Back At Uniqlo on Saturday Wearing Uniqlo

 

The SAVVY SHOPPER is a written word, not a photoblog, therefore photos of me are few and far apart. (You're welcome readers, I spare you!😁)  Every once in a while, I throw one up here because it's normal to be curious about a blogger.

New Your City is very spring-like for several days. In fact, it will be 76 degrees F today in November ... summer! This was me on Saturday browsing in one of my favorite stores, Uniqlo, the innovative Japanese retailer of super practical and budget-friendly clothing, accessories and occasionally shoes. Frankly, the shoes are not up to the same standard as Uniqlo's other offerings, but the merchant has just ventured into shoes, so their quality will likely improve if continued. Fashionistas will be tempted to buy Uniqlo shoes for their unbeatable prices ($19 - $49) and perhaps the looks ... not for their durability though. Also, they lack adequate support and comfort for walking on concrete city blocks.

In the picture above, I happen to have on some of the articles I've recommended on THE SAVVY SHOPPER. How apropos to be wearing the Uniqlo dress I bought in the spring to Uniqlo! Truly, a useful transitional dress, or when the weather is wonderfully out-of-wack balmy. I'm wearing a Uniqlo airism bra top underneath it as a camisole, as well as, a Uniqlo nylon parka. The sneakers are the decades-long-world-popular Converse, and I insert Nazaroo insoles inside for arch support so I can walk around the city in them. No-show (plus ankle) socks I always buy 5 pairs for $9.95 at H&M. My black "liberated" leather Foley & Corinna crossover purse completes my outfit. And of course, during our pandemic days, we never leave our homes without our face masks. Bulletins are posted at the door of all New York City retailers: You must wear a face covering to enter.

How I love days before we start freezing! It's so lovely to be out and about without all the essential layering of cold weather!!

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Spicy Ground Beef and Eggplant Stirfry

Luckily my local supermarket always has delicious lean, ground beef for sale, so I have it for dinner at least once every other week. Sometimes as burgers, chili, or spaghetti with meat sauce. But at other times I like to try something new -- mix up the meat and vegetables to eat a variety of colors in a diet.  A few days ago, I made ground beef and eggplant stirfry, but you could easily substitute chunks of beef or chicken and whatever vegetables are in season. This is a good way of eating vegetables you don't love that are nonetheless good for you. [For me it could be asparagus or okra. I don't hate asparagus or okra, yet never crave them either.] My recent dinner, featuring ground beef and eggplant is a quick one-pan meal that turned out tasty:

Spicy Ground Beef and Eggplant Stirfry

Ingredients:

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, cut up

1 jalapèno pepper, sliced

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, broken up

1 eggplant, diced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon basil, or a bunch of fresh basil

Season to taste, I use rosemary, parsley, dried garlic and basil, as well as, fresh.

Directions:

1) Dice the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, jalapèno pepper and grill with the broken up ground beef in a skillet uncovered until the beef starts to brown. Uncovering it at first lets the liquid evaporate so that you don't end up with a stew.

2) Salt and spice to taste. Add diced eggplant.

3) Cover with a lid and simmer until the eggplant is tender. (It's fine to cover it now so the eggplant can steam.)

Serve on brown rice; a grain of your choice; on top of grainy bread; or rolled inside a tortilla with cheese. The stirfry dish is very versatile. Enjoy!
 

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That Hermès or Chanel Bag Vibe For Less

Top: Hermès Birkin; bottom Hermès Kelly bags

Full disclosure: In shops, I love looking and touching Hermès and Chanel handbags as much as any of the luxury bag fashionistas on Youtube. So I know them well. However, purses are not my luxury temptation. While I'm attracted to the undeniable quality and beauty of the Chanel Classic Double Flap; Hermès Kelly; Hermès Birkin; and Chanel CC Trendy WOC in that order, personally, I would never, ever spend $3,100, $7,100, or $9,000 to $40,000+ on one bag. It's nuts! And the Previously Loved Market, costing 1,000s of dollars per bag, is still too high. I don't care enough about owning Hermès or Chanel to part with the money. Honestly if Walmart or Target came out with a decent enough bag, I'd take it to meet the English Queen or the Bidens, America's next President and First Lady. Plus tell everybody who asked where I bought the bag as I would not care!

If you ... like me, appreciate the uber-expensive bags, yet are ok with a vibe and leather for less purchase, the following inspired bags (as opposed to Doppelgängers) give you enough of the look and craftsmanship to last over time without infringing upon the legal copyrights of the designer brands. Some of the lookalikes are still pricey ... yet sell for way under $1,000:

1) For a Hermès Birkin consider the _______.*1 BTW: A Berkin is the top bag of all bags designed to hold its value.

2) In lieu of a Hermès Kelly look at the _______.*2 With your savings, you could buy a car!

3) For the top-selling bag in the world, the Chanel Double Flap, you might like Rebecca Minkoff. The quilted pattern is a Chevron in luscious black leather with gold hardware. Best of all, you keep $6,900 in the bank!

4) For a Chanel WOC peruse the Nobrand - Instead of a wallet on a chain, Nobrand is a small evening bag, not a wallet, but if you think about it, a small purse is much more practical since you can fit more essentials inside. A slim size for gala events of genuine leather for under $45. Heck, with $3,05o in savings, you could take a taxi home to save your heels, or have an extra drink and skip the driving!

5) In place of a Chanel WOC, or small Chanel Flap bag, examine the Coach Klare Crossover With Linear Quilting - My favorite, it has the black (full-grain Nappa) leather with gold hardware of a classic Chanel bag that we know so well and love!

Coach Klare Crossover 

Coach is a top-notch luxury grade brand of leather goods and a great value. IMO, the Klare Crossover -- although having a different interior and strap -- looks as rich and beautiful as Chanel bags. 

If you wish to find even cheaper alternative bags, they are on the market too, usually made of vegan leather and less durable for fleeting needs. The 5, revised to 3 leather inspired examples I've selected cost more than vegan leather, last longer ... and often go on sale! The choice is yours.

_________________________

*1 &2 Update Nov. 9, 2020: 

Dear Readers,

Sometimes blogging leads to surprising reactions. As Hermès bag alternatives, I recommended you buy the leather bags of a company who, then wrote me a lovely email asking me to remove their brand name from my post. The marketing manager explained they spent so much time, effort and money distancing themselves from Hermès bags to position their company as an independent brand. With sensitivity to the retailer, I've revised the blog removing all mentions of their brand name and bag photos. THE SAVVY SHOPPER wishes this now omitted fine leather bag maker a bright and fashion-forward future.

My follow-up research on Hermès alternatives is complete! For a follow-up blog (and new Hermès' bag vibe recommendations, go here.

 

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Breakfast Quinoa Cereal Bowl

Photo: FreshOfftheGrid

Frankly, breakfast isn't my favorite meal. As long as I consume some sort of protein, I don't care what sits before me alongside my big cup of coffee with milk. I could just drink several cups of coffee with milk and be satisfied. But in the interest of balanced nutrition, I often add a protein cookie or bar. (Oddly enough I favor a savory breakfast of eggs, sausage (or bacon) and biscuits over sweet options despite not being the healthiest breakfast.)

When I was a young child, I wouldn't eat breakfast, so my worried parents made me drink a tall glass of hot chocolate milk (using Hersey's cocoa) and told me I had to drink it before taking me to school. Later they replaced the cocoa with Carnation Instant Breakfast, a product they found at the supermarket. I drunk breakfast in a glass from grade school until I graduated from college and into my 30s if I'm being honest.😁

And yet as an adult, I'm committed to eating healthy food over junk and not skipping breakfast. So, I try to work whole grains, as well as, rotate healthy foods into my diet throughout the week.

So here's a tasty breakfast cereal that takes no time to cook. You can also vary the ingredients, so it's not the exact same breakfast every time you eat it:

My Breakfast Quinoa Cereal Bowl - one serving (and easy to double, or triple, etc.)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Quinoa

A handful of mixed nuts, chopped - walnuts, almonds, pistachio, pecans, etc. 

A splash of milk

1 teaspoon of chia seeds

1 tablespoon of any other multi-grains you have in your pantry, such as Buckwheat or bulgur, etc.

Sweetener of your choice - maple syrup; brown sugar syrup; Golden Syrup; a spoon of brown sugar; honey

Dash of cinnamon

Optional: Fruit of your choice - blueberries, apple, peaches, strawberries

Directions:

1) Toss the quinoa into a saucepan with water. Bring to a simmer. 

2) If you do add another whole grain requiring cooking time, toss it in with the quinoa. 

3) Top with a lip and simmer on medium/low heat for about 13 minutes until the grains are tender. Sprinkle in some cinnamon.

2) You can toast your nuts -- they taste better if you do, yet I often don't. Chop the nuts coarsely on a cutting board and set aside.

Photo: SMEstreet

3) After the quinoa is tender, turn off the heat and toss in the rest of the ingredients: the nuts, chia seeds, milk (as much or as little as you like), or yogurt, sweetener and optional fruit.

4) Stir and pour into a cereal bowl.

A protein boost in a bowl with different textures without much fess. As a bonus only one pot and a bowl to clean up! Unless you simply wait for your pot to cool, that is.🙂

On weekends try this non-alcoholic tisane punch too:

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Happy Halloween 2020

Photo: The Courier-Journal - Bon-a-parte is wearing his mask!

Alas, there are changes for Halloween in 2020. Listen up, all ye shadowy friends!

🕸

Manhattan's town crier has announced: Everybody must stay home this year, inside their own lairs, webs and protective bubbles instead of attending bone-chilling parties and parades with the usual crowds of undead and prey, um costumed people.

Many fiends are unhappy little troopers since they wait all year long for Fright Night and look forward to crossing fateful paths with fresh blood as darkness falls!

But with droplets of  COVID in the air, what can a gargoyle or Grim Reaper do? But go about life and find festive ways to pass the twilight hours in one's milieu.

Time to clean rats out of chimneys and tend to bat projects at home! Thankfully Barton the Bartender, an essential worker, can still offer you bottles of wine at the neighborhood wine shop! Reds are the best sellers at this location! Bring your own bag this year, or you will be charged 5 cents!😱

All Manhattan photos & video shot by Debra Turner as she took a walk.

Family members sit outside of a local haunt to quench their thirst with fewer pedestrians out and about.

Even in a pandemic life has a veneer of normalcy. There remain pumpkins, eye of newt and tongue of dog to fetch at the local farmers' market.👅

Pets must be walked, and couples dress to take an evening stroll.🧛‍♂️

This Halloween, ghouls who are spending more time indoors, can try on uncured heads, or hang upside down to relieve their newfound boredom.👻

           

Dry Bones play peek-a-boo and learn new skills. Face coverings are mandatory to have your fortune told!💀

With no treat-or-treaters to come around this year, phantoms billed as the Cryptkeepers pick up old instruments to play new spooky music within their circle.

🕷

Lucky spectral Manhattanites with brownstones exercise by climbing out, then up and down their windows - 10, 000 steps per day everybody!

Little demons sit on the stoop taking a break from their Zoom classes. Stay out of mischief children, and wash those spindly hands!

Like all mindful New Yorkers, when leaving home for essentials, don't forget to wear your face mask. 

And fly, hang, or stand at least 6 feet apart from other passersby, whether they be living and breathing ... or not. In these unreal times, it could save your life in more ways than one.

A safe and Happy Halloween to Spirits and Readers alike from THE SAVVY SHOPPER!

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The Luxury Goods Market: A Value Shopper Weighs In

Cartier Love and Juste Un Clou bracelets

Like many women I love watching some of the YouTube vloggers of luxury goods. I've even linked a few of the vloggers I like over on THE SAVVY SHOPPER'S sidebar. Great fun watching, yet I marvel at the amount of shopping for luxury goods they do! If you take the tours of their closets, these ladies own so many ultra-expensive pieces of apparel and accessories of the most exclusive brands. They have HUGE collections of Hermès, Chanel, and Dior bags to name just a few + other pricey goods! The value is easily $100,000+ and counting! Totaling a sum many ordinary people pay for a house and car combined!!🏠🚘

Hermès Kelly

Don't get me wrong I understand loving well-made material things, as well as, the buzz one gets from working and saving for a splurge. I, myself, have received or bought a piece of jewelry here and there. First, you get endorphins from the anticipation; then saving up for it; and finally by achieving your goal of buying and owning your desired item!  

Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Rolex

But I lean towards being a minimalist, and I'm a value shopper. In general, I think it best not to let the tail wag the dog, or in other words, not pay for a designer's label in lieu of the true value of gold, leather or other elements. How much are you willing to overspend for status merchandise? Personally, I could never pay such inflated prices for a designer's name. At $12,000+ I'll never own a Birkin bag. A Cartier gold bracelet will always start at $10,000+ higher than a similar non-status gold bracelet without the Cartier name. I always ask, will I enjoy it to the tune of $10,000 more? Frankly, I also wonder who convinced women to wear a bent nail around their wrists, or a bracelet one must either never take off, or suffer the inconvenience of having a 2nd person unscrew it using a screwdriver to remove!? Too much work!

Hermès Birkin

I also know the pack I grew up in didn't buy luxury goods. We had one Coach bag at a time, never Hermès or Dior bags ... and ignorance was bliss. There was freedom in not knowing the scene we were not getting caught up in. If everybody were to buy luxury, the goods would no longer be exclusive, and then how do you justify the big markup?😎

Moreover, I'm not criticizing women who get their adrenaline rush from bags, or shoes, or (fill in the blank) over jewelry. Different strokes for different folks. Jewelry is as much of a luxury purchase (and never a true investment) as a designer bag, or shoes, or dress, etc. 

Of course, bank accounts, lifestyles, and dreams vary, so what seems crazy for me may be nothing for you to spend. 

🌈I always say ... looking is free.🌈 Do you have a luxury item on your wish list? You are not alone if you do!

Stay tuned: I'll write a future blog matching the Hermès Birkin and Kelly bags to their budget-friendly real leather (and legal) cousins for less! Meanwhile here are links to a Chanel inspired classic flap and a bigger option here,  WOC inspired bag here, and my "Rolex" vibe watch here.

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Coffee Syrup for Rhode Island's Coffee Cabinet

In Rhode Island a well-known coffee syrup is sold everywhere that is not easy to find outside of the state. Since I've not visited Rhode Island, I have not come across it. Rhode Islanders often drink coffee milk and a milkshake called Coffee Cabinet also unknown outside of Rhode Island. So let's make it ourselves, shall we? Our weekend drink!

Since Autocrat coffee syrup will be hard to find, we can use the same ingredients to make our own:

Coffee Syrup

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons ground coffee

1 1/2 cups hot water

1 cup of sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1) Make 1 1/2 cups of strong coffee any way you like. I use a Melitta filter drip.

2) Pour the made strong coffee into a saucepan.

3) Stir the sugar into the coffee, whisking to dissolve.

4) Bring it to a simmer on medium-low heat, stirring until the mixture thickens. Takes about 15 - 20 minutes.

5) Add the vanilla.

6) Let the syrup cool and pour into a canning jar. Store in a cool place.

Now we're ready to make a Coffee Cabinet:

Ingredients:

2 cups of coffee (or vanilla) ice cream

2 tablespoons coffee syrup

1/4 cup milk

Directions:

1) Toss into a blender and mix. Add more milk if you desire a thinner milkshake consistency. 

Nobody knows the origin of the name Coffee Cabinet. The coffee syrup keeps for a long time and can be used as a dessert topping. Coffee lovers rejoice!

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