Online Shopping

Felicitations, fabulous fans!

This last week was a weird but happy one because I indulged in one of my true obsessions - online shopping. It's an addiction that I always swear (to my husband), that I'm through giving in to, and yet I always fall off the wagon after a few months. What is it about Internet shopping that makes it seem less expensive and more fun than the same activity in person? Is it that feeling of Christmas at any time? Is it parting that tissue paper to see if the reality matches the fantasy? Or is it just that joy of acquisition and "newness" that some of us are hooked on?

Online shopping, for sure, has some "cons." For one thing, even with the sales you can summon and the coupons you can come up with, I have a flash for you. You can go broke saving money. When you're not forking over the cash, you can lose sight of how much you spend until the Visa bill rears up and slaps you (or your husband) in the face. Added to the money, honey, is the cost of returns or the useless stuff in your closet that you were too lazy to return. Either way, you've wasted the dinero. There's also the frustration you feel when the order is wrong or doesn't work for you. But oh, the PROS!!

The pros of being able to shop at your leisure! No crowds or bad parking spaces! The thrill when you find tax free and free shipping sites! The fun of finding sites with great gifts - oh, who am I kidding? The fun is in finding sites with things YOU love (but there's no greater gift than giving someone something you would love for yourself!). "Ok, Lindsay (I hear you say), but what does this have to do with style?"

"Simple," I reply. Style is an expression of the authentic you, and doesn't end with clothes or begin with shoes. Your style is expressed in your home, your gift giving and your enjoyments - three things celebrated through online shopping! Granted, shopping in person gives me the opportunity to wear more of the great clothes I found online, but Nordstrom has also expressed a dislike for me shopping at 2:30 a.m. with my bag of chips in hand. Man, are THEY rigid! Anyway, there are pros and cons to online shopping and next week I'll be detailing more of them with a discussion of some of my favorite (and not-so-favorite) sites. 'Til then, remember, "trend is today, style is forever!"