Those Were the Days . . .

At three weeks, I'm now a working girl, officielement. Though I'm incredibly happy about this, I'm going to indulge in a nostalgic look back at my last day of pre-employment freedom by telling you the story of all the lovely things I did on that glorious day, and of course, all the lovely things I bought.

I set out on a crisp, crystalline morning (in those days, if you recall, "morning" meant 11 or so) towards the Lower East Side, trawling the shops and just poking around, semi-aimlessly. I was excited at the prospect of finding hidden treasures in the very 'hood I avoid like the plague on Saturday nights, for it's an entirely different and rather enjoyable place if I'm not sandwiched between Bridge and Tunnel at a crowded bar or enduring the sight of overdressed young ladies drunkenly flagging down taxis. In the quiet, I discovered that the LES must be incredibly hungover in the mornings, as it doesn't like to wake up early either -- neither Dulcinee nor Edith Machinist were open until after noon.

I decided I'd have to get my vintage boots fix after a leisurely (albeit very early) lunch, so I headed over to Bruschetteria, where I was the only customer. They lavished so much attention on me that it kind of felt like my birthday in there. I pronounced both food and service glorious, and headed down the way to Foley & Corinna to find a sweater coat I'd fallen in love with. I was ecstatic to discover that they had just one and happily handed over the plastic while trying to pry my eyes away from their enticing jewelry display. I couldn't go overboard, as there was damage left to be done. Onward, to the boots!

I had no luck at Dulcinee this time, but I put down my contact info, should any size 7 1/2 vintage Ferragamos come their way. I probably spent over an hour at Edith Machinist before finally walking out with a great pair of red leather boots, which I've been wearing like they're some sort of hopeless addiction. I decided that with the way my luck was going, I should just steer clear of the rest of the shops and focus on making it home safely, lest I give in to the kinds of impulses one should not be having before the first paycheck has landed in the checking account.

And I almost made good on that responsible thought. I was mere blocks from home when I ducked into American Apparel to replace my standard white beater, and ended up, as always, walking out with everything from underwear to winter gear. A live DJ was spinning and the NYU crowd was out in force. One of them tried to sell me her gift card.

Oh, broke students. You can no longer count me among your ranks.

Foley & Corinna Military Sweater Coat, $468 @ French Corner SoHo. Sadly, the photos don't do it justice -- you have to try it on.



You can't have mine, but here are a pair of reddish-brown boots available on Etsy for just $63.

American Apparel Micro Mesh Low-Slung Undies, $11.
Photo credit: 1-2) www.frenchcornersoho.com 3) www.etsy.com 4) www.americanapparel.net