the mirror and say "He doth bestride the narrow world / Like a Colossus" and then pretend you are stomping on teeny mortals?
OOOOOOH SANDALS...must resist impulse-buy...
If only I could buy that black lace number Auntie Mame is sporting. I'd settle for the cigarette holder though.
@charlesbois My friend bought me a cigarette holder for Christmas, but my cigarettes don't fit. The only ones that do are Capris, and, no thanks.
@meetapossum have you tried Balkan Sobranies? or Nat Sherman slims? They're absolutely top drawer.
I wish that swim piece didn't look like it was held up with toilet paper.
I have a suit like the cherry one from Torrid a few years ago, but it has regular straps and red trim and HIP RUFFLES. It may be my favorite item of clothing.
Also I'm currently dithering over what to wear for working commencement tomorrow. Skirt or dress? Blazer, no blazer? CHOICES ARE HARD.
@anachronistique Sometimes dresses are awesome because they cover the entire outfit in one item :D.
@whimseywisp Yes, but WHICH dress? And which shoes? Dither dither dither.
This outnet site...how did I not know about it sooner?
So, that first centerpiece thing makes me think of Buffy. Everything makes me think of Buffy:
Anya: You could have, like, a world with no shrimp. Or with, you know, nothing but shrimp.
Buffy: Anya, tell them about the alternate universes.
Anya: Oh, okay. Um... say you really like shrimp a lot. Or we could say you don't like shrimp at all. "Blah, I wish there weren't any shrimp," you'd say to yourself —
Buffy: Stop! You're saying it wrong.
Buffy: I think that Jonathan may be doing something so that he's manipulating the world, and we're all like his pawns.
Anya: Or prawns.
Buffy: Stop with the shrimp! I am trying to do something here!
@the angry little raincloud Anya is forever my favourite.
@Megano! Yesss, Anya=best!
I JUST purchased the ModCloth black & white polka dot swimsuit. It is super fabulous. Trust. I put it on to model to the BF and he chased me around the house like some Benny Hill skit.
@breccia I think that might be my favorite.
@breccia Anything that results in a Benny Hill end credits montage is definitely perfection!
@breccia For the very few amount of times I actually need a bathing suit (sad), I wish I'd bought the ModCloth version instead of splurging on a really similar style from damn Anthropologie last year... and then never wearing it once all summer!
How did I have no idea that euchre was a Canadian (and apparently mid-Western US) thing? Mother claims she had three children solely for the euchre-playing possibilities (Father, much like anyone who married into my maternal grandfather's family, doesn't play. Seriously, only direct descendants of my grandfather play in our ridiculous Thanksgiving tournaments. They also generally marry people who like to do the lion's share of the cooking. Genes, amiright?).
@chartreusan this makes me feel content about my life plan to have two children (as I plan to marry someone who plays euchre)
@chartreusan
Whaaaat iiiis iiiit???? Any why can't I learn how to play online?
@Inkcrafter
I just started trying to compose instructions in my head and realized it sounded super complicated just at the beginning when you divide the deck, much less when you start playing.... Uhh... come to Toronto and I'll show you?
@Inkcrafter you could go here to play online and kind of learn the rules. play with computers! it's pretty straightforward once you know the rules but they are complicated at first.
TORONTO EUCHRE NIGHT
@redheaded&crazie
Why thank you!
@redheaded&crazie
I'M IN.
@redheaded&crazie YES.
(So late, but I was at a cottage and yes, we played euchre.)
I think I fought that prawn/shell creature in Final Fantasy VII.
And speaking of Modcloth in general-- I've never bought from them since I'm big on sturdiness/fabric quality/cost-per-wear, and some of their stuff looks kind of... flimsy? costume-y? online. Any general experiences with their garments, guys?
@VolcanoMouse I've actually had really good experiences with quality. Apart from what I've returned because they looked funky (e.g., I Am Not A Model), everything has held up 1.5 years at least. One top in particular is in my work rotation and is just fine. If you pick and choose carefully, check the materials, etc, you'll be fine.
@VolcanoMouse I've had pretty good luck? I once went crazy and got like 5 clearance items for, I dunno, something like $30. I wear half of them ALL THE TIME and that was two years ago.
@Jane Marie @breccia Dang, y'all! That's much better than imagined. I am encouraged!
@VolcanoMouse The only problem I've had with them is the length. I'm about 5'10", and when I first bought I put far too much trust in how long the dresses looked in the picture (stupidly) instead of checking the actual length in the item discription and ended up receiving some SHORT ASS dresses as a result. But other than that, they are pretty decent for what you pay!
@tessamae modcloth is not meant for the tall chicks!
@VolcanoMouse I'm a total Modcloth clothes horse. A lot of the stuff is kind of expensive, especially the stuff that is higher quality, but I'm totally willing to pay a little extra because I've gotten compliments on literally everything I've purchased because a lot of it is so unique. I've bought at least one item a month for a year and a half, and I've only had to send back, like, 2 things? Just make sure, as @tessamae said, that you check the length in the description. And I totally know what you mean about the costume-y looking stuff, but there are a lot of other great items that aren't like that at all. And free shipping over $50!
@VolcanoMouse Much experience (I am an impulsive buyer of dresses when I am bored at work). Same as anywhere, mostly--some good, some bad, and most somewhere in the middle. I've got a few that are pretty sturdy and cute (I wonder if they're the same maker...anyway). Pretty much, the more expensive the dress, I've found, the better it's made. I also suspect that things run pretty small/short there (which is fine with me; I like short provided I have the right tights... and I have tall legs so lots of things are a bit shorter on me than they should be on other 5'4" people), even though all of the stuff isn't made by one brand/manufacturer. But the customers' reviews often include the reviewers' own measurements along with the size of the item they got, so that is helpful--I look at those more than the ModCloth's own descriptions.
OH! If you see something there you love, and it seems a bit pricy, you can sometimes use its name and find it elsewhere for a bit cheaper. But Mod has free shipping (I think), so there's that.
Coincidentally, I am wearing this one right now: http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/the-veil-of-evening-dress
@cc It's sizism! HOW RUDE.
Apropos of nothing: when did "gift" start being used as a verb? And why is it "Mos-Koh" now rather than "Mos-Cow"?
@Mingus_Thurber I remember being told (in high school or something I think) that Mos-koh was the "correct" way to pronounce it, which doesn't even make any sense because Russians don't even use that word. They say Mosk-va. Pretension with no purpose, hooray.
When I get that swimsuit in emerald green, I'm totally going to look like I'm wearing the swimming suit version of the Atonement dress, right? (With some pounds.) Right?
I actually got one of those ModCloth bathing suits (the blue velvet one) on sale last year, but honestly now that I have it I would've been happy to pay twice as much. It literally ended an entire lifetime of swimsuit insecurity. (And since people always ask: Yes, you can swim in velvet (this velvet at least) without dire consequences, although I'm not busting out competitive laps in it or anything.)
@elizabee I agree. I have the red polka-dot one, bought on a different site. I had always dreaded any outings that require a swimsuit, but this was the best purchase I ever made and now I look forward to wearing it. Definitely worth the higher price.
@elizabee Oh, that one is soooooooo pretty!
That prawn thing is weird and disturbing. And I like it.
The sandals. They will be mine.
Oh hell. I just went to look at those sandals and now I have 5 pairs of shoes in my cart. Friday Bargain Bin, today wasn't even a payday Friday!
I was tempted to go for those sandals, but $10 for shipping is positively criminal!
@Equestrienne That is why you get 2 pair and free shipping on orders over $50? That is what I am telling myself.
I have weird high arches. Do any Pinners have recs for arch-supportive summer shoes?
@Nina B.@twitter I have the same problem. And alas, no suggestions, except for the Teva/Chaco type of sandal? (My current strategy is to wear crappy flat cute sandals until my feet start to hurt constantly, then swap to Tevas until my feet no longer hurt. This is probably not good for my feet.)
@Nina B.@twitter I just got some Worishofers (well, some store's knock-off of a Worishofer) yesterday. http://www.amazon.com/Worishofer-251-Womens-Sandal/dp/B001MS79F8
They're absurdly comfortable and supportive, they're summer-appropriate, and, well........I think they're kinda cute, at least, even if they were historically known as old lady shoes. Celebrities are wearing them now, allegedly, sooooooo... let's just say they're cute.
@Nina B.@twitter Puma makes really nice ballet flats.
@Nina B.@twitter Birkenstocks Gizeh sandal.
@Nina B.@twitter I've had luck with B.O.C. and Naturalizer, though you do have to dig a bit for ones that don't look too too frumpy.
@zeytin Yes! I have two pairs and they are the best.
HOW HAVE I NEVER LOOKED AT SWIMSUITS AT MODCLOTH BEFORE. There goes my Friday afternoon.
Aaaaannnnndddd now I have picked out roughly $3000 worth of West Elm Patio furniture (but it's on sale!) that I will never be able to afford/have room for but I need. to. have. now.
Spring fever, I have it.
"She always recommended shoes that didn't come in size 11" - Jane's actual tombstone. Grr those sandals.
If I'm ever turned into a tiny merperson by a malevolent sea witch, I am using that prawn thing as my chariot.
"She always went in for a leather shoe under $20 - My headstone please." Jane, for so many reasons, if I lived in your city, I would try to go to the same events and parties as you with the hopes of becoming friends. And somehow having that not be weird. Heart!
Every house you went to as a kid that smelled kinda weird and had like, a clear plastic tablecloth over the real one had some version of the prawn centerpiece, usually filled with patchouli, right?
No Gary and Elaine? (sad)
@je suis un ananas Sorryyyyy! I was in a wedding and was hoping against hope that someone else would pick up the slack. Gary and Elaine will just have to be extra-exciting next Friday.