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?

Fourth of July Sales Misc (Boden and Talbots)

Hello everybody! I wanted to post a few of my 4th of July sales picks before the end of the weekend. Great sales everywhere coupled with my birthday coming up (next week) generally mean that I go a little bit crazy at this time of the year and this year is no exception ;-).

I will start with my sale pick at Boden. I am not a Boden babe but there is an items that I have been eyeing all the season and wanted to try once it hit sale. It's the Fringed Tweed Jacket. I am crazy about tweed and this jacket looked great on Tabitha, who reviewed it in this post. It also didn't seem to sell very well, so I was sure that it would get marked down big time and in fact it went straight from 188 to $74. I ordered it in the blue and cream colorway in a size 4 (the reviews recommended to size up and I am usually a 2 in blazers).
Right out the box I knew that I would keep the blue one, the colors are just stunning IRL (the pics don't do it justice and there are subtle metallic threads that doesn't come up in the pics) and it reminds me very much of a Chanel jacket worn by Blake Lively in a recent issue of the French Vogue:

It is lined in blue cotton (sleeves are acetate) with a pink piping:

Size-wise I could have gone with a 2 probably, it is a little bit roomy in the chest/shoulders but I think I will keep this one (the shipping/returns are not free during the Boden sale and I am not sure that I want to spend another $10 in shipping only to find out that the 2 is too snug) as I will probably wear it with a sweater. I tried it very quickly with a pair of jeans, so this is not an "outfit":

This is the cream in case some of you are interested:

I have also shopped the red hanger sale at Talbots and ordered the Patent leather pointy-toe pump in the cameo rose color, which are a dead ringer for the popular Jcrew perfect patent pumps in dusty rose, but with a higher heel. I have only a pair of classic pumps, in black patent, and I have been looking for a light colored pair. I had already ordered them in my regular size a while ago, when the price dropped below $100, but I found them to run a bit big (there was a little bit of room between my ankle and the heel), so I took advantage of the new markdown and free shipping to reorder them in a narrow fit and also half a size smaller. I had a real hard time but I ended up keeping my regular size in the narrow fit. Here I am trying them with a little Theory strapless dress that I plan to wear to a "fireworks party" tomorrow (but I will probably wear flats as there is a little bit of walking involved):

I really reccomend these for the current price ($44) if you can still find your size (free shipping is automatically applied to $100 orders until tomorrow), they look more expensive than they are and as far as I can tell tehy are comfortable (for a pair of pointy-toe shoes). At first I was a little bit thrown off by the high heel, but I got used to it pretty quickly.
I also bought in store a pair of their Signature Fit Garment-Dyed Capris in the cafe au lait color. I was looking for a pair of pants in this color, which reads like a light cream and couldn't find anything similar at Jcrew (the closest to this color is the natural of the Oxford scout chinos but I don't like the fit). These are very soft and comfortable to wear (the fabric is very similar to the Oxford cotton) and I like the hardware. I am wearing a size 2 regular (that "just" fits) with the Calypso tied-dyed sweater:

I have more sale picks from JCrew but my time is up and I will post them in another occasion. If I don't come back before Tuesday, have a great 4th of July all!

Are you shopping the sales this 4th of July weekend?

Thanksgiving Outfit and Who Won The Clash of the Tartans

I am stealing a few minutes before my husband comes home from work and we start the long Thanksgiving weekend to post the outfit that I plan to wear tomorrow. As last year and the year before, we are spending Thanksgiving with the family of an ex-collegue and friend of mine, whose parents host a traditional Thanksgiving dinner every year and have "adopted" the three of us as part of the family, even if we don't see my friend as often as we used to. My friend's sister has two kids (6 and 10) and my daughter is very excited to see them and play with them (they are very nice with her even if she is younger).

Anyway, the tone of this family gathering is traditionally casual and low-key (with the exception of the food) so it isn't inappropriate to wear jeans. Actually it is the perfect occasion to wear the Jcrew tartan boy shirt that I ended up buying with the recent 25% off promo (in store). I really, really, like this shirt but I wouldn't have paid $72 for it because of the limited seasonal wear. Waiting for a sale on this shirt is not a good plan (unless you want to buy it for next year) as not only is selling out but you are going to miss the holiday season, which is probably the only time of the year when you are going to wear it. With the 25% the price came down to $54 which is much better and most importantly I can start to wear it now. I must say that the SA gave me some sood advice when he said that it is a shirt that can come across as very masculine so it needs some bling to make it more feminine. I know that many of you found it pretty plain but I believe that it can be versatile with the right accessories and I am going to try it with the crystal symphony necklace. Even not accessorized, I like how it looks under a blazer, both a navy and a black one (more elegant):




Tomorrow I am not wearing a blazer though, nor a bling-y necklace. The Dulphine bling-button cardigan with its jeweled buttons is a perfect way to add some bling (duh!) to an outfit without wearing jewelry. I am in love with the black pine color and I must admit that I bought the cardigan mostly because of the color, as the knit isn't that great (let alone "heavenly"). Again, I wouldn't have bought it for $69.50 but $44 something is a price that I am willing to pay. It fits perfectly (in my regular XS size) and I like this year's v-neck version much more than last year's crewneck. The color goes perfectly with the tartan shirt and there is enough room in the sleeves to wear it over the shirt:




I can also wear it with the Talbots taffeta tartan skirt of my previous post, that I have ordered in a size P0. I am not sure about the ruffled tartan top yet, it could be too much tartan for me. In the meanwhile I am going to wear it with a JCrew cashmere shell (size XXS, to be fitted) and the bling cardigan:




If I don't buy the Talbots tartan top, the Clash of the Tartans ends with an ex-equo for me, as I got the Jcrew tartan boy shirt and the Talbots skirt.

I will be back after the holidays. I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Clash of the Tartans: JCrew versus Talbots

After what I told you in my last post you probably weren't expecting me to come back this soon but as a matter of fact this week I have time to blog guilt-free in the evening as my husband is on (another) business travel (and DD is sleeping tight and doesn't need me).

As many of you, yesterday I received in the mail both the JCrew and the Talbots holiday catalogs. As you probably remember I had decided to swear off Talbots after trying really hard to fit into their clothes. Well, I have to say that after browsing both the catalogs I was much more excited to go to a Talbots store than to Jcrew (where I went in any case to make yet another return). It takes more than a red background to make a holiday catalog look appealing and I think that Jcrew really missed this one. The holiday season is when you want to stock up on party clothes and feel elegant and pretty even if you have nowhere to go (just in case an invitation comes at the last minute). You don't want to be reminded that even if you buy those tartan tuxedo pants you will end up wearing them at home with your slouchy sweatwhirt (that is, in case you still have a sweatshirt not covered in sequins that you can still wear doing sweats). I am really tired of this styling and you know that I love JCrew. I still find individual pieces that I like but between the prices that seem really all over the places (seriously, who wants to buy a $265 sash?) and the same styles offered over and over I am ready for a break from the Crew.
There is actually only one item that I would buy in the entire Jcrew catalog and it's the tartan boy shirt. I tried it today in my regular size (0) and really liked it:




But it's a pretty casual cotton shirt and I am not sure if I want to invest in this one. Maybe I am just not preppy enough for wearing tartan in the daylight. In any case I hold off because I wanted to checkout the holiday collection at Talbots before making any purchase.

I went into Talbots with very little trust that I would actually like the clothes when I would see them in the store, let alone try them on. And in fact, as usual, Talbots greeted me with its retirement-club vibe. At first I had the impulse to take the exit without trying anything on as verything seemed bo-ring, even the most showy sequin top; but because I went there with the purpose of trying things on, I started to look through the racks and picked up a few things that had caught my eye in the catalog.
Now, what's surprising this time around is that I liked the items more once I put them on than on the hangers. I think it's an effect from Crewlade overdose.

My first pick is the Plaid pinch-pleat ruffle top. To be honest I would have preferred a non-ruffled neckline, but I really like the fit (it's flattering) and the fact that it's silk taffeta. I am trying a 2 (regular):



In the same spririt JCrew is offering the Eliza plaid tee. I would have been all over it (especially since I missed on the Phoebe blouse in 2006) but they cheapened it with the beading at the neckline and I didn't even try it on.

Next, these wool plaid pants that I don't see on the website, but are the same fabric than the Kate Fit Plaid jacket. They are fully lined and if I am not wrong they retail for $119. This kind of pants is too classic for me, but they are nice quality per se (even if not incredibly flattering). I am trying a 2P (I am typically a P in bottoms and a regular size in tops at Talbots) and I am not sure if they are supposed to be cropped or "ankle":



JCrew is offering the Cropped plaid tuxedo pants. These are nice and fully lined and more young-looking than the Talbots ones, even if some may dislike the cropped style. My store was out of my size so I couldn't try them on but they feel nice at the touch.

The ivory sweater that I'm trying with the Talbots pants is the Cashmere ballet-neck sweater. It is very plush (it must be a 7-gauge cashmere) and feminine. Personally I tend to buy cashmere turtlenecks and cardigans as opposed to pullovers but this is a nice one, even if a bit on the expensive side.

The next one is the one that I was most curious about. I liked it in the catalog but not when I saw it in the store (I thought "not for me"). And surprisingly LOVED it when I tried it on. It's the Plaid taffeta skirt. This also comes in 0P on the website but they only had the 2P in store (as a general rule they don't have 0s in store), which I think is my size anyway. I dared the combo plaid shirt/plaid skirt and actually liked it. It would look great with a black sash and a black cropped jacket and of course heels are de rigeur with a full knee-lenght skirt like this one:




Now, my holiday calendar is very busy this year. Not only my mother in law is coming for the holidays (which means more nights out for my husband and I) but I have four parties/occasions to attend already and they are all pretty formal. I am thinking that this skirt would be perfect for two of them at least, but I also have the JCrew marveille taffeta mini that needs to be worn (even if that one doesn't need a formal occasion and I can just wear it to go out for dinner). So for the time being both the top and the skirt are on hold for me at the store and starting tomorrow I can use the 25% off coupon that I found in the catalog to buy both. I am VERY tempted, especially because it's a classic skirt and I can wear it for years to come. I am afraid to say that JCrew isn't offering anything like this this season.

So, who do you think wins the clash of the tartans? JCrew or Talbots? Would you wear a tartan skirt with a tartan top?

Saturday Housewarming Party Outfit

This Saturday we went to New Jersey (Jersey City) for the housewarming party of our friends who got married in Seattle last spring.

The party started at 4 to allow for couples with children to bring them. I really, really wanted to wear one of my newest purchases, the Tiered silk ruffled cami, which, incidentally, is a "hidden" item in the sale section. You have to type "Tiered silk" to find it, go figure.
When I tried this top in store last week I immediately fell in love with it. I felt very gracious in it, like a ballerina or a little bird. The color is black but only the wool panel in the back, grosgrain belt and straps are black. The silk charmeuse ruffles themselves are more of a midnight blue, which is a navy tinged of grey.
I haven't tried the dress but besides the fact that it is still FP I think that the wool all the way down in the back is going to be too form-hugging and maybe even sheer as it is kind of a lightweight fabric.
The top is very easy to wear IMO. It looks good alone with black pants/jeans (I am wearing last year toothpick in dark raisin rinse):



but is also super-cute peeking out from a cardigan or jacket:




In the end I didn't wear it because it was too dressy for the occasion (not to mention that it took us an hour and a half of public transportation to get there) and in fact the other guests were very casual. I wore my Talbots tee instead, with the Loft clear necklace from this spring. I always get a ton of compliments on this necklace and it's true that it's really pretty and unusual:



Our friends apartment is on the waterfront and they have an amazing view of the Hudson River and the NYC skyline on the other side. This the view from the walkway between the train station and their building:



I was carrying an Anthropologie bag with a present for our friends. I rarely visit Anthropology and I think that I have never made a purchase there (at least not clothes) but the last time that I have been there (in the summer) I saw in the home section these adorable Storybook romance dishtowels and I though that they would make a great little present for newlyweds (if for example you have not been invited to the wedding but you want to send something or, as in this case, you are invited to a housewarming). I was happy that they still had them in the store, they made the perfect present.

These are the last few hours of the 25% off card. I feel a urge to go outside and take advantage of it for the last time but I have spent way too much already and I am stuck home with a sick daughter AND a calf strain (that I have inflicted myself yesterday while playing frisbee in the park. Hopefully it will heal by itself but because of Columbus Day I couldn't even see the doctor today).

Have a nice week.

The Talbot's Leopard-Print Velvet Coat and Other Animal Prints

I received my Talbot's leopard-print velvet coat last Tuesday (very fast shipping BTW) and I didn't fall in love with it. I expected to feel special in this coat but the magic didn't happen. It takes a little bit of daring to wear a statement piece (especially in an animal print), so it is even more important than usual to feel the love. Plus it's a $279 coat that has a very limited season here being cotton velvet, another reason to really love it or return it.
The print is striking and the style has a vintage feeling to it (it's double-breasted with it's slight A-line and big buttons):




But the fit is off. I understand that this is not meant to be slim but it is way too wide in the chest area and arms. As a reminder, I bought it in a 2P that is the smallest size available for coats at Talbots. In particular I didn't like the look of the collar on me. It felt old-ladysih but it could be that I am too petite to pull off such a print (I think it overwhelms me):



Sorry for the cargo pants in the previous pic. I too did think that it deserved better, so I put on my best "lady outfit" and gave it another try (but it didn't change my feelings):





I was really hoping that it would work but sadly I am going to return it and this pretty much ends my brief affair with Talbots. I will go back to JCrew like a unfaithful and repentant lover and I hope that he will take me back. JCrew fits me SO. MUCH. BETTER.

However this order wasn't a complete waste of money as I received a free lipstick in the exclusive "Charmed" Talbot's shade, that pretty much made up for the shipping charge that I am not going to get back. It's a beautiful red with brown undertones and even if I wasn't looking for a red lipstick I am pretty pleased with it (I find it flattering, unlike most of the red lipsticks that I have tried on):



I took about a million pics to show you the shade on me and this is all I can show you (who knew that it's such a difficult task to take a picture of one's lips):



I think that I will stick to animal-print accessories this season. While I was in Italy I shopped my mom's closet and brought back a scarf in real fur that I remembered she used to wear when I was a little girl:



And I bought a little cross-body at Zara with a leopard-print calf hair patch on the front (a Lanvin knockoff), that goes very well with my leopard-print bucket hat from last year (bought also in Italy for $20):





Ready to go:



And for the evening, a little tiger-print feathered headband by the Loft (after wearing all summer long my sunglasses over my head as a headband, even in the evening, I decided that it was time to buy a few ones):



What do you think of the coat? Are you into animal prints this season?