I have a day off so instead of doing the dishes I’m surfing for cheesecake and Betty Page pictures and happen accross The Barefoot Contessa. My Christmas shopping - at least a few things for GF - is complete. Any website that has step by step instructions for the correct way for a woman to frolic barefoot in a public fountain knows what my main squeeze wants in her stocking. …At least I think so.
Lovley ladies of SD, do me a favor and check out the site’s shopping page. Please let me know if after nearly forty years I’m either (A) finally getting a clue about what women find cute, or (B) still a complete dumbass when it comes to the opposite sex. I was going to go with the oriental slippers, some lavender scented olive oil soap and a siberian husky figurine (She adores her husky Sasha).
Huh. I did follow instructions and look. Oh, all right then, I’m not a lovely lady, but I looked at the shopping thing. Eek. Yuk. I’d say they are very clever, marketing their stuff in a way that allows buyers to feel that, because it is presented in a sort-of-joking way, it’s all frightfully post-modernist, ironic wit. Oh, I think I forgot to say “yuk”. And it is all so wonderful that one should buy whatever-it-is anyway, even if they cannot indicate what colour, because “it is sure to be delightful”. I think I forgot to say “yuk again.”
Padeye, surely you are having a jest with us? Their things may be of good quality for all I know, but I think you must be trying to extract the Michael from the teeming millions here; it just seems like such a tyring-to-be-fun-but-missing-by many-miles shopping site. Darling, it’s simply ghastly.
Really, I think I’d prefer the husky.
Actually, for the sake of goodwill, you may ignore the foregoing, as December always reminds me of the need to be cynical.
There’s something about the site that I thought was very cute. The problem, I think, is that different chicks dig different things. Is your GF the type that likes to wear rhinestone studded cats eye sunglasses for a lark? Has she ever been tempted to make calling cards like Holiday Golightly’s? If you gave her one of those candy necklaces, would she wear it? I think that would describe the target audience of the site.
Beware of the slippers. They just look like the sort of thing that looks cute in the picture but looks cheap in person. I think this would be a hard thing to buy for another person – it is more of a impulse buy that a chick might make for herself, if she were in a whimsical mood, and the quality was good.
Soap. I would say usually a safe gift in any circumstance. Some chicks like to use scented soaps. Other chicks find scented soaps too harsh to use on their skin, but in that case, it can be put in a drawer as a freshener.
Dog Figurine. This is supposed to be tacky on purpose. Since she likes huskies, she may like collecting all sorts of husky-themed things, in which case this would be a sweet little gift. If she collects neither little dog figurines, nor quirky toys, I would pass on this. If you are not sure, you could make it a “gift” for Sasha and give her the figurine and a packet of doggy treats. Then GF can have the option of liking the figurine or taking it as a hilarious joke. (“Awww, where did you find this cute thing?” as opposed to “Ha ha, where did you find this awful thing?”)
I’d pay $10 for those slippers. I’m not sure I’d get those on-line. You can’t tell if the beads are ready to fall off. But then again it might be the bargain of the century. You just can’t tell. How easy is their return policy?
The soap, again, I can’t smell it on-line. The scent is the important thing. Many perfumes burn my nose, make my eyes water, and break my skin out. But I’m the sensitive type.
I love the Husky! Find me a black lab like that and [in 4 year old’s voice] I’ll be your best friend.
I’m a luddite: I suggest actually going to a real-life store and picking stuff out.
Want to get her pretty embroidered slippers? Steal one of her shoes, take it to a store that sells embroidered slippers (try one of those oriental groceries - often they have chopsticks and curios and things like this). Then hold the shoe up against the slipper - that way you know you’re getting the right size. Remember to put her shoe back.
Want to get her scented soap? Check her deoderant and lotion and stuff. If it’s all unscented, then she might have an allergy to scents. If she uses perfumed toiletries, you’re in good shape. Then go to the store and sniff the soaps, find one that you like. Some scented soaps are kind of nasty - you definitely want to do this in person.
Those little brocade notebooks and diaries are kind of nice, but once again, I’d go pick one out myself. That way you can see if it’s falling apart at the seams, and at least you can get the color you want (sheesh) and can get a matching pen.
Sometimes, with chicks, the gift itself isn’t as important as knowing that you went to a little effort. Chicks do dig that.
As delphica noted, chicks are different. The site was definitely not my cup of tea; however, I am not very “girly” --I mean, I’m definitely a girl but I’m not into girly-type stuff. So for me, I would probably not care for the slippers but I might like the silly dog figurine because I am amused by kitschy stuff like that. I have a housemate, on the other hand, who is ultra-girly (she’s into Barbie) and would probably love that site. So what you need to think about is, does this stuff go with her personality? If she addresses her girlfriends as “darlings,” then you’re definitely on to something.
It’s a cute site but what a strange variety of merchandise! I’d probably play it safe and go to a real store though. The diary and slippers are pretty, but like others said, the quality might not be good.
If you get her that husky, I’d buy something else with it, because that doesn’t seem like a lot (I have one of those bobbing-head-dogs, and I find them to be charming).
