Not for the Faint of Heart

*WARNING* Please gather one paper bag before reading this post.  You will need it to breathe into in a moment.

Jason likes to show me things he finds on the internet.  The other morning he called me to his desk to check out this new children’s clothing collection from Gucci.  I definately like some of the things in the collection and I would dress my precious child in a style similar to this:

But just guess how much that might cost?  Well, I’ll give you a hint, the poncho is over $200.  The “skinny pant” is $265 and the boots are over $300.  The plain white turtleneck?  $195

Here’s an idea, why not buy these items:

Hanna Anderson turtleneck $20

Old Navy skinny cords $20

Emu boots, zappos.com $84

And then make this:

Poncho knitting pattern, ravelry.com

You could probably buy a poncho pretty easily but I like to knit and ponchos aren’t hard.  You would certainly save hundreds of dollars.

Here’s Jason’s favorite look from the Gucci collection:

It’s a real fur jacket and it costs over $2k.  For that kind of money it had better be infused with magical properties that cause it to grow with your kid.

Missoni for Target lookbook

Missoni serving platters

I’ve always been kind of “meh” about Missoni clothing.  It’s always more zigzags and after a while I feel like it all blurs together.  This fall Missoni is releasing a massive collection for Target and I flipped through the lookbook.  You can check it out on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.261915133821363.73304.195794080433469&closeTheater=1

The selection is massive with clothing, housewares, accessories and some unusual items like a bicycle and a patio set.  I’m pretty sold on the housewares.  I definately want the serving platters.  I’m also drawn to the luggage, the scarves and those awesome rainboots.  There is something in this collection for everyone, whether you want to wear Missoni or display it.  I don’t know when a designer has done such a huge collection for Target, it will be interesting to see how it sells.

Acquired Needs

We went to register for baby items today and we both felt kind of overwhelmed.  The store will of course give you a list of everything they think you need for the baby and believe me it is huge.  If you are frugal by nature and a bit suspicious of any “helpful” lists supplied to you by people trying to sell you something you might find yourself in a bit of a panic trying to figure out what you actually need, which we were.  Some of the items were frightening and depressing, and I’m talkin’ to you, breast pump.  Just try to feel dignified and in control of your parental destiny with an electric milking machine staring you in the face.

Nemesis

On the box is a picture of a gently smiling woman, shown from the waist up, completely strapped into this device.  I started to feel a little hysterical for a moment.

Things got better from that point but I spent a lot of time pointing out the totally unnecessary stuff to Jason.  They’d love to sell you baby towels where we registered.  They may be cute but I’m pretty sure the towels I have will dry off a baby.  If they are good enough for the cats…

Here’s another little gem:

Baby bath thermometer

In case you’ve lost all sense of feeling in your hands and body.  My mother used the inside of her wrist and none of us were ever admitted to the hospital.  The baby industry will play upon your sense of uncertainty and fear as much as you will let them.  Yes, babies have more delicate skin but they were bathed in safety for thousands of years before anyone ever tried to sell this guy.  He looks kind of shifty anyway.  I don’t think I’d let him in the bath with a consenting adult, let alone a baby.

Admittedly, I have no child at present.  I have a bun in the oven and a lot of high-handed theoretical parenting notions.  However, like most novices, I’m convinced I know better about some things.  And like the couch-bound football coaches of the world I will keep yelling at the TV screen until I’m blue in the face because I’ve got conviction, baby.  And I’m not going to spend one dime more than I have to on my precious, precious baby.

Heart of Gold

Coming up soon look for some posts relating to some work I am doing with a local band in the L.A. area called Heart of Gold.  I know Tiffany, their keyboard player and one of their vocalists, through work we did together at Glendale Center Theater and we became friends, attended each other’s weddings and so forth.  They were looking for someone to help them pull together a cohesive stage look and last week we met and chatted about their goals and decided to work together.

I’m looking forward to doing some styling and stitching for these talented performers!  Please check out their Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Heart-of-Gold/9781768381