What a bumout when the weekend ends, huh? I had quite a splendid one, which began on Friday night with Amber, two bottles of red wine, and threeFrenchfilms (all great!). On Saturday I had a delicious brunch with Jaime, Andrew, Lucas, and Amber - then, Amber and I swapped some books at Brooklyn's Word shop, went by the Farmer's Market, and ran some necessary shopping errands.
The evening was spent doing laundry and cleaning the apartment; no complaints here as I enjoy solitude every once in a while. (Jesse and Erica were both out of town!) On Sunday Jesse returned, and I made him some delicious pepperjack, chicken, and peach quesadillas. He loved them! Me too! I'm no cook, but they were super easy and I'd recommend it to anyone!
This evening I'll be attending a screening of Scott Pilgrim vs The World, so expect a review!
Oh - by the way - this weekend, I also bought some plane tickets to Chicago this fall...
But the point of this post is that I heard from my Gap contest winnerMichele about collecting on her winnings, and the e-mail was so thoughtful and eloquent I decided to post it verbatim here, along with the photo of her new jeans (which are perfectly combined with some hot platform wedges!) -
I got the card in the mail the other day and went shopping for them during my break yesterday. I ended up getting their new legging jean in true black, which is ridiculous.
I specialize in premium denim at a swanky department store that shall remain nameless, so I'm used to pitching jeans that are twice as much as these to customers, based on the idea that these vendors actually put a lot more thought about cut and fit and fabrication into their final product. I've got hips and a little waist, so it's a rarity to be able to walk into any old chain store and come out with something that fits, flawlessly. That said, I'm totally impressed with these.
These are nice and thin, so the fit is fantastic, but, still, they're not so flimsy that you feel like they're going to dissolve in the wash after two or three wearings. The extra stretch also makes these super resilient, so they'll give just enough while you're wearing them to be comfortable, but'll go right back in the dryer.
The rise is also perfect--just a nip higher than usual and contoured, so it'll sit on your hips without constantly sliding down or gaping in the back, something that's typically a HUGE problem for me. I could really see these working on any number of different body types, which is vaguely miraculous in the denim world.
I'm kind of obsessed with these--honestly couldn't recommend them more highly.
See, aren't Michele's wedges way cuter than those peep-toe clogs on the Gap site?!
Like I mentioned before, I think I'm in need of some more Gap jeans for this fall...Michele looks RAD in these. So, I know one of my readers got a pair of jeans, how was your weekend?!
Speaking of Inception: Tom Hardy is the breakout star here, right? If you were as intrigued you should definitely check out his turn in Layer Cake and especially his acclaimed performance in Bronson(it's currently on Netflix Instant Watch!!).
I'm not exactly up to snuff on the Avengers lore, but I've learned this week that at some point Spider Woman was a part of the gang, and lo and behold, her real name is Jessica (seems like a positive representation at this point!) - so why can't the upcoming Avengers movie, which is being preceded by single-hero installments like Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, feature more female heroes and maybe, perhaps, please even a female-centered prequel? It may be too late now, but if Scarlett Johansson in tight black leather is all they're offering for female avengers, I'll be quite disappointed.
But, also, my not-very-deep research into the Avengers tells me that at some point Wolverine was in it. Meaning - given Hulk's Bruce Banner role has recently been filled by Mark Ruffalo - that there is a chance my entire top five could come together in a movie. The only hold out is Joseph Gordon Levitt; unfortunately, he's on the DC side of things at the moment with rumors of him being cast as The Riddler in Nolan's next Batman film. Tony Stark (RDJ), Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) could meet on screen together someday. And maybe they could get a real Jessica to play Spider Woman? Like, oh, I don't know, me, for instance...I'm sure I'd hold my own amongst those characters...for sure...
And, finally, yesterday while wearing my Gap denim jacket, I realized it had POCKETS. This makes everything better, am I right? Also: it has INSIDE POCKETS. True, I didn't realize any of this the first week I had the jacket, nor the first time I wore it. You think I'd be better at noticing the details! (My feeble demonstration of pocket below - paired with sundress and yellow wedge heels!)
And today, in honor of my way-old feature "If They Mated" (viva la Coco!), I've made one more mash-up of two famous ladies I love (both of whom have been featured in Gap print ads during their careers!):
So the first person to comment with the name of the two actresses mashed up and their e-mail address (so I can contact you!) wins a coupon to get a free pair of Gap jeans at any Gap, GapKids, or BabyGap!!! The coupon is only viable in the United States, however - sorry international readers!
As you may have read on this site previously, ever since Gap revamped the fundamentals of their jeans last year, they've been my go-to store for any denim shopping I may need. I've got three pairs now myself, and they sit on my hips so nice. Truly "Born to Fit"! Looking at some of their newer styles, I think it's time for me to go in for a new pair for the fall...
Comment away! I'll try to be vigilant of the comments and edit this post as soon as someone has won! Good luck!
EDIT - WE HAVE A WINNER!! - my blog readers are so savvy. Michele, first commenter, FOUR MINUTES after posting the contest, guessed correctly with Liv Tyler & Jennifer Garner. I think the If They Mated kind of looks like Denise Richards, no? THANKS FOR THE GUESSES!!
I AM HERE TO ANNOUNCE THE GAP BORN TO FIT HAIKU CONTEST WINNERS!!!
It was pretty exciting to get all those comments, I'm not going to lie. And all the entries were SO rad, it was incredibly hard to pick the winners! Thank you to everyone for entering, and if you didn't win, just know I still loved every haiku and there will be more contests in the future so check back!
Our runner-ups!
Christianna Taylor, a college friend whom I haven't spoken to in YEARS, entered the contest and had this following award-winning haiku:
My jeans conceal two strong legs; sexy with grace and pose; beckoning you.
WINNER!
Alissa Wigdor's haiku had some great rhythm, I liked reading it out loud:
Straight leg skinny jean, Attitude and confidence, Dark wash only, please.
WINNER!
I chose Kaleigh's haiku for incorporating the slogan, and also to answer her question that yes, she will try on these jeans and love them:
Because I am short, All my jeans are much too long. Was I born to fit?
WINNER!
And Matt wins for having three hilarious haikus, and this one for clinching a free pair of jeans:
denim on denim canadian tuxedo nineteen eighty five
WINNER!
And dum dum dum, here's our GRAND PRIZE WINNER - a certain Sonya, whose blog I've been reading for quite some time since she first left a comment here over a year ago -
Jeans, they never lie On your couch Indigo dye. On low, tumble dry.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER!
Woo hoo!! I'm so glad everyone entered and I already can't wait for a chance to hold my next contest. And to the winners: you don't HAVE to, but if you want, get you thems Gap Born to Fit jeans and e-mail me (or blog) about them!! I will share your own thoughts on the jeans - and pics are always fun, too!!
By the way, the rest of the jeans I had left over from the party lasted me enough for ANOTHER party - this time at my parent's house this past weekend and with all my Panamanian relatives. The age range is from 19-70+ and they all loved them! I think that is a true testament to the wearability of the jeans, if I do say so myself. Check them out:
I know I've been talkin' a lots about the Gap, but that kind of happens when you get sent free stuff in two big boxes. I mean, there's not anything more exciting going on right now...okay, okay, except for me getting married THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW.
But for now, I shall announce a contest as I head out of my office, into the weekend that determines a certain foreverness in my own life -
Please write a haiku about jeans. We all have them. I just want a 5-7-5 poem about 'em. They don't have to be about Gap jeans. Also: I like funny stuff. If you can make me laugh with your poem, you get points. Most of you readers know what I find hilarious. And eloquence counts for a lot, too. So, please, be brilliant.
I have the ability to bestow FIVE PEOPLE with prizes in this particular contest. Four runner-ups will get a gift certificate for a free pair of Gap jeans! The grand prize winner will get a gift certificate for a free pair of Gap jeans PLUS a $50 Gap gift certificate!!
LE RULES FOR ENTRY: please leave your poem in the comments below, WITH your e-mail address. You can enter as many haikus as you want, but there will be five separate winners! This contest shall end next Monday night, August 10th, at 11:59pm EST. I'll peruse the entries, pick my five favourites, and contact winners on Tuesday, and hopefully send out the prizes by Wednesday. Because Thursday? I'm heading out on my HONEYMOON! YEAH!!!!
As a bonus, here is Erica talking about the Gap Always Skinny jeans -
Wow! I never thought this blog would get me the chance to hold a party with my coolest girlfriends in which I gave away free jeans! Seriously. Think about that. These sort of things didn't happen before. In the olden days. Sure, my mom had tupperware parties or Mary Kay parties - but this is completely different. This was free swag for my girls, and we got to test out the new Gap Born to Fit denim line!!
I did some serious, classy party planning for this shindig. First of all: I bought six bottles of wine for 13 ladies. Second of all: I brought down my huge bedroom mirror for the visual affirmation of "good jeans" we all needs. Third of all: I made cheese and cracker plates. SERIOUSLY! Fourth of all: I had a party contest.
Let me start from the beginning with my set-up, provided by the Gap -
Those are three types of jeans - the Always Skinny, Real Straight, and Sexy Boot, each in sizes 0-12, with little canvas-y totes that say "Born to Fit" for all the ladies to take home their jeans!
I laid about the food and drinks, as well as popped some "Born to Pop" popcorn and put it in the "Born to Snack" bowl (they are REALLY serious about being born to do stuff!) and I also put out little "Born to..." M&M packages. So cute!
I was also provided with a digital camera and a FLIP CAM HD. Here's the thing though: I can point and shoot pics, and I've been known to get trigger happy with that gadget, but a flip cam?! For my first foray into videographing, I know I have some learning to do. The fact that I tried looking my subjects in the eye made my flip cap "eye" wander lower than face level at times - aka there are some lingering body shots. Luckily, this party was all about trying on jeans, so you get to see how they fit!
But yes, again, I fail at cinema verite - at least for now! I plan on really working on my video skills, and hopefully post more of them in the future!
(picture courtesy of Zan!) Here's me trying to be a steady cameraperson. I'm learning.
Anyway, let me size up the jeans themselves: I think everyone agreed how quality they were. The Gap changed some of the fundamentals of their basic jeans, and I think everyone could tell. Some were even hesitant to COME to the party with free stuff because they already didn't fit into Gap jeans, ever. Lo and behold everyone found a jean that fit!
Okay, almost everyone - Jaime came a little late so there wasn't a jean in her size, and Miss Jesse Lee Denning doesn't fit into a size 0 jean, the smallest size available. Yeah.
She's a tiny one! Here's her and Perry discussing it:
However, Jaime and Jesse Lee did take home a gift certificate for a pair of jeans at a Gap store! Woo hoo!
Lauren Ashley and Perry showing off their jeans and matching outfits!
The jeans were a hit, and I wouldn't be surprised if the next time some of these ladies went out looking for jeans, they'd hit up a Gap. Most of the girls loved the Always Skinny, as it's basically a New York staple. The Real Straight were also very streamlined and slimming, and most of those got snapped up right away. The Sexy Boot jeans were less popular because you either needed Gisele Bunchden's legs or a trusty tailor to hem them. Even my long-legged friends couldn't fit into them unless they wore five inch heels! Here are Lauren Ashley and Christiana trying on jeans:
I think the Sexy Boot are in fact, flattering, but it has some definite length issues. I may just see about hemming a pair for the sake of proving my opinion!
(Photo courtesy of Zan!)Question asking!
So the party continued on a run of trying on jeans for a while, and everyone giving opinions and a lot of remarks on how well the jeans fit on the hip and derrier. I also set up a little contest in which the ladies had to write down the answer to the following question:
The average North American owns how many pairs of jeans?
Cara and Erica tied with their guess so I had a tie breaker!
Who released the first "designer" jeans?
Both guessed "Guess" wrongly, as the answer was Jordache, and then I asked them -
In which year was the first designer jean released?
And [finally] Cara was closer to 1978! She won a $50 gift card to the Gap!
We then got into a very ladies-only, never-leave-the-room conversation which had many of us cracking up and/or staring at each other in horror. Some things have to stay between us. AND BEFORE I FORGET!!! I just want to give a shout out to my lovely guests who endured the humidity that engulfed my apartment on Monday night - Erica, Kelly, Christiana, Jaime, Perry, Zan, Katie, Jesse Lee, Lauren Ashley, Jennifer, Cara - THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY PARTY!!
I'm not going to lie, Perry's booty looked great in the Real Straight.
Katie Brown rockin' it!
Zan!
Christiana & Kells!
Jennnifer rockin' her own new pair.
It was an accomplished night for myself, in terms of being able to throw together a little party - humidity be damned! And it was really cool to be able to spread it around to my friends, too! Don't worry. There's something in store for my blog friends, too!
I wouldn't have been nominated for such a great opportunity it wasn't for this little blog and you that read it...and comment on it (or not!). I hope everyone enters this next contest I've got going! I'll post about it tomorrow, and the "contest" will end next week -- as you may or may not know, I'm getting married on SATURDAY, so I'm pretty busy for the weekend!
French
films (all great!). On Saturday I had a delicious brunch with Jaime, Andrew, Lucas, and Amber - then, Amber and I swapped some books at Brooklyn's Word shop, went by the Farmer's Market, and ran some necessary shopping errands.
(it's currently on Netflix Instant Watch!!).
