How to Shop, Love, and Get Things Done During Christmas Chaos

That's what I call the two days before Christmas--Christmas Chaos. The last two days of shopping, holiday parties, gift wrapping, and working before the wild Christmas day festivities begin. For many of us, the Christmas Chaos has lasted for weeks as we try to get some shopping done early. And when I say try, I mean having to crawl out of the trunk of my car to get out and shop. That's how nutty it was outside of Book People and Anthropologie one week ago. Parked cars were seriously invading neighboring parking spots, and I didn't have a choice but to squeeze my poor little car in there and simply crawl out of the trunk. It was probably a sight to see, but the worst part was that I didn't even find a gift for my family's annual holiday white elephant style gift exchange.

[A few small gifts for family]

The truth is, we did most of our Christmas shopping right after Thanksgiving. But there's always a some last-minute shopping to do, and last weekend's failed excursion got me thinking about how we can stay positive, in love, and happy around the holidays.

Make a plan

If you're still shopping one or two days before Christmas, make a list of exactly where you need to go and what you need to buy, and stick to that list! It's easy to get sidetracked and frustrated with all the parking lot traffic and people shopping at the same stores, but if go in with a plan of action you should be in good shape. No wandering aimlessly hoping to find a gift for someone.

Fuel up

Never go shopping hungry and under caffeinated. I've done this too many times thinking I would grab a bite on my way to the store, and it usually never works out that way because I'm too focused on my plan for getting in and out of there. So eat and drink something tasty and filling before you go on your way.

Dress to impress, comfortably

I don't know about you but I enjoy shopping a lot more when I'm suited up for it, and that means wearing something that makes me feel confident, stylish, and comfortable at the same time. I'm a much grumpier shopper when I don't feel good about myself, and I think spending a few extra minutes in the morning getting ready is well worth the extra boost of confidence while shopping.

Get yourself a little something

The sales are pretty hard to beat this time of year. So if you see something you like that's already 30% off or whatever, just get it. You deserve to give yourself something special during the holidays too. And that something is even better when it's on super sale.

Feel better about all the shopping you still have ahead of you? I know I do.

How do you deal with the typical holiday shopping stress?

Style Post: Brown on Black

We all know that I like to shop. Yep, that's me. No surprises there. But I've always been sort of picky about trying new stores, especially those that are online only. I should probably get with the program and spread my shopping wings a little bit. Lucky for me, I was able to do that last week with a little help from the girls at A Beautiful Mess and the online store Ruche. A while back I entered a little giveaway on Elsie's blog for a Ruche gift card. Turns out I won (on our wedding day, funny enough) and I was jazzed to try out a few things from Ruche.

One of the first things I loved about Ruche is the huge selection of darling dresses. Every dress has a vintage little twist to it, and the price points are great. I've been on the hunt for more simple sort of everyday dresses. The clean silhouette and fun dots on this little number were perfect for my closet. I also love the little peter pan collar, and the cuffs are different and rather fun.

And I'm still a huge fan of the top knot.

I also forgot to mention that I wore this dress two days in a row over the Thanksgiving holiday. First on Thanksgiving and then again on Black Friday. Oops! That's why I sort of have food coma eyes in the photos. I originally had this dress paired with some Seychelles combat boots until I switched them out with one of my Black Friday finds. I think both work well. I just had to get these loafers on as soon as I bought them!

[Ruche dress (purchased with gift card won in a giveaway); J.Crew tights; Madewell shoes and earrings; Michael Kors watch]

Thanks again to the team at A Beautiful Mess and Ruche for the gift card! It was the perfect wedding present.

The Gorman Velvet Skirt

I tried to keep shopping to a minimum while we were on our honeymoon. It was hard! But my bags were already pretty heavy, and I only had a couple of pounds to spare for shopping before hitting the 50 pound limit. It wasn't until we got to Sydney when I started to get antsy about it. I needed to shop, and there was much shopping to do in Sydney.

I ended up getting out of there with just two new skirts. Not bad. And this high-waisted multicolored velvet one from Gorman was my splurge.

I wasn't even sure if I was going to make it out of there with anything. I loved everything at Gorman, but the different sizing kind of threw me off and I just wanted to make sure I was getting something that I couldn't get back home.

The different colors and shapes on the silk white fabric create some sort of balance for me. So many dots and zig zags. It's definitely a busy skirt, but with a fairly simple shoe and straightforward top it seems to work.

[Gorman skirt; J.Crew shirt; restyled necklace; Madewell sandals; ring from Schatzelein]

P.S. I want to buy more velvet now, like this velvet schoolboy blazer that I blogged about here. What do you think?

Shopping in Sydney

I know I've said it about 75 times--I fell in love with Sydney. I had only heard wonderful things about it before we left for the trip, and I was looking forward to every minute of it, especially the shopping. Or, "window shopping" I should say. Sydney is expensive. VERY expensive. And I had my eye on all the dazzlingly cute designer boutiques full of stuff that I'd never be able to get my hands on in the U.S. without having to order online.

Starting with the shops in the Strand Arcade, a three-story Victorian-style building right in the city center.

 

[Images]

Fleur Wood

I just loved moseying around all the cute, carefully decorated shops. One of my favorites would have to be Fleur Wood--every piece of clothing was so romantic and delicate. I don't wear a lot of slinky, fluttery dresses, but these I wanted to wear. The sea foam skirts and peachy slip dresses were so tempting. I also loved the way the store was designed with the beautiful ballerina wall art, ceramic bunnies, and clean, white furniture. And I'm bummed that I didn't grab a picture of the fitting rooms! Each door was a book shelf, and you had to move the entire shelf as if it was a secret door in order to get in and out of the fitting rooms.

World

Along with a few shops in the Strand, I really enjoyed checking out the boutiques along Oxford Street in Paddington, one of Sydney's surrounding neighborhoods. We walked the entire block back into the city center and stumbled across an interesting little store called World along the way. This shop is VERY interesting. The clothes were one thing--retro print dresses, sheer silk collared blouses, and bright pinstripe suits. But the clothes weren't even the most interesting part. It had to have been all the accessories, decor, and housewares, like the huge collection of vintage china plates with little curse words written on them.

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Gorman

And then there was Gorman. I'd been looking forward to visiting one of these shops during our stay and hoping maybe I could talk myself into buying just one thing. And that I did, after lots of deliberation. I probably wanted every look from the spring/summer collection. The predominant shades of purple, orange, and blue were vibrant yet subtle, and styled perfectly with some great neutral pieces. I finally settled on a high-waisted, multicolored velvet skirt. How crazy does that sound? I can't wait to put that outfit post together.

And those were just the highlights. I feel like I spent a good portion of our time in Sydney scouring the shops rather than sightseeing. Perhaps this is just my kind of "sightseeing."

Do you like to shop when you're on vacation?