A Crime of Fashion: The First (er, Second) of Many Infractions

Yesterday I broke my most sacred of shopping rules.  I bought an acrylic sweater.  A 100% acrylic sweater.  With a credit card.  And it wasn't even that cheap, at least not as cheap as an acrylic anything should be two weeks after Christmas. 

So, what brought on this rebellion?  (Or maybe some of you are asking a different question, namely, "What's this woman talking about?"  This post will clue you in.  Provided you haven't given up and wandered over to some other blog.)  I'm going to blame nostalgia and the ingrained need to buy myself a treat (or two) after a routine doctor's check-up.  The nostalgia comes in because I was at the Hillside Heights Mall (not its real name), or as it's now known, Slick City Square (also made-up), which was the first mall of my childhood and therefore the site of many a prize picking.  Although the new Square is elegant, the Macy's (which began life as a Strawbridge & Clothier) is light on stock and haunted by overzealous salespeople.  (Actually, the salespeople are kind of charming, even if they do overstep their boundaries in the way of quaint boutique owners.)  What I'm trying to say is, there wasn't a whole lot to choose from.  So when I saw this brightly colored zigzag-print sweater, my spirits rose.  Until I looked at the tag, that is, and discovered that it was wrought entirely of the evil A-word.  Annoyed, I put it back and made my rounds through the rest of the store.  But there was nothing.  So I returned to the sweater and reconsidered.  The fact that I was already wearing the very same half acrylic cherry-emblazoned sweater that first broke me (which, by the way, is holding up pretty well even after a washing) seemed to tip the scales in the new piece's favor.  Coincidence?  I think not.  I snapped it up, along with this navy and chartreuse striped tee.

All things considered, I think I made the right decision.  I love both pieces and am looking forward to wearing them apart, together, and with countless other things.