New year, new pants (PM)

If there were ever two ladies you'd think would be open to the message "new year, new pants" it'd be the Misses Soft Crab. Such is our love of clothes we'd probably respond to calls of "new day, new pants" with a huzzah and trip to the shops with a spring in our step. But seriously, Country Road, a call to arms (or pants) needs more than a catchy slogan, it needs some depth you can get behind, and a few pairs of black slacks are not gonna get me in your pants.

Country Road are very aggressive email marketers and frankly I think this has led them to not only lose there way in clothes but also in marketing. Barely a day goes by when I'm not being told to "get comfy for autumn in sports luxe" or "add a twist to your summer wardrobe." But none of this matters because they lost me years ago with the email subject line "Must-have jeggings!" At which point I knew the emails I was receiving must be little more than the demented ramblings of a mad man. If the subject line of a County Road email does not include the words "spend" and "save" I am sure it has nothing to offer me. 

They should in fact take a leaf out of Obus's book. Obus brought us those starry denim pants K was contemplating and to be honest I've wondered about them myself. Obus don't market so aggressively. Leave a little mystery, Country Road, don't be so desperate. It's not just that the marketing at Obus leaves you wondering, the clothes do to. Are those pants great or fug, who knows but you probably want them so you can figure it out. New year, new pants. Put stars on them, that's how it's done!

How to buy a winter coat (PM)

If my experience of finding greenie last year is anything to go by, you're doing everything right.
Soon, the coat of your dreams will come in to your life. Or probably just a really great one.

As for me, now that my coat needs have been met, I kind of want a jacket. For those days I don't want to wear a coat. I found the perfect one the other day.

Look at that collar. Soft as the embrace of a newborn lamb. Because it is made of newborn lamb! Or teenage lamb. Heck it could be mutton for all I know, in which case, why are people so down on mutton? It's very soft.
Anyway, I fell for this coat pretty hard but it cost $1000 which is not OK.
So even though it is perfect for me it will remain an impossible dream. It will never get out of my dreams and in to my car. So it goes.

I also quite like this one that I tried on at Country Road yesterday when I met J and Baby for lunch.

The buttons aren't as weird in real life.
But I don't know. Once you've worn mutton, everything else seems boring.

Chinoserie (AM)

A couple of weeks ago, J and I started talking about chinos.

They're kind of cute we noted.

They could work as a spring to summer pant we speculated.

Chinos. I know, right? We agreed.

J got on the front foot and tried some on at Country Road on the weekend. It's spend and save season you see. She sent me a photo from the change room, but they weren't that great. They didn't pass the audition.

Then on Monday, J sent me another photo from another change room. The Alpha60 change room. This one made me sit up and take notice.

This is how it went down. My comments in green, J's in grey.

First, let me say,  J is seriously the best for looking out for me like that.
And though I didn't really think I was going to translate our talk of chinos in to the purchase of chinos, moments after receiving this text message, I found myself in the change room of the Flinders Lane Alpha60 store, in a pair of chinos.

Improved. The last word in that sentence was 'improved'. 

So as you can see, now I own a pair of chinos, which I love very much.
#noregrets

But when I was trying them on with practically everything I own on Monday night, this happened.

Perhaps you can't tell, but basically the eye part of the hook and eye that is their principal fastening mechanism came loose at one end and has ceased to perform its fastening function.
This is not a disaster. I mean, I know how to sew. I can just sew it back up. But that shouldn't really happen on the first night I have them, right?
I am kind of thinking about taking them back. But taking things back is not something I normally do. But loving pair of pants as much as I love these is also not something I normally do either, so call me crazy, call me romantic, call me a sentimental fool  - but I kind of want this to be perfect so I kind of want to take them back.

So what should I do?