I am so enamored with the netted hat designed by Stephen Jones for the Jil Sanders S/S 2012 collection! I have been tracking this down since fall. I contacted The Room at The Bay and Holt Renfrew — both are not going to have it in stock... .. then emailed Net-a-Porter, My Theresa and Luisaviaroma... ... . all of whom are NOT going to have it in stock.
I then emailed Stephen Jones himself — who could only advise me to try the actual stores (side note — Stephen Jones was the fastest and most helpful to get back with the exception of Net-A-Porter — tsk tsk on the others!) So I took that last, smart, advice and called and was wait-listed at the Soho, NYC Jil Sanders store. I am now happy to report that I am pretty much at the top of that list (like duh I called in NOVEMBER lol). I just called again this week to confirm again I am on that list and should have the hat on hand at any time now (thank you John for your ever ending patience)
So when I saw this shot of Hannah Gaby*** wearing the infamous hat on Tommy Ton's Jak and Jil, I had to share my little story of fashion questing.
Now please collectively say a prayer to the fashion gods that I am not girl number 7 on the list should they only get six in... ...
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Now a small rant about on-line shopping if you live in Canada. Note that this rant that applies to almost ALL the major fashion houses NOT just Jil Sanders. Though the big department stores sites, including the three above are exempted from this rant but most others are not.
Read at your own risk:
If you happened to look on the on-line store for Jil Sanders right now you will see the hat available for purchase — which would have made my wait listing redundant and pointless, BUT you cannot buy through their site if you live in Canada — it is not a country listed that they will ship to.
Solvania, Romania or Latvia are OK to send to but not Canada. This happens a LOT on major in-line shopping sites. A LOT. In fact it is the norm on MOST major sites. I could probably list a list about 100 names long. Pick any brand that sells on-line and see if Canada is listed. Most will not have Canada as a ship-to destination.
It is annoying as F*&K.
If you live in Canada you can often circumvent this by calling the store and getting a nice man like John at the Jil Sanders Soho to help you out. This will cost you a long distance charge or two and the possibility that you do NOT get a nice man like John but a grumpy, nasty, unhelpful dreadfully bored and uninterested in your fashion quest, kind of girl, who shall remain nameless, and who works at a different location of the brand's stores in NYC. Hence the more than one long distance call — niceness does have a price.
Why it is perfectly acceptable for a brand to send to Latvia and yet not seem be able to send from New York to Toronto is endlessly baffling. Isn't Canada supposed to be in a free trade agreement with the US? Are we not their kind and good neighbors to the North? Do we not send our old to bask on your beaches every winter without fail?
I would just like to point out that as a major on-line retailer if you want to ignore a country with a population of 34,108,752 and an average family income of $ 74,000 /year over somewhere like Latvia** that has a population of 2,242,916 and an average gross income of about $11,000/year you go right ahead.
As Doctor Phil says — how's that working for you huh?
Rant ended
**sorry Latvia I don't mean to pick on you in particular — I am sure you are a super nice country filled with super beautiful women wearing Jil Sanders hats. Obviously the fashion gods of shipping approve.
***after posting I had the thought that hannah looks slightly miffed in that picture — perhaps she is Canadian and has also attempted on-line shopping