Some Lilly Fun

As I mentionned in my previous post, one of the few post-holidays sales I partook in this year is the Lilly Pulitzer two-day sale last week. Sales at Lilly Pulitzer.com take place only twice a year (in January and late August) and last only two days, then everything that is not sold-out goes back to full price or is removed from the website. So if you are interested in something in particular this is your only shot at getting it for a reduced price, at least on the website (you can get pretty good deals in store year-round but that's another story). It is also one of the rare occasions where they offer free shipping no minimum, so it is worth it to throw in some non-sale items to try out.

The first day I had a good look at the sale but couldn't pull the trigger on anything because many of the items heavily reduced in price were marked final sale (it's a retailers pleague!) and I wasn't stalking anything in particular. I went quickly to the store the morning after to try something that was tempting me but I decided that I didn't need it after all. So in the end I pulled the trigger on one item that I had tried a long ago in store but decided that I would get only at a deep discount (I also ordered some of their fleeces and a dress for my daughter. Love when I can get some mini-Lillys for the price of a Gap on sale) and wasn't final sale.
It's a little funky jacket called "Sylvia" (as I said it has been removed from the Lilly website and it is back to FP at Splashes of Pink, which is a Lilly signature store):

First, let me tell you that they price that they asked for this ($228) is absolutely crazy IMO, being a knit. I got it for $59 and I wouldn't have paid much more (in fact when I tried it in store it was already on sale for $79 and it wasn't a price that I was willing to pay at that time). But for $59 I am happy to add something unusual to my closet.
I got it in this brown/ivory colorway, which is the color that I had tried in store. It also came in a navy/pink colorway (with a smaller-scaled print) but I have more than enough navy jackets. What really pushed me to get it is that I have now the perfect dress to wear with it, a recent acquisition that I got on sale at Joe Fresh (I have the same one in burgundy too, as some of you will remember):

This was already cheap at full price ($39) and was only $19 on sale (when it sold-out I really regretted not getting it at full price, but one day I found this one on sale, probably a return. I really had zero hopes to find it but it paid to go in often just to check because you never know). By the way, I don't know what's going on with the lining being longer than the dress itself but for $19 I thought I would find a solution (even if I have to have the lining hemmed).
The dress is a year-round dress (because of the lining and quite substantial weigth) but I was afraid that I wouldn't know what to wear with it in fall/winter time (thus, my not buying it when it was FP). I found that this jacket really complements it and all of a sudden I have a no-brainer outfit ready, which makes the dress much more weareable:

And yes, those are shoes on the jacket! Funky, as I said. Because of the print, the big ivory button and the collar shape, it has a vintage-y feeling, like something that you would find at a thrift store:

As I said, I wouldn't probably have bought it if I hadn't found the dress on sale. It does look good with pants and jeans but I don't need another pants jacket, as pretty much all my jackets are pants jackets. This is with my toothpick cords, for example:

I am really happy with this "find". At least it isn't another schoolboy blazer ;-). If it weren't for the problem with the lining of the dress, I would wear it tonight to a school event and then out to dinner with friends.
Instead I am going to wear a much more serious outfit (the dress is by the Loft, the jacket is an old Zara from the time when I worked in an office and the necklace is a Majorica pearls necklace that I won at the school benefit auction last year). Yes, I am pretending to be a layer or something (just kidding but you will agree that it doesn't look like something that I usually wear):

What do you think of my funky jacket? Would you wear a jacket with shoes on it? Did you partake in the Lilly sale last week? Please share!

The Fabulous Outfit That I Didn't Wear and (Broken) New Year Resolutions

I can't believe we are January the 8th already, please accept my belated Happy New Year wishes! Not to justify myself but this post is cursed. I started it on Monday, then I was victim of BWB (blog writer's block) and when the inspiration came back yesterday and I was finally ready to publish it after spending more than two hours on it, blogger froze and I lost almost everything. So I am going to cut it short and move on to other posts.
In any case, if anyone still cares, our romantic gateway in the city was FANTASTIC. Why didn't we do this before? (Wait, I know why: we have a daughter and no family here to take care of her if we decide to disappear for a day). But the decision has been made: we'll do it at least once a year, when my MIL is here on vacation (can't wait, can't wait).

Now, after checking in at the hotel we went out for drinks and we found by chance the most amazing place in the entire city, at the top of the Standard hotel (in fact it is called "Top of the Standard"). It's not a secret address for people who go out and apparently every celebrity has been spotted there in 2010 (when it was called the Boom Boom Room, as I learned afterward) but I had never heard of it (I know, I know, I don't go out enough) and as soon as I pushed the (heavy) door I was transported in another era. The design (apparently inspired by the interior of a Bentley) is fabulous (think jazz-age with a touch of modern: creamy leather seats, glass and laqued wood) and the view is simply breathtaking.
I wish I was wearing this:




I couldn't possibly have worn the moonbeam sequined jacket that day for the simple reason that I bought it two days ago for a third of its original price but I did have the beaded-ribbon top and the silver shoes ... in my suitcase. Yeah, I had left the top at the hotel because it was still early when we left and the plan was to get changed before going out to dinner (which never happened because we ended up staying there until dinner time). So instead I was wearing the Bal d'hiver tee, a pair of cargo and Chalet boots (sigh!) Truth to be told a lot of people were wearing "ski" attire because of the recent snow, so I didn't feel like I was the only one not dressed appropriately. However, when the waitresses are wearing this kind of outfit (how fabulous is this uniform?):



you can't help regretting not wearing your best clothes. In any case I hope that I will have a second change to wear this pair soon, because I am seriously in love with this jacket. It is actually a good thing that I admired it since it came out but I never dared trying it on when it was FP because I would have succumbed to its beauty, probably. I love how the metallic sequins (from the family-owned, Barcelona-based Gratacos mill, as the product description tells us. Who knew that there are mills specialized in sequins?) are securely attached and how fluid it is (I am wearing my regular size 0). Isn't it the perfect companion for the beaded-ribbon top (that still ranks in first position as my favorite "going out in a fancy place" top?):



A per my New Year's resolutions, I think that I set a record because a few days into the New Year I have already broke most (if not all) of them. Let's see:

1) Shed off those few extra pounds that I put on between the summer and the holidays by eating healthier meals. I would say that eating Panettone for breakfast every day is not a good way to start a diet or a healthy regimen.

2) Start a regular exercise routine (complement to resolution number 1). Just three words to describe this: not started yet.

3) Buy less, wear more. What can I say? In eight days I have already wiped half of my spring budget, so much for this resolution.

4) Don't buy. Any. More. Striped. Top (because I have a gazillion). OK but I HAD to have this striped hoodie from the Loft. I had tried it on before Xmas and the plan was to wait for a promotion, but when I came back there was only one left in my size and had to buy fp (still less expensive than the crazily priced similar Jcrew Drapey striped pullover hoodie, which is simply a tee in case you haven't seen it IRL):



Note that scarves don't count (especially when they cost $6 with the current 40% off. This is the jersey Jcrew one that was originally priced at $39.50):



However, the only resolution that I feel like I keeping am so far is one that is very important to me: take a better care of my family (especially my husband, who often complains that he comes in third position after my daughter and my shopping obsession). I'm making efforts in that department and I hope that the result is a happier couple life and happier life in general.

How about you? Any broken new year resolution already?