Fashion Quest, March 19th

I read a great article about keeping your closet tight. For every item that enters, one must go. Sort of a vigilant way to keep order for sure. Another great tip but easier to follow is if you really love something, take a photo of it. Sometimes you want the memory and not necessarily the outfit. Huh. Genius! I put my want vs. need craving recently to the test with this theory. And yes, I failed miserably! Here’s what your Do As I Say And Not As I Do Retail Therapist did…

I wanted this scenario to be true for a scarf I was trolling at least a month before my Parisian adventure. It was a semi nondescript cashmere shawl, fine texture and large enough to wrap around twice if desired. How chic! The item was good for all seasons depending on how I’d wear it. I loved the navy color and the fun dotted pattern. It was a big French designer but so subtle and stunning that you’d almost never know. I wanted it badly. Like baaaad. But there was no way I was buying it pre-trip. Plus it was big bucks. So I did what the article said and I took a picture. Hurrah and yay for me. I thought the journey was over. Yah. Not quite.

I ended up whipping out said photo at no less than nine shops in Paris to track down this item with no nibbles at all. I visited all branches and stores of this designer including store in store boutiques at the major and specialty giants. I wasn’t smart enough to snap a pic of the tag or style number (ugh) so this made the quest ever more challenging. And you know me. When am I not up for a retail challenge. (Are you thinking of those bleu boots?? Me too!)

I can tell you that not snapping the tag is an error I will never make again. Alas, not one sales associate recognized the color or pattern. No one could find it on a style sheet or internal website. The hunt was a goose egg. Defeated, I packed up and made my way home. Suitcase closed. Case closed.

Eventually I found myself back at the same store in NYC where I had originally seen the scarf. So I popped in to inquire. And they had it! A bolt of lighting shot through my whole body. Nobody scooped it up? The item was waiting for me? It was beshert– Yiddish for destiny or soulmate or meant to be. And then retail tragedy struck… the tag was missing and without it they couldn’t sell me the item. Crestfallen but honestly thrilled that I didn’t have to dig deep for shekels I didn’t have, I left. Story over. So it was not meant to be.

A few weeks later I was visiting The Mothership in Florida. On a super cloudy and unseasonably cool day we hit one of the high end malls to get some steps in and we happened upon that same fancy French designer store. So we went in.

We were paired with a lovely sales associate who asked how might she help? The two words, “Scarves please,” just flew out of my mouth. Why not look, right? We’re here. When she opened the tall shiny wooden door behind the glass display case to extract a tray of cashmere shawls, I saw it immediately nestled between an ecru and black silk twill and a multicolor patterned scarf. They had it! Holy shit.

My wallet lurched in my handbag. My hand immediately flew to cover my heart. Noooooo. And yesss! I removed it from the tray and carefully folded it into a big triangle and draped it lovingly around my neck. Perfection. I was wearing a white denim jacket and it was a great complement. Even Mom swooned. After passing on it in New York, coming up empty in Paris and then being shut out back in New York, there was no question that this scarf was finding a home in my closet. Sorry but screw the silly take a picture scenario! I wanted it. And I promptly forked over my plastic to seal the deal.

So I guess the moral of the story is, do not listen to me. And do not shop with me. I’m a liar! I’m a menace to myself and a terrible influence on others! But my closet and its contents are just bragaliciously fabulous and I don’t regret this purchase for one moment. And each time I wear this seasonless stunner, I will remember the ambitious journey and appreciate the hard fought win. I am always up for a thrilling fashion quest.