ring me up, nordy's

You caught me at a good time. I’m stuck downloading a 4 meg attachment of unknown origin over dial-up. Needless to say, I’m going to be waiting a while.

Since I’m waiting and you’re all waiting with baited breath fro the latest dispatch from Steve-land (har-de-har), it’d be a good time to tell you about my shopping trip to Nordstrom this past Sunday.

As those in the know may have noticed, Nordstrom holds an annual sale when the fall merchandise comes in. All the new fall collections are discounted, and all the older merchandise goes on clearance. The Anniversary Sale has become a tradition for me ever since we started getting Nordstrom stores in clos(er) driving range a few years ago.

On Sunday, I went to the Nordstrom in The Streets at Southpoint in Durham on a commando mission. I have at least once gone into this sale without a plan and spent an ungodly amount of money. Not that any of the stuff I bought was bad or unneeded; it was just a little much. So I studied up what was on sale and planned accordingly.

Armed with my trusty circular, I set out to buy a couple of Smartcare (wrinkle and stain resistant) dress shirts for work and at least one pair of shoes, a beautiful chocolate brown nubuck pair of Rockports. Among my (somewhat nearby) Nordstrom choices, Southpoint tends to be the most Spartan, but it was still Nordstrom, so I went along with it.

I’m a sucker for shoes (shocking), so I decided to go to the Men’s Furnishings department to knock out my work shirt Jones first. Being the Spartan experience it is, Nordstrom at Southpoint had only one Smartcare shirt left in my size on sale. I decided that I could use it. It’s a very pale green point-collar and has a lustrous sheen to it. I almost bought a tie to match, but that tie was $95.00, so I figured I could live without it. Another shirt I saw from the catalog (a badass blue checked model) was not available, so my salesperson Leah offered to order it for me on Monday. As of this writing, she hasn’t gotten back to me, but I can always find it online later at the Nordstrom website.

My next and final stop was the shoe department. Nordstrom loves shoes, so I love Nordstrom. It’s the only department store I can go into and find shoes that fit as a rule. Most everywhere else, the shoes are either ill-fitting or out of my price range.

My Rockports were there and they fit perfectly, but I also found a pair of New Balance sneakers, two pairs of Allen-Edmonds dress shoes, and the most tricked out pair of Sperry Topsider boat shoes I’ve ever seen. Everything together would have cost $700.00, so I pared it down considerably. The New Balances were too similar to what I had already, so I nixed those. The AEs were beautiful, but a little much for my normal dressing, so I didn’t get those either. I couldn’t pass up the Sperry’s though. They had Vibram outsoles, a memory foam-lined footbed and a deerskin lining. They were quite possibly the most comfortable, best-made boat shoes I’ve ever seen.

With that purchase, I reached the extent of my pre-determined spending limit and left a happy camper. I’m supposed to pick up some side money from photography later this week, so I may have to make another trip before the sale ends.