The tale of the denim jacket - Embellish your Clothes for Pennies..

One thing that I really like is when something I make or buy holds a memory or is associated with a funny story. When I look at it, I get a smile and sometimes a little laugh too. Such is the case of the denim jacket.

This story originally goes back a couple of years ago when I attended my first Memory Trends show in Las Vegas. The Hilton hotel we were staying at is host to a clothing boutique - full of gorgeous - my kinda clothes. They are very artsy, unique and not to mention pricey. I did find a pair of denim jeans there that I absolutely fell in love with, but the price was way over my budget at $200. If I had that much cash at the time, I must admit, they would probably be in my closet.

Last year, after the CHA show, a group of us from the show, rented a limo and headed to Hollywood for a day of fun, sightseeing and shopping. I was on a mission for some decorated, embellished designer jeans. I had saved my money....and if the right pair showed itself I would mark it SOLD( and I was willing to spend that $200 for just the right pair!)

After Hollywood, we went down Beverly Hills Blvd on our way to Rodeo drive. Rose and I went into the Louis Vuitton store. This store is just up the street from the hotel made famous by the movie Pretty Woman. You might recall when Pretty Woman tried to shop in several of the Rodeo drive boutique stores, she was shunned. People can be pretty judgemental can't they? Well, such was the case when Rose and I walked into Louis Vuitton. The look on their face was - "You two just don't belong here." No one approached us, no one greeted us and if you are a sales person who works at Louis Vuitton, I so want to say "BIG MISTAKE....BIG MISTAKE", just like Pretty Woman did.

Upstairs Rose and I found a denim set. The jeans had the LV logo bleached all over them and touches of lace decorated the waistline with a touch of lace down along the bottom of the pants. It also had a matching denim jacket. The price? Well, the jeans were modestly priced at $3500 with the Jacket coming it at $5500.00. That's Five thousand five hundred dollars. Honestly, I had to laugh. Who buys this stuff? Okay so I know who...but what reasonable person buys this stuff or would even WANT to spend that much money on a pair of jeans and a jacket? I made the "choice" to shop elsewhere based on how we were treated. However, before we left, I did flip a camera phone picture of it, sadly, that picture no longer exists due to my phone growing legs and running off.

Despite all that...what a great day of shopping, sightseeing and limo riding with a bunch of friends.

The following day my aunts from Hemet came to pick me up for a visit. The first stop.... The $9.99 store. Now THAT's my kind of store! Not because I'm cheap....but because I value my hard earned dollar and want to get the most out of it. Plus, if I find a basic shell, I can always add my own embellishments (I have the Louis Vitton picture remember?) Well...on the rack, was this denim jacket - Not exactly what I had in mind, but it was only $9.99. And it's simple applique's are attractive and not overdone! Whenever I wear it I get tons of compliments literally along with a few laughs when I share my story. SOLD!

This year at CHA I've entered a designer challenge sponsored by Expo International. I'll share that design when I finish (first I have to start it..) But I can tell you, that while I'm designing it I will definately be asking myself....What are the rich people wearing tonight?