Where There's a Will, There's a Way

Elizabeth and James Floral Leather Jacket, Current/Elliott Jeans, Banana Republic Heels, Peter Cohen Blouse, Oliver Peoples Glasses, Lisa Smith Necklace, DVF Purse, Ashneil Belt.

A few months ago, while visiting my friend, Venetta, at Yellow Dog, my eyes momentarily drifted and landed on a gorgeous floral leather jacket by Elizabeth and James. “What is that?” I asked her. She told me that it had arrived that day and she had just put it out on display.  As if my body was on auto-pilot, I approached it so that I could better appreciate the striking floral design, which at first glance appeared on a black background, yet upon closer examination, was actually an unusually beautiful dark teal color. Naturally, I just HAD to try it on. Herein lies the danger of that action; if I am adhering to my budget, it is analogous to not eating the bread from the breadbasket. Walking away from it, takes all of the will power I can muster. The price tag, ($1395.00), was helpful my cause, making it easier to say NO. I was completely and utterly haunted by the jacket. Usually, if this happens, I see if I can track it down for less money. Since this was a new arrival, I guessed (correctly), that it would not be marked down. However, remembering that I had an envelope full of gift cards from Bloomindales and Saks, I decided to go online to see if either of those stores carried it.

I checked Bloomingdale’s first, since I had gift cards that totaled $650.00! BINGO…they had it. The problem was that I couldn’t apply the cards on line. Wasting no time I headed to my local Bloomies in Century City.  Although they didn’t stock that item, they were able to track down the last jacket in my size in the company. I somehow felt vindicated, as if I had won first place in a shopping contest! In addition, we discovered that I had an additional $350.00 of unused gift certificates in my account…trophy please! Note to self: Always remember to ask the sales associate at a department store that you frequent, to check your account for unused gift cards; it may just be your lucky day. The final cost of the jacket, with tax, $434.50; proving that where there’s a will, there’s a way!