{ the jaunty magpie }

The Magpie sadly missed the ringing of the holiday retail bell this weekend due to a post-Thanksgiving cold that knocked her out for several days. Boo!!! Not that this Bird had any plans to brave the malls on Black Friday, but she was at least hoping to attend the I Heart Indie Holidays event in Kirkland, which by the way, I really and truly hope it was a fantastic success.

The time spent at home put the little gears to work in my bird-brain, and while I will continue to wave the flag of independent crafters and artists, I understand that holiday shopping can be a stressful time. Sometimes we just need a one-stop-shop to find that special something, whether it's for others or ourselves. Given our busy schedules, online shopping is the way to go, so I've decided to "test drive" some popular online sites to see what Jauntiness can be put together by staying on a single site.

Holiday party coming up? A tree lighting ceremony and then a short walk to a festive dinner with friends? The events abound this time of year, so this Bird took to the interwebs to give Zappos a browse, putting together a complete outfit, from head to toe (minus undies, but they do sell those, too). Things I like about Zappos: free shipping, which is great if you're not sure on size (buy multiples of an item and return what doesn't fit); they have a 365 day return policy; orders up until 1pm PST on 12/23 have free shipping and guarantee delivery by Xmas; they have a wide variety of items from clothing, jewelry, accessories, to beauty items; and they have high-end designer labels from Alexander McQueen, to mid-range Kate Spade, to affordable Nine West -- they have a "$50 and under" price range search. Things to keep in mind while shopping Zappos: have a list or a good idea of what you're looking for, as their inventory is expansive and can be overwhelming. I've always thought their search was more clinical than other sites like department stores or online stores like Piperlime and BlueFly, which try to hold the online shopper's hand a little with product articles and features. I would look to magazines or other research to first get an idea, and then use Zappos as a resource to make the purchase once you know what you need.

That was how this Zappos-created outfit was created; this Bird created a Fancy scenario in her mind of a stroll downtown to admire the holiday lights, finishing the night off at a favorite restaurant for some cocktails and dinner: {1} Lilly Pulitzer Eileen jacket in vanilla, {2} Calvin Klein stud detail sweater dress in charcoal, {3} Juicy Couture flower headband in black, {4} MICHAEL Michael Kors short leather Astor glove with zipper in cream, {5} Juicy Couture opaque tights in cerise, {6} Penny by Steve Madden, purple clutch, {7} Fiona by Kate Spade, purple satin/flame red satin bow flats. The bow-topped Kate Spade flats were the starting point of this outfit, and the Calvin Klein dress is both festive and subtle, requiring no jewelry with the adorned neckline. If this Bird were to purchase every item on this list, it would come to a grand total of $660.95. Not an inexpensive purchase, but the main items here are investment pieces, and can be used for non-event wearing. No single item went over $200, so that gives you an idea of the price ranges on Zappos site, and keep in mind they always have items on sale.