All Saints at Bloomies...what fun!

So, as per usual, I was in Bloomies today surreptitiously working (as far as the shop girls are concerned, I'm just another shopper, but between you and me, I was there for a client). I had a half hour to kill before I needed to meet my client, and found my self drawn to the new(ish) All Saints vendor like a moth to a flame. The distressed leather, patinaed jewelry, jewel toned edgy prints, combat boots, all called to me like a siren song. When I saw the masterfully draped cotton plaid dress on a mannequin, I was in a trance. I just had to try it on. Much to my pleasure, hidden inside the dress was an 18th century style heavily boned corset (18th century is more of a flat inverted triangle shape, as opposed to the hourglass shape of the 19th century, FYI). God how I love gentle draping over corsetry, the marriage of flowing volume and constricted silhouette makes me feel...well....good. Moreover, once I put it on, something about the whole look made me feel very Scottish, a la "Braveheart".  And I just happened to be wearing the perfect accessories today: a vintage diamante necklace, my much loved pyramid stud cuff, my corset ring, and piece de resistance: my biker boots.

It was all I could do not to buy the thing, but at $300, in the middle of a recession...I had to resist. Also, the pre-sale at Bloomies ($25 off $100 spent, starting tomorrow), does not apply to this vendor, dang-it. Perhaps it will go on sale later, I'll have to keep an eye out there. Oh, and for those of you who are way too conscious of what size you fit into, be cognizant that All Saints is a British label. So when it says size 8, it really means size 2-4 ish. And this dress in particular runs uber-small. So please don't start dieting on account of this vendor, or you might turn into Posh Spice (read: wayyyyy too small).

OK, I took a lot of pics. Maybe those of you who are not freelancers in the recession may want to unleash their inner road-warrior at All Saints. Go forth and spend!