FASHION Magazine

When Charles Dickens wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” he must have been referring to the weeks leading up to the holiday season. A frazzled yet fabulous time filled with eggnog, Amex bills and excess.

So naturally, what happened while riding the subway last week (while visions of Holt Renfrew danced in my head) came as a great surprise–a divine intervention. Pasted above an ad for a shopping mall, I noticed a sticker that read, “Consumption does not fill the void.” And suddenly, standing there with my parcels (a haute hostess prezzie and a fab new pair of bejewelled strappies to deck the halls in), I wondered: When did consumption begin to consume us?

Even before I could bid adieu to my summer tote, my first holiday invitation arrived: a preview of the Gap Holiday 2006 collection in New York City. Ah, those three little words–New York City. They make a girl want to kick up her Choos and celebrate. I suddenly felt fabulously festive and RSVPed “yes.” I would be there with bells on.