Spring? OOTD

There are some upsides to being strapped to my computer and the Internet all day.  During slow times I can catch up on my blog roll, grab a pair of shoes at the start of a sale before they sell out, enjoy commercial free radio on Pandora, obsessively check on the airfare for our summer trip...  Last week I was lucky enough to catch Lisa from Respect the Shoes' blog sale post pretty much the minute it hit the airwaves and quickly landed a super sweet skirt from J Crew.  It arrived last week and I was excited to wear it out. 

The weather however has had other plans for me.  Today I decided it had to happen and paired my new-to-me "springy" skirt with my winter wear.

skirt - J Crew via Lisa's blog sale; tank - Gap; cardigan - Land's End canvas; tights - DKNY; boots - Matisse; spider necklace - gift from the husband (such a romantic wedding gift, no?)

My husband did not like my navy blue cardigan with this outfit at all.  He also didn't care for the skirt (it's not skin tight).  But I wore it anyway and felt quite happy with it.  Do you think a different color on top would work better?  Perhaps pulling a pink or even the mustard yellow from the skirt?

If you haven't checked out Respect the Shoes, please do so now.  Lisa has awesome fashion sense and is a master of knowing what to put with what (something I don't think I will ever grasp).  Her blog sale is still running as well.

Anthropologie Shadowbox Skirt

Whoops, totally forgot about this last review.  I actually purchased this skirt the second it went on sale.  Loved it from the first time I saw it, but ta nearly $200 it wasn't happening for me.  I had such high hopes.  While this is a gorgeous, well made skirt, it's just not for me.  I felt it was a little too short.  Also, my usual size was a bit snug making it feel quite uncomfortable and possibly causing it to sit higher up on my waist than intended.  The tight fit also made the pockets flare out slightly on my hips.  That's right!  She has pockets too!  But, short + tight = no bending or sitting without a show.  Of course, my husband was all for it.  Men!  The print and the material though are so high end looking in my opinion.  Really would've loved for this to have worked.  It was returned.  sigh...

Shadowbox Skirt

Gosh, it is just soooo pretty and different.  I imagine it with brown, black, turquoise, yellow, there are so many options.  Add in the funky bow and I'm in heaven.  At second cut and perhaps if I went up a size, this may come back into my home.  We'll see.  Any opinions on this one?  I see there are no reviews on the site.

Anthro Reviews - Imprint Fossil, Fountain of Youth, Spring Ready

Finally!  The last of my fitting room follies from last Saturday.

Imprint Fossil Skirt

Another that has been on my wishlist since it appeared on the site.  Instant love!  Ran a bit large so I sized down and the waist is still a very comfortable fit.  Listed as an online exclusive, but the Edgewater store had all sizes in stock.  This skirt is long.  I am 5'6 and had to stand on my tiptoes for the pics to keep the dress off the ground.  The bow can be tied on the side, front, or removed.  I felt very feminine and light in this skirt.  Took her home but I'm still unsure about what to pair with it so it may go back if I can't make it work.  This is silk and dry clean only (bummer).  Hoping it goes on sale and I can get a PA although $128 is not bad for a great quality silk maxi.  Sadly, no pockets here.

Fountain of Youth Dress

Instant love yet again.  This dress would look good on anybody in my opinion.  The material is somewhat stiff so it holds it shape and the style is classic with a little twist in back.  Guess this would require a racer back or strapless bra.  Once again we have fabulous pockets!  Fit was TTS.  This fit me like a glove.  She's in my closet waiting for the first sign of nicer weather. Oh, and it's machine washable.  Hello, sold!

Sangatte Slip Dress

Flop.  This dress was so cute on the hangar but I could not believe it was $138.  Honestly, this feels like a $40 sundress that I could get anywhere.  It was well made and fit TTS but didn't feel like anything special to me.  Plus it was a major tummy pooch magnifier.  I guess the waist seam just hit me in the very wrong place.  All in all a very cute, simple little sundress.  I loved the smocked elasticized back and the print.  Just not the dress for me.  I can see this working on smaller or curvier body types though.  Athletic body types (read that as those with muscular shoulders and chests) would be great too.

Spring Ready Dress

Adorable on the site and on the hangar.  Great non-sale price at $98.  Who doesn't love a wrap style dress, right?  Well, this didn't work for me.  I felt it ran very large and just looked sloppy. It was like I was lost in a sea of rayon. Curvy girls will rock this dress hard though.  Loved the armholes (which is an odd thing to point out, but I did).  No pockets here and dry clean only.  Left this one at the store.  Navy only on the site but green and navy available in stores.

Anthro Reviews - Skirt Edition

It is so funny to my husband that I have a ton of skirts because I don't usually wear them.  For summer though, I intend to get these legs out in the breeze.  Tried on a bunch of new skirts at Anthropologie on Saturday.  Came home with a few, but here's my fitting room experience and thoughts.

Place for Everything Skirt

Honestly, I didn't even have to try this on.  I knew I'd love it for casual summer days and I did.  The fit is perfect, quality is high and it's machine washable.  Fits TTS, hits at a comfortable spot on my waist without cutting into the muffin top.  I just really love it.  This came home with me and will get plenty of wear this summer.

Picked up the Banter Top to go with it.  Just a nice light summer shirt.  I loved the details.  This ran large in my opinion.  I am wearing an XS here.

First Light Skirt

Seeing as how this was an Eva Franco and a pencil skirt, I had to try it on.  Sadly, my usual size felt too tight.  This could be because of the cookies I can't stop putting in my face lately, but nonetheless, it was snug and I would have to size up.  Overall the fit was flattering.  Can't go wrong with vertical stripes.  The waist detail was so cute but hits me right at my problem area - the tummy pooch.  On sale, in a larger size and if I can stop eating cookies, I would buy this in a heartbeat.  It is very simple yet there is something special about it as well.  Even for $128, this is one very well made, high quality item that is essentially a classic.  Not sure how she does it, but Eva always manages to give me a little bit o' booty too.

Ancient Myths Skirt

I so very much wanted to love this one.  It's been on my wishlist ever since the spring catalog came out.  Unfortunately, there is NO shape to this whatsoever.  The way the seam runs down the front just looks matronly. It looks like something a high schooler would've made in Home Ec in the 60s. Comfortable?  Extremely.  But not at all cute.  Also, there are pockets on the sides and the stiffness of the pocket lining made the skirt stick out at the hips.  Maybe with a different top?  Maybe if I was 3 inches taller and didn't have a pooch it would've worked.  With great sadness, this one went back to the rack.

Cultural Heritage Skirt

Well, it's a pencil skirt in every sense of the word.  I loved it so much.  The polka dot print and red seaming at the waist just added to the overall vintage feel.  The fit was true to size.  With the high waist though, it accentuates my belly and flat butt (I need Eva Franco here for some rear help).  With a waist length sweater it would've been fine, but I just didn't love her enough to take her home.  Perhaps on sale we will revisit.  If pencil skirts are your thing, do NOT miss this one.  It is so cute and so timeless, it will be gone quick I'm sure.

Anybody else digging this season's skirt styles?  Do you enjoy the resurgence of the pencil skirt (did it really ever go away)?  I do, so so much.  I'm off to break out my Brazil Butt Lift DVDs again so I can buy that polka dot number!

Anthro Reviews - Sugar Work, Quiet Blush, Slubby Tulip

Ahh to have a Saturday to myself.  So what did I do?  Well, I had to return most of my sale order to Anthropologie and figured I'd try a few (well, more than a few) things on.  Did a little purchasing as well.

Here's some of my fitting room fun.

Sugar Work Skirt

This skirt is so cute!  I totally knew it was coming home with me before trying it on.  It is a great length, heavy weight material that holds it's shape, and it has pockets.  There is nothing I don't like about it.  My husband is not a fan of the "poufy" skirts as he puts it but that's his issue.  The fit was TTS.  Here's me in the fitting room:

I paired this with the Anadyomene Cardigan which I am now kicking myself for not buying.  May have to place an online order as I feel this one will sell out.

Quiet Blush Dress

I know this one has been done and done and done before.  Don't believe I read any reviews where the blogger loved it.  I always loved it on them though so I was happy to get my hands on one today.  As is typical, I'm going against the grain here.  I love it.  Not with the dark tank I have on underneath, or my messy hair, but dressed up right, this is a very sweet and feminine dress.  The fit was perfect and TTS.  The fabric was very free flowing and the sash hit in just the right spot although I do wish it was a tad wider.  As seen in the Anthro site pic, it looks nice without the sash too and that's probably what I would do. I like that the lining was a separate slip from the dress.  This did not come home with me, but if it gets marked down, I'm all over it.

 Slubby Tulip Dress

This dress looked so comfy and pretty on the rack that I had to try it on.  And that's where the love affair ended.  The fabric is cute, it is super comfy and I love the back.  BUT, it did nothing for me whatsoever.  Ran large in my opinion.  I am wearing an XS here and it felt too loose in the waist.  There is elastic there but it didn't stay up where I would've liked it.  Perhaps this would be a great dress for curvier girls because it is very light and pretty.  On me it just accentuates my lack of boobs and butt.  Not the look we're going for.  :)

As you can probably tell from the fitting room pics, I tried on a ton of stuff.  More reviews to come.

Any new purchases for summer yet?

Land's End Canvas Reviews (pic heavy)

Confession - I am loving Land's End's intro of the Canvas line.  The updated yet classic styles are perfect, the prices are affordable.  And the fact that it's available at my local Sears is awesome.  Plus, there are always coupon codes available and online orders typically arrive with a discount card towards your next purchase.

My summer haul is below.  Overall, I'm extremely happy with the fit and quality of what I purchased.  Some items came from Sears and some I ordered online with a 25% off code.

Click photos to enlarge.  Links to items available in text.

Sleeveless Empire Waist Dress.  First pics shown with Freehand Tartan Belt from Anthropologie.

Thoughts:  This dress is light and beautiful.  The only thing I would change is to add pockets.  This dress screams for pockets!  Runs exactly true to size.  The length is great so no fear of giving a show and the entire dress is lined.  Highly recommended.  I probably won't wear it with the belt shown here, but it would look great with a brown belt or just by itself.  It does seem like it may wrinkle easily so that is something to keep in mind.

Pleated Pattern Skirt:

Thoughts:  Another LOVE.  And this one does have pockets.  Yay!  This particular pattern appears to be sold out online, but there were plenty available at my local Sears.  Again, fully lined and an excellent length.  Super light weight for summer.  Cannot wait to wear it.  Runs true to size.  I'm considering stocking up on the other patterns available.  And apparently something about this skirt smelled very intriguing to Rico.

Lightweight Mini Shorts and Boyfriend Pocket Tee.

Thoughts:  Much shorter than I expected.  At my age, I'd be too self conscious to wear these outside the house.  I will be returning them for the longer length though (available here).  The price was right and these are sturdy, well made shorts in a classic style.  Runs true to size and does not cut into the muffin top (gotta love that).  The tee shirt is a tee shirt.  Classic style, nice soft cotton.  Runs a bit large in my opinion.  I will go back for more colors.  Several colors are available on the site for $6.99 and $8.99 before further discounts.  Run, don't walk.  These will not last and you can never have too many plain tees.

The Heritage Cardigan.

Thoughts:  How can you go wrong.  It's a basic cardigan.  This is a somewhat heavier weight than a J Crew or Gap cardi though and probably won't work in the real heat of summer.  I find the length a little long to be worn with fuller dresses, but it is versatile for everything else from pants to shorts to pencil skirts.  This color was available on the website for $22.99 along with several others.  Full price is under $40 regardless which is a steal for this quality in my opinion.

And that's it.  That is what I have accumulated from Land's End thus far.  There are many other items I'd love to have and overall I am very happy with the quality.  Never thought I'd go into Sears for anything other than appliances either!  Have you tried LE Canvas yet?