Grandma Claus Strikes Again

Grandma Monkey took me shopping again today at South Coast Plaza. She who pays gets her way! I was more than happy to return to our favorite mall.

My goal today was to attempt to replenish some of the gear Mr. Monkey lost at the end of our South American vacay. Sadly, though, South Coast Plaza isn't exactly a haven for such things. We tried Sport Chalet, but no dice. I am going to have to take Mr. Monkey to REI one of these days to help him rebuild the collection. Sadly, neither our non-existent insurance nor our credit card will cover the loss.

I'd also hoped to jumpstart my collection of running gear. Sport Chalet didn't impress me, but we had better luck at the Nike Store. Here's some stuff I tried.

After I figured out my size, I scooped up a number of Dri-FIT tops, running skirts, modern fit and perfect fit capris, a jacket, and socks.

The running skirts were quite something. I found them far more flattering than shorts. There are actually shorts underneath the skirt-like exterior. I was surprised I liked them so much. I was also surprised I didn't dig the loose-fit capris (which I'm wearing in the last pic in the lower right above). The modern and perfect fit made me look much slimmer!

In addition to apparel, I acquired some Nike Plus stuff.

I have yet to get shoes because I plan to get fitted at a real running store, per my friends' instructions.

After pretending to be athletic, I treated Mama and Grandma Monkey to sliders at Ruby's Diner.

The afternoon was all about Grandma Monkey! She wanted to stock up before going back to Taiwan. We visited her faves, including St. John, Escada, Celine, and Burberry. I would like to report that one St. John hoodie that Grandma Monkey bought cost the same as my 15 items from Nike. Scary expensive.

In contrast, I got this much more affordable little number from J. Crew. Pink. Orange. Argyle-esque. Cashmere. How could I resist?

We'd parked outside of Bloomingdale's, so we gave the store a whirl before calling it a day. And, while I didn't clean out the mall like I did last time, I was happy with my few quality pieces -- Tory Burch slingbacks, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag, Elie Tahari top, Elie Tahari dress, and an MBOC-inspired Andrew Marc coat (only $143, down from $425)!

Grandma Monkey goes back to Taiwan next week with lots of luxury loot in her luggage. Please cross you fingers that she does not suffer the same fate as Mr. Monkey.