Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Anthropologie Reviews: Francophile Tee, Ara Pullover, Clara Buttondown, Boteh Maxi Dress, Askew T-Shirt Dress and Firefleur Maxi Skirt

This is going to be quick because as I've mentioned in my previous 2 posts - I am pregnant! And tired. So very very tired. Basically my clock starts ticking around 3:00 pm and it's just a downward slide into bed from there :) So without much ado...

Francophile Tee (S) in Paper Moon
OMG. I will probably end up buying this tee in most of its iterations. It is the softest cotton ever, thin but not tissue thin and it drapes perfectly without clinging. I only have a few tees that meet these standards and I always wear them until they are basically in shreds. I even love the colors and graphic. Love love love. Here's the unfortunate thing - I can't actually remember if this is a small or XS. I will go back and check and update but I can't for the life of me remember.

 Ara Pullover (S)
I also love this little sweater. I am generally not a fan of orange on my skin tone but I didn't mind this. The varying thickness of stripes is a cute detail and the sweater is almost a mesh which I love for summer. Great sweater to have in your purse to throw on at the end of the night. I even like the longer hem in the back for better bum coverage. This is a S and while it was a little big I like the relaxed feeling of it. Not sure I would need my normal size XS.

?????
I don't know why I can't find this on the website. I was attracted to the pattern and the thought that I might be able to get away with it for maternity wear but there was just too much material in the front. There's nothing wrong with it I just didn't think it looked very fresh or modern.

 Clara Buttondown (size 2) in Blue Motif
This is super cute. I love the little bird pattern and again I am a fan of extra bum coverage. The neckline is a bit strange since it almost goes straight across - I would probably iron the top of the placket open to show a little more neck. The split hem in the back is a cute detail. Simple and straight forward.

Boteh Maxi Dress (size 2)


This dress is gorgeous! I have no place to wear it and it definitely won't fit by summertime but I think it's really special. the colors are vibrant without being garish and the fit is perfect. I'm pretty busty and my usual size 2 felt pretty good in that area as did the waist. Considering I'm a little thicker in both areas right now, I'd say this runs TTS/slightly big.

Askew T-Shirt Dress (size XS)
Love a good t-shirt maxi dress. The middle layer is very flattering sort of creating a lengthening and slimming illusion. I would have to get it shortened but I don't mind doing that for a piece I think I'll get a lot of use of. TTS with lots of stretch.

Here's where it gets a little weird - the t-shirt is sewn onto the middle layer but only halfway. The rest is left to drape - I guess this is the "askew" part. I really wish they hadn't done that and had just let the t-shirt drape over the middle layer, or sew the whole darn thing down. 1/2 and 1/2 is weird. The slit is quite high but nothing too risque.

Firefleur Maxi Skirt (size S)
The print is so gorgeous but the fit is a hot mess! They only had a size S to try on but I don't think the XS would have made any difference. The waistband in the front works quite well and the pleats drape beautifully down from it. But.... the side stick out and the butt is horrendous! It added at least 10 pounds! It's just gathered elastic back there and it looks like I just grabbed some material and gathered it around me. Such a bummer because the flowers are truly gorgeous. Sigh.

I saw a bunch of new arrivals at Anthro today that looked promising. what are you liking these days?


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

J. Crew Review: Dresses and Skirts

Part 2 of my new arrivals try on. I like what J Crew is trying to do with prints. They don't always work for me but I think the Pink Geo one has some potential. Now if only they could get the fit right on their shift dresses. Just as a heads up - as I mentioned in my last post - I am pregnant so I will try to reference how things are fitting differently due to my body and when they are fitting differently due to the actual garment.

Maxi Tank Dress (XS) in Dark Cove
 Ok. I think this would be ok if I was not preggers. The biggest change in my body so far is in the chest area where clearly this dress is BARELY fitting. I like the idea that this is not at all clingy and just supposed to sort of swing from the body but the material is so thin! Plus it looks a little bit like a night gown. If I was my normal size it might be passable as a really lightweight dress for the hottest days of summer. Slightly transparent.

 Drapey Pencil Skirt in Pink Geo (size 2)
 This I love. The material makes the pencil skirt drape just beautifully and the print is fun with many colors to pull from without being overwhelming. I had to size up because the other thing to go is my waist but I imagine this quite TTS. Loveth.

 Maxiskirt in Stripe (XXS) in Navy Heather Grey (?)
 This is something I could probably wear as I get bigger but I think it's a bit boring and I detest the waistband. Those foldover, ruched waistbands don't do anyone any favors in my opinion. I sized down on this because I had tried it on once before in an XS and it was hanging off me. It's fine and the lenth is just right but felt sort of thin. I can imagine it getting holes pretty quickly.

 Seersucker Eyelet Shift Dress (size 2)
 I love seersucker and eyelet but not loving this dress. The back detail with the tie is quite cute although I question the use of black ribbon. The fit in my usual size 2 dress size was fine. The color is almost a really washed out chambray color (which I don't like). Somehow this feels referential to the 90's for me. I just kept looking at thinking I've worn this before during a period of my life that I am not proud of fashion-wise :)

 Pink Geo Shirtdress (size 2)
 I like this print and I like the band of print at the bottom running in the opposite direction - very cute. My size 2 felt huge which is saying a lot. Maybe shortening the sleeves a bit would help? Sizing down? It definitely has potential but I didn't like it on my body.

 Side-Zip Varsity Dress (XXS) in Heather Gray
 I've been toying with this dress forever. I sized down out of curiousity and if I wasn't so zaftig right now I think it would be ok for sort of a sexier going out look. The material is certainly comfy and I like the simplicity.
 Side-Zip Varisty Dress (XS) in Heather Gray
 Here it is in my normal size XS which is more the way it is supposed to fit. Again, nothing particularly special but a great dress to thrown on with some big jewelry and boots to look like you've made an effort while being secretly mega comfortable.
 Side-Zip Varsity Dress (XS) in Black
 I'm usually drawn more to gray instead of black because I'm so darn pale but I thought the black looked slightly more sophiticated and hid more lumps and bumps. With all the discounts this came to $33 and I can see myself being able to wear this for a while during the slowly expanding pregnancy stage.

My best deal of the day, however, was a purse that was on sale. I wasn't going to get it but I figured at least it's something I can use during and after pregnancy! It had a little scratch on it so I was going to ask them to order me a new one but since it was the last one they gave it to me for a kill price of $19.99! It's still full price online! Then they also took 25% off. I almost died. Yay.
If you're wondering... it's this gorgeous little number in gold (which seems to be sold out now)
Don't you just love it when something like that happens?

Sunday, March 23, 2014

J. Crew Review: New Sweaters, Tops and a Jacket

Hello! Finally I am back after a longer hiatus than I had planned. I have not really been in the mood to shop or try on clothes lately thus the lack of blogging. Why, you may ask? Well, I have big news. News that seems to get bigger by the day. I am pregnant! We finally decided to add to our family and while I am super excited I am also dreadfully tired and nauseous. Plus I am in the weird stage of pregnancy where I don't really look pregnant, just sort of lumpy and different. Awesome. I will also say that when your body is doing this for the second time, it doesn't wait, it just gets right down to business. Whoomp - there go my breasts. Whoomp - hip expansion in the first trimester, oh yes please! And I believe my belly is not going to go unnoticed for much longer.

I'm not sure what this will mean in terms of my little blog but while I can still pretend to wear real clothes, I will review them! I finally decided to treat myself by looking at some clothes that I think could work during and after pregnancy and I'm glad I did. It's sort of a fun challenge right now and I am in no rush to wear my old maternity clothes (although apparently my body is).

So here is the first of a 2 part J Crew Review. For sizing reference, while I have not gained much weight yet, my hips are definitely wider, my waist a bit thicker and my cup size has increased by one. Hope this will be helpful for those of you who are similarly sized :)

Hooded Basket-Weave Jacket (XS) in Royal Indigo
 I don't know why, but I sort of love this jacket. It's not really anything special but I like it's cute casualness. You could probably size down on this one but I'm not sure if that would cause the shoulders to be too tight. It's definitely cuter buttoned rather than open. It's currently $199.99 in-store but I didn't take it home because it's not waterproof. If I buy a casual jacket, it at least has to be waterproof.

 Lace-Sleeve Sweatshirt (XS) in Sugared Ivory


 I like the idea of high-low mixed together and the fit was fine in my usual XS. I wish the lace was softer so that it lay better on the arms. I think I may officially be over the "dressed-up" sweatshirt thing. Not sure I was ever totally into it in the first place :)

Merino Texture-Panel Sweater (XS)
 There's something about this that I like. The bright springy colors, the sections that are knit as almost a mesh - it's interesting. I like the more open neckline. The fit is slightly slim.

Marled Linen V-Neck Sweater (XXS) in Marled Navy
 I'm a big fan of J. Crew's linen sweaters - they are the perfect throw-on layer for a cool summer night. I don't mind the oversized nature of this one (this is one size smaller than my usual size) but I do mind how cropped it is. It's really short and I'm afraid it would end up as a midriff top if I washed it. I really like the look of the one in Marled Meadow - so fresh and happy for spring.

 Embroidered Stripe Tunic (XS)
 I've tried this one on before. It's just so darn cheery! It doesn't look as good as it did before because my ever-expanding chest is casuing it to look like maternity wear instead of a cute swimsuit coverup. Nonetheless, highly recommended. Cute and just different enough to be fun!

 Cutout Floral Sweatshirt (XS)
 This was on sale for a very reasonable price with discounts. As far as a sweatshirt goes, this is pretty cute. My usual XS felt slim and flattering. I'm not sure what to do about the cutouts though - you'd have to choose what color you would want showing carefully or wear a cami?

 Merino Triple-Stripe Elbow-Patch Sweater (XS) in Sky Purple
I never even noticed this before but I thought it was adorable. I'm a big fan of elbow patches and I like the overall relaxed shape of this sweater. Usually I am not a fan of drop shoulders but this one did not bother me. A really cute casual little sweater!

 I'm a big fan of the Andie chino. I sized up in these because I thought it would just be upsetting to try on my usual size - I've already sort of lost any semblance of a waist and don't think I could button my usual size. One size up still fit fine. I like the piping a lot but am not a huge fan of tight pants in khaki - show too much lump and bumpiness. As I mentioned, my hips have already widened a bit so I think this accounts for the tightness in the rear. The material of these felt slightly less dense/stretchy than the original Andies. I like it - felt like it had the potential to be less "grabby".

More to come plus some Anthro reviews on the way. Have you been picking up any of the new arrivals?