Thursday, June 14, 2012

Why I Shop eBay for my Anthropologie (OOTD)

I love shopping eBay for my Anthropologie collection.  My current love affair with Anthropologie is on the back burner as they work through their identity crisis.  Meanwhile I fan the flames of lovin' with pretty 'lil eBay purchases like this peacock scene skirt.  In case you didn't notice I am kinda obsessed with things on my clothes; embroidery, flowers, animals, different textures.  I like need interest in my clothing.  This skirt was purchased a size too large but how could I resist this work of art even if it meant tailoring?  So I took this a-line skirt to a tailor and had him take the skirt in to fit me and make it more of a pencil shape.  He did a great job.  I had to sacrifice the pockets to get what I wanted but in the end I got a pencil skirt in a size 2 that makes me so happy to wear it.  It's also easy to mix it up; it has a blue waist band so is perfect for tucking in tops, or you can totally dress down this all cotton skirt with a tank and flip flops for weekend wear.  

It isn't obvious, but there isn't actually any purple at all in the skirt.  I don't generally do matchy-matchy; I prefer to coordinate or just add lots of color in the same shade/palette - whatever that's called- to make my outfits work.  



Outfit Details:
Top: Anthropologie (forgot to check brand)
Skirt: Anthropologie (don't know the name)
Necklaces: Anthro and a local boutique
Shoes: Moschino

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Didn't You Just Wear That? OOTD

Why yes I did just wear my Gleaming Shoots blouse.  I have no rules about repeat wear as I'm always mixing up how I wear my clothing so it never feels like I'm wearing the same look too often.  I've paired the lovely blouse on this day with the rare Miroslav skirt by Floreat that I was lucky enough to find on eBay.  If you happen upon one keep in mind that it runs a size large.  In another stroke of luck the seller listed this as a size 2, then messaged me after I purchased that it was a size 0 but she thought it was a size 2 since that is what size she wears; after getting measurements I was happy to find it is a perfect fit.  So glad to add this whimsical skirt to my collection. The shoes are old purchases from Anthropologie and have a lovely touch of whimsy too; there is a picture of a dog's head on the buttons of the shoes.  It is a really subtle touch of cuteness that is only evident upon close inspection.  

I read on Roxy's blog a comment about Anthropologie selling too many memorable pieces of clothing that are not practical for everyday wear.  This struck me since I always wear "memorable" clothing.  I guess since I wear clothing adorned with animals, critters, and floral patterns so often my "memorable" clothing kinda blurs together so that it isn't so memorable when I wear it.  I mix it up with different colors, patterns, shoes, belts, and accessories so that it takes on different enough looks to wear more often.  The next time you see this skirt it will be paired with a colored top, no belt/different belt, different shoes, and perhaps I will accessorize.  To me that will leave a different impression and if someone remembers how I wore the skirt not too long ago well that's fine by me.  



Monday, June 11, 2012

Tropical Bloom OOTD

Here is a quick snap of an OOTD.  I am wearing a pretty bold pattern with a pretty bold color.  However, I think by keeping the look tonal I have actually muted the overall look a bit so instead of being loud it is cohesive and in my humble opinion works very well for a fun, summery outfit.

Outfit Details:
Top: Hanelei Buttondown
Skirt: Field Scout Skirt
Belt: Looping Lanes
Shoes: Chie Mihara
Hair Pin: Anthropologie

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Dotted Arbor OOTD

Just a quick OOTD post showing off my ubiquitous Corey Lynn Calter Dotted Arbor Skirt.  I love all of the ways I can wear this skirt.  Today I went very simple white and peach, accented very subtly with silver and gold (in my blouse, necklace, and shoes).  Love this simple summer outfit.



Friday, June 8, 2012

Office Wear... Weekend Wear

I rarely ever wear black and frankly I do not feel like myself in black.  Actually, I wouldn't wear black for many years but talked myself into buying black as it seems to be a wardrobe staple.  But, the Mermaid Lore cardigan is a fantastically gorgeous summer weight sweater and I needed to pull it out and give it some love.  This outfit is perfect for office wear; it's conservative, professional, and I'm even wearing closed-toe shoes with just a hint that I'm really not as conservative as my outfit portrays.  I had a lot of important meetings to do and this outfit worked brilliantly.

 Outfit Details:
Sweater: Mermaid Lore Cardigan
Pants: Old from Anthropologie
Shoes: Old from Anthropologie

Now on to the weekend wear.  I think this is a great little outfit perfect for playing with little ones, doing chores, and running errands all the while looking cute.  This sweater is one of my all time favorites and I doubled down on the bike theme but I think it works, no?


Outfit Details:
Top: Anthropologie Great Outdoors Buttondown
Sweater: Old Anthropologie Bicycle Cardigan
Necklace: Anthropologie Terrarium Necklace
Jeans: Joes
Shoes: Lacoste pink stripe

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Shabby Apple Reviews

I recently found an online code for Shabby Apple giving me 25% off my entire order, plus free shipping and returns so I took it as my opportunity to try out the company's offerings.

First, their customer service is excellent.  My order was processed very quickly, shipped lightening fast, and I was updated constantly through email.  When I had a problem with one of my items I was given courtesy and found the representative to be very helpful.  My return was processed much quicker than I thought it would take (less than one week of mailing the return) and I was again notified by email throughout the return process.

Now on to the clothes.  I was not so impressed in this department.  Clothes can be made very cheaply, embellishments and all, so a dress that hovers around $100 should be made very well.  Unfortunately I did not find that to be the case with any of the three dresses or bathing suit I ordered.   Their size charts are amazing.  I followed them and found the dresses to fit perfect.  I really appreciate sizing that is so accurate as Shabby Apple's since I am ordering online site unseen.




This dress is an all cotton unlined 60's style frock that I picked up in a size 4.  My price was around $60 which I found to be completely reasonable for This dress.  The fit was perfect and the color is such a happy color that translated perfectly from screen to in-real-life presentation.  The fabric was crisp enough to resist major wrinkling and the perfect weight for summer wear.  I chose to wear a slip underneath the dress as it is a tad thin for my liking, but you might be able to get away with out a slip.  

I wore this dress the first time with very minimal accessorizing as I wanted to let the bright yellow color stand on it's own.  And it did very nicely.  I garnered a lot of compliments when I wore this dress out.




This dress is the exact color of Tiffany Blue.  I am certain of that fact because I held a Tiffany box up to the dress and indeed the colors matched perfectly.  The quality of this dress isn't that great, but the fit was.  The belt hit at the perfect spot and the entire look was really exquisite.  It is only upon close inspection that you see the lace detail is a bit cheap.  Since most people aren't looking for imperfections, rather the look as a whole, this dress ended up being a keeper though I doubt it will last so long due to the unfinished hem that will likely fray, the lace that will easily pull, and the 100% polyester material.  But the $60 price tag made this dress worth the money.




I apologize that all of these pictures are blurry but at least you can see the fit which is perfect.  I went with a size 4, per size chart recommendations and suggest you follow the charts when ordering, as well.    Some dresses absolutely require that you wear heels.  I love that flats worked beautifully with this dress.  I chose mouse flats since the dress was from their Mad Hatter collection and I wanted to evoke a little Alice in Wonderland with my outfit.  I adore this shade of blue and would love to have more items in this exact shade in my wardrobe.

I bought this dress in a size four and ended up returning it.  Two buttons fell off as soon as I took it out of the package.  Besides that, I found the outer layer and overall construction of this dress to look really cheap in person.  The fit wasn't good either; the waist band really needs a belt as it looked off the way the skirt blossomed out from the seam.  The hips weren't accentuated by this affect either.  Obviously the dress photographs well but the in-person look leaves much to be desired.  No photos on but just trust me.  It was not flattering.

I bought this suit in a size small.  It fit TTS though I think it would look best on a woman with a larger chest size; I am a 34/6B and I did not have the va va voom goin' on you see here.  No pictures as I had this layered over something per swim try-on etiquette.  I couldn't get the tie to look good like you see in the picture and the black-white contrast was a bit sharp for my tastes.  Plus the suit had a sheen to it that I didn't like and the material felt much thinner than I would be comfortable wearing.  I would not purchase another bathing suit from Shabby Apple after seeing this one.  Again, too cheap looking for my liking.  

While I was overall disappointed with the construction and materials of the Shabby Apple items I would order again.  Surprised?  For around $60 I would try another dress and hope for the best.  At the original $100ish price tag - no way.  

Some other things that are tempting me...
Machu Picchu $88                   



Overboard $95








Have you tried anything from Shabby Apple?  What was your experience?

Monday, June 4, 2012

Weave the Ring OOTD

I am a serious pattern mixer and obey no "rules" other than, "does it look good?"  Perhaps I am following all the rules in this outfit, maybe not.  I don't really care though because I really like how it looks.  


Outfit Details:
Top: Anthropologie Loosened Shelby Blouse
Skirt: Weave the Ring
Shoes: Chie Mihara
Belt: Anthropologie