Waiting for Irene (It Takes More Than A Hurricane to Stop A New Yorker From Shopping)

As you probably know even if you don't live in an affected area, hurricane Irene is expected to hit NYC between tonight and tomorrow afternoon. Coming from Europe and then living for many years in the usually hurricane-free NY, I never quite understood why people living in a zone subject to hurricanes would patiently wait for a hurricane to hit them in the head instead of leaving. After all, if there is a positive aspect in a hurricane it that you know it's coming. Well, now I know that it's not so easy to take such a sudden decision like leaving your home without knowing where to go (the extreme solution would have been for us to fly to Europe fow a week or so) and it is much easier to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.
It was quite amusing so see what New Yorkers were buying yesterday to stock up their pantries in case of major flooding and power outages that would keep them stuck in their apartments for a few days or more. Well, it seems that many are planning on living on a stock of chips because that's what went faster. But don't worry: we have enough food here to last a month and my husband managed to get one of the last flashlights available in the city in case of power outage. We live in an area that isn't at risk of flooding and we live on a quite high floor, so we just have to wait that this thing passes. I hope that in a few weeks or so this will just be one of those memorable experiences that we will love to tell again and again, and will be known as "the summer when the hurricane hit NYC".

Anyway, in case you ARE NOT expecting Irene for dinner this weekend, you might be interested in knowing that the GAP stores are having a 50% off all womens styles today only (this is in-store only and not online, discount is taken at the register and you don't need a coupon). This is a great promo if you were waiting for some discount to buy something but you have to go to a store. They have a couple of very nice dresses right know and with the promo they are quite cheap. Personally, after looking high and low for a dress to wear to a variety of events this Fall, I found what I think is THE perfect dress for my needs. I tried it on the other day but left it at the store because I never buy anything FP at the Gap, they have promos so often that I can wait a few days. But the current promo is unusually high (usually it's 40% off maxi) and when I received the email yesterday I was so pissed that I wouldn't be able to take advantage of it thanks to Irene.
Well, it seems that it takes more than a hurricane to stop New Yorkers from shopping. When I went out earlier this morning for a last trip to the grocery shopping before everything shut down (I cannot count how many times I went to the grocery store in the last two days, but it seems that we always forget something no matter how hard we think) I saw that despite major Bloomberg shutting down the subway system at noon and evacuating part of lower Manhattan by 5 pm, the Gap store, unlike many others, was open! And it was packed! Seriously, who shops for clothes before a hurricane? A lot of people, apparently. I went in (with my hands full of home supplies) and grabbed the last dress in my size, without trying it on as I had already tried it.
This dress, called the Boucle yoke dress is in a blend of acrylic, poly and rayon and if it feels quite cheap at the touch (mostly because it is unlined), it looks awesome on. It runs very small and it was very short in my usual 0, but the 2 was was much more comfortable and definitively longer, even if not a knee-lenght. I like the boucle effect and the fact that it isn't low-cut, as many dresses this season. I don't generally like puff-sleeves but I like them in this dress (I don't feel like a 5 years old):

I paln to make it more ladylike with a bow belt that I have recenly purchased at WHBM:

They also sell a tuxedo jacket in the same fabric. I grabbed it (without trying it on) to take advantage of the 50% off, in case it would make for a nice suit but I think that I am going to return it because I don't like this style much and the fact that it is unlined more of a dealbraker in a jacket for me than a dress. Plus I would need a XS, while they only had a S left:

I can wear the dress with my Zara tweed jacket, even if it has an houndstooth pattern:

I don't know what's going to happen here in the next few days, if I am going to have Internet access or now, just don't be worried if you don't hear from me. To my New York readers and to the other readers who are on Irene's path I say: stay safe and let's hope for the best. I hope to talk to you all soon!