Just have to share: dance dresses!!!

I got an email from The Bay last week that this is the final day of the sale on special occasion dresses and decided to have a look. After all with our dancing I am on the lookout to expand my dancing capsule. I especially wanted to get a long gown for our annual Christmas Gala dance. I ALWAYS wanted a long gown but before had absolutely no occasions to wear it to. Now I have plenty and at last can justify it! :-) 

I ended up buying 3 dresses - 2 long and one midi. The midi is the same style and brand as I already have in the floral pattern so I knew the fit will be good. For the long gown I will keep only one.

Two of them came today and I just have to share! Please excuse the bra exposure :-(
The colors in the picture little lighter and brighter than IRL because of the flash. The blue is nice dark navy - and it has a brooch. So on trend! :-)
The red is exactly the true red color I love and which is so hard to find. I love this dress! I was afraid that it will not have enough freedom to move for dancing but it is fine. The only thing I would need to change (if I decide to keep it) is to shorten it: it puddles on the floor on the back which looks great but deadly for dancing.
 
I am still waiting for another long dress to arrive and will share it too! :-)

Thanks for looking and sharing in my joy!!!

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K/R question and a couple of WIWs

Here I am again surfacing out because I need some wise YLF advice. For a quick update: the life is as crazy as ever and with only one week before my vacation AND last weekend spent in bed with a nasty virus it is even more busier now :-(

Anyway, this is what I want to ask your advice for. I have ordered these
J Renee flats and now considering if they are worth keeping. I am still assessing the comfort factor (so far so good which is a tall order for me with ballet flats). Here is the deal:

Pros:
- they are not completely flat but have 1" wedge so they are more comfortable than usual ballet flats. They also look better on my feet than real ballet flats usually do;
- mesh cutouts make them a cooler choice for summer while closed toe still keeping my feet from freezing in A/C;
- the most of my other flats are high vamp and there are times and outfits when lower vamp  is more proportional if one does not want to wear heels.

Cons:
- I am not that excited about the color - it is kind of nude for me. Do they look boring? The snake print and cutouts provide some interest though;
- I have a pair of Trotters low wedge round toe shoes (see find #2). I thought they would be very useful being neutral but I tend not to wear them as much. Mind you, they are too hot for summer and in cooler weather I prefer booties but still... they just feel meh to me I guess even though they have tweed pattern and patent wedge. On the other hand they are not staying on my feet well so this may be the deciding factor too...

I am leaving in 6 days and need to make a decision before that to keep or return. Basically my question is: do you see them playing with my style or they are "not me" in your eyes? Please help me out to make up my mind!
Bonus pictures of some outfits which feature NAS buys and a mix of old and new and both are experimental:
pic #6 - Topshop vest (NAS), midi flared skirt. That was an experiment and I thought the combination looked inetersting enough to try it out. What do you think? Actually this skirt is going into donation bag: it is too big for me and kept twisting around all day but I am curious what you think of the concept. 
pic #7-8 - BR eyelet tunic and flares. Featuring FS booties from NAS. This one was inspired by one of Angie's posts. Again - what do you think?

Thanks in advance for your help!

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My disappointment at Express today

I went to the mall to return the pants for my hubby to BR and I don't know how but I ended up at the Express. I wanted to check out their culottes but they were all sold out so I decided to try on the pants.
I am really warming up to cropped pants now and this is what I wanted to try. I grabbed several pairs in interesting colors and patterns. These mini check red/black pattern caught my eye as I wanted to add dark red/burgundy pants to my fall wardrobe so I grabbed them too even though they are not cropped but baby bootcut.
Well, they fitted the best from the bunch (even the front pockets stayed flat on me) and I was really smitten with the fit and pattern. They are full length but not long enough for bootcut style for me in the regular. I decided that I can make them into cropped flares of just the right length to wear with my booties.
I was so excited...but it did not last long. I decided to put them on one last time to assess the fit better and when I turned to look at the back my heart dropped!
I have attached the blown up stock picture for you to see the back - what I experienced in the dressing room is VERY evident in the stock picture as well - at least for my eye. The fit was good but the fabric was bunching into these micro-folds which were moving around the back of my legs with every movement. This was a deal-breaker for me! Too bad because everything else was perfect and these would make  cool cropped flares.

I suspect it is because the fabric was too thin and too stretchy - not a good combination. Other pants with the same elastane content did not do it but their fabric was more substantial.
Sign...I left the store with $80 still in my wallet and with a broken heart. It may seem to picky for some but I know that these folds will bug me and I will not wear the pants as much as I should.
However my visit to the store was not for nothing. I have discovered 2 things:
1.  I really want to get cropped flares in a fun color or pattern for fall and winter but they are hard to find. I am going to look into bootcut or flared full length pants and make them into cropped flares!
2. I really have some shape change as a result of a weight loss: before Editor pants from Express were my best fit and now Columnists fit much better.

Just felt like sharing this story with my YLF sisters  - nobody else in my real life can understand the "broken" heart thing over these pants! :-)

ETA: I have added a comparison of 2 Express pants from the back and I circled the folds I was referring to in the red pair. You can see some folds  / wrinkles under the butt or knees  in the camel pair but this is not what I am talking about - they are normal. See how wrinkles go on diagonal on the legs of the red? This is what I saw in the mirror too and they were moving around the legs with every my movement. None of the other pairs I tried did that at all.

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The battle of puffer coats

Yes, it is still too hot here to wear a puffer but I stumbled upon very nice packable puffers at Costco last weekend and could not pass.
I have a long and very warm LE dark purple puffer   which is great for heavy cold. However there are days when it is too warm for it but not warm  enough for wool coat - usually with wind and dampness which cuts right through the wool. So I was looking for a lighter and shorter  puffer for a while and this was a lucky find.
The brand is Andrew Marc and the price is $60 which I think is great for a light down puffer. The length is good for me and even the sleeves are passably long. The problem I have - which color?
I tried on the navy and liked it. Then I tried on the warm taupe (not sure if this is a correct name for this color) and liked it too. I could not decided and my hubby said - why don't you get both at this price?
So I ended up with 2 at home. I am not sure I want to keep both so I am calling for YLF wisdom to help me decide on the color: navy or taupe?
This is my current coat collection to give you an idea about the colors.

Also I took the pictures with my NAS buy - Top Sperry duck booties from Angie's finds. Love them! I was not sure if cream color is going to be useful for winter but I like them even with dark jeans - and they work great with white and faded blue jeans which I also wear all winter long. I am so happy I went for cream and not for black! ;-)

Thanks in advance!

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Introducing my new little darling

You may remember that I am trying to build my dance capsule for our new hobby - ballroom dancing. This trend - handkerchief hems - is perfect for this because it adds a lot of movement and interest during the dance so I am always checking this option online. Unfortunately it is also a hard trend to get right, at least for my taste so
I saw this dress on The Bay website when they had a sale a week ago and it looked interesting and unusual. The brand (Kensie) was not known to me but the price was right so with free shipping and returns I had nothing to lose. I have also ordered this Vince Camuto handkerchief skirt and a couple of tops while I was on it :-)
The tops and the skirt came on Monday and they were a bust. I was not sure about the skirt but my hubby took one look at it and said "no" - and he was right. It had too much volume on the top and too many handkerchief parts and all together looked as a shapeless mess. I did not even have to post K/R for it and did not take a picture either - returned the whole lot the next day.
I thought that I forgot to order a dress and thought "oh well". Imagine my surprise when I cam home from work on Friday and there was a small package waiting for me.I had no idea what was it and there was this dress...
...and I fell in love from the moment I put it on. It was a completely new style for me and I worried that it may be too short but strangely it did not bother me.The handkerchief pieces are so cleverly done that this dress has a lot of movement to it and even though it is too short in some places but overall effect is quite decent on me (I think0.
And hubby loved it too! He called it "mermaid dress" :-) And as I am firmly on the Team wear I wore it to the dance the same night!

So here it is for your viewing pleasure :-) because it is not a K/R post. Nothing in the world will make me to part with this little dress! I can also wear it with leggings and may do it for winter dances but I think it is decent enough with bare legs.

Here are the pictures from different angles and also how I wore it to the dance - with a white jacket and a nude clutch.
Welcome to the my dance capsule, my little darling! :-)

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Danier: update on the bag and a potential purchase

If you remember from my previous post I discovered a defect in my beloved Danier dove grey satchel.  Today I dropped by the Danier store to see if something can be done about it.
The SA was very nice, suggested to leave the bag so she can send it to the alterations team to see if it can be fixed (they are not available anymore). I hope they can fix it because I love that bag! 
Well, they also had 50% of all jackets sale today - and 50% of the latest price. Could I leave the store without checking if there is any treasure for me? Of course not - my iron will disappears when I enter the Danier store :-)
There were some jackets in nice colors - blush pink, pale lilac, pastel blue - but none of them vowed me with the fit and the leather was heavier than I like for the indoor jackets. I was almost ready to leave when my eye caught this one: Winona jacket. I tried on a black one (the same ElizabethP got some time ago) but the chemistry was not there...and then I saw that it also comes in grey so I tried it too.
For some reason the grey one spoke to me like the black one could not. M was too big and XS was a bit tight in the sleeves but they did not have S. 
Well, long story short - SA is ordering the grey one for me in S. The 50% sale ends today so I thought - why not? It is lightweight, very soft leather and it is long enough for me! I like this grey color too although grey is not my best neutral. This is the only hesitation I have  - will it work in my closet and be JFE for me color-wise. On the other hand the dark grey Trouve long gilet was a brilliant addition for me so there may be a redemption for grey color yet?
Just in case you want to see what should it work with:
- my cold weather capsule;
- my all-season capsule  which also need to work with this jacket.

So please put me straight - do you see this as a good addition for me? I think my frugal part (whatever is still left of it) requires some enabling here :-)

PS: still cannot add finds from Danier - arrggh! :-(

9 comments

Ask Angie: versatility of a white moto vest

As a lot of us on this forum I was in love with this ensemble. Interestingly the same BR vest which was featured in his post was already on its way to me but in white. It came and I am very tempted to keep it. However as it is a pretty expensive piece (even on sale it is $250) I am thinking hard if I really can justify keeping it.
I need to do a photo session soon but for now my question is - how versatile a white moto vest would be (because this is the color I got). 
Most likely I would wear it with sleeved tops as I get too cold when my forearms are bare. White out is a no brainer and also wearing it over a column of black but what else? Most of my summer wardrobe is white/cream, light pink, light blue, light grey (bottoms only), navy, a bit of black with some brighter colors like yellow, cobalt and orange.
Angie, would the white moto vest fit into you wardrobe and how would you style it? We have pretty similar style preferences so I hope if it works for you it should work for me :-)
Thanks in advance!:-)

26 comments

Some reviews for Banana Republic items

I completely agree with Angie and others that Banana Republic offerings are great this spring. I have already bought (and keeping) some items from them and I want more!
I went to the store today to return some online orders which did not work for me and could not resist to try some things on. These were my favorites and strong candidates for the future (I did not buy any today).
##1-2. Sloan fit cropped pants
I think I am going over my poison eye for cropped pants as I am thinking to add one pair for my spring / summer work  capsule just to change things up.
I have tried on #1 in my size and liked how they fit a lot (for comparison Avalon fit was awful on me). This is a lot of pant as the pattern is graphic and bold so I am not sure if this is the right pair for me now...on the other hand may be fun? 
#2 is much easier to wear as the pattern is very subtle. Unfortunately there was no my size in the store so I cannot say that it would fit as well as another one...it is now in my online shopping bag waiting for a discount :-)
#3 High waisted pencil skirt
I wanted a high waisted skirt for a long time but could not find one fitting my waist and my hips in the same time (even with the weight loss I am quite curvy with 12 inch difference between my waist and hips). So I did not have high hopes but magically this one fitted in both places.  
Now I have a dilemma: I have white culottes on their way to me and I think I need either a white skirt or white culottes but not both. Should I order a skirt as well and play with both culottes and skirt to see what I like more (it is also on sale today which is another tempting factor).
#4 Medallion lace top
Online picture does not convey how fab this top is! At first I passed it because of the length but then SA mentioned how she likes hers  I added it to the pile for the fitting room just for the fun of it. Well, I put it on and did not want to take it off! The lace pattern is exquisitely elegant and the way it drapes on the body is superb. I liked it with the pencil skirt and with skinnies and with those patterned cropped pants...I am watching the sales now! 
Wish me strength ladies - my wallet would thank you for that!:-)

25 comments

Blue shirt showdown - as promised!

If you remember I posted about BR chambray tunic which had a defective placket? Well, I have ordered a replacement in hope that it won't have the problem. It arrived and there is no placket problem with it so definitely I got an oddball the first time.
 I also  posted about BR BF shirt in a brighter blue and overall verdict was that it is too big so I promptly ordered a size down, It also arrived and here is the showdown of both shirts for your viewing pleasure :-)
Please ignore the slight grinning cause by the flash - it should not be an issue IRL.
So tell me what you think - which one should I keep or just return both of them? I will keep my opinion with me for now :-)

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38 comments

My dress is here - keep?

Sorry I am flooding the forum with my posts today but I just need to share this!
I have asked you about some possible additions to my dance capsule some time ago. In the end I decided to order one dress only - and it arrived last night.
It is so different from any dress I have now. I was  afraid of the V neck and wrap but the wrap is false (there is a zipper on the side) and the V neck is narrow and can be stitched a bit so it stays in place. I decided to size down  and this is size 8  - I think it is the right size. It does not need any alterations in the top which is a rare case for me in a dress - but do you think the skirt is not fluid enough? It looks more fluid on the mannequin. Should I try a size up?
What do you think? My hubby liked it but said it is a busy pattern. I don't mind it though. The floral print is abstract and large scaled but the colors are a bit muted so it does not feel too much for me. 
And yes, I would need a different bra for this dress if I keep it :-)
I am very tempted to keep it  - what do you think?

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