Fashion for Writers

Heels: AU (SOGO department store, Pingtung, Taiwan)

I saw these heels at SOGO this summer and fell instantly in love with them. SOGO actually had quite a few beautiful shoes — in general, department store shoes in Taiwan are better-crafted, more on-trend, and less expensive than what you might find in the average American department store — but this pair was sturdy, had a thick 3.5 inch heel plus front-toe platform, and looked to be in my size (38). 

Alas, when I tried them on, the left foot was slightly bigger than the right. And the 37.5 was slightly too tight. I felt like Goldilocks trying out bowls of porridge, except without the “juuuuust right!” part; and then the saleslady suggested that we put in inserts. She went to her counter, pulled out some inserts, and tucked them in. Ah. Perfect.

But it didn’t stop there. She told me to come back in an hour or two and she would “fix” the shoes for me. When I came back, she’d carefully pried off the shoe linings, glued in the inserts, glued back the linings, and let them dry. Now the shoes look like nothing’s been done to them, and better still, they fit. There was also no charge for this extra service, nor was an extra charge expected of me. (The notion of tipping still barely exists in Taiwan, and tipping in a department store would have been strange, to say the least.)

Thrilled as I was at this excellent customer service, I wondered if I was doing a disservice to her. Was she being paid enough to go the extra mile? Or is it merely that we have different expectations of what customer service is expected to do? Have you ever experienced similar levels of service in an American store without shelling out major ducats? 

Which reminds me of another story, perhaps not of customer service but of the shopkeeper’s mentality of Do Business or Suffer: when I was very young, my grandfather picked me up from the airport and brought me to Shinying. We realized that I had no sandals on the car ride there; instead of waiting till morning, however, my grandfather brought me to the local shoe store, rang the doorbell (this was at about one or two in the morning), and awakened the proprietor, who lived above his shoe store and had been sleeping. Was he angry? Did he beat us with an umbrella? No. He came down, showed us his shoes, and sold us four pairs ($2 each).

Which really brings us to two kinds of customer service: one in which the salesperson is performing an extra task without expectation of favors (my first story), and the other in which the salesperson has a deep personal stake due to the fact that his/her livelihood depends on doing extravagant things like waking up absurdly early to sell some cheap sandals (my second story). In both varieties of salesmanship, the value of customer service seems to be different from what I’ve experienced in the modern-day U.S. consumer experience.

To end on a upbeat note, however, the new frontier of customer service, to me, seems to be Etsy. Because Etsy is so personal and small, every interaction I’ve had with an Etsy seller has been nothing but positive — and a welcome change from either big-box stores or even eBay. I can’t count the number of sweet notes, great conversations, and little stickers I’ve received via Etsy purchase.

Thoughts? 

P.S. Leanne Marshall’s (of “Project Runway” fame, naturally) Bluefly collection has just debuted. I would devote a post to this, but I’m not particularly excited by any of the pieces. If you’re interested, though, see here. 

Chris left for Costa Rica/Nicaragua this morning, which leaves me lonesome, but perhaps more able to get things done without a cute husband-to-be for distraction. I’ve got a pile of books to work on, perfect watermelon to eat, a new Elle UK to read (just to make sure: does their travel edition have the same content as their regular edition?), a novel to write, etc. As I told S. this morning in an email, I’m never bored these days, even if it seems like I have “nothing to do,” what with being out of school and without a job. There’s always something. 

Plus, Puppy keeps me company.

A lot’s been made of schoolgirl chic with the advent of “Gossip Girl,” but what’s a gal to do in her first year of GSI (Graduate Student Instructor) undergraduate teaching? I purchased this punchy lil’ blazer in Taiwan this summer with the intention of classing up some of my more revealing garments; this sleeveless dress is knee-length and simple, yet interesting enough to wear by night, what with its cowl neck and revealed silver zipper up the back. No stockings — Michigan gets awfully hot in early fall — but yes to heels. Please be ready to hear the clack-clack of a nervous first-time teacher as she saunters down the hall.

This bonny beach towel from Target and Art Production Fund, drawn by Elizabeth Peyton and depicting Mr. Sid Vicious, successfully combines many elements of my life for $40 (plus delivery). 

1. I have had a love/hate relationship with E. Peyton since I was about 17, when I mentioned her in my college application essay and someone told me that it was pretentious to mention an artist by name unless it was, like, Van Gogh, and I felt both annoyed and self-conscious at the same time.

2. I am really into the movie Sid and Nancy, largely because of Gary Oldman’s airtight portrayal of Sid*, and also because I am hearts-n-stars over Gary Oldman. It doesn’t hurt that I was obsessed with documentaries about the Sex Pistols when I was younger. 

3. Living in Michigan has made me really appreciate California and its beaches, and who better to rub all over your half-naked body at the seashore than a strung-out punker? 

*Another Gary Oldman performance that kills me every time is his villainous turn in The Professional as a classical music-loving corrupt cop.

I got my hairs cut recently at an Asian hair salon in Mountain View. The woman who works there chatted with me in Mandarin about my wedding date (“18 — a lucky number!”) and went on at length about the great-looking children Chris and I are bound to have. In the meantime, my curls have been effectively tamed. And is there an age at which bow headbands are no longer okay?

I’m presently obsessed with this McQ dress, which is on sale at the moment but still enough money to keep my wallet in my purse. Things I love about it include: the fascinating print (feathers!), zippers on the shoulders, and the silhouette. Mwah. 

As much as I love vintage frocks, one thing that I can’t turn down is a good white tee-shirt. I’ve run the gamut from Hanes’s Men’s ComfortSoft to Kova & T to the standard American Apparel, and I have to say that my obsession with a perfect plain white tee continues to this day. It’s about a certain amount of sheerness, combined with a great cut and a floaty softness that caresses the skin. Though I’m still on the hunt for the tee of my dreams, I love to wear the ones I have with puffy skirts; I love to wear them with slim-fit black trousers; something high-waisted and fancy goes great with the classic simplicity of something slouchy and soft. And the slightly see-through nature of such a tee gives the perfect amount of sexy when choosing undergarments.

Designer web-store Chickdowntown and FFW have teamed up to give one lucky reader an Elizabeth and James deconstructed white tee (retail: $90). (Other designers Chickdowntown carries include Loeffler Randall and McQ Alexander McQueen.)

Make sure to check out:

http://twitter.com/chickdowntown http://www.facebook.com/pages/chickdowntowncom/

RULES: 

1. Comment on this post with a brief description of your favorite tee-shirt. Things you might mention include where you found or bought it and what makes it great. Make sure to include some sort of name and email with the post so that I can hunt down the winner.
2. Due to the nature of the prize, this giveaway is restricted to those living in the U.S. ONLY.
3. The giveaway will run from July 3-July 18, 2008. (12 PM PST.) 
4. One entry per person, please.
5. I will put the entries in a hat (probably a real hat) and draw the winner after the giveaway is over. 

Good luck!