The camo jacket. It’s your BFF for all seasons and adds style to anything you wear. At one point at Posh Boutique, I think everyone who worked there owned one and often, we’d wear them on the same day! Bought new or vintage, on Amazon or at Goodwill, the camo jacket is as universally useful as its denim counterpart. In Tucson, you should check out Millers Surplus downtown first, then check the resale and Goodwill stores. If you choose Amazon, like I did a few years ago, most of the jackets are from the crazy labels with weird names so you must read the reviews. The iconic Polo camo jacket is still my favorite and every once again it pops up on eBay, so keep a lookout!
T-Town Tidbits…
A few things seen and heard around town this week…Happy Friday!
–Don’t bring cash if you expect to buy the luxury makeup and hair care at bluemercury! Yep, the store at La Encantada doesn’t accept cash anymore, only credit and debit cards. Whaaaat? Are there other stores in T-town that don’t accept cash? Um, I’m sorry…if I still have to drive over a million potholes on decrepit roads, I think the stores here can accept cash. Too bad Peter Thomas Roth moisturizer, I’ll catch you another time…
–at home, the new home superstore that’s replacing the Target on Broadway is planning to open on Jan. 29. I hope this becomes a trend because there are WAY too many empty storefronts here. It’s depressing!
-While you won’t find many coats anymore at Burlington – they even took “coat” out of their name – sometimes you can find a few treasures. Like these metal purses. I think they are so cute and have that vintage vibe. $26.99! Kind of cool…
Tribal Vibes
Around the desert, you can expect to pay a pretty penny for authentic turquoise jewelry, but a cool shop on Etsy offers up stunning cuffs, rings and necklaces for affordable prices. This $48 turquoise cuff is from ZamarutJewel on the crafting site and has the same vibe as the pricier findings around town.
The shop owner, favorited by more than 12,000 Etsy customers, sells vintage tribal and bohemian pieces from around the world, featuring stones from Afghanistan, Nepal, India and Pakistan. “Each piece of jewelry has a story, every stone tells a tale,” her site says. “The pieces come from various regions around the world.”
Yellow Is NEVER Mellow
I used to think I couldn’t wear yellow. I’m pretty sure I was advised by one of those old Color Me Beautiful seminars – “You should never wear that color, you’re an Autumn!” Clearly, we were misguided in those days. Yellow, different tones of it, of course, is beautiful on everyone and the proof is in these pictures. This is a “look at me” color and the hue you pick when you want to stand out in a crowd. That said, as a spokesperson for pale and sometimes red-splotched skin, a self-tan couldn’t hurt when choosing this color.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty ImagesIt’s More Fun Buying Used Clothes…
A pink fringe skirt. A white feather and lace dress. White snow boots and a vintage leather jacket.
They are all things I have bought used this past year in Tucson and online, and all of them garnered more compliments than my new clothes. In fact, I now have more fun buying used clothes than new. TheRealReal founder, Julie Wainwright, said it best when she commented last year, “People don’t care if their clothes are new anymore.”
It’s also one thing Tucson does really well! This desert city is a hub not only of edgy, but luxury resale fashion. After working at the stylish Posh Boutique for three years, I won’t buy a new designer bag again. Like ever. If I need a ski sweater or sweet cowboy boots, I will head to Buffalo Exchange. When my kids want to go thrifting, they sell and buy at Plato’s Closet. And when I’m looking for other fashionable treasures I can’t find in T-town, I’m obsessed with ThredUp, an online resale marketplace.
Considering Australia is on fire largely because of climate change and our global glut of retail fashion is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases, buying resale and recycling our own clothing is something to seriously think about in 2020. I mean, the royals do it!
Need Wildcat Gifts? Check out these sites..
Attention Wildcat Nation: if you need unique Arizona gifts for your loved ones this year and haven’t had time to drive down to campus or to the other shops in T-town, one new place to check out is Zazzle! This site offers ornaments, shoes, Wildcat ribbon and gift bags, to name a few! This is a cool site! Several years ago, I created and ordered a T-shirt through this site that said “I Can’t Help Everyone in Tucson” for a dear friend!
If you need an Arizona whiskey decanter (everyone needs one with our record!), tree skirt or shoes, check out Fanatics.com! And finally, if you really love products featuring vintage images of Wilbur and Wilma, click on Vintage Brand.
Bear Down and Happy Holidays!
Some Hostess Gifts They Really Want
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I’m lucky to have some amazing women in my life who are Hostesses with the Mostests and it’s fun to be creative when thanking them! I really struggle with getting thank you notes off, but I love finding cool hostess gifts! So, besides wine, which is easy and loved by most, here are a few other hostess gift ideas (all can be bought in T-town!!) that might make everyone a little more merry!
For the candle lover: I mean, you really can’t beat the Housewives of Tucson candle at Pear Tree House! The cutest idea! Also, Embellish carries some pretty jeweled candles and I personally love the Tyler candles (Texas-made, y’all!) at Paloma Art Gallery.
For the chocoholic: The dark chocolate peppermint bark at William’s Sonoma is decadent and apparently sells out every year, according to the salespeople. Monsoon Chocolate–look them up on Instagram–has a cafe near downtown and makes beautiful artisan bars and truffles–some with mesquite!
For the makeup maven: Sephora’s gift sets are the best. There’s one with like 20 mascaras for less than $50. They also have skin care and self care-themed sets. Or, seriously, just browse the sample lane and put together a whole bunch! Bluemercury has Nars Christmas crackers, but Jo Malone (Tucson Dillard’s) has the most beautifully packaged versions. (and if not in store, can be bought online)
For the foodie: One of the best gifts I ever received was a jar of Pink Himalayan salt from Williams Sonoma. It’s my new favorite way to season salmon and it lasts forever. Couple it with a good olive oil and you’re done!
