I guess I am the last to post about the Seattle Shoptember Inge Fest. In my defense I can say that I did not get home until late Tuesday evening and just did not have any strength in me to write right away.
Actually others have already wrote about it in so many details that I don't know if I can add anything new... I still feel overwhelmed and cannot believe this long wonderful weekend really happened...but I have a bag of goodies to prove that it did!
There was so much excitement that all those 4 days feel like a blur with some random details popping into my head:
- delicious PB&J bon-bons we shared at lunch on Friday - YUM;
- orgy of tall boot boxes in our hotel room and Deb and Vicki who had to endure my boot fashion show;
- Cheesecake Factory where Aida and I ordered green tea and were given bags of...mint tea - hey, it is still green, right?
- Waiter in Ivar's on Saturday night who came to check if everything is OK with our group because we were suddenly quiet for 5 min (and asking Ruth (bj1111) to keep it going);
- Aida and I walking to her car in our matching plaid jeans outfits on Saturday night after dinner and at least 3 guys on the street asking us if this is a twin day;
- SA in Madewell store telling me to size down on a pair of jeans and Angie frantically shaking her head "no" in silence behind her back;
- getting lost in philosophic discussion with my (best ever) room mates Vicki and Deb and quite forgetting that I wanted to go out and do some sightseeing before the lunch;
- Deb leaving for the airport on Monday morning and looking very snazzy in a burgundy hat, burgundy skinnies and striped man coat;
- Trying my first ever raw oyster and surviving the experience...

It was a wonderful weekend. There was a ton of shopping of course but most importantly there was a sense of connection with all these women I have never met before but felt like I know them already really well and they are not strangers to me. It was an amazing feeling of connection and camaraderie which still gives me warm fuzzies all over.
..and then there were Angie and Inge of course - the real stars of this amazing event. I have met Angie in person twice before that every time I am amazed again by her remarkable personality. She was able to make every single person in this 30+ group to feel welcome, managed to spend some time with everybody and ensure nobody felt uncomfortable. This is a real super power!
And Inge is a real gem too: kind, attentive, charming, elegant - and handing out Belgian chocolates on top of this! Inge, I love you and I am so happy I met you in person at last!

And here is my loot for all to enjoy. The footwear was ordered beforehand (in much bigger quantity I must say) and this is what stayed. I also considered to keep a pair of purple wedge pumps which were lovely. However after I strategically wore them to Ann's cocktail party I realized that they are too narrow for my feet and not comfortable so back they went
I also agonized over selection of black booties (I had 2 more pairs on consideration) but these UGG Chelsea booties won for comfort, streamlined look and potential to be worn in colder weather (thicker sole and sheepskin footbed).
I am thrilled with Blondo tall boots. They are waterproof, have a thicker sole to keep my feet warm in winter (but without a chunky look), have warm lining and look quite dressy. The heel height is manageable and 0.5" platform makes it even more so. I wore them on my 12 hour trip home and they passed the comfort test with flying colors. At last after 4 year hunt I found my dressy winter boots!
I am a white shirt twin with Inge, black D'Orsay flat twin with Natalie and hopefully will be cream culotte twin with Aida. I am still not decided if I should shorten culottes for a couple of inches or wear them as is - they are quite long... need to ponder more!
Angie ordered me to buy these Madewell straight jeans and I am so glad I listened! I wore them on my trip home with the tall boots. As I was coming out of the elevator in my hotel wearing these jeans and a white tucked in shirt I did a double take seeing myself in a mirror: it took me some time to realize it was my reflection! I was so used to wearing mostly oversized bottoms all spring and summer due to my weight loss that I quite forgot how does it feel to war tailored clothing. Thank you Angie for being your usual bossy self!
I also got 2 pairs of Express trousers for work. I need to let them out and taper on the bottom before i can model them for you but they also got Angie's approval
There was one more purchase I could not find on Nordstrom website - long sleeved sheath dress by Maggy London. Angie made me size down so it is not a real midi on me but just covers my knees. I may wear it to work tomorrow and take a picture for you
Thank you Angie, Greg and Inge for making this long weekend so special!
Thanks to all YLF members who attended it and created that special atmosphere we all enjoy on YLF forum.
And thanks to all YLF members who cannot attend but who added to the festive spirit with their comments on the forum threads!
YLF rocks!!!!!