I'm a Banana Republic whore.

Seriously, I am. Easily 90% of my entire wardrobe is from BR. At the same time, I'm generally not a fan of Gap or Old Navy, which is interesting to me. I guess I like to spend a lot more on the clothes I buy, even though they are made in exactly the same place as the "lower end" items. Actually, I think it's that BR clothing is more tailored than the other two stores. But this really isn't the point of the post.

P's brother is getting married in three weeks. I've been asked to do a reading at the wedding, and so I feel as though I should wear a suit. I bought a suit a couple of years ago. I really don't wear suits that often, but it just so happened that I needed one for work recently. I pulled out my suit and put it on, and it no longer fits. I think the walking in Chicago has been good for me. I really need to have it taken in. But, even if I did have it taken in, I really do need a more tailored suit for my frame. I look like a little kid playing dress up. As if I needed MORE justification to shop at BR.

I have been eyeing several suits there. The problem: they tend not to have my size. A week or two ago, I went to BR specifically looking for a suit. They didn't have one pair of pants or one jacket in my size. So, at the recommendation of the store, I went online to look. I have BR's Luxe card. For those who don't know what that is, you're better off. Essentially what it means is, I spend FAR too much at the store in a single calendar year. In celebration of my poor spending habits, BR has awarded me a special shopper status. It's like BR platinum. I get VIP invites to special events (P and I went to a LUXE-only premier party -- yes, I said party -- at a BR in San Francisco*. At said event, we each got a goody bag for making a purchase. We also got complimentary appetizers and wine. There was even a DJ), free alterations, free shipping online, and I earn coupons for purchases more quickly than non-LUXE card holders. I have a $20 giftcard that has been burning a hole in my pocket, so I planned on using that to get a suit.

* We didn't go to SF FOR this party. We happened to be there visiting because I had a conference for work. I don't have that much of an addiction.

Last night, I added the brown pinstripe suit of my dreams to my cart on BR.com, and then thought, "oh what the hell, let's google 'banana republic coupon codes' and see what comes up". Turns out, there is private sale going on for friends and family of BR employees. Employees get ten invites through which participants receive 25% off their entire order. The problem is, I don't know any BR employees. After looking through 14 pages of google search results, I decided to check ebay to see if any employees were selling their discounts. Sure enough, many were! I bought a discount for $4. After applying it to my cart, I got a discount of $118, PLUS free shipping! You know you have a problem when you get high from getting a deal.

Now, I just wait patiently for my suit to arrive. I plan to stand around just like this in it:


I think I like the orange tie. And I DO still have my $20 coupon...