Friday, July 9, 2010

Friday Preview...and a vent!

Happy Friday all!  I want to, first and foremost, apologize for this venting that I'm about to do right now.  If you're also having a bad day, and just can't read about another compliant about something, I totally understand!  Go ahead and scroll right past this long paragraph.  Hehe.  But typing something out to the world really does make me feel better!

So here I go.  I noticed yesterday that the back side of my engagement, where the band touches my palm area, had a small crack in it.  I rubbed my hand through the top part of the metal and can feel the crack where the crack happened.  Freaked out, I hopped on over to the Neiman Marcus that's close to my work where they have the one and only Cartier store in the whole state of Washington.  No one was there so I was able to get help right away.  Except they weren't much help.  When Chris bought the ring, he bought it in the Seattle store, which was a true Cartier store.  Since then, the actual store closed down and opened up a stand area in the Neiman Marcus.  That means, their whole system is different and they can't look up any information.  They told me to bring in the receipt then they'll make a copy of it and send the ring off to Cartier.  From there, Cartier will evaluate the damage and decide whether the repair will need additional cost from me.  When I heard COST, my face started to burn.  I tried to stay calm and told them that I had the ring resized, and the crack looks like damages from that.  Of course, they had to give me the schpill that they can only present the paperwork and the rest is up to the jewelers back in NYC.  They also advised that I wait until after my wedding next month, just in case it takes longer than a month to repair.  I don't know what to do, girls!  I will probably end up waiting, meanwhile being really careful with the ring, even might not wear it for a little bit.  But I just couldn't believe this happened!  I was told that Cartier's warranty is only 30 days after the date of purchase, which is THE MOST stupidest thing I've ever heard.  Even Anthro has better policies than that!  I just assumed that such a high end store would care about a customer's satisfaction more than your average store.  But apparently, they just want to take your money and run!    I will keep everyone updated on the progress, in the meantime, if anyone you know is interested in purchasing anything from Cartier, please pass along this experience with them. 

OK, enough of that!  On to my Friday Preview special!

First up, the Billowed Bow Tank:
I saw the color of this blouse and grabbed it only  for that reason.  I think it's a pretty nice piece, but my feelings for it are just "meh".  The pouffed up fabric around the neck is cute, but it goes all the way around, which made me feel like I had a lei on.  I'd definitely consider this on sale though and can't blow out $58 for it now.

Also, I tried on the Mimetic skirt again.  Can you tell I totally love it???


I'm a little confused about this skirt.  While I thought it fit well for me, I felt the contrasting fabric combination was a little off.  Most of the skirt itself is linen, but that extra droopy fabric up front is a silk wanna be synthetic material.  While wearing it, I kept looking at it, but something about it bugged me.  I kept wanting to pull at the silk-like fabric.  I also was afraid this might attract too many eyes towards my crotch-elle area.  So, it's definitely a no for me.  Sad, because the fit was great! 

Botanical Strolls Dress:

I know this is an old item and a lot of people have already reviewed it, so this is purely fun for me to try this dress on.  I thought the fit was great and I loved the sweetheart neckline.  But darn, those cats!!!  I love cats, they're adorable...but wearing FOUR of them?  I just don't know.  Then I noticed one of them, the orange one on my left thigh kept smiling at me!!!  It was like taunting me or something!  Saying, "AHA!  You can't get me off.  I'm a print and will be on this dress FOREVER!"  I loved the feel of it, but the taunting cat, Mr. Bojangles as Chris would call him, told me not to buy it. 


I finally saw this dress hanging in our sale section and grabbed a size that was a little big for me (8).  It fit well after tying the tie in the back, but that's just it, the tie.  I'd like to wear this strapless dress with a cardigan, but the knot in the back will pouf up the back of the cardigan too much.  So sad, because the color and the style is darling!  I can see this on someone slender, tall, and lives in a warmer climate than Seattle.  And also, someone that don't have a tanline to hide.  :) 


This also is an older item that I never got to try on.  This dress is pretty similar to the Breakfasting Dress I purchased earlier this week because it's also white and has a black tie.  But the fabric is a nice cotton, which I favor more.  The Medium that I have on is a little big on me, so I'd buy the Small.  I really loved this dress and if it were on sale, I'd choose this over the Breakfasting.  It's an older item, like I said, so maybe it'll go on sale soon and I can trade the Breakfasting for it.  :)  Lets hope shall we?

That's all girls, I leave you with a doggie I saw at the University Anthro.  It was super hot that day, so its tongue was hanging out, which is so cute.  I love Anthro and places that allow dogs in their stores!


Have a WONDERFUL Friday, everyone! 

14 comments:

  1. First off, your hair still looks amazing.

    Secondly, I'm super pissed off for you right now. The amount that Cartier marks up their stuff is freaking absurd in the first place, and then to only give a 30 day guarantee??? UMMMM... NO. Do not settle for that garbage. Please! Cindi, I used to make jewelry for goodness sakes and know how that business works like it's written on the back of my hand. All they need to do is solder the ring! Do you want to seriously know how long that soldering job would take a master jeweler? Uhhhh... like 5 minutes MAX. You better have some words for them! And you know what? I'd call them for you and backhand them with all my superior knowledge in a heartbeat if you wanted :)

    Annnnnywaaaay... you need to buy the Mimetic Skirt :)

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  2. Aww, thank you, Aimee, I really appreciate it! You know after I got it sized, it was still too big and went in to talk to them about fixing that problem. And they gave me this huge schpill about how cartier rings are made around the diamond, how they don't just prong the diamond in, and that the metal is intricately wrapped around the diamond so, in order to resize it, they'd have to redo the ring, which would harm the integrity of it. Ugh! We've had such a hard time with them, and if I was part of the buying process with Chris, I would probably have told him to not get it! It's not worth the hassle! Despite all this, I do love the piece and think it's a very unique ring. I haven't seen it on anyone yet. I just hope come September, I can get this fixed and that in the meantime, it doesn't crack on me.

    I was THIS close to getting the skirt today after being so stressed at NM. The Anthro is right across the courtyard from NM. Haha!

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  3. Cindi, I'm so sorry about the ring dilemma and frustrating service experience! That is just an unnecessary stress you don't need so close to your wedding. I'm just sorry they aren't helping as much as they should because you have other things to do right now - specifically, get excited about your special day! :) Most of all, just don't let it rain on your parade. It will get figured out and your wedding and the time leading up to it (as well as after!) will be fabulous :)
    ps: i totally agree that you need that skirt and that little dog is so cute!

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  4. You've relit my interest in the Camilla dress! I think it looks great on you - and honestly I prefer it to the Breakfasting dress. Here's hoping for a sale, bc I kind of want to snap up the navy!

    Sorry to hear about your ring troubles - that's just ridiculous, especially with such a high end company like Cartier. You definitely don't need this stress. Is there a way to contact the NY location directly and talk to a manager?

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  5. The dog next to the skirt in the last pic is cuter than four cats on a dress. I can't get past the cats. I can't!

    I never thought twice about the Camilla dress, but it looks awesome on you and now I want it!

    Feel free to vent-don't you feel better!? at least a little?

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  6. You should complain to Cartier, and maybe even NM. That is ridicuous that they damaged your ring and expect you to wear it like that for your wedding!

    Thanks for trying on the Roped-in Dress. I'm so torn on it. I love the bow, but as you said I would want to wear a cardigan with it so that kind of defeats the purpose of having it. Decisions, decisions.

    The pic of the dog sticking its tongue out was the highlight of my day!

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  7. I forgot to say I like the Botanical Dress too but I also feel the cats are looking at me so I refuse to even try it on!

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  8. if you want to e-mail me the pic of your ring, i can tell you exactly what i think. at this point i'm thinking they're feeding you a load of BS. the people you've talked to obviously know nothing about jewelry. and those rings, believe it or not are mass produced. i'm not trying to make you think you're ring isn't special (because it is), but i used to work with guys that made the prototypes for companies like that and then gave them over to the manufacturers to mass-produce. the ring wasn't made round the diamond. the ring was cast at a manufacturering plant and then the stones were set afterward. oye vey... i'm getting so annoyed for you right now because nobody deserves to get lied to - especially when Chris spent his hard earned cash on this ring.

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  9. Aw, I can't *believe* Cartier claims to only have a 30 day warranty. That is appalling. There are so many "lower end" retailers that stand far more strongly behind their products and workmanship. And I'm sorry they are giving you such a run-around about your ring! Hrmph. I do hope somehow manage to get it repaired before your wedding, although I'm sure another stress like that is the last thing you need right now!

    Oh, and the Camilla dress was like, made for you. Get it, get it!

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  10. Cindi, I love the Botanical Strolls Dress on you. I, too, tried it on, but it simply was just too long for me. Love the prints...and your hair!

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  11. Hey Cindi! I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with Cartier. With your wedding coming up so soon (is yours in August too?!) I would just wait until after the wedding to get anything done, unless there's a way they can guarantee fixing it within 2 weeks or something but from the sound of it, I wouldn't take the risk. Hope it all works out!!! xo

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  12. I think you look fab in the camilla dress!
    I'm sorry about your ring- that's bogus about the 30 day warranty- it's Cartier, afterall! I think Tippy is right, hold off until after the wedding... seems like there are a few of us around blogland getting hitched soon :)

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  13. I'm late to the conversation, so I'm not sure if you've resolved the ring issue yet. I've been a long time cartier shopper where I've always experienced CS that exceeds my expectations. I cannot believe that you were treated this way. I'd contact another retail location and explain the situation. If you're still not satisfied, I'd contact corporate directly.

    I tried the cat dress on a few days ago too because the fit is so fantastic, but I couldn't get over the cats either... even at the sale price. The tea cup (sugar and cream) dress is the same exact cut. I ADORE the camilla dress on you! It's such a sweet little dress.

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  14. Love the camilla dress too, but they run a bit big. XS sold out and I am waiting for the sale :-( I think the camilla dress is probably more work appropriate too.

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