Unknown Moulinette Soeurs Blue dress Review

I grabbed this dress to try on at Anthro last week. It was full price, but I can't find it on the website, so I don't know if it's new or old. I think it looks like a fall/winter piece, so I want to say it just hasn't made it to the site yet? Unfortunately, I absolutely assumed that it would be on the website, so I don't remember the maker or price. Does anyone have any info on this dress?

Thanks, Cindi for recalling that this dress ran around $128 in-store

Ah! And spotted on Kay in her review. She reports the dress is priced at around $168




sorry my hands/skin are all blown out in these pics. I'm actually crossing my fingers in the pics to remind myself that it's an XS, but with the highlights all blown out, it kinda looks like I'm making an obscene gesture. Sorry about that!







name: unknown
size: XS
impression: I love the color blue here, and I think the black mesh overlay gives it a air of mystery and allure! It isn't a dress I would normally gravitate to, but the interesting color layering and the details led me to pull this off the rack. I like the little flares of black mesh around the arm holes. I think it breaks up the elegance of the blue and introduces some edge. The small black mesh ruffles at the bottom gave it some dark romance, and the pleating down the front and back of the bodice provide good visual interest. I can't decide what I think about the belt. I kind of like the flowers, but I wish they were bigger? You could totally glam this baby up with some gold and pearl jewelry! I definitely see this dress as potentially glamorous evening wear rather than a versatile everyday dress.

My issue with this dress? While it fit really well in most areas, somehow IRL, the mesh overlay created a weird visual distortion over my stomach area. Also, it may be had to tell from these pics, but notice the hem at the front of the dress is slightly higher than around the rest of the dress. This odd hemline + the visual distortion made me look like I was slightly pregnant! Not something I want in a dress! I'd probably give this a second try with another dress to see if it was a fluke, because I otherwise really like this dress.

Here comes that shirt again :) + my dress OOTD

So y'all know I've been wanting to wear "my dress" ever since seeing it on TV. But unwittingly, I created a dilemma for myself by linking back to the last time I wore it. Now it feels a little too blog-recent to do the exact same styling :)

And, it was COLD today (for wimpy little ol' me), so I definitely still needed an outer layer... and boots... and tights. In my tired state this morning, I spied my shirt from yesterday and decided to see whether it would work with this dress. So now you can see the dress and shirt served up two ways.



Wearing the shirt as a belted cardi does hide the cute diagonal pin tucks and ruffled shoulders, but it certainly gives a different look than before. Plus, I figured I could still show off the top of the dress by removing the shirt if I got warm during the day (it did happen, during my lab meeting!).

For some reason the belt and boots look red in the early morning light (they're a reddish brown)...



Here's how I styled the dress before:



and here's the shirt from yesterday:



Oh yeah, and I thought I'd bring some silly back to my photos :)




Today's OOTD Specs
Gap dark chambray? button-up sz XS (thrifted $2.40)
Maeve's Southward Stop Shirtdress Anthropologie sz 2 (ebay $75)
Nicole Winchester Leather Riding Boots ($100 at DSW)
grey sweater tights ($8)
Reddish brown leather belt (thrifted $2)

Buddie's OOTD
Old Navy Striped Dog Sweater sz M ($10)

And the winner of the lace necklace is...

Spiffy from Where The Lights are Bright!

If you haven't visited her blog, it's definitely worth a visit. Spiffy has fabulous style, and she does some great Anthro reviews. She was also one of the bloggers who sold me on the H&M big pocket skirt from yesterday's post!

Spiffy, I'm sending an email your way :)

rainy Sunday OOTD

Man, the rain here in Seattle has been pounding for two days! It finally let up early this afternoon, so I snuck outside to take some pics (I still bagged my camera though). I'm pretty much kicking it at home today working on some data, writing, and trying to get my hubby to make me or buy me some pie. Yah! That's right, PIE!! We were at Costco yesterday, and they had these HUGE pumpkin pies for $5.99! But Ev thought I was crazy for wanting one. And, it's true, getting a pie that big would be a bit ridiculous for the two of us. But, I've been wanting pie ever since. So his duty today is to find me/make me some pie. :)



So I finally broke down and bought that big-pocketed H&M skirt that Lisa, Rosa, and Spiffy have been sporting on their blogs. I really really wanted it in navy, but the UVillage location didn't have it in XS. I probably should have gotten it in black or olive since my wardrobe needs those colors more than khaki. But, I couldn't help myself.



ohmygoodness. I love these big pockets. I really love pockets in all skirts and dresses. My hands are usually always cold, so pockets help keep my digits from their numbing tendencies. But, these pockets are even better than most pockets. Obviously, they're bigger. I can shove my whole hands and then some into my pockets (see first pic). Also having them straight down on the front of the skirt makes the pockets super easy access! And the big floppy fabric of these pockets are ridiculously inviting for hand-stuffage. Yes, this skirt is on my AWESOME-list (I don't really have a list, but if I did, this skirt would be on it).





oh, and it's raining again.

OOTD Specs
H&M big pocketed skirt sz XS ($15)
Gap dark chambray? button-up sz XS (thrifted $2.40)
Anthropologie Tellicherry Belt (sale $15)
Brown suede Zara ankle booties (thrifted $7)

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Today's the last day to enter the necklace giveaway! And if you've blogged about it, don't forget to comment that you did! :)

Enter the necklace giveaway here

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Ginormous OOTD

blaaargh. It's Friday night and I'm trying to figure out why my online study isn't saving data correctly for our study that's set to run on Monday! boo.

*sigh*

At least the hubby is making some tasty-smelling-something for dinner. I like me some tasty-smelling-something :)

So last weekend, my friend Jeanny asked me to go to Goodwill with her. I was exhausted after driving 9 hours round-trip to and from Portland for a wedding, but I obliged. I paced through the aisles like a zombie, fumbling with clothes. Through my bleary-eyed haze I saw this massive shirt. I'm talking GINORMOUS beige and grey houndstooth in a size 18 package (a ginormous size on me). And it reminded me of another seemingly ginormous blouse:


Anthropologie's Look About Blouse ($98)



Well, the one at Goodwill wasn't made of silk. Nor was it shaped quite as nicely. In fact, mine beats the Anthro version in the ginormous department. But, it was two dollars. I could try the over-sized blouse look for two dollars, right?









Now all I need is a pretty tweedy skirt and a ginormous belt! Ok, admittedly, I already think this black belt is ginormous, but Anthro's ginormous belt beats my ginormous belt this time around. ;) A skirt would give me more room to tuck the extra fabric from the shirt and keep it from being quite so ginormous... Have I said 'ginormous' enough yet?

OOTD specs
Ginormous houndstooth blouse by Elizabeth Liz Claiborne sz 18 (thrifted $2)
Ginormous(ish) black elastic zippered belt H&M ($13)
Banana Republic gray slacks sz 4 (thrifted $6)
Black Unlisted ankle booties ($20)
Black socks

ooh, and I called the U Village anthro, and they do have the Changing Canopy Dress in a size 0. It's on hold for me until tomorrow. But, do you think this would hit second cut? Online there are 23 more size 0's and 43 size 2's in stock... hmmm decisions!

Ok back to debugging my experiment for Monday!


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Don't forget to enter the necklace giveaway here

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What I picked up from the sale + OOTD

After seeing the Southward Stop Shirtdress on TV last night, I really really wanted to wear mine today. But, I didn't. I held back because today was a meeting-free day, and my plan was to write and read at Starbucks in the University Village Shopping Center. This would serendipitously give me the chance to take a break and visit the sale section at Anthropologie at the end of the day before going home (I realize it's not actually serendipitous since it was planned, but I'm going to pretend that it was just happenstance...hehe).

Why should this keep me from wearing my dress? Well, it shouldn't, but I'll try to explain my (admittedly unreasonable) logic. I feel weird going to a store wearing clothing from that store - especially if it's clothing still for sale at the store. As far as I can tell, I have this ridiculous rule because 1) I tend to get mistaken for a store employee when I wear clothes from the store, and 2) I have a fear that someone will think that somehow I am shoplifting (probably a completely irrational fear, but I just get anxious).

I only picked up two things on sale

Tellicherry Belt (in a Black and White beaded chevron pattern similar to here) $15 originally $28




The Furoshiki Packaged Chemise see my review here ($40 originally $68)
So the only one left in the store was a size medium, and it was huge on me! So I had the store call customer service and ordered an XS shipped to my house. I got free shipping because they didn't have that size in my store! Sweeeet!


Unfortunately, I didn't pick this up:

Changing Canopy Dress
I did try on this in the store. And I think I want it, but I tried on a 4 which was too large. But, I was in too much of a rush to get home and back to work. So I didn't check to see if they had a smaller size (I'd guess that a 0 is probably the best size for me in this since it ran so large). I fell in love with this dress online because I have a vintage dish towel from We <3 Vera that has a similar pattern and colorway! Plus, the fabric of this dress was so lovely! Reviews will be forth coming, I swear.

So what did I wear today? :)







a vintage pin I picked up from an estate sale awhile ago:




OOTD Specs
INC blue velvet pants sz 4 (thrifted $6)
Petite Sophisticate beige cardigan sz S (thrifted $5)
Sweet Pea yellow-brown patterned tank sz M ($7 on sale at Nordy Rack)
Gold vintage leaf pin ($3)
Dark blue striped Old Navy socks ($? way too long ago)
vintage brown belt off of a vintage dress
J Crew head band ($? also way too long ago)
Brown Kenneth Cole Reaction Mary Jane shoes ($20)

For Anthro lovers in the Seattle Area TONITE

If you are around tonight, the University Village Anthropologie location is having an AG Jeans fitting. Kathryn & Carol from In Pursuit of Pretty Things, went to the one at their local Anthro and had a good time. So if you're feeling some Anthro love and want some refreshments and jean fitting, head on over TONITE!

Anthro TV sighting!

lol. My husband now thinks I'm crazy. He had Running Wilde playing on TV. Suddenly, I look up to see Keri Russell in this:


Anthropologie Southward Stop Shirtdress ($128)

And I lept off the couch and started saying "THAT'S MY DRESS! THAT'S MY DRESS!" like I'm some sort of crazy person who doesn't realize that a TON of people own this dress :) Still it made me happy!

See me in "my dress" here :)

oh, btw, Dad if you're reading this, 'HIII!' (he told me he was going to search for my blog O_o!)

once more ootd!

The Seattle weather really put me in a style rut this week. The past three days, I've been layering with a blazer of some sort and camel colors. I also have worn my new leather boots three days in a row! I'm not exactly sure why I keep grabbing camel colored pants and skirts, but the layering is due to the freezing mornings and warmer afternoons. The boots are just cuz they're new and I don't seem to want to take them off my feet!

Yesterday, my hair was still wet, and you'll see it has a mind of its own in these pics. I also tried out some fashion photo tips Matt mentioned he read about at Two Eyes in the Mirror. Well, actually, I just tried one tip: I lowered the height of the camera. This is supposed to make me look LARGER THAN LIFE!!!! does it? My husband said this makes me look like I have a teeny tiny head... hmm maybe I lowered the camera too much. HA!



I have a love/hate relationship with this skirt. I like the woolen material, but I hate the fact that it doesn't sit at my actual waist. It tends to rotate around, and I have a hard time belting it (the belts seem to want to migrate upward). I did try pinning it smaller to fit my hips to see what it would look like, but with the ruffle flare at the bottom, it ended up looking a little odd.



Monday, I ran to H&M (yay for the 20% coupon on the H&M iphone app!) after seeing this faux fur collar on ExtraPetite. Even though it's faux, I feel a little like social pariah wearing something that looks like fur in Seattle. A fellow grad student pronounced it disgusting the moment he saw it. I understand the sentiment, but one thing the style blogging community has shared with me is a boldness to dress for me (rather than dress for anyone else). Although I would never have expected buying and liking it, I really like this collar. It's really warm, and it's great to throw on top of anything to give it a little glam (I even threw it on over a tank top to walk the dog when I got home, lol)


OOTD Specs
Gap wool camel skirt sz 4 (thrifted $6)
grey sweater tights ($8)
Nicole Winchester Leather Riding Boots ($100 at DSW)
Vintage tuxedo shirt tags cut out (thrifted $6)
grey plaid puffed-sleeve blazer sz (thrifted $6)
H&M braided belt ($15?)
H&M faux fur collar ($15 plus 20% off = $12)

I unfortunately don't have an OOTD pic for today. Don't worry, I wore clothes. But I had a really hectic morning involving an overabundance of produce, a ripped skirt, a missed bus, and a non-cooperative steamer. Thus, no outfit shot :( ah, hump day!

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Don't forget to enter the necklace giveaway here

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layering in beiges & browns OOTD

Wowzas I did not sleep last night. No idea why. But of course I woke up looking puffy. I guess for some reason I thought I'd pair puffiness with browns and beiges today. Looking at the pics, I can see those colors really bring out the puffy in my cheeks :)

Today, I decided to layer up! The weatherman said today's high temps may not break 60F, so I figured I needed a bit more bulk to my outfit. I've always been semi-intimidated by layering. When is it too much? What pieces will look good under one another? And, if you remove a layer (if you get hot - because in Seattle the weather can be quite mercurial) will the outfit still work together?

For this outfit, I tried out some layering in a similar color palette. I figured if I was going to be breaking my body up visually into chunks, maybe I could unite the chunks under a common color scheme.





and sans top layer


and with the top layer closed (sorry I didn't realize I didn't button up all the way! Waay too sleepy this morning)



I think it ended up feeling really equestrian with the beige and the reddish-brown of the boots!

OOTD Specs
Paris Blues camel corduroy blazer sz S (thrifted $5)
Marc Jacobs Khaki pants sz 4 (thrifted $8)
Ecologie white button up shirt sz M($15)
Rubbish brown cropped double-breasted sweater vest sz S(thrifted $3)
Nicole Winchester Leather Riding Boots ($100 at DSW)

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Don't forget to enter the necklace giveaway here (Advances book not included, but the psych nerd in me is thrilled I was able to somehow work this onto my blog)!

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Lace Necklace Giveaway!

So remember when I talked about making my own lace necklace? Well, that planted a little seed in my head! I've had so much fun with all you new readers, that I wanted to host my first giveaway for y'all!

I had some extra lace applique and thought it would be great to make a necklace for one of my readers. And, because I luvs y'all so much, I thought I'd make it even fancier than mine ;)



My ad hoc description:
This black lace flower is gracefully suspended by silver-plated chain. It's framed with porcelain red and white glazed butterfly beads, and finished off with a vintage filigree clasp.













Here's how to enter:

~ Be a follower of Lorispeak
~ Leave a comment along with your email address so I can contact you if you win.
- get an extra entry by blogging about the contest and posting an additional comment with the link to your blog post.
- I will use random.org to select the winner from the comments
~ Giveaway will end Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 11:59pm PST.

Thanks and good luck!



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realized post-hoc that this post could also qualify for ApronThriftGirl's MakeShare projects :)

Casual Fridays: Bright-style OOTD

Yesterday, I had an office mate apologize to me because she was wearing bright colors even though it was already Fall. I told her she should wear color whenever she feels like it. Poop on fashion's seasonal do's and don'ts. Honestly, sometimes bright colors are the BEST in Fall and Winter because they brighten up the grey here in Seattle! People should wear what makes them happy!

Today, you can really tell I take my own advice to heart, lol. Fridays we have our area-wide Brown Bag lunches. It's a time when graduate students and faculty get together to hear someone talk about their research. I try to dress down on these occasions (see AcademicChic discussion on disapproval of fashion in academia). Typically that means pants (usually jeans, but I chose to go with my grey cords) and maybe a sweater and a scarf. Well, I figured if I'm dressing down to basics, I might as well go bright to make it fun and interesting for me! Of course, does that make it not basic? I think this outfit ended up getting the most attention and comments out of all my week's outfits.



Btw, the cords are JCrew Vintage Stretch Cords in Favorite Fit (see similar here)


And without the scarf and belt (for when it got warmer later in the day)!


Also, I tried out taking photos in a different corner of the room (gasp!), but I had a hard time with the lighting. But, you can see my sheepy socks better! These socks are a nod to my knitting and yarn spinning selves!


I also got my new 'nerd' glasses in the mail. They were less than $4 (including shipping) from Amazon, so I figured I could give them a shot since they're just for funsies. I took them for a spin at dinner this evening (even though the rest of me wasn't outfitted nerdly-style).




I discovered Clara has the whitest teeth EVER! I think she was trying to beat me at the open-mouth jaw-drop pose. Pretty good for a first timer! lol. It's so good to be back together with my bestie after she was gone all summer!


Have a great weekend everyone! I'm going to announce my first giveaway either Sunday or Monday! Exciting (for me at least)!

OOTD Specs
Clear Wayfarer Nerd Glasses ($3.59)
H&M blue vintage floral scarf ($15)
H&M mustard yellow cardigan sz 6 ($20)
Pink Climbing Cowlneck tank Anthropologie sz XS ($30 sale)
Grey J Crew Favorite-fit stretch vintage bootcut cord sz 4S (thrifted $6)
Merona Madalena Suede Ballet Flats - Grey (NWT at Goodwill $7.50)
Grey sheep socks ($5?)
Adidas black skinny belt (thrifted 99 cents)