A Few Talbots Holiday Collection Items

Holy cow, that was serious snow that we had yesterday here in NY. Sometimes it snows in april but sometimes it snows in October too, apparently (although, not THAT often). Truth is, it had turned terribly cold on Friday already and even if I couldn't phatom the snow I was happy to have my new Elements coat to keep me chic and toasty (review to come next).

I had an hour and a half to kill before pickup last Friday and since the week had been hard and full of stress, I dragged myself to Talbots as a way to relax a bit before the crazy Halloween weekend (that became even more crazy when this morning I had to put y daughter in a cab at 5 am and run to the airport where my husband was about to embark for a business trip but HAD FORGOT HIS PASSPORT).
Anyway, because I was eyeing something at Talbots and this Saturday they were having a promo, I went there to see if they had what I was looking for and could try on for sizing purposes.

The first item I was interested in seeing IRL was the Luxe Flannel Column skirt. I was thinking of pairing it with my Jcrew black tie-ribbon cashmere sweater from last year for the holidays. The stores carry petite sizes down to a P2 and I thought I would need a P0 in this, but the P2 turned to be my size. It wasn't flattering enough on me and I found it to bee sheer (dealbreaker, you can see my panties if you look closer):

They didn't have the black in store to try on, but I tried the Accordion-pleat skirt always in a 2P. This one was even less flattering (as expected), as it added a lot of weight to my mid-section. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are really paper-thin thin:

Last long skirt that I tried on is the Duchesse satin ankle-length hostess skirt. I don't know you but I am not going to be a hostess this holiday season, so I don't think I need a satin hostess skirt (I can't imagine checking on the turkey in this skirt, but I probably forget that if you are a hostess wearing satin skirts someone else is going to check the turkey for you). Anyway, I kind of liked it (the emerald green color is beautiful) but in my opinion they shouldn't have added the pockets on this one: they pouf out and create a very unflattering pouch (see second pic in particular):

Next, I tried a couple of shorter skirts. The Luxe flannel pencil skirt is very comfortable to wear (very soft to the touch) but the length is more mini than pencil IMO (it is definitively shorter than the shortest JCrew pencil skirts). This is the 2P and it was also a bit snug (the fuchsia color is very reminiscent of Jcrew bright dahlia):

The next one was very pretty for the holidays but I can't find it on the website. It is a A-line evening skirt with faux-buttons on the front (in reality only the first button opens, the skirt has a zip on the back). They didn't have a 2P and I was swimming in the 4P:

As I said, it is very pretty and elegant. However, at $119 it is really overpriced since the fabric is a blend of cotton and rayon of the same quality that you can find at H&M. They are probably charging a lot for the jewels buttons, which are the same that are used on the sleeves of the Satin-back crepe dress. This dress was a disaster on me. I found it very matronly and not flattering at all (completely shapeless). The size was probably part of the problem as the 2P was way shorter on me than on the model. I should probably have given the 2 regular a try but I didn't like it enough and I was running late:

So you could say that my try-on session was pretty disappointing (as I crossed the long skirts from my list) but I had an unexpected love for an item that I wasn't looking for and I can't find on the website. It's the cardigan that you have seen paired with the fuchsia skirt. The print is very similar to the hearts tapestry-print of this skirt and a couple other items, but in a red colorway. The fabric is 100% merino (super-soft) and it retails for $99. I am trying a P:

It seems to me like the perfect sweater to wear on Xmas morning, opening the presents, non? If I can snag it for half price I think I am going to get it to wear at home.
Speaking of sweaters, I recently ordered the Luxe fluff sweater in the makeup color to wear with the silk liquid skirt and it is perfect for the skirt (it is fluffy and elegant). Because it is made in rabbit hair angora, it shreds a lot like angora usually does. The makeup color is a very pale baby pink, much paler than it looks on the website. I don't have pics but I will soon.

If you are interested in any of these, the customer appreciation event has been extended throught today EOB. Enter code JUST4U for 30% off plus free shipping (no mimimum).

Did you see something that you are interested in at Talbots recently? Any of my picks that you like?