TOPAZ HORIZON

Hi, my name is Frances and I'm a shopaholic!

Regular readers of this blog know how much I love to shop. Now before you all write me off as someone who gets into debt for the love of shopping, let me say that I'm quite responsible with my purchases. I never spend money I don't have! And what extra money I do have goes to recently bought goodies like these:

I'm also about to get some seriously chunky platforms from Charles & Keith soon because I want to tower over everyone again. I went through a flats phase last year because I thought ballet flats were comfy and cute. Well, I've changed my mind. I want to be powerful and fashionable again.

In defense of those who are retail hobbyists, did you know that, aside from 4-inch heels, shopping makes me feel powerful? While other people feel power when they lead or abuse others, my feelings of power just involve handing over a wad of cash to the cashier girl and then walking around with these wonderful shopping bags filled with the most wonderful things on the planet. Quite harmless, I say!

It was around three years ago, when I started earning real money, that was when I started enjoying shopping. I remember this one time that I passed by a porcelain shop (yes, dishes!) and saw these elegant cream plates edged in 18-carat gold and covered in white lace filigree detailing. I thought, "Those are truly beautiful. I wish I ate off dishes like that..." Then I looked at the price tag. Then I asked the salesperson how many pieces were in the set. He said 24 pieces of the exquisite dinnerware. Then I looked in my wallet. Then the glorious realization: "OMG, I can actually afford the plates. I can eat from those plates every day of my now fantastic life!!!"


Purchasing power. There's nothing like it. And I hope you, my fellow bloggers, agree! If you do, then you must check out OK! magazine's February issue. May I direct your attention to the yellow part of the cover? I'm very very proud of that part because that's our Confessions of a Shopaholic movie special! The entire OK! staff had so much fun putting together that section. Joanna got a great interview from the show's star, Isla Fisher. She also got the movie's stylist (and stylist to Sex and The City) Patricia Field to cough up these fantastic style-on-a-budget tips. I supplemented the story with a sidebar on "Shopaholic Essentials" like comfy heels (we like Cole Haan's Air platform heels--serious style and serious Nike Air technology!). And because we love Shopaholic's Rebecca Bloomwood, Elaine added a fun story on our favorite silly ditzes: Legally Blonde's Elle Woods, for example.

Can you tell we're so excited about the movie??? Anything that involves shopping is good news to me. After all, there's nothing like retail therapy. Really. There have been times I've felt so bad, I almost didn't want to wake up. But a trip to the mall or an hour on eBay after, and I'm ready to face life again... in stylish new duds, of course! I know it sounds absolutely shallow but whoever said money can't buy happiness clearly did not have much of it! Viva la shopping!



Catch Confessions of a Shopaholic in cinemas on February 18, 2009!