Moommmyyyy, Do you Looooove meeeee??

I enjoy placing the blame on other people.

Michelle!
What?
Did you eat just the caramel out of the ice cream???
NOOO. Dad did it!!!

Michelle!
Yeaaaa?
Did you eat the rest of the portugese pastries?
Nope, definitely Mom.

Of course, I like placing the blame on people even when it doesn't involve food, too.

Which I why today I am blaming 3 different parties: Eva Levy, my carte bleue and my parents. In that order.

Eva, who has the best taste of anyone I know (even if it is a bit questionable at times), really likes (liked?) the designer Erotokritos. Several years ago, she came bearing a skirt from that line for me, as a gift. I liked the skirt but didn't think anything of it.

Here is where the problem lies:
Wednesday started the first day of sales, here in Paris. Sales are a BIG THING. It is the only time (well, twice during the year) that stores are allowed to unload stuff at near-loss prices. This obviously is my favorite time of the year.

Prior to the sales starting, I could count the amount of material things I purchased on 2 hands:
2 Petit Bateau Shirts
A pair of Espadrilles
Louis Vuitton Bag
Dior wallet (passport wallet)
Leather wallet (everyday)
A pair of gladiator sandals
H&M skirt

(and I also purchased a pair of jeans and a winter coat in Cologne).

THAT'S IT!

So when the sales started on Wednesday, I just thought I'd go to look.

FAIL.

I was at Galleries Lafayette, just to see what was going on. And I happened to past the Erotokritos line. And I tried on a dress. And fell in love.

Amusingly enough, I hate shopping. Mainly because I am a) really self-conscious about how I look (in general) and b) everything I like normally costs 800 euros.

So, when I tried on this dress, the starts aligned and I LOVED IT (and looked good in it too, obvi). I decided right there to purchase it. For those who know me, I don't shell out big money on anything. (Minus foie gras.) Now, the dress was way over 300 euros full price. Thanks to the sales, I bought it for around 150.

It's just been a slippery slope from there...I spent the last 2 hours at Le Bon Marche, looking at more Erotokristos dresses. Luckily, I held out and decided not to purchase another dress (not today, anyway), but came out of there with a brand new pair of Joe's Jeans for 40 euro! They'd be that much 2nd hand at home! Lots of exclamation points!

Part I: I blame Eva for introducing me to Erotokritos.

Part II: I blame my debit card for letting me make these purchases. Prior to the debit card, I just carried around cash. And because I don't carry around a ton of cash, I never made big purchases.

Part III: I blame my parents for not footing my shopping habit.

Part IV: Shameless plug: Go to Disco Noir, Eva's handbag line.

Part V: 13 more days!