There’s Nothing to Buy, Or is there?

Every Christmas Mike and I do our Barneys shopping in early December before the after-Christmas sales, because, as everyone knows, you have to get a jump on these things before they’re all picked through starting December 26th. And usually everything is marked off a little, like 40%, and you can still get some nice Prada shirts and a jacket or two. But now, since all the retailers slashed prices SO EARLY, like even BEFORE Thanksgiving, there was nothing on the racks! At Saks everything went 70% off on Thanksgiving weekend, my friends said it was like a riot there—one friend had brought her three-year-old with her and had to send the kid home with the nanny because she was frightened the kid would get trampled. Pregnant women were discouraged to come, as it was elbow-to-gut fighting. Someone even got into a fistfight over a handbag, apparently. (“Handbags at dawn” my friend Hori who now runs the NY Times Style online always said.)

And where were we??? Away!! So I missed the madness. When I finally made it to Saks the other day, it was disheartening. Everything worth anything was gone. There were some sad-looking Miu Miu flats no one wanted to buy. But my friend Sofia who was there last month got a pair of $1200 Jimmy Choos for $300 and some in-suh-hane Gucci wedge boots for almost nada. Sigh.

I’m kind of glad that things have come down to earth price-wise. On the other hand, I was emailing my dear friend Karen the other day, or K-Ro as I like to call her, and we were gushing over the new Balmain jeans (which are like, in the five-figure range). And those military jackets??? Hello! Karen is also loving everything Balmain and Givenchy next season. (BTW, how sad is it to see Spring lines at the stores? There’s like one or two dresses on the racks. I guess we are all supposed to stop shopping or something. Whatevs, I didn’t get the memo.)

What DOES one buy during a recession? I feel like really hardy, classic bags. Like a nice sturdy black YSL Muse bag. . Black bags are always in style and you will carry it for years to come. I really want a Muse. So that when people ask if if I have a muse, I can now say yes! Ha.

I’m so over the gloom and doom by the way. I say:bring on the holiday parties! The vintage champagne! Break out the slinky designer dresses and the fur! (We bought them at discount anyway!)

xoxo
Mel