A Few Banana Republic Reviews

A mix of boredom and hangover took me to Banana Republic this past weekend. My husband and I went to a dinner party on Friday night that involved very little food and a lot of (good) wine, so the morning after we were both hangover. After spending part of the Saturday like a walking dead at home, I forced myself to go out in the late afternoon to breath some fresh air. I had literally nowhere to go, since my husband and daughter were grocery shopping and I am not someone who would take a walk in the park, I need stores and cafes. The wind must have blown in the direction of my local BR, where I hadn't stepped foot in at least a year, because I suddenly found myself there. I could have just walked past the store as I usually do but a "40% off on your entire purchase" sign and the fact that I had nothing else to do pushed me in. At worst I would snap some pictures for a blog post, I thought.
Banana and my personal style are not a match so at first I found nothing worth it trying on. When I was almost walking out, I saw a chambray tee that looked promising and reminded me of last year JCrew chambray boatneck top (that I never got) so I grabbed it along with a skirt that I thought would be of "general interest" for my readers.
The shirt is called washed chambray tee and it is apparently out of stock online. It was a real surprise: the fit was awesome and it is a very nice color for spring, not too dark but not too washed out. It is made in 100% lyocell which makes it supersoft and comfortable to wear. At first I thought that the 0 would be too tight because I had a bit of a hard time to pull it through (it has a half zipper in the back) but the 0 was actually perfect one on, as you can see below:







I wouldn't have bought it at $69.50 probably, but with the 40% off it was a no brainer, it is going to look great with white denim and it looks more expensive than a Banana shirt.
The other item that I tried that day is the circle skirt. This one looked like a very easy skirt for summer (loved the fabric) but it is much fuller on than what it looks on the hanger or in the pics. The 0 fit well in the waist, which means it was the good size. It looks OK from the front:





but gives you a booty if you look at the back, probably because there is too much fabric (it is lined in cotton):


When I had already paid for the tee and I was heading towards the exit I noticed a white scarf in a beautiful gauzy cotton but I left it there because I didn't want to buy it just because of the 40% off and I also thought that it would be a good add-on to get the free shipping online in case.
But it wasn't online so when they sent me one of those 40% off "Wednesday coupons" yesterday I went back (on purpose this time) to get the scarf and try other stuff on for the blog.

I regretted not trying the thin stripe ponte dress the time before, so this time I made sure to take it to the fitting room. This dress is great, the V-neck is not too low, it isn't too short and it is made in a thick ponte fabric. It was a bit big in the center section on me but not terribly so. If I were in need of another striped/casual dress I would consider this one. I really liked this color combo, it is a bit unusual for a dress. This is the 0:




It has an exposed zide zip but it isn't very noticeable:



All in all a very comfortable dress that you can throw on and look polished in.
Another dress that I tried on, but only for the blog, is the Ponte knit square-neck sheat in the beautiful pastel green. I have to say, liked this one better on the hanger than on me, I think the square-neck looks a bit funny. Also, I am probably between sizes in this one. The 0 was a bit tight but I didn't try a 2 and I think it would have been a bit loose in the neck. Here is the 0:



Last dress, that I tried on whim and ended up liking a lot, is the circle print dress (I can't link to the website as it is currently sold-out). This one is very Boden-esque and I think you have to have the right body type to pull it off (it won't flatter busty ladies) but is really darling. I thought that $98 for 100% rayon is very overpriced and I don't really need it but I had a hard time to leave it at the store and I might get it with the next 40% as I see myself wearing it, it is a very easy dress (even if it is typically something that my husband won't like). The coral color is beautiful but it also comes in navy. The length was right on me but it would look more like a tunic than a dress on taller ladies. This is the 0:



I also want to mention that the vertical stripe skirt is almost a perfect dupe of the JCrew seersucker skirt. I tried a 0 on for you so you get an idea. It fits well, if a bit tight:



(this peplum top is the one that Wendy ordered and thought looked terrible and I just want to mention that it's not her, it's the top. As you can see it doesn't look good on me either. This is a 0).

And now a pic of the scarf that was the mean reason of me going back. It is very hard to find a white cotton scarf for a decent price and I have been looking for one. It also comes in a mint green:



The pants are mine and the tee-shirt is the luxe-touch tee in a beautiful peri color that I don't see online. This "luxe-touch" material is a bit clingy but I really liked the color and I think it was flattering (I wouldn't buy the white because of the clinginess):



I didn't know if I really needed another tee but I decided at the register that I do ;-).
I have another pick but I forgot to take a picture. It's the tie-front blouse. This one caught my eye because last year I tried a Comptoir des cotonnier tie-front blouse almost identical that I never got because it was awfully expensive. It turned out that this one is on sale for $25.99 in store so I had my revenge ;-). You will see you soon. I got the navy one but I might track down the white one too. It fit TTS (went with a 0 but it just fits, I will probably go up a size if I buy the white one).

That's it! Have you tried or bought something at Banana recently?Do you like any of these picks? Please share!

OOTD: An Army of Flowers (Spring Is Here!)

Good afternoon everybody! I am so excited to announce the official arrival of Spring in our parts of the country. Today it is finally WARM and SUNNY, yay! We had a Spring preview last Friday that caught me a little by surprise but didn't last enough for me to ditch my coat for a spring jacket because Saturday it was back to freezing cold again.

But today is another story, as I was expecting it to be warm so I could plan my outfit accordingly. Even if when my husband told me this morning that it was going to be in the 70s today I could hardly believe him, it actually turned out to be true. To celebrate, I decided to wear flowers, an eternal symbol of spring.
I bought the Old Navy version of the Liberty perfect shirt in Margaret Anne a couple of months ago after reading this post over at Gigi's and it has been sitting in the return pile all this time. Then this past weekend I saw someone wearing the Jcrew one and I seriously considered ordering it with the 30% off given that in the meanwhile it had gone on sale but in the end it seemed silly to order something when I had a less expensive version at home, especially since I am not a flowers person (that's the reason why I ordered the Old Navy one in the first place: I have always liked the Margaret Anne print but knowing myself I wasn't sure that I would like it on me or I would want to wear it enough to bring down the cost per wear).
Anyway, this morning I decided to give the Old Navy shirt another chance. The print is bigger in scale than the Margaret Anne and the colors are a little bit more loud, which is what I didn't like when I first opened the package, but they are VERY similar. I mean, from a distance you could totally mistake it for the Liberty one, don't you think?

At closer inspection, the flowers look more like wild flowers than in the JCrew version (pants are old Zara chinos):

I ordered a XS and the fit is good with no gaping at the chest, I would say it fits like a 2 in Jcrew perfect shirts (that I tend to buy in a 0 but I should really buy in a 2 if I wanted to be more comfortable).
Now, I still needed a topper and I didn't want to wear a cardigan/sweater so I tried a pairing that is a bit unexpected but turned out to be great. As you probably remember I have been looking for a military jacket and I ended up returning the JCrew factory version (which is back on the website BTW) because I felt that it was too big and didn't have the refined look I was looking for. Last week I found one at Bloomingdales (during the family and friends, post to come) that is very similar to the factory one but more tailored to my figure. It is also much softer than the factory one and the fabric is a solid army green (while the Jcrew one had a herringbone pattern). It appears to be sold-out on the Bloomingdale website but I am going to show you the stock pic because for the life of me I can't take a decent picture of the color of this jacket (the pics below don't do it entirely justice):

It is by Lily Aldridge for Velvet. While I know Velvet (even if I don't know anything by this brand), I had no idea who Lily Aldridge was. In case you too are curious, she is a Victoria Secret's model turned stylist.
Anyway, with all the discounts (there was a double promo) it came down to a few dollars more than what I had paid for the JCrew one so I was ha[[y with my decision of returning it.
So, here it is with the flower shirt (I am wearing a XS). I received tons of compliments on this outfit today (especially on the shirt, that reinforced the feeling that it was a good decision to keep it):

On a complete different note, did anyone watch the season premiere of Madmen yesterday night? I admit I was very tired and I could barely keep my eyes open but I felt it was a bit boring (except for the Peggy storyline). I think I am a bit over Don's midlife crisis that is becoming a lifelong crisis. Plus, I wouldn't say that the opening verses of Dante's Inferno really apply to his situation because he was never on the right path. I just wanted to shout at him "Get a grip, Don, you have a beautiful wife who loves you and you are screwing up again! What's wrong with you?" But I have never been a big fan of Don in the first place (totally don't get why women like him), I watch the show more for the other characters.
What about you, did you enjoy the show?

Do you have the Liberty perfect shirt Margaret Anne or the Old Navy dupe? What do you think of toughen up flowers with army dress?

OOTD: Mint and Blue

First of all, I wanted to say that I am sorry that I haven't commented back to my last posts yet, my phone is constantly out of battery and I am very little on the computer these days. I will try to reply sooner or later, thank you for your patience!

I have been craving a pair of bottoms in a minty green and even more so since I bought the bazaar popover. While I can certainly wear it with denim and navy chinos, I thought it would look very fresh with mint. However I didn't want to spend much as colored bottoms are probably going out of fashion soon and I regretted paying full price for my festival green toothpicks last year, that I got tired of pretty quickly. I found a pair of mint jeans at Joe Fresh for $29 and the fit is very close to the toothpicks (I bought a size 0) so that sealed the deal.
I wanted to wear them with the popover today as I was meeting a friend for breakfast but it was (still is) deceptively cold this morning. When I tried them on in the store I was wearing my pointelle cashmere V-neck sweater from last year and the blue of the sweater made a nice colorblock effect against the green of the pants, a little bit like in this JCrew tee (that I like a lot, BTW, but not for $45):



So I decided to wear the combo today IRL. I never buy V-neck sweaters because I don't like to wear button-downs under my sweaters but this one was love at first sight and I ended up buying it in two colors, this blue (can't remember how it was called but it is a gorgeous shade of blue) and succulent green, during one of those 50% off crazy end-of-the-season sales. Being a summer cashmere sweater it is made to be worn without a shirt, which is what I like about it. The v-neck is not very deep and not very pointy and I am comfortable with wearing it without a layer. It looked just a bit unseasonal today to exposed all that flesh because it was so freaking cold (I would have worn a scarf but I don't have anything in those colors):







I did try the pants with the bazaar popover:




Last week I received my factory crystal studs necklace that was waitlisted when I placed my factory order. This one feels a bit cheap (in terms of weight, not appearance) compared to other factory necklaces that I have but the spearmint color is beyond gorgeous (these pics don't do the color justice) and goes very well with the bazaar print (I bought it initially to pair with my casbah print perfect shirt):



This gave me the idea to add it on to my today's outfit:



What do you think of this mint and blue combo? Anything mint under your radar? Please share!

OOTD: Like an Easter Egg

I recently bought a "spring coat" at Zara on very deep sale. I was very excited as it looked very Chanel-esque to me but when I showed it to my good friend, partner in fashion mischiefs, she said that I looked like an Easter egg. Well, I still liked it and if it looks Easter-y, I will wear it on Easter, I thought.

Yesterday the weather cooperated, it was sunny and warmer than it has been in the last week, so I took it out to lunch downtown (my husband rolled his eyes when he saw me). What I like in this coat is that it has a very modern and streamlined silhouette, I agree with my friend that the fabric (that containes metallic threads) and cut could make it look matrony but it doesn't, in my opinion. And remember I paid the price of a JCrew tee shirt. I also plan to wear it out to dinner later in spring as technically I don't have a spring coat (it is lined in a silk-like material but it isn't something that you put on to keep you warm as it is very lightweight).
I wore it with a JCrew cashmere cardigan in a similar shade of pink:






So what do you think? If you agree with my friend it's OK, I will still like it and you ;-).

Happy Easter to you you all!

Collection Embroidered Eyelet Top, Smocked Top, Carrie Cami And Superfine Merino V-neck

I wanted to post a few pics before the LOVEJCREW promo ends tomorrow night. This is a good promo to try stuff on before they sell out in your size and go on sale. For many of us it is too early in the season to even think about sleeveless tops but many times I kicked myself for not trying things when I could have.

So without further ado, the one thing that really caught my eye in the new catalog is the Collection embroidered eyelet top. I wanted to order this one but because of the high price tag I hesitated, then I went to my store and they had it, so that saved me money and a disappointment.
The eyelet and embroidery in this top as exquisite but there are several issues with the fit. I tried a size 0 first and I couldn't get the attached cami over my boobs. However the outer layer of the top was clearly my size as it fit perfectly. It is VERY short and high-waisted (even on the model) so this would probably work better if you have a very short torso. On me, it looked like I had picked it out of my daughter's closet, it looked ridiculous. So I tried a size 2. The size 2 fit considerably better in terms of length (and no problem with the cami) but was looser overall and I didn't find it very flattering. Still short but acceptably short. I think it is meant to be worn with high-waisted shorts and jeans but almost all my jeans are low-rise and for $250 I want to be able to wear it with what I want. Also, the color has yellow undertones to it and I prefer white for the summer.
This is the 2 (it doesn't look that bad in these picks but I didn't feel pretty in it):



Next one is the smocked top. I was afraid that this one with give me maternity vibe but it didn't. However, in the pics below I sized down to a 00 and it just fits in the armholes and at the chest. I liked this one a lot and kept thinking about it but given that it is really a late summer top I thought that I would wait and get it on sale. It is overpriced at $88 (it should be $59) but it is really a nice and breeze top for those hot summer days. The ivory is probably obscenely sheer but navy isn't thanks to the strategic placement of the smocking (I would wear it without a cami):




In this size it is a bit too short to tuck in (it won't stay tucked in in real life):



I realized how much I liked this when I looked at the website yesterday and to my surprise found out that the navy was sold out in most sizes (or had suddenly disappeared). It is back on the website again this morning so I ordered it. I think I am going to wear it a lot.

Another top that I wanted to try and my store had is the Carrie cami. They were out of small sizes but I really wanted to order this one so I tried the navy in the smallest size available, a 4 to get an idea of the fit. As you can see in the pictures below, the 4 almost fits:





What a beautiful top. The racerback detail in the back is sexy and sophisticated at the same time and it doesn't read underwear because the silk is a heavy silk, not the thin silk of their other silk camis. Unfortunately they didn't make it in black and I have enough navy camis, so the only other color that I know I would wear is the ivory even if I was almost sure that it would be obscenely sheer. I received it yesterday (I ordered a 2) and I can confirm your worst fears ;-). I think that for the price they could have lined the top portion, they would have sold much more. Now, if I can get it on super-sale I probably will to wear on vacation with thos things that you apply on your nipples? Have you ever tried those?

Last try-on, the Lightweight merino V-neck. I tried a color that is currently sold-out and I think is called sweet papaya. It looked awesome with my tan but I know that I wouldn't wear it when my color is back to its paler self so I ordered the navy. I am not a V-neck person because I don't like to layer but this one is too thin to layer and to me is meant to be worn directly on the skin. The V-neck is not cut too low so you can wear it like this. Awesome fit, very slimming (this is the XXS):





That's it. Have you ordered any of these with this promo?

A Beach Pedi And A Tiger

Coco Blue by Chanel pedi
 

I am back from my beach vacation, we got back Sunday night already. It seems incredible that only a few days ago I was with my feet in the soft sand of Bavaro beach in the Dominican Republic. What can I say? We had great weather, I got a nice tan, the beach was just gorgeous and we loved the resort. The only negative note has to be the (unusual) presence of mosquitos that left me scratching my legs for days.
Every beach vacation is a bit different from the previous one and a bit of the same and if I had to name the most important thing that makes a beach vacation memorable to me I would say a good book. I tend to remember or date each vacation by the books that I read, that's why choosing a good book to put in my suitcase is as important to me as choosing the clothing (for example last year was the year when I read "Freedom" by Jonathan Frazer).

Well, I was in a bit of a panic this year: usually when buying a book to take on vacation I pick from a list that I already made up in my mind but this year I had no clue so I went to the bookstore literally hoping that a book would jump at me with the promise of an engrossing read that I would not regret once on a beach. While I typically want to take advantage of a vacation to read books that challenge a bit my imagination and that I normally wouldn't read at home, for lack of concentration, I don't do very well with the too unfamiliar, either in the past or geographically, I tend to read contemporary stories set in the Western world (for example I could never read "The kite runner"). So it was a bit of a gamble when a little voice pushed me to buy "Life of Pi", a book that in the past had never picked my interest despite the high praises. Maybe seeing the images from the Ang Lee movie made the book more relatable to me even if I normally don't go for castaway tales, especially if they involve the presence of tigers. But 7 million readers can't be wrong.

I am so glad that I picked this book, this is a book that everybody should read, it brought tears to my eyes. Of course the Caribbean sea was the perfect background to read a story like this one but it really is one of the greatest stories that human imagination could come up with. And the author voice made the life of Pi in India, pre-castaway, so vivid that I thought I was a friend of the family. This is probably the reason I could go through it: the first part of the book, describing the life of Pi and his family in India, lasts 100 pages or so and by the time Pi is in the middle of the Ocean you know the character very well and you. It wouldn't have worked for me if it had started "in medias res" and proceeded by flashbacks, I would probably have abandoned. Now I can't wait to see the movie!

Anyway, the book and the vacation are over, I am back to my routine even if my daughter is still on Spring Break and I have to keep her busy and take her to playdates around town. I was a bit bummed to see the JCrew promo when I came back because it catapulted me in my habit of the checking the website and making a list and going to the store a little too soon (this time I didn't check my emails at all during the whole vacation and it was very relaxing). But on  a positive note I have new pictures to share with you soon (after the laundry, that vacation nemesis, is done). Stay tuned!

Have you read Life of Pi? Watched the movie?

ps: I have a new friend at school who works for Chanel and before I left she gave me a few nail polishes, including the Coco Blue one that you can see on my sandy feet above. I really liked this color for a beach pedi, a nice change from orange and gold.

Ahh, Bazaar!

It has been kind of a weird week. I always find the first week of Daylight Savings Time difficult to get adjusted to but particularly this year, maybe because we have been more busy than usual and I have been going out during the week. All the family is struggling to make up for that one hour of sleep that we lost this past Sunday (when we had to get up early to go to a birthday party) and I find myself really wanting to sleep more when it's time to get up in the morning. Right when we were getting back to a semi-normal routine we had a day off from school for parents-teachers conference and that was very disruptive again. Add to that the fact that the weather has turned freezing cold again and I think that it is safe to say that we are all ready for a vacation! Luckily spring break is just around the corner, and we will have time to rest and recharge the batteries in the sun (we are leaving on Sunday for Dominican Republic).

In any case, this week flew away and I had no time to post whatsoever (I have a OOTD post from this past Sunday that I still have to finish and publish but could also never happen). I have a lots of fitting room pics to share but since the new arrivals are not-so-new anymore and some of them even went on sale I think that I will skip my new arrival post altogether. But I really wanted to show you the items of the "bazaar print mini-collection", as I haven't seen them on other blogs and the pants are probably an exclusive of the Collection store.

So, the pants. They are lovely but the price is really crazy. I mean, I thought that the pewter paisley cafe capris were obscenely expensive and these are the double if you take the sale tax into account. When did that happen that it is OK for JCrew to sell $600 pants? These are really designer prices, you can get Gucci for that price.
Truth to be told they fit like a dream in my regular size (0). If they ever go as low as $150 (a girl can dream) I will probably add them to my collection of crazy pants. The fabric is much more substantial than the pewter paisley but not $300 more substantial ;-). I can't remember if they are lined but I think yes:



I know, it wasn't the greatest idea to try them with the matching popover but what I had on that day was even worst. The popover is a more affordable option (in the JCrewniverse) and I immediately fell in love. I love the placement of the print and I love that it has the right amount of exotic vibe without being a resort piece (difficult to wear in the city). I was trying to avoid expensive full price purchases since everything goes on sale sooner than later (I am talking to you gilded brocade top) but I had to have this one (it helped that my ps applied the 20% off tops that is currently in store even if technically it rang up as a "tunic" (excluded from promo) and not a "shirt" (included in the promo). She just told the cashier that I was a good client and to give me a break. That's why sometimes it is useful to have a ps).
The popover is also a 0. Here is with jeans to give you a better idea of the fit (some of you will find it a bit sheer but because the print covers the chest area I am find with a bit of sheerness):



If I have time I will share some of my sale picks but I am officially in frantic packing mode now so we'll see.

Since I don't know if I will be back before my vacation, I have to share a movie recommendation that is related to very recent history. By now you have probably heard that "Habemus papam" (we have a Pope). While I can't really comment on the choice (he seems like he is going to be a good Pope and I like his open and honest face), I can recommend a movie from Italian director Nanni Moretti that is available on Netlix and will change your perception of the Vatican. Nanni Moretti is one of the best living Italian directors but he is not very well known outside of Italy, probably because his movies have always a political underlying that is hard to grasp if you haven't lived in Italy (he is best known here for a movie he starred in but he didn't direct, "Quiet Chaos"). A few years ago he made a movie called (guess?) "Habemus Papam" (with French actor Michel Piccoli) about a newly elected Pope who goes through a personal crisis and is filmed with the witty humor that is the characteristic of his movies (he plays the role of the psychologist in the movie). I think I am going to watch it again tonight!

Have you ever tried any of the bazaar print items? Anybody has watched "Habemus Papam" or knows Nanni Moretti?