livingfamilytravelmediahome decor

Impractical Purchasing, NYC edition, part 1

As of late, it has come to my attention that I am an impractical girl. I have been stubbornly resisting this label. I like to consider myself a practical person — getting what needs to get done done, leaving the rest; buying sensible, well-priced things; leaving the rest.

Sadly, I think this might have been a case of living in suspended disbelief. My first hint should have been the fact that Hubby does not let me do the grocery shopping. His chief complaint is that I come home with nicely designed cleaning products, expensive granola, and black licorice but not enough ingredients to make a meal with. He is so picky.

Anyhow, I digress. I went to New York City and I have yet to tell you about the shopping. The Shopping! In New York City!

One of the first places where I made a purchase was in a store called Bird. Kerry had these groovy pocket-sized cards for different neighbourhoods all around New York and on this day, her card told us to check out Bird. So we did. We’re obedient that way.

Bird is one of Brooklyn’s first fashion destinations and also the very first LEED-certified retail store in New York City. It was recently voted Best Women’s Boutique in New York City by New York Magazine and Top Visionary Boutique in the United States by Lucky Magazine.

Bird

As soon as I stepped in, I couldn’t believe my eyes! Just that morning I had whined to Kerry about how I had always wanted a pair of glasses but the frames were always too expensive to justify for clear lenses. (You see, I don’t actually need glasses, I just covet them. I never needed braces as a kid either, and I wanted those too.) And yet here were a whole slew of frames to choose from — all priced at $99! Okay, I hear you … a hundred bucks is still a lot of money to spend on an accessory, but for glasses, these were a good price.

I was ridiculously excited and started jumping up and down. Kerry did her quiet shaking-of-the-head-thing-while- being-secretly-amused-but-not-enough-to-warrant-being-associated-with-me and immediately wandered to the other end of the store.

I was in heaven. Here’s me in the store, sporting the glasses that I chose:

Trying to do my best sexy librarian look.

After the thrill of this find, I immediately set off to see what other wares the store had. I picked up a great looking pair of boots. $720? Ouch, no thanks. So I went smaller and looked at the scarves. I found a beauty, which looked to be of standard material but with a bit if flair. I took a gander at the price tag: $185. I think I may have laughed out loud. Kerry insisted she’d seen the same scarf on her trip to Vietnam for $1.50. Maybe less. The store didn’t hold much appeal for us so we didn’t stay long. But I was still just as pleased as punch with finding the glasses.

Then, just this week, long after the NYC trip was over, I learned that Kerry is actually going in to have laser surgery on her eyes so she won’t have to wear glasses ever again. For her, they’ve been a necessity since age 5. For me, a frivolous joy at age 40.

Don't tell anyone that I don't actually need glasses, k?

Comments

  1. those look great! My 6yo (sorry I am comparing you to my 6yo) covets glasses too. He almost cried with the eye doctor told him he had 20/20 vision. He wants pretend glasses too. All the ones we have found so far are either two girl or two Harry Potter. The search continues.

  2. Those are super cute on you! I wore glasses for a long long time before I got laser eye surgery, and while I would never go back, some frames I see make me occasionally miss wearing glasses. Good thing it won’t be long before I need reading glasses. Sigh.

  3. love the glasses! i wanted glasses forever too, but i always resist because i don’t actually need them! maybe it’s time i get a pair …

  4. This cracks me up! The wanting braces, but not needing them? Hilarious! I have a similar story. I covet movie star’s really long hair. I mean, covet. So I’ve worked really hard to grow my hair long. It now hits just below my bra strap. But you know what? I hate it. I can’t make it luxurious like they do in the movies so it ends up on top of my head every day. I relay this story because I am totally with you – I’d buy a pair of glasses as an accessory, even though I don’t need them.

Leave a Reply to Finola Cancel reply

*