Reviews: Anthropologie Magellan Dress, Dotty Shorts

So I heard it was in the 90s on the East Coast of the US this past Memorial Day weekend.... Seattle on the other hand struggled to hit 60F. It was dang COLD! But I still used the weekend to do some planting and prep my yard for spending warm days out there working. I'm an optimist at heart.

I'm sure everyone has heard, but Anthro brought back free shipping until July 15th if you have an Anthro card. WOOHOO!!! Get your orders in now lovelies!

On to some belated reviews:
Magellan Dress by Maeve (Sale $80 sold out online, check in-store)

Tried on size 0
This dress hit sale last week! I grabbed it on the way to the dressing room. The size 0 was waaaaaay too small. I couldn't zip the bodice up over my huge rib cage :) My guess is that I'd need a 4 for this to fit well. I loved the beautiful print mixes in this piece (3 prints for the price of 1 LOL - or four prints if you count the pretty rope belt). The navy colors are a soothing take on the ethnic print dresses that we've been seeing. The material was surprisingly weighty in a wonderful rich kind of way.

I didn't realize until I looked this bugger up on the website that it is actually billed as a strapless dress. I love that the removable straps are not an after thought here. They're beautiful thick straps (great for hiding bra straps) in a matching patterned fabric. The straps are held on by buttons on the inside of the dress. The dress I brought into the dressing room with me was missing a button in back so I'm actually holding the strap up just for y'all. And BTW y'all, there's pockets!!!! SQUEEEEE!

Dotty Shorts by Plenty by Tracy Reese ($88)
Tried on a size 2

why do i look like I think someone is about to mug me?


ha. now that's embarrassing. I'm showing you my rear. All in the name of full disclosure, but like to know how pants fit me in back. These aren't hugely flattering in back (much cuter and shapely in front).

The size 2 fit perfectly here. While pleats in shorts aren't the first thing that come to mind for good fit (I usually think of pleated shorts as kind of ballooning out around the thigh area), these pleats (or perhaps darts is more accurate) help the front lay wonderfully flat and elegantly.

The fit is also helped by the fact that the closure isn't in front. You fasten the shorts on the side with five round metal buttons whose shape is reminiscent of the dot pattern covering the rest of the shorts.

The silk felt wonderfully light and airy on. But both the silky material and bold print make these an unlikely purchase for me. I rarely wear shorts unless I'm slumming it laying out on the deck reading for my dissertation. I wouldn't rub silk up against the rough wood of my deck. The bold color and pattern is great for a dress, but I'm not sure I would wear it as often when it's on a pair of shorts. Still, it's a beautiful pair of shorts that will look great on many folks.

xoxo,
Lori

Anthropologie Skirt Reviews Part 1: Goldfish Bowl Skirt, Sugar Work Skirt, Hamatreya Skirt

Since I hadn't been into Anthro in awhile, I grabbed skirts that are both old and new to try on (all were new to me!). Hopefully, even if you've seen a couple of these before, they can help y'all with decisions thoughts for the Tag Sale Anthro's now having.

Sugar Work Skirt ($118 now on sale for $60) by Girls from Savoy
tried size 2 (sold out online, call CS or check stores; web style #20025045; retail sku #20025052)

I love the bright yellow of this skirt, and it poofs just the right amount. I'll fess up. I used to be against elastic waistbands. I was worried it was a sign of being old - that I needed the extra room for my belly to expand. But heck who am I kidding? Now I appreciate that I'm too lazy to bother with a zipper, and I have no fear of an after lunch "food baby." I still don't love the look of elastic bands, but I've got so many belts, I got it covered (so to speak, hehe :D)

I love that this has pockets, and I could see this color pairing well with other summer brights for summer (whites, pinks, oranges, blues) or make it a bit more modern with a pretty grey tank. <3! The size 2 was too large on my 27" waist, but a size 0 would have worked well. Tried this on with the A-Bit-Unruly top ($48) by Deletta in green and the silk Annabel Lee Tank by Left of Center ($88) in the blue motif



Goldfish Bowl Skirt ($98) by We Love Vera
Size 2

Silk? check. Cute waterpainted fishies? check. Bright color perfect for summer? check. This skirt had all the makings of a skirt I'd love, but somehow... I didn't? I'm not exactly sure why. Perhaps the colors didn't work super well with my skin tone or I just didn't like it paired with the A-Bit-Unruly top. I'd give it another go later on another visit. I love that it has pockets and the coral banded detail at the hem gives the watercolor print some more definition. Although, now that I look at the band, I think it's that color pink in particular that isn't working with my leg skin tone. hm...

I found that this fit a bit snug relative to other We Love Vera skirts, so if you're between sizes, I would size up.



Hamatreya Skirt ($88) by Nathalie Lete
Tried on a size 0

Another elastic band skirt! But, what I loved about this skirt was that the elastic ruching is only in the back on the band. So I could wear this skirt without a belt if I wanted :D

The size 0 fit my waist perfectly. I was slightly worried this skirt might have been a bit to poofy. But, who am I kidding? I love a good poofy skirt. The colors and bright striking pattern worked for me. Plus, it has pockets for my to stow my hands in. I'm 5'5", and this skirt hit nicely about 1-2" above the knee. I'd think it's still work appropriate because somehow its fullness detracts from the shorter length (or at least that's what I would tell myself, lol). I would totes buy this on sale.

I tried this on with last year's navy Yoana Baraschi Akira Tank (which I happened to wear to Anthro for the trip).

Stay tuned for part 2 later this week :)

...


and on a completely random note... spurred by an email I just got, um... "flatform sandals"? These are just platforms! Why do we have to invent new words like jeggings and shacketts?

Anthropologie Reviews: Verdant Slip Dress, Summer Soufflé Dress, & Backswept Dress

and my dressing room pics with socks are BACK! Sorry for the blurrier pics! I was apparently in too much of a rush :/

Verdant Slip Dress by Moulinette Soeurs ($138)
tried on size 2

This dress has been getting so much love from the community, that I was worried I wouldn't be able to find it in my size. Luckily the two dresses my store had were two size 2's! I love the vintage flowery print. And who can resist silk? The dress feels as light as air on (which also makes me think I might need to wait to wear this in Seattle's non-Springy weather).

The length is great, hitting me about an inch above the knee (I'm 5'5"). So I could see myself wearing this pretty frock to work with a cardigan, out on a stroll about town, or to a party. Versatile and pocketed! I took this lovely home with me!


Backswept Dress by Corey Lynn Calter ($268)
tried on a size 2

I had no idea I'd find another green flowery frock on my trip to Anthro. But when I saw it hanging there, I had to grab it. My store got this just this past week. The colors and print are much more vibrant than on the Verdant Slip dress. I think those factors add a modern touch to the more vintage dress shape.

I grabbed a size 2, but my guess is that a size 0 would also work since when I moved I had slightly more movement at the armpits than I wanted. There are two front pockets with cute little ties on their fronts. The back echoes this feature with a cute tie at the top of the back of the back triangle opening. The bottom of the back window is lined in elastic to help the dress fit nicely at the waist and emphasize the full skirt on this dress.

The wider boatneck opening at the shoulders doesn't do my wide shoulders any favors. It's also slightly longer than I typically like - falling below my knees (a plus for taller girls). Also, although the triangle back opening is really cute, it will likely make wearing a normal bra a bit tough.

Still, the vibrancy of the colors, shape of the dress, and cute detailing made me love this dress a little more than the Verdant slip dress. But there were about two-hundred and sixty eight reasons ($) I didn't take this home with me instead.





Summer Soufflé Dress by Moulinette Soeurs ($198) & the Bright Bolts Sash by the Andrean Collection ($48)
Tried on:
Dress size 2 & 4
Belt size S/M

This was another dress that simply JUMPED out at me from the racks. I'm always on the look out for a lovely white summer dress (although I have yet to actually own one...). That paired with my current hunger for florals and my love of full skirts...well.. :)

The bodice has a flattering sweetheart neckline and is boned - which would probably help if you are planning to wear this dress strapless (I'm not a strapless kinda gal). The boning in the size 2 was digging into me, so I sized up to a four in this dress to be comfortable (photos are of me in the size 2). The dress was made of very light fabric, yet because of the full skirt, lined and with a layer of crinoline, the dress still feels weighty to move around in.

I had a lot of trouble getting this dress on. Because of my hips, even unzipped I had to pull the dress on over my head. There's a zipper cover for the back zipper, but the zipper kept getting caught on it (it also got caught on the way down so I had to call a SA to help me unzip O_o). There's elastic paneling at the back to provide some give in the bodice. The waistline actually hits at my real waistline, but I kinda wish it hit lower. Since the dress goes into a full skirt below the waistline, it visually raises my hips quite a bit. The length of the skirt is also quite long - midi(?) length? Not super flattering for me, but it's still inline with current trends.



Luckily, I brought a belt into the dressing room with me. A belt helped with my waistline on this dress. It toned down the 'poof' a bit and gave my waist visual (both in shape and color) definition.

Even with all the problems, I still somewhat liked this dress. It is bright and summery, has pockets, and has a lovely photographic flower print. But the dress' problems would keep me from buying this until maybe a second cut.





The belt is a lovely vibrant color that would go well with a bunch of the more 'ethnic' prints we're seeing all over. It also just brightens up any summer dress (as you can see here). My store had pink ones and these green ones, but there were only smalls left in the green ones. At the time I wasn't sure which way was supposed to be the front, but I thought with this dress, the ties in the front might be distracting. That said, there are two large bead things that hold the ribbon tie in place that might be uncomfortable if you had to lean back in a chair for a long while (although I didn't test this).


Happy Monday everyone!

The grass is greener...

on my counter!

I love when I can find functional products that somehow make my life cheerier! Ev and I had been using dish towels on the counter to let things dry a bit after coming out of the dish washer. I looked into getting an actual dish rack, but most of them took up too much counterspace and were an eyesore.

This little patch o' grass is actually marketed as a drying rack for baby supplies. It takes up a scant 10"x 10" plot, but it's perfect for the few tupperware lids and kitchen tools that need some extra drying time before being packed away in their respective cabinets and drawers.

This rack wouldn't be good for you if you need to dry all your dishes on here (I'm not actually certain that it would hold a dish plate up... I certainly wouldn't recommend trying that). But, if you have the odd cup or utensil that needs drying this would work well for you too.

The 'grass' portion is a plastic spoked insert. The spokes are actually quite stiff and hold up cups, bottles. You can also squeeze handles of things between the spokes to dry various utensils vertically.


Boon Inc. Grass Countertop Drying Rack ($18 at Amazon)

She's got lips!

Ok, so I know I promised myself I wouldn't take OOTD pics until I caught up with the backlog, but I give up. In my defense, I wanted to document the fact that I actually have lips! I wore RED lipstick today! Snap! Bam! POW!

Some individuals call red lipstick a man-repeller. Ev wasn't so much repelled as... well shocked. I mean, he knew I had a mouth, but I guess he never expected to see it quite so well.

The lipstick is NYX in Snow White. I read somewhere that its blue undertones make this red quite wearable on Asian skintones. For reference, I'm NW20 in MAC.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE NYX lipsticks because 1) they are super cheap. Especially if you buy them in multi-packs from makeup ebay sellers. I bought mine from Joy's Cosmetics on Ebay, and 2) the lipsticks have great color and are super smooth to apply!

Here it is in some other lighting at brunch! This certainly isn't an everyday color (for me). But, it was fun to wear out with friends on the weekend, or I could see using it if I ever got all glam and went out at night (wishful thinking, lol).


excuse the dark circles... and no I'm not naked, lol.
OOTD Specs
Gap jean shirt sz XS (thrifted $4)
Vintage blue pleated skirt (thrifted $4)
grey sweater tights
Xhilaration raspberry pumps (thrifted NWT $7)
Charlotte Russe feather headband ($5)

Target Shoe Review

Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments on my hair from the last post. It's such an easy style, that it'll be nice to have that in my repertoire for some variety. :)


So, if you haven't heard, Target has a buy one pair of shoes, and get the second pair shoes 50% off promotion going on. So, I thought I'd check out a few new pumps including a couple nude/blush colored heels for Spring.

Women's Mossimo® Pearce Leather Pumps- -Black

I love these pumps. Of the Pearce pumps line, these were the only ones that were real leather, so I saw them as the best value. I was tempted by the patent camel version as well, but I thought I should try a couple of the other pumps to see how they compared with one another.

The heel on this pump is pretty high for me at 3.25" and no platform. But somehow, IT'S COMFY! I mean like wear-all-day-and-dance-around-in-'em comfy. I actually did wear these all day to my friends' wedding and reception. I even danced around in them a little, and my feet didn't hurt at all afterward. WIN! I have decently wide feet (especially in the toe area), but the toe of the pump didn't squish or pinch or flatten my tootsies. I apologize for not taking a picture of the tread. The bottoms of the shoe are rubber with some tread on the heel and sole. The rubber makes these very stable, so I have no worries about slipping! Sweet.

I took these in my normal Target pump size of 7.5. I highly recommend these pumps. They also come in Camel, Navy, Dove (gray), and Taupe.

Women's Mossimo® Black Versie Pumps - Natural Patent

The Versie Pumps are a pretty light pinky blush color. The shape of these pumps reminded me of the Pearce, so I had high hopes for them. They have a taller heel than the Pearce (3.75"), but they have a slight platform which should help make the heel feel shorter. But somehow the platform or the shape of the shoe made standing in them a bit awkward and squished my toes. The top of the shoe dug a bit into the top of my toes (it may be that the toe box was just trying to reel my wide feet in). I also felt more precarious in the taller height. These would NOT be comfortable for me or a wider footed gal for a long period of time. The fit of the 7.5 was TTS, but it was too uncomfortable for me. Pass.

Women's Mossimo® Peony Pumps - Blush Patent

The shape of these feels much more retro than the standard pumps like the Versie or Pearce. I thought the thicker heel would make these more comfortable. I was SO wrong. These hurt my feet. They were stiff, and squished the top of my foot a bunch. (It appears I'm not the only one who thought this... see them on Stuff Jewish Girls Like).

I also was not a fan of the blush color of these pumps. The Peony Pumps were a darker, muddier pink than the Versie Pumps. I much preferred the color of the Versie pumps (see below for color comparison). These run TTS but are not comfy. Pass!

The tread on the Peony Pumps:


Color comparison between the Versie (Left) and Peony Pumps (right)



In other news, I won one of Tara's (Little Girl Big Closet) Anthro gift cards from her Portrait of a Woman drawing! I'm super excited, this one plus the Anthro gc from my MIL will go toward a new summer dress as yet to be determined :) See some of the beautiful portraits other ladies submitted.

And the lovely Aki! of 7% Solution awarded me a Stylish Blogger award. I'm supposed to share 7 things about myself, and pass the award to other bloggers. But I know so many lovely bloggers out there, it's just too tough to choose. So I'll just tell you 7 things about myself:

1. I love finding gifts that I think are perfect for a particular person.
2. I try to call my Nai Nai (grandma) every week
3. I love to clean and organize
4. Drinking coffee doesn't keep me awake or wake me up (sadly)
5. I'm fairly shy in large groups of people
6. I prefer savory to sweet things, but it's best to have salty and sweet at the same time!
7. Cardamom is my favorite spice

We're off to drive to pick up Buddie soon. Well, we actually pick him up tomorrow, but we need to drive out there tonight. I'm looking forward to seeing him, but not to the long stretch of time in the car!

Here's my outfit from today (it was a wet hair morning :) )


With this look, I was trying to dress this pencil skirt down by pairing it with a t-shirt and leatherette jacket.

OOTD specs
Bebe Mini Studded Shrunken Moto Jacket sz XS ($20)
Green pencil skirt (thrifted $5)
J.Crew flamingo tissue t-shirt (thrifted $3)
F21 necklace
Merona Madalena Suede Ballet Flats - grey ($7.50)
grey tights

Have a great weekend everyone!

Birdie Belt reviews

I loved the look of Anthropologie's feather-clasped belt (pictured above), but I didn't want to spend $58 on a belt. So when I saw a $24 Ecote Skinny Metal feather belt on Urban Outfitter's site, I thought I'd give it a try. I have a lot of brown belts, so I opted for the black leather and silver feather version.


reads: 100% Leather RN#66170 CA# 32054 Made in China

The belt part is actually leather, which is nice. Not super supple leather, but I prefer skinny belts to be a little stiffer than wider belts. The black was actually black. Unfortunately, the metal feather looked fairly cheap. The silver tone was too bright. It didn't have the nice antiquing that the Anthro version had. The metal of the feather was a turn-off, but I would have been tempted to make it work had the belt fit.

I ordered the the belt in a size small (the smallest size), but it was about 4 inches too large for me on the smallest hole. I have a belt punch, but because this is a skinny belt, I worried about making a mistake and ruining the integrity of the belt itself (perhaps leading to a tear at a newly made hole). I returned this belt.


If it had fit, it would be super cute...see: (I'm holding the belt taut behind me)


Overall, if you missed the Anthro version, this version could be a cute cheap replacement, but smaller-waisted ladies might be sized out.


The other birdie belt I tried was the Ecote Stretch Sparrow Belt from Urban Outfitters (also $24).

This is a wider elastic belt. I ordered the S/M and I didn't have any size issues. The metal sparrows clasp at the beaks via a small hook and eye type of closure:

Because the belt fits snugly with the elastic, I wouldn't worry about the belt snapping open.


Like with the feather belt, the metal on the sparrow belt looked fairly cheap in person. I was less bothered with the gold-toned sparrows than I was with the silver feather though. I thought the belt was fairly cute.

Side note: I can't help self-mocking and thinking of the Portlandia "Put a bird on it" skit while wearing it.

I ended up returning this belt as well. The elastic was already unraveling/coming undone where it was sewn/attached to itself behind the sparrows. That was a little disconcerting. I suspect poor quality control. Hopefully if you order one, the elastic will be intact. But I returned this one. Overall, this was another cute belt, albeit a little cheaply constructed. When worn, the cheap construction may not be as noticeable. :/

OOTD

How appropriate that I tried on birdie belts with my bird and deer dress (aka Anthropologie Southward Stop Shirtdress)! I wore this out to Costco on Saturday where I ran into some faculty from my department. Y'all know I try to dress down when I go to school, so I felt oddly over dressed (not for Costco mind you, but for seeing faculty, lol. I'm a weird cookie).

I've also been trying something new with my hair. Jean of Extra Petite posted how she gets some loose waves in her hair. I figured since I also have Asian hair, I might give it a try. I only had a 1" barrel curling iron (she recommends 2"), so my curls are tighter than hers. I can't decide how I like it on me.

It really reminds me of when I was little. I was always trying to curl my hair. I'm not exactly sure why I had a fascination with it. I know my mom always wanted me to do it for special occasions, so I think I thought it was a way to get super dolled up - a way for me to be "pretty." I used warm curlers or curling irons. I even had that special wash and curl shampoo that made my hair more likely to hold a curl. There was a time in middle school where I rolled my wet hair up in rags every night so I could have "curls" in the morning. It never looked great. This looks better, but we'll see if I like it over time.

OOTD Specs
Emmelee orange cardigan sz S (it's more like burnt sienna, but came out brighter in the pics)(thrifted $7)
Anthropologie Southward Stop Shirtdress sz 2 ($75)
Hue bordeaux sueded tights ($6.50)
Target black leather Pearce Pumps ($30)