and now, a little lesson...

every few months, magazines have those silly little blurbs filled with shopping tips and tricks. set a budget! buy classic pieces that flatter your shape! don't buy clothes one size smaller, hoping you'll lose those last 5 pounds! 

what they don't tell you is the really important, make-it-or-break-it stuff, the sort of thing that ultimately leads to not only a successful trip but an envy-inspiring closet. so, the most useful nonsense you'll ever hear from me:

1. never shop on an empty stomach.

 did you know you burn approximately 100 calories an hour while shopping? it's serious business, people! there's no worse thing that walking around delirious, a little too worn out to try on that dress in the window that just might be the answer to your fashion prayers. plus when are you going to find a better excuse to down the disgustingly delicious food inevitably parked next to your favorite store? exactly.

2. let yourself be indecisive...within reason 

fact: i have been to zara approximately 17 times in the past two weeks, each time in search of the same exact thing. and yet i have purchased nothing. there's just no point in buying something if you aren't sure about it. that being said, i have since banned myself from via del corso until i know that i won't return empty handed. even i have my limits.

3. just do it.

if you see something you love, and it looks as though it was specially made to fit your body, and it is calling your name from it's place on the rack, i say go balls to the wall and just buy it. what's worse, blowing your budget on a heap of fabric or regretting for the rest of your life the fact that the perfect pink and black striped, strapless dress and matching shoes went home with someone else? you can always rebuild your bank account.  you cannot (gracefully) hunt down the skinny frenchwoman who bought your dream dress and raid her closet.  

4. buy things because they come in a fancy bag.

 stupid, maybe. but pretty packaging has a way of cheering up even the most depressed and tragic characters. 

5. avoid fakes.

no really. it's tacky.

6. don't be a snob.

as fond as i am of things like my birthday gift, my favorite things in my closet are the items i found in the most questionable places.  the egyptian-inspired embroidered top i wore to all my interviews this year? the rag & bone, state college's vintage shop. my senior prom dress? $11 at goodwill, thankyouverymuch. beaded leopard dior belt? goodwill again. 

price doesn't necessarily denote worth, and prominent labels don't necessarily mean something is not an absolute crime. so get your nose out of the air and start digging!

well done, angie. well done.