Peplum crazy...oh, and Anthropologie reviews!

I am so very happy to say that I finally have a real live anthro store in my city, which means I can now see, touch, and try things before buying!  On my first visit, I saw this knit blazer that I had been eyeing online.  I tried it on and was pretty smitten, but I put it back on the rack to think it over.  Well, I did have a nice credit after returning a failed summer dress, so a few days later I had them pull the last XS from the stockroom and thus I made my first of many purchases to come! The Chandelier Sleeves blazer is by Tabitha, and I love the heavy knit, as well as the detail at the cuffs.  The fabric is polyester, but a nice weight and I think any snags in the future could be easily fixed with a stitch or two. The seams are trimmed in a gorgeous hot pink. The cut works well with both skirts and pants, and somehow the peplum ruffle helps minimize my hippiness.  I would say it is a bit high-waisted, but otherwise pretty true to size. I've been looking for a unique blazer for awhile and this absolutely, totally pleases me!

Anthropologie Chandelier Sleeves blazer, J Crew striped dolman sleeve top and Vibrant Flame pencil skirt, Aldo shoes

My store is small, so they are rotating stock pretty quickly, which means I kinda have to visit regularly not to miss anything. However it's also about time I started offering some fit reviews from time to time, since I have benefited from the kind work of others for the past three years! So here goes. I'm still working through some issues, like coming home and realizing the pictures from my phone are really, really, really blurry if I'm not careful...

Just for the details, I'm 5"4 , roughly 34-26-38, and about 126 pounds.   I usually take a 2 or 0 in dresses, XS or 2 in tops, and a small or 4 in bottoms. 

I just had to try on the Caridad Ruffle dress, even though I have a million party dresses. The fabric, colour and  details are gorgeous and have a beautiful vintage feel.  A size 2 fit perfectly, sleek, but with enough room to breathe and dance. The silk is quite delicate, but since it's sleeveless movement is still very easy. Sorry about the extreme blurry...

I may not need any more green party dresses, but I have been looking for the perfect orange jersey dress.  The store had just received a bunch of Ruched Basketry dresses from Bailey 44 in 'red' (really quite a rich vermillion orange).  I tried a small and it felt wonderful-  the drape is perfect and the skirt is two layers for good coverage.  The basket detail is lovely and I am heavily in love because of the full sleeves! I am a little leery of pilling though- I returned Velvet's Whirligig dress last summer for that reason.  Keeping an eye out for sale potential versus stock quantity versus whatever dress might make me love it more (or the power of whim).

Ah, and sometimes you try something on and it really confirms that the love is just not meant to be.  I've long desired one of those classic Casch boiled-wool sweaters with the asymmetric buttons.  Enter the Boiled Wool Draped Sweatercoat...and exit.  I'm taking this beauty off my wishlist, sadly- even in a size small it would have been awkwardly tight over the hips, and was way too big at the shoulders.  Sigh.  moving on...

Like many, I fell immediately in love with the Honeycomb Lace dress from Tracy Reese. It is very, very,very pricey, but the colour is gorgeous.  It also runs a little small so I tried it on in a size 4, which was pretty perfect (even if I was too lazy to remove my pencil skirt...). I wish the slip was a little longer, and I do wonder how well the fabric will deal with hanging in a store for a while.  However I will keep a close eye on this when it goes on sale...maybe the mustard colour will turn others off!

So, this set of reviews feels like a cautionary tale about dressing for hips.  I love a good lace top, and am always up for a peter pan collar, however the sleeveless and bell-shaped Open Bloom top is just all wrong for me! This was a size small, and I could have worn either XS or S, just not out in public with my wee shoulders.  You may note the sleeveless Maia dress beneath was not a winner for similar reasons!

I did find a lovely, lovely top that did work for hips- the Lace Peplum blouse.  It's available in black, mustard and this bright orangey red. A size 2 was lovely- I had read that the bust was too large for some, but I didn't seem to have that problem.  (one caveat, it was tough to remove...and not just because I liked it) I really, really (really) like this top...keeping an eye on it...

 ...especially after trying on the Dotted Jaquard sweater skirt.  I couldn't find this one in store anymore so I asked, and they said that it pretty much sold out right away and they had one M left in the stockroom.  I tried it on to see how a size small might fit. Well, I hate a sweater skirt to be too clingy and you know what?  I REALLY liked the way the medium fit, more of a gentle a-line.  I also really loved the thick knit and deep navy colour (yeah, the online description says black. nope!).  I think the contrasting bands will coordinate with a lot of different colours

I was happy to find the Lace and Lines pullover in store since I've been drooling for it online. I tried on the XS to confirm the sizing and thankfully I love it!.  The striped portion is actually a soft and substantial knit- I had expected the usual t-shirt fabric!  The rust lace portion doesn't stretch much but it's not uncomfortable.

 

 As for the skirt...well...I had to bring it home! Maybe one day I can recreate this delicious, delicious combination.  If only I had her eyebrows...