Customer Service is Key

I was unintentionally rude last night to a sales associate at Banana Republic. But, in my defense, he wasn't very clear in what he was saying and then after I gave him an attitude, he gave me an attitude back! Well, not for nothing, but I worked in customer service once upon a time and isn't the customer always right? You can't be snippy with a customer. You're representing your place of work. Well, here's the scenario…

I ordered the fabulous yellow dress from my previous post and it was way too big on me. So I went to exchange it for a smaller size. I was very excited that they had the size I needed and went to the cashier to make my even exchange. I told him that I just needed to switch the sizes - it was clearly the same dress, same color. He said OK and took my receipt. All of a sudden he says a number and waits for me, as if to give him my credit card. I looked at him, puzzled, and said:

What do you mean I owe you money?
Well, you purchased the dress from the online store and the online store is different from our store. You can only process returns here.
Well, that's quite ridiculous! Forget it then! (I say this, kind of surprised and angrily, because why can't you just switch the size?!)

The whole problem here, by the way, was the fact that I had gotten the dress on sale and now the dress was back to full price. So when he said how much I owed, it seemed to add up to the full price of the dress. He responded to me:

I don't really understand what you think is ridiculous exactly? (He said this with attitude.)
Why would I pay you more money when I've already purchased the dress? Then I'm paying full price for it!
No, I'm taking the exact price you paid and charging you the same price. I have to return the dress and then have you re-buy it. (He said this as if this was understood and looked at me like I was an idiot!)
Well, you actually didn't say that to me. It makes sense now and that's fine then.

I didn't know how to respond to all this! I may be an avid shopper, but I'm not completely aware of all the technicalities of every single store. Had he explained to me that he needed to return it first and then have me re-purchase it, there would not have been a problem. However, he decided to go ahead and do this without informing me and assumed that I would just swipe my card. I felt that he was taking advantage of me at this point and that is why I got so upset.

As he completed these TWO transactions, I was slightly mortified. Jess was with me and she kind of started laughing. She had to walk away and I'm glad she did because had we made eye contact I would have lost it! I really hadn't meant to be a grouchy customer, but he was not very clear!! Next time, he should explain what he's about to do and not give me an attitude back. Clearly, this Banana Republic employee was not instructed on etiquette!

A Yellow Sale

I know I've spoken about yellow before and my inability to really pull off the color (not to mention my love of black), but I'm so attracted to so many yellow fashions this season! The one that really got me excited was this Banana Republic dress I woke up to in my email (and btw, BR is having an awesome dress sale where all of their dresses are $98 and under!).

Now, I know they have the dress in black (and by all means I love the color), but something is so inviting about this yellow dress. For accessories here, I suggest perhaps a black statement piece or something that will stand out. This is especially true for me due to the fact that my complexion is so light. I should be wearing the dress; the dress should not be wearing me.

5 Things About the Gym

I do my best thinking at the gym. I also am able to make some observations about what's happening around me. And I can't for the life of me understand the following:

1. Why do women wear makeup to the gym? Did you know that when you sweat and you wear makeup that your pores get nice and clogged? When this happens, you are more prone to acne and blackheads and really, who wants to give those little suckers any excuse to make a nice little home on your pretty little face?

2. Why would you wear a velour tracksuit to the gym? Don't you get hot with that long-sleeved winter ensemble on? Wearing your finest Juicy doesn't really scream gym-goer to me.

3. How could you have a really good workout when you're talking on the phone? The girl talking loudly on her Blackberry on the machine next to me would have been kind of irritating last night had it not been for my iPod. Through my peripheral vision I noticed her talk on three different calls in the span of my 45-minute workout on the arc trainer.

4. Don't you get hot when you wear your hair down at the gym? I don't know about you (and not to be TMI here), but I tend to sweat when I'm at the gym. If my hair were on my back (well, it's short now), I'd be disgusted and would probably get hotter!

5. I have found it's harder to have a workout buddy if you're just going to be doing machines. I like to go at my own pace. But I've seen lots of people in groups of four and five wandering around the gym, glued to each other. Are you sure you're getting the most out of your workout? Maybe you are - I just would feel overwhelmed having to keep tabs on so many other people.

Isn't the point of the gym to really get your adrenaline pumping and give you a few extra calories to play around with throughout the day? I think it is. That's what it is for me anyway. This isn't meant to be judgment at all (after all, I go to the 'Judgment Free Zone' and am just getting back on the gym train, myself), but these are just five things I saw last night as I watched the many people walking around.

Staying Alive in Season Five!

We've begun the book again and the rest remained written for the cast of The Hills last night. Situations could not be so awkward without a little bit of intervention by the MTV producers. But this is what keeps me (and millions of others) watching. And we are off and running on Season 5 - the alleged last season for Lauren. Here are some of my observations, in no particular order:

• Heidi was clearly dressed for New Year's Eve.
• Lauren's comment to Stephanie and Lo about who invited Heidi was deliciously devilish. It was equally hysterical when Lauren confronted Stephanie as she picked out fabric. Totally bitchslapped!
• Just because you're texting with your frienemy doesn't mean you should show up to her birthday. And clearly you guys can't be friends.
• Lauren cries in almost every episode.
• If you hate someone and make it known and then do something obviously dumb in front of them, do you not think that they are going to rat you out for it? Ahem, Spencer and Cameron. The fight made me laugh heartily.
• How could Stacie the bartender not know that Spencer had a girlfriend? Does she live under a rock? Those two are huge on publicity (not to mention the camera that was already in The Dime when Heidi walked in).
• Spencer is still in the mood to make Stephanie his "un-sister".
• Holly was at Lauren's party?? I only realized this when I saw the second show's "Last time on The Hills..." Do we not think there would have been some sort of confrontation between her and her estranged Barbie sister?
• The Crested Butte dinner with Heidi, her mom, her stepfather, and her (surprise!) ex-boyfriend Colby was so awkward that it was fabulous. I was seriously cringing.
• I love that Heidi's mom listened to her daughter when she told her that Spencer got into a fight and then used it against her when Heidi tried to make Spencer look good with his purple belt in Ju-Jitsu. Classic!
• Did anyone else feel like Spencer looked like a Ken doll gone wrong?
• Do people think that when they lie on this show, they aren't going to be caught when the truth is clearly on camera?

Oh The Hills, how you continuously suck me in! Of course I'll be glued all season, waiting to see what kind of drama unfolds next. And I'm sure I'll share it with all of you too!

What were some of your observations last night?

Back to Black

I love adding a little color here and there, especially when spring comes around. But there's just something about black that intrigues me.

Black is a staple. I'm sure you've heard of the little black dress before. Now, why does every woman need a little black dress hanging around in her closet? Because in a pinch, no matter where you go, you can either dress said dress up or down with accessories. Say you're invited to an event at the last minute and need something to wear. Your little black dress is like old faithful - always there to serve you. You can dress up your black by adding a belt, a pair of red shoes, some costume jewelry, or perhaps a blazer.

When I wear a distinctive shirt, I love it. But when I think about it, there aren't many other places I can wear it. There are only so many times you can wear a distinctive shirt (yeah, I'm looking at you Bebe) with the same group of people, so these might need to be something that I spend a little less money on. But black is totally worth it. You can wear it so many different ways - not many people would realize you're re-wearing things.

Black is not just the color of funerals - it's necessary in your everyday wardrobe. And you wouldn't wear statement pieces to such an event, but can definitely outdo yourself when you're out on the town. And with all this black in my closet, I never seem to have anything to wear! Go figure!

Photo: Just a little example of a black dress and a statement necklace. Here, JCrew.com's Lorelei dress (on sale for $78) and Primrose necklace ($115).

Give Me Them Bright Lights, Long Nights...

"The most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you that you love... well, that's just fabulous." - Carrie Bradshaw

Diane von Furstenberg attempted to be Carrie last night on the season finale of The City and it bugged me a little bit just because she sounded wise, but a die-hard SATC fan like myself knew that she "borrowed" this line. However, I did enjoy the little conversation Diane had with Whitney. It was endearing and it made the face behind the entire collection seem more real to me. But I guess that was the point. In any case, after faithfully sitting through the entire season of The City, my initial impressions of the characters are pretty much the same. And through my experience with this show and The Hills, I always watch the show thinking, "Did they force this situation to happen?"

I really don't like Alex because I think he's a player and he's very shady especially when it comes to Allie. And to go to Erin's place of employment and yell at her is quite uncalled for. What I don't understand is why someone would continually try to beg someone to stay with them when they just go behind their back and cheat on them anyway. Here's your out. Leave the girl alone and let her get on with her life. But no, they are back together.

Olivia sucks more than ever and really treats Whitney so poorly. At first I thought she was absolutely gorgeous but a bitch. Now I think she's just a bitch because that kind of behavior makes you so so ugly. I do think, however, that Whitney needed to stand up for herself more and defend her work. Just because you have cameras following you around all the time doesn't mean that you can't stand up for yourself. But in any case, Olivia only scored that London gig because she was sucking up - she clearly messed that meeting up last week, making up a work like "multipletude" - what is that?!

I never liked Jay. And all of a sudden here he is standing just outside Whitney's office. First of all, that's completely selfish because she is at a work function and needs to be there schmoozing with her colleagues. Second of all, do you really think that you can just come back and swoop in like nothing happened? Before, you needed to be alone. But now because you don't want to be alone and you realize you love Whitney you think you can just come back and win her over? Thank goodness Whitney said that she needed to focus on her career and kudos to Lauren for using her own experience with Jason and telling her that she needed to do what she came to New York to do, which was not to look for a boyfriend.

Let's see what happens, but I mean a lot of people are on these shows because they want publicity. It is rather convenient that Jay is a musician going on tour who happens to be on an MTV show dating the main character. Just saying…

But both Carrie and Diane have something in common - they believe in themselves and love themselves (and fashion) a whole lot!

The Top 5 Red Carpet Winners

I loved parts of the Oscars the other night. Others were kind of a snooze, but that always will happen. I really loved that past winners came out to present the nominees with a little speech. It was personal and gave the audience members who may not have seen their respective roles an idea of why they were nominated for their characters. And I really enjoyed Hugh Jackman's opening number. Sure, it was a little Broadway-like but hey he's been in a show before and it was certainly entertaining (not to mention the little number with Anne Hathaway!).

However, my fave part of the night? The fashion, but of course. Below I recount to you my top five picks.

5. Penelope Cruz



I used to hate Penelope. I think it was during the Tom Cruise days - remember those? Yet, through the years she really has grown on me. Maybe it's because she's made so many good films with Pedro Almodovar (hey, I took a film class when I studied in Spain). Penelope's makeup looks flawless and her hair is perfectly swept up to go with her dress. But look at this white dress. It's gorgeous - the way it falls and its cut. And I love the sweetheart neckline. The dress was vintage Balmain - 60 years old! Penelope bought the dress eight years ago but never wore it because she wanted to save it for a special occasion. This was definitely it, as she was the one to take home the Best Supporting Actress award!

4. Natalie Portman



I've always loved Natalie. She's so classy and a very versatile actress. Although she was not up for an award, she was still a presenter and certainly brought her A-game to the red carpet. In her beautiful fuchsia Rodarte dress she was glowing. This dress says "Party!" to me for sure. Another sweetheart neckline further sells me on Natalie's gown. I probably wouldn't have picked that hairstyle, but I don't personally like to put all of my hair up like that. All in all, she's my number four girl.

3. Anne Hathaway



Who knew Anne had such a great voice?! And she has fantastic taste. She was just radiant in her white, strapless Armani Prive gown. It shines and sparkles just like the actress. And even though it seems to have a lot of detail, it doesn't seem as if it was that heavy, giving the Rachel Getting Married-nominated actress room to move down the red carpet.

2. Jennifer Aniston



In a similar shiny gown, with a bit more detail was Jennifer. I've always loved Jen since the days of Friends and despite all the negative press she's been getting, she really was able to shine. She was so classy in her metallic Valentino. If she was trying to outshine Angelina, well she definitely did. Jen's hair looked great (I love wavy looks) and she was able to show off her great body in that dress. She looked absolutely flawless. Team Jennifer!

1. Taraji P. Henson



I had never heard of Taraji until the night of the Oscars, but she deserves the top award from Simply Fabulous because, well, she looked simply fabulous! Her hair is what I aspire to have my hair look like - the swept bang, the angled bob. It was just perfect! I also was in love with her jewels. They were so different and are definitely going to be in style this season. And her dress was Roberto Cavalli perfection. The material flowed nicely, the train was just long enough, and the ruffles were oh-so-chic. I am obsessing over the complete package that is Taraji. I will definitely try to emulate her hair the next time I go to see my hairdresser!

Sidenote: I really don't like Angelina Jolie - I still don't know what people see in her "beauty". But I will say that I loved her green earrings. Gotta give credit where credit is due…

I can't wait until the next carpet!

Photos: Wireimage