i just want to say that not one, but both of these frightening apparitions appeared in my email in-box over the weekend. it’s enough to put a girl off her cappucino.

i have no idea what’s in the water but honestly, am i expected to wear this madness? i wasn’t that familiar with the 80%20 brand before, and now i know why. and really…michael kors, i expected more of you.

so, i’m actually in the process of writing up some lovely marc jacobs praise, but i came across this sloan dot square tote and had to yell just a little. it’s adorable, no? great color, love the mixed dot texture. and $300…well, that’s pretty reasonable. until you realize it’s PVC.

am i the only person who’s actually a little offended that someone would try to sell me a plastic handbag for $300??

so, you guys know i rarely spend time on negatives. really, fashion is supposed to be fun, not stressful or tedious. and i try to keep you all out of the “business side” of things – i never share when i have a beef with an advertiser, or a disappointing experience with a designer (fortunately, they’re few and far between). but i had to share this story about a store i’ve been dealing with recently.

i got an email from the lovely people at shoptwigs.com recently, asking me to become an affiliate (basically, so that we could work together on bringing you guys discounts, exclusives, etc…it’s good stuff). shoptwigs has always been a very reputable site, known for stocking great designer wares, and they’re one of my first stops when i’m shopping online. so, i was happy to talk with them. we chatted quite a bit, and i got through the application process & got everything all lined up. but they never approved my application. i emailed to follow up, and never heard back. okay….weird, since they solicited me, but fine – i have enough friends.

fast forward to yesterday, when i get an email from someone with a gmail address, telling me she’s a reader of shoppingsmycardio, and she wanted me to let you all know about a discount going on at shoptwigs, which she knew about because a “friend” of hers worked there. she even told me she “scored” a leather jacket with the code.

at first, i was thrilled, and all ready to write up a post telling you guys about the deal. but then it occurred to me…i knew i’d seen her name somewhere before. so i searched my email archives, and sure enough…it’s the marketing rep from shoptwigs that had emailed me way back!

now, if she had just emailed me as herself, telling me shoptwigs was offering this fabulous discount, i’d have been more than pleased to share it with you all (and if you’re really interested in it, drop me an email – i don’t really feel like giving her more press than i need to. it’s only good on see by chloe merch, fyi). but really, to disguise herself as a reader, pretend she doesn’t work at shoptwigs, and even say she “scored a leather jacket” to make it sound more believable?

is it just me, or does this just reak of those awful spam emails that advertise fake designer watches?