Thursday, September 22, 2011

Who Says Fall Has to Be Boring? (Oh, and Don't Buy Acrylic)

From left: Jeans: City Streets, JCPenney; Teal and lace top: Material Girl, Macy's; Rainbow top: Wet Seal; Cherry sweater: Macy's

Not me!  But you probably know that by now, thanks to my broken-record-style autumn-themed rants.  Here are some new clothes that I particularly like, some for cool weather, others not so much, all artfully arranged on my beloved (and summery!) pink polka dot spread.  Worn correctly, they'll jump in the leaves, hop aboard hay trucks, and even hunt for a pumpkin or two.  Just don't slosh any cider on them, or else you'll find yourself trapped in a corn maze.

Sadly, I must crash this fall fun fest to break some disturbing news.  See that cherry sweater peeking out on the end?  As cute as it is, an ugly truth is woven amidst its stripes and berries. It's - brace yourself - 45% acrylic!  Acrylic, for those of you who don't know, is just about the cheapest material out there and pills at the drop of a hat.  You'd think that such an inferior fabric would be reserved for only the lowest of garments, but acrylic's tentacles reach as far as designer pieces.  (The sweater in question listed for $48 at full price!  Although I paid less than half that, I remain indignant.)  After owning many a sweater born of this vile thread back in high school, I vowed to never ever buy anything made of it again.  Then (in a rare spurt of bossiness) I told everyone I cared about to do the same. 

As you'd imagine, such commitment leads to frantic tag inspection during shopping trips, as well as the inevitable disappointment upon discovering that the cutest tops are rife with the stuff.  Still, I stood strong.  Then, after more than a decade of successfully buying only cotton, nylon, and silk blends, I recently lapsed and bought a lemon (er, cherry).  I was so infatuated with this sweater's awesome online persona that I assumed it was a cotton/nylon blend or forgot to check or something.   Before I knew it, I was unwrapping it from the plastic and being mocked by the telltale tag.  I think I'll wear it tomorrow, being sure to enjoy every moment, knowing full well what carnage awaits after that fateful first washing.

3 comments:

Jewel Divas Style said...

I cut all of my tags off because they itch too much. I find a lot of my clothes have poly, sometimes it helps, sometimes it makes the clothes crap.

The Tote Trove said...

I sometimes cut off tags too. And then I want to know how I'm supposed to wash something and think, oh darn, what have I done?

Jewel Divas Style said...

We have the size tag on the neck, and then the care tag down one of the sides. I thought every store did that.