Good morning! I hope you all got to spend a great Thanksgiving with your families and/or friends. I meant to write earlier but with husband at home for five days, the computer was never available long enough for me to write an entire post. So, happy belated Thanksgiving!
I did a bit of shopping on Black Friday and like last year I went to the Loft, H&M and Sephora. I also visited a JCrew store this time (mainly try on the pajamas), since I was in the Rockfeller Center neighborhood and my ps works at the Rockfeller Center store, so I stopped by to wish her happy holidays. I came home with three things (including a pair of flannel pajama pants) that I will show you in another post (I hadn't the time to take pics yet).
As I mentionned in a previous post I am in the mood for some new cozy sweaters this year so that's what I was looking for specifically when I visited these stores (well, with the exception of Sephora). I didn't like the JCrew Fair Isle ski sweater but I was looking for something with a similar apres-ski vibe to it.
Of all the places H&M seemed to have what I was looking for in over-abundance. I took these pics at the beginning of the week before the Black Friday deals/crazyness, so they might be gone by now.
This one caught my eye because of the beautiful pattern. However the nylon/acrylic content was too high and was very itchy, so a pass. I believe this one was $10 on Black Friday (reg. price $24.99). This is a size 4:
I really liked the next one and almost bought it. It is a cotton blend, so not that warm, but I really, really like the fit. This was sized XS-XL and I would take a XS (which is the size I was trying). The reason why I didn't get it is that it looked a little frumpy, you could see lines like someone had washed it and not dried it properly. This one is $39.99 (I "might get it if it is still there and I can use a coupon"):
I got the following one instead on Black Friday. One day I saw it from the bus in the window of the flagship store on Fifth but I couldn't stop and get off the bus. I looked for it in my store but my store didn't carry it. So on Black Friday I started my shopping by going back at the Fifth Avenue location and a nice SA took it off the manniquin for me after checking the size since it was the only one left. I guess it pays to get up early because the store was already open but still empty. I took it to the register without knowing the price (there was no tag) and it rang up at $49. Now, $49 is on the high end of the H&M price spectrum for a sweater but this one is a very nice sweater and for only $10 difference it is in a totally different category than the ones I showed you above. It is an alpaca blend, in a very tight weave, like my JCrew charcoal turtleneck that you have seen recently. It feels like something that a high-end retailer would sell for MUCH, much more. It was a size 2 which usually is too small for me at H&M but this one is an oversized sweater. I think it is supposed to be worn as outwear with layers underneath. It reminds me a bit of a Collection alpaca popover from two years ago that was in the $400 and I was never able to get. In any case, because of the oversized factor, it looks better belted. I love the colors, a very rich forest green with mustard-y pattern:
I already wore it yesterday (it is getting very cold around here) and it kept me warm in the chilling wind.
And now I want to show you the Madewell Apres-ski dress in ecru. I got this dress when Madewell had a 25% off promo a couple of weeks ago. Only a size Large appears to be available right now in both colors meaning that it is quite popular.
I cannot wrap my mind around this dress. I do like it but I am afraid I will end up wearing it around the house only, without venturing outside in it. It is 100% merino and not the fine gauge merino of the JCrew turtlenecks, a thicker merino that feels a bit like lambswool. I knew that the drop-waist could be tricky and it could give the dress a juvenile vibe but I was curious and ordered it anyway.
The good news is that it doesn't look too juvenile. I thought I had a lot of pics but I could only find one on my computer, which is VERY forgiving. I mean that this is how the dress looks at its best. I ordered a XS and it is true to size:
The drop-waist cuts exactly at my hips widest point. I don't have very big hips so it is still acceptable but keep it in mind if you are pear-shaped. It gently hugs my belly which means that after having a meal it tends to enhance it. You have to be in your best shape to wear this dress.
The real deal-braker for me is that it is a bit sheer. Nothing dramatic but if you wear tights (and from a dress called apres-ski you would expect that you are going to wear it in the snow or at least in cold weather that calls for tights) the top of the tights will show through in an unflattering way. This could be worked around by wearing a cami in the same color but it limits a bit its wearability. Also don't know what kind of tights to wear with it and in which color. Since I am a bit challenged in the tights department I would have to buy tights to wear with it (not a bad thing per se but it is going to take a while). So I haven't decided yet if I am going to keep it or not. If I was sure to wear it I would keep it because it is a good quality dress for the price.
That's it! Did you shop at H&M this weekend? What do you think of the apres-ski dress?
I did a bit of shopping on Black Friday and like last year I went to the Loft, H&M and Sephora. I also visited a JCrew store this time (mainly try on the pajamas), since I was in the Rockfeller Center neighborhood and my ps works at the Rockfeller Center store, so I stopped by to wish her happy holidays. I came home with three things (including a pair of flannel pajama pants) that I will show you in another post (I hadn't the time to take pics yet).
As I mentionned in a previous post I am in the mood for some new cozy sweaters this year so that's what I was looking for specifically when I visited these stores (well, with the exception of Sephora). I didn't like the JCrew Fair Isle ski sweater but I was looking for something with a similar apres-ski vibe to it.
Of all the places H&M seemed to have what I was looking for in over-abundance. I took these pics at the beginning of the week before the Black Friday deals/crazyness, so they might be gone by now.
This one caught my eye because of the beautiful pattern. However the nylon/acrylic content was too high and was very itchy, so a pass. I believe this one was $10 on Black Friday (reg. price $24.99). This is a size 4:
I really liked the next one and almost bought it. It is a cotton blend, so not that warm, but I really, really like the fit. This was sized XS-XL and I would take a XS (which is the size I was trying). The reason why I didn't get it is that it looked a little frumpy, you could see lines like someone had washed it and not dried it properly. This one is $39.99 (I "might get it if it is still there and I can use a coupon"):
I got the following one instead on Black Friday. One day I saw it from the bus in the window of the flagship store on Fifth but I couldn't stop and get off the bus. I looked for it in my store but my store didn't carry it. So on Black Friday I started my shopping by going back at the Fifth Avenue location and a nice SA took it off the manniquin for me after checking the size since it was the only one left. I guess it pays to get up early because the store was already open but still empty. I took it to the register without knowing the price (there was no tag) and it rang up at $49. Now, $49 is on the high end of the H&M price spectrum for a sweater but this one is a very nice sweater and for only $10 difference it is in a totally different category than the ones I showed you above. It is an alpaca blend, in a very tight weave, like my JCrew charcoal turtleneck that you have seen recently. It feels like something that a high-end retailer would sell for MUCH, much more. It was a size 2 which usually is too small for me at H&M but this one is an oversized sweater. I think it is supposed to be worn as outwear with layers underneath. It reminds me a bit of a Collection alpaca popover from two years ago that was in the $400 and I was never able to get. In any case, because of the oversized factor, it looks better belted. I love the colors, a very rich forest green with mustard-y pattern:
I already wore it yesterday (it is getting very cold around here) and it kept me warm in the chilling wind.
And now I want to show you the Madewell Apres-ski dress in ecru. I got this dress when Madewell had a 25% off promo a couple of weeks ago. Only a size Large appears to be available right now in both colors meaning that it is quite popular.
I cannot wrap my mind around this dress. I do like it but I am afraid I will end up wearing it around the house only, without venturing outside in it. It is 100% merino and not the fine gauge merino of the JCrew turtlenecks, a thicker merino that feels a bit like lambswool. I knew that the drop-waist could be tricky and it could give the dress a juvenile vibe but I was curious and ordered it anyway.
The good news is that it doesn't look too juvenile. I thought I had a lot of pics but I could only find one on my computer, which is VERY forgiving. I mean that this is how the dress looks at its best. I ordered a XS and it is true to size:
The drop-waist cuts exactly at my hips widest point. I don't have very big hips so it is still acceptable but keep it in mind if you are pear-shaped. It gently hugs my belly which means that after having a meal it tends to enhance it. You have to be in your best shape to wear this dress.
The real deal-braker for me is that it is a bit sheer. Nothing dramatic but if you wear tights (and from a dress called apres-ski you would expect that you are going to wear it in the snow or at least in cold weather that calls for tights) the top of the tights will show through in an unflattering way. This could be worked around by wearing a cami in the same color but it limits a bit its wearability. Also don't know what kind of tights to wear with it and in which color. Since I am a bit challenged in the tights department I would have to buy tights to wear with it (not a bad thing per se but it is going to take a while). So I haven't decided yet if I am going to keep it or not. If I was sure to wear it I would keep it because it is a good quality dress for the price.
That's it! Did you shop at H&M this weekend? What do you think of the apres-ski dress?
50/50 Great sweater pick in unusual colour mix. If you have that many questions and doubts about dress, and it will require digging through your tights drawer I'd take it back as "not worth."
ReplyDeletehi, ema, agree, too many times we forget to set a correct value on our time when considering a purchase - or indeed anything else! Happy belated Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteHi Ema!
ReplyDeleteLove the sweater you chose! I also love the dress, but you are likely right about its wearability and if it makes you feel exposed, imagine the rest of us!
Hey Ema, late to the apres party. I agree w/Get Fresh that this dress sounds like a return. The color is really flattering and the top part is simple, yet classic. It veers off the road once you get to the pleated bottom and the fact that it's sheer. You'll find another, better one in a similar color. I'm sure of it :)
ReplyDelete