Talbots 40% Off Promo: My Picks

I haven't done a post on Talbots in a very long time. That's because I completely lost any interest in the brand during the last Fall and Winter, they seemed to have gone back to their grandma style (and also, to be honest, I didn't recognize myself in the models).
But the last Catalog was different, I found myself browsing it much more than the last JCrew catalogs and I was interested in seeing IRL quite a few items.
As you probably know they had a 30% off full-price online promo at the beginning of the week but I wasn't motivated enough to pay the shipping just to try things on (as their sizing can be a hit or miss for me), so I went quickly to a store hoping that if I found something worth it they would price-match the online price. Well no, they didn't but it is for the best since they are starting today a new promo (in-store only this time) for 40% off one fp item (and I think 30% off the entire purchase, I have to double check).
Anyway, I took pics of a few items that were on my "must see IRL" list and I might go back to get one of these during this promo. I didn't have a lot of time so I tried only things I was interested in for myself (except for one that I tried for the fun).

Let's start with the Sailor-stripe halter dress. This dress is a big seller and I can see why. It is very well made and flattering, plus who doesn't like some thin blue stripes. In my opinion this fits like last year Cecelia dress from JCrew. It doesn't look like it in the pics but there is a LOT of fabric in the skirt portion (it is fully lined in cotton), like in the Cecelia. However, it felt very good on and made me want to swirl. The top portion is a real racerback, so what bra wear with it might be a problem and it might accentuate your shoulders. Usually I am a P in dresses and skirts at Talbots but they didn't have a petite size to try on, this is the regular 2. I think the 2P would have been perfect, the regular P was just a touch too long on me and not fitted enough in the bust (but still weareable):

I was surprised at how much I liked this dress on; however, I am not sure how much wear I would get out of this, it seems a bit too dressy for me to wear just for school runs and I don't need another dress that needs some kind of occasion. But I might reconsider if I find a 2P during this promo.
In reality my first choice and the reason why I made the trek to the store was the Sailor-stripe godet skirt. This skirt reminded me of my yellow JCrew pleated skirt with the grommets which is a summer favorite of mine and I see myself wearing it a lot in the summer. I tried both the 2 regular and the 2P. The 2R was a bit too long (it was midi-length on me) and looked a bit dowdy but was flowing more nicely through the hips than the 2P:

The 2P for some strange reasons felt a bit looser in the waist than the 2R (normally it should be the opposite) and was a lot shorter, hitting me slightly above the knee. What I didn't like was that the pleats started a bit more abruptly at mid-thigh, like in a flutter-hem skirt. I don't know if you can see it in the pics below:

Still, I like this skirt, it is very summery and I see myslf wearing it in my daily life. I think that the 0P would have been perfect in the waist but maybe a bit too short (in any case it doesn't come in 0P, apparently).

The next one is a dress that I tried only because it was very Madmen and it's a fun "optical print" and I thought that some of you would like it. It's the Oval-dot dress. Typically this kind of dress with a sheath top and a full skirt doesn't look good on me (they make me look heavier than I am) and this is no exception. This is the 2P:

My last two picks are two tops. The first is the Audrey-collar top that you have already seen in the pics with the godet skirt but deserves its own pics. This top is poly but it is beautiful (it reminds me of a similar top at Kate Spade). I was interested in the navy (because it is perfect to wear with my JCrew big-dot skirt) but it seems to be a store-only color and they were out of both the 2P and the 2 regular. I tried the 2P in the pink flambe which is a beautiful bright pink (a bit like the bright dahlia but brighter). I would have loved to compare with a 2 (the 2P seemed a bit boxy) but I didn't have the time:

I will buy the navy for sure if I find it in a store during the promo. Note that the natural color is much creamier than in the online pic (it's more like a vanilla).

Last, the golden-button caught my eye because it is very Tory Burch-esque, with the golden buttons and the nautical details (like a little rope that is used to close the key-hole). It is very crisp-looking, especially in the white. However, the 2P was pulling a bit at my chest an the 2 regular was overall too big in the body (first pic is the 2P, second and third pics is the 2R). I might get it with the promo though (which size do you think looks better?):

That's all. Are you eyeing something at Talbots? Do you like any of these picks? Are you planning to take advantage of this promo (if you subscribe to their emails you should receive it)? Please share!

Saturday Shopping: Loft Finds

Remember my theory that if you feel well dressed when you are out shopping you are less likely to make impulsive purchases? Well, it didn't work vey well this past Saturday. I did feel very cute in my outfit but I was wearing the wrong necklace:

I mean, I love my factory Palma necklace (in fact I wear it much more than I thought, probably because it is a statement but not as heavy as the retail version) but it was the trigger of a purchase that I hadn't planned: who knew that I needed a pair of jeans in the same color?
So far in the big summer duel between pastels and bright I chose brights: pastels tend to wash me out so I generally stay away and I thought that I was going to skip the trend altogether. But on my way to the post office I stopped at the Loft, that was having a 40% off everything promo and saw their version of the light-colored denim pants trend. They are called Modern Rolled Cuff Sraight Leg Jeans in Stretch Cotton Twill (ouf!) and come in beautiful pastel colors that so far I have seen offered only at high-end brands like AG. The regular sizes were almost sold-out but I found a 2P and a 4P in the soft seashell to try on and that's when my necklace turned out to be a negative influence. Look, don't they look like they are made for each other?

Besides the necklace, I also like the fact that you can pair them with a white shirt like the one that I was wearing without being in total white. The SA said that they tend to stretch a lot but the 2P was uncomfortably tight and the fabric was creating lines around my thighs, so I went with the 4P which has more of a relaxed fit. They are presented with the rolled-up cuffs on the website and in stores but I prefer them unrolled, probably because I am not really a petite by Loft standards.
They had a lot of cute things and there was the longest line at the resister, a sign that the promo worked well. I had to refrein from buying other things that I don't really need just because of the 40% off but something in the sale section really caught my eye. In the endless landscape of stipes, polka-dots and paisley prints that the retailers have rolled out for us this spring a snakeskin print pencil skirt seems like a breath of fresh air. The fact that I don't have a single snakeskin print item in my closet is a clue that I am not usually drawn to snakeskin prints and I debated this one too because I don't want to add stuff that ends up unworn but in the end the colors and the fact that it was only $18 after the discount convinced me that it was worth taking it home and trying it with a few things.
Well, I really like it with the selvedge denim shirt (here I am trying it with the long-sleeved one but I have the short-sleeved one for the summer):

And a little bit more safari, with an old Zara shirt that is a favorite of mine:

All in all I think this is a great skirt to own and one that I am going to wear (the fabric is similar to the JCrew factory printed cotton pencil skirts) and the price is hard to beat. It is a size 2 so it fits a bit loose but before taking it to the tailor I have to decide if it is worth the cost of an alteration.
Speaking of alterations, I just picked up from the tailor my new coccodrillo pencil skirt that was a size 2 and I had taken to fit like a 0. Since I have new followers, I hope my long-time followers will forgive me if I repeat myself here and I explain that this pencil skirt from retail 2009 was for "the one that got away" that I searched high and low for almost three years until a JCA posted one on the Weekly Exchange for a decent price a few months ago. It was a size 2 but I knew that my chances to find a 0 for the same price were close to zero, so I jumped on it. Now it fits perfectly and I can't wait to wear it. Since many of you liked the outfit with the chambray shirt and the linen polka-dots popover I tried it with that same top and even if coccodrillo print and polka-dots sounds like a crazy combination, it works well IRL (in fact I love it). What do you think?

To go back to my Saturday outfit, later in the afternoon I changed the accessories and went to the playground with my husband and daughter. This time I tucked in the shirt and added a belt (and took off the necklace). For a very long time this Paul and Joe belt was the only belt that I owned, along with a simple black jean belt. It was a splurge at the time but turned out to be a good investment, since I am still wearing it to this day. By the way, the jeans are the Comptoir des Cotonniers ones that I bought at the sample sale (they are a French size 36, which corresponds to a 2 or a 0, depending on the sizing particular to a brand. I would say that the Comptoir pants fit small):

That's it. Did you shop at the Loft this weekend? Do you prefer the outfit with shirt untucked or with shirt tucked in and belt?

OOTD: Chambray And Tan

Good morning! Quick OOTD post today. I recently (uhm, OK, it was yesterday) bought the Linen dot popover (currently sold-out on the website but watch for popobacks) that was on my wishlist since it came out and I couldn't wait to wear it (thankfully the weather is cooperating). In case you haven't noticed this popover went on sale for $49.99 but is almost-sold out also in stores. I did a store search that gave no results and guess what? Yesterday morning I walk into the Collection store and there it is a XS waiting for me. I don't know what these WWFIFY people are drinking but clearly is not Crewlade.

Anyway, I don't think that is was worth full price because the fabric it is so snag-prone and also pill-prone that I don't know if it is going to last more than one season, honestly, but it is soooo cute and I am OK with paying $35 with the current 30% off promo.
As many have said this sweater is also a little bit sheer. Instead of wearing it with a cami I layered it over my contrast-stitch chambray shirt (that is thinner than a regular denim shirts, so it works better with this sweater), my favorite pair of jeans and my Reavas in royal tan (that are exactly the same color of the sweater. See why I need 100 pairs of shoes?):

I don't like to wear jewelry to school at 8 in the morning but this color looks great with bold gold jewelry like the link bracelet below:

Otherwise I tried it in the store with the double-strand resin giraffe necklace (sold-out on the website as well?) and it was soooo cute, I try not to buy JCrew jewelry these days but I really like that one because of the neutral colors and I will get it on sale if I can.

I hope you have a nice weekend, enjoy the weather while it lasts (winter is expected to come back on Monday, when the temperatures will drop to 45 degrees here in NYC. Don't put away your coats just yet). And if you have the time, please leave a comment to my previous post and tell me everything about your shoes. Don't be shy!

One Hundred And Counting

So the task of counting how many pairs of shoes I own proved more difficult than expected. In fact I can't give you a precise number but I can tell you that there are between 96 and 135 depending on how we define "shoes".
Shocked? Well, me too! I would have said 65 to 70, I had no idea, really. Before you start to think that I am a shoe-aholic let me tell you a couple of things:
1) I have a tendency to be a hoarder. It runs in the family, my mom could easily appear in an episode of "Hoarders" and I think she transmetted the gene to me. So it isn't that I buy THAT many pairs of shoes, it is that I don't throw them away. Never. Until now.
2) I think that women in general have a tendency to underestimate the number of shoes that they own and have way more than they think or want to admit. What I am saying is that I don't think I am an exception. Who really counts their shoes? Have you ever tried? It sums up very quickly, you would be surprised.
This was an ideal situation to count them because we emptied our walk-in closet (where all our shoes are stored, except for the few ones that get everyday use and need to be in the entrance closet) to put the new rods and shelves in, so all the shoes that we have got temporarely moved on the floor of our bedroom. Still, I couldn't come up with a definitive number. Why, you ask? It seems easy, like counting to 100.
Well, while I was trying to tackle the task I came across some metaphysical questions like: should I take flip-flops, like Havaianas, into account? I have easily more than ten pairs of Havaianas and similar rubber-sole sandals so those alone would increase my number. In the end I didn't consider them as shoes, technically, for the simple reason that the fact that I have a pair of, say, pink Havaianas doesn't count when I am considering buying pink shoes. They don't compete.
Or similarly: should I count sneakers and fitness shoes? I am in no mean a sneakers person but I have a few pairs (OK, four, two for casual/park wear and two for the gym or other physical activity) that I happen to wear very rarely but I keep because in life you need to have at least a pair of sneakers and/or "active" shoes.
Then I have the shoes that could be described as "shoes that should be thrown away but I can't get rid of": for example, I have a pair of suede sandals with buckles and a heavy-duty sole that are so worn-in that the buckles are actually rusted, that mercury-green rust that comes from exposure to sea water (it looks like I found them in the deep of the ocean, really) but I had them for at least 20 years and they have been a staple of my "adventurous travelling days" following me everywhere, from Morocco to Portugal to Grand Canyon and have affective value, not to mention that they can still be useful if one day we start to travel again to such places. When I asked my husband he said that I should keep them. See? We are a family of hoarders. Another (different) example is a pair of Gucci that I know hurt my feet (they are half a size too small) but I keep just because they are Gucci. Again, my husband was like "You are not going to give your Guccis away", even if I told him that I couldn't wear them without having my feet bleeding (I tried).
The last methaphysical question was: should I include shoes that I have (finally) decided to get rid of (through the JCA Weekly Exchange or by donating them to my daughter's school used clothes sale that is coming up soon) but I still own, technically. I solved this by putting quickly the ones that I want to sell up for grabs on the JCA and donating the other ones before I changed my mind, even if in the end I counted the ones that haven't been sold yet.

This leaves me with approximately 100 pairs of shoes. I had a Carrie Bradshaw moment when I realized that I had so many, you know the episode, when she is evicted from her apartment and has to find money for the down payment to buy it back and she calculates the amount that she could have in savings hadn't she splurged on all those Manolos at $400 a pair. The difference is that I don't have so many expensive shoes, I don't have a single pair of Manolos or Laboutins or Jimmy Choos. I have a few Pradas but they were all bought during sales years ago. And I probably have less than Carrie Bradshaw anyway.

Now there are pairs that I wear more than other pairs, typically flats get worn much more than heels and I tend to destroy and then replace them on a regular basis, like my black Revas. However, I have almost the same number of heels and flats. Why? Here we enter the domain of fantasy shopping: trying on heels and in particular stilettos or other sky-high heels is not the same thing as trying flats. When I buy a pair of flats I look for wereability and comfort, I rarely bought a pair of flats that wasn't comfortable (in general I can tell when I try on and I stay away if they hurt), while when I try heels I project myself in situations that are not likely to happen and I tend to close an eye on the fact that if I can't walk in them, in the end I won't wear them.
I have a few of these fantasy heels and the worst thing is that I keep buying them (in fact I just bought a pair of slingback platforms that make my legs look sooo long but I don't know if I will ever wear. It's bad, I know. At least they weren't expensive, they are the third ones from the left):

Fantasy shopping shoes

In fact now I realize what my shoe problem is. I do buy too many, but I don't feel like it because I only wear half of them. The other half I can't walk in or used to disappear in the mess formerly known as the walk-in closet. I decided that this is going to change now that we have more storage space (I should say, an improved storage space). I finally decluttered and got rid of what I thought was useless to keep at this point of my life and now I have these 90 something pairs to put back in the closet. This is the occasion to do it properly and in a manner that will hopefully result in me getting some more wear out of shoes that I had even forgot I had because they were buried under other shoes.
I would say that 80% of my shoes are in the original boxes: now, not only boxes of various dimensions take up a lot of space but also they make the shoes themselves hard to reach, thus diminish their weareability. For the time being I put them back in their boxes but I have become aware of one important concept that a lady from California Closet who came for a quote told me: boxes are for storage, you can't keep the shoes that you wear on a regular basis in boxes. I had never thought about that but it is so true. In fact she said that I should keep the shoes that I wear in the same closet where I usually get dressed (my bedroom closet) and keep only the "special pairs" and the storage boxes in the walk-in closet (which is more of a storage closet for me as I don't keep my everyday clothes there, while it is the dressing closet for my husband). An interesting concept to maybe think about in the future but that I cannot implement right now, since I don't have any room for shoes in my bedroom closet.

In the new closet I have the space to display neatly and at easy-to-reach level around 40 pairs, while the other ones (hors season) can be stored on the upper, difficult to reach, shelves like you see in the pic below:

The plan is to buy 40 of these Container Store shoe drawers to protect the shoes that are in constant rotation, while having them easily accessible thanks to the drawer system. I have a few of them that you can see in the lower shelf:

I could buy these shoe racks instead (since we used the Elfa system to redesign the closet) but they don't work for flats and I don't want to have two systems in place. Plus the open racks don't protect them from dust, which I think is a necessity.
Now, I don't know what to do with the boxes, it seems silly to keep empty boxes while the shoes are on rotation. On the other side if I throw them away I don't know where to put the shoes once they need to be stored away in the upper shelves. Any thoughts? I am afraid to throw them away and then regret and be forced to buy plastic boxes. I can easily recognize what's in each box so I don't feel that I need clear storage boxes (but I need a few for the boots/booties that don't have an original box anymore).
The other thing is that I own a fair number of leather thongs (like the JCrew leather capris, a step up from Havaianas) and it seems that for those the shoe drawers are a waste of space. I would like to find another way to keep them neatly accessible but I am at a loss. So I ask you, dear readers, what do you do with your thongs? I remember that the Container store used to sell a "flip-flops" organizer, that I think should work for regular leather shoes too but I can't find it anymore.
My husband (who de-mounted the old system and mounted the whole thing in just two days) has been very sweet and gave me the a big part of the closet as you can see (he is keeping for himself the wall on the back that you cannot see) and his only condition is that he wants to keep it clean and pretty (so no shoes hanging in those canvas hangers with shoe pockets).
If you are an expert of closet organization or simply have a few tips that worked for you, please share.

Have you ever counted your shoes?

Two OOTDs: From Spring to Summer

The weather started to warm up this Saturday, after a quite cold week. I knew that it was going to be warmer but I just didn't feel like wearing a strapless dress and flip-flops just yet. In fact I didn't even feel like wearing brights. Is it just me or you feel weird too when wearing one of those muted, military-inspired colors and clothes that were in every catalog last year? Like I am going to a combat or something. I wasn't going to a combat, I was just taking my daughter to a birthday party (which, mind you, could be described as a special kind of combat) and wanted to be comfortable but look cute. But I felt like people were looking at me and thinking "Look! She is wearing olive green, didn't she get the memo? Brights, one must wear BRIGHTS!" Or at least navy.

I will let "them" think what they want, I still love my olive green items (in fact I will always love them), in particular this cashmere sweater and my JBrand skinny cargos. I added a necklace to make it at least less "I am joining the army" and more "military-chic":

On Sunday it was a bit warmer and I wore again my rugby-stripe dress (one of the best purchases this year), that you have already seen so I didn't take pics. Yesterday it was crazy hot, like in the 90s. I wore the following outfit to school thinking that I would change later for something short-sleeved but that didn't happen. I went to Party City in this outfit to buy party supplies for my daughter's 5th birthday that is coming up in May and needless to say I was SWEATING on my way home (I bought a giant pinata that I had to schlep home, what an idea).
Anyway, this was a "sweet" outfit and the reason why I am posting it (even if's nothing extraordinary) is that you can buy the Pintuck lace-front henley for very cheap during the current promo JCrew.com. The price that they were originally asking for this was a bit crazy ($65, really???) but for $14 is a great casual top. I missed on the vintage lace tee last year and this one has the same feeling. Usually I am not attracted to henleys at all (they always look a bit pajama-y to me) but I like this one. I am wearing a XS (it fits TTS except for the sleeves that are a bit tight):

After drop-off I accessorized with a necklace:

That's it! Do you think that the military-inspired fashion trend is passe and looks weird now?
Are you taking advantage of the current promo (I resisted so far)?
I am preparing a post on shoes and I will need your help, please stay tuned!

OOTD: Spring Is In The Air (Outfit #2)

What says spring to you more than anything else? Stripes? For me it's wearing a blush-nude color like JCrew dusty rose or warm blush. I know I already used the "Spring is in the air" title for another post but I cannot find anything better to describe my outfit today. I wore it to school and I had a lot of compliments, everybody had the same "what a pretty spring outfit" comment.

I am wearing a Zara top that I bought last year during my summer vacation in Italy and didn't get a chance to wear yet. It's so pretty and it fits so well (the fabric it's a heavy viscose with a lot of "aplomb"), it really looks like Chloe or Celine and it was on the expensive side for Zara (69 EU, I know because I just cut off the tag). When I tried it I hesitated a bit because it is a V-neck and very low cut but I liked it so much that I thought I would make an exception to my "no wearing camis" rule. I have a bandeau bra in the same color that I bought to wear with it but what really works with this top is my Luis Vuitton "bandana" that I had bought myself as a birthday present on the same trip last year and some of you will remember from an old post.

I love how the "bandana" follows perfectly the neckline of the top, it looks almost like a tie-neck blouse. Unfortunately it is too cold to wear the top alone (even with a jacket), but I can use a little help from JCrew here in the form of the cashmere zipper cardigan in warm blush that even if not an exact match is close enough to be worn over the top:

The shoes are also in the same tone (what can I say, I am a matchy-matchy person): they are the Martina patent wedges that I am wearing for the first time today and I hope won't hurt my feet. If you are considering these, size up (I bought half a size bigger but I actually regretted not going up an entire size).

Today my daughter is in school until 2.30 and it's my designated "shopping day" of the week because I am not in a rush to pick her up so I am going downtown to checkout something at one of my favorite boutiques. I have to say, I feel very well dressed and I have this theory (that you have probably read on this blog before) that when you are shopping and you are well dressed it prevents you from buying disposable stuff that you don't need because what you are wearing feels SO superior. I hope my theory works today ;-).
Have a great Thursday!

The New Blazer

I have been looking for a black blazer for what seems forever. As a matter of fact I don't have a single black blazer (I had the JCrew McKenzie one from two years ago but stupidly decided to return it and keep the bronzed clay one), usually they look like suiting and are too professional for my lifestyle. I love the boyfriend blazer look but it doesn't work on me, I am too petite to pull it off. The ideal blazer length hits me at the hips, a little bit like the schoolboy but less structured.
As you might have noticed this spring almost all the brands have put a twist on the classic blazer. Some cut the lapels, or got rid of the buttons. The new generation of blazers is between a regular blazer and a smocking jacket and has a sleek look that is very much up in my alley, so I started to look around.

I have a Theory boutique close to my place and that's where I first noticed the trend. Of course I love Theory so I vaguely contemplated one of theirs but I didn't want to spend that much.
Instead, I am really impressed with this little Mango number (I am sorry but I can't find it online. However it should be in stores, as I bought it less than a month ago). I had never shopped at Mango before (except for a tee shirt that I bought in Italy) and I didn't have any idea of their prices. I went in only because this was in the window and really caught my eye. When I looked at the price and saw $49 I thought it was a ticketing mistake. I thought only H&M could sell blazers for less than $50 and this one is not comparable with H&M in terms of quality. Even if it is almost 100% poly, it doesn't look cheap at all and the stitching is impeccable (the quality is Zara-like. Zara's stuff has impeccable stitching if you ask me). The lapels are very slim and it doesn't button. It's a blazer that goes with pretty much everything and has a cool "downtown" vibe (exactly what I was looking for) and for the price I can take a risk on the trend (but I have to say that the only other black blazer that I have ever owned was very similar to this one, only much more oversized, so I think that it is a trend that really matches my inner style/sensibility).

With striped tee and colored denim:

With jeans and a tank, for a rock-chic look (incidentally, I went back to the Comptoir sample sale the last day and got both the tank and the shoes that you see in the pics):

And over a dress, like the Fabiola (which, by the way is $59.99 in stores):

Even if I don't know if I will shop at Mango again soon (simply because their stores are far from my usual shopping paths) I will certainly keep the brand in mind if I am looking for a specific trend.
What do you think of the new trend in blazers? Have you ever shopped at Mango?

I am having fun at reading your guesses about how many pair of shoes I own (read the details of the store in my previous post). If you haven't yet, please try to guess! I will have a post about it soon.