Sveta's Blog

In this WIW post Anna and other said that this light blue color in the dress is very flattering for me so I was looking to add this almost pastel color to my spring wardrobe. This Gap luxlight sweater (also featured in Angie's list) in simply blue attracted my attention in the store and I liked it the best from the available colors. Imagine my delight when it matched exactly to that pale blue in my sweater dress! I really love this color for me which is not a small thing because usually I stay away from pale blues as they do not flatter me.
I also like the feel of this cotton / nylon / silk blend against the skin. I think it should work for summer as well except for very hot days over +28C.
This sweater runs large. I got M and L in Tall - which do you think is better? I think M is very fluid fit and L is oversized.
Also I usually stay away from V-necks because I think they do not flatter me much. This one is not very wide and not deep enough to require a cami. Do you think I can pull it off with my small bust and short hair?

pic 1 : first 2  pics is size M; next 2 pics is size L
pic 2: size M
pic 3: size L

So: is this sweater worth adding to my spring wardrobe and if so which size - L or M?

Thank you!

One of the spring / summer trends on Angie's list was pastels.Usually pastels do not love me back and tend to wash me out so I was very excited when I saw these marled sweaters on Gap website. Because pastels here are the result of mixing color and white threads together they have depth to them which make them more wearable for me.
I went to the store but could not make up my mind about the size so I ordered 3 different sizes and 3 different colors to try at home. Result: I cannot decide and need your help!
From left to right:
a) neon lemon yellow in L Tall - actually it i closer to lime than to lemon IRL - lime milkshake anyone? :-)

b) bright guava (pink) XL Regular

c) orange peel (coral pink) L Regular

 pic 4 - a better view of the width between L and XL
pic. 5 - how they look with my blush trousers 
pic. 6 - how they look with a flared midi skirt length wise: I really want to wear this sweater with skirts so it should work

Please help me out: L or XL? Regular or Tall? neon lemon yellow, orange peel or bright guava?

Thank you!

P.S. XL is boxy enough and thick enough to be layered over a shirt!!! :-)

ETA: I think I created a bit of confusion here because I mislabeled the guava and orange in the beginning. Guava (pink) is in the middle in XL and orange peel (coral pink) is on the right in L. :-)

Nancy's post on BR cream trench reminded me how much I want to add a cream coat to my collection. I decided that I cannot deal with wool coat in this color because of the high dry cleaning upkeep but washable  trench would be ideal.
Then there was Emily's post on the same trench and something snapped inside me: even though I decided to have shopping reduce year I had to see that cream trench for myself!...so I caved in and ordered it.
Banana Republic delivery outdid itself this time:  I ordered on Saturday and it arrived on Monday. Of course I pulled it out of the box right away and had to try it on immediately.
My hubby liked it right away which surprised me because the color is as impractical as they come. I really like the color but I am not sure about the fit and fabric. Also I thought the buttons are black but they are tortoise color. I would really like a cream trench with black buttons.

Looking at the pictures I think it maybe too big on me. I am wearing it on top of my leather blazer. It looks like there is too much fabric on the back and on the sides - maybe I should try size down?
I am also not sure about cotton blend fabrication for a trench. My purple London Fog trench which has been a real workhorse for me is not cotton but polyester so it does not wrinkle, water-proof and wind-resistant. I have never owned cotton blend trenches - how do they take the elements?

Anyway I am not sure it is the one for me so most likely I will return it but I am glad I tried it because I know now that I have to have a cream trench in my life, just not sure this is the right one... 

Would you care to vote what do you think: Yay - keep, Nay - return

Thanks!

It took a week and a half for this jacket to get here but it came today!
The color is lovely cobalt on the purple side of it (which is good for me). I still need to see it in the daylight because purple colors may look very different in the artificial light. The fabric is amazing: Italian wool blend 79% wool / 29% nylon. It feels very nice to the touch and less heavy than Ceit's ombre moto. It also does not look to have the same lint problem as fabric is very smooth to the touch. I don't have any biker style jackets in my closet (aside from a denim one which is strictly a summer piece) so it will add variety to my toppers.

So what is left to assess is the fit on me and I would like to get your help with it in case I am blinded by the points above. I have ordered Tall L.
It may have a but too much fabric on the back (my usual fit problem because I have wide shoulders and narrow back) but there is a middle seam
there so I hope it can be easily altered by my wonder mom. However I don't think it
is supposed to be a fitted silhouette, no?
The sleeves are on the longer side for me (surprise!). It would be a perfect length for the outerwear - is it too long for the indoor jacket? I never have this problem of too long sleeves so I am not sure... The zipper on the sleeves does not have an opening so I cannot really turn the cuffs up (I wish I could - maybe it can be altered too?) I can try to get L in Regular to get shorter sleeves but it will be also shorter in length and I think this length is good for me.

What about the epaulettes? Are they too much for my already broad shoulders?

pics 1,3 and 6 show it closed, the rest open.

So what do you think? Worth keeping or not? Please vote!

Remember I asked you for the bag advice? Well, I did some field research this week and I picked the winner: Michelle barrel satchel in black!
I even liked it with my black coat!. Soft pebbled leather is distinctly a different texture from the cashmere wool coat and gold hardware makes a subtle statement and not over the top.
It is also very well made and feels well in my hand. It is not big but not small either: I think it is good for my frame. Unfortunately they do not have side look pictures on the site so I have included 2 pictures from the catalog. I really love the shape and the fact that zipper goes all way across to the bottom: makes it very easy to find things in the bag.
I was also considering Shannon's dome satchel but I was concerned with the quality a bit: in the one I saw the zipper was a bit uneven, not perfectly round but otherwise it is a very cool bag ( and teal color is gorgeous!). But satchel rally won my heart today! Also I thought I would enjoy a different shape: this dome satchel is a bit similar in overall shape to my red Chromia...
Hubby got the item# and going to the store to order it for my birthday. They do not have them in the store as this is the last season model but hopefully it will come in time!
I also looked at that two-tone bag and was disappointed. I love black and white but the leather itself did not impress me - and also the zippers were uneven on top. Too bad because I really liked the two-tone effect and the shape.

Oh and there is another bag there I may hint to my hubby about: it is not on sale now but by the time our anniversary comes around it very likely may be. I did not like the black one too much because of the color: I prefer rich deep black and this one was kind of greyed out black...but I fell in love with the cobalt one!  Such a deep nice color and such a simple and bold shape! One day, Sveta, one day...

I was so excited today - it is not often I fall in love with a bag - and just wanted to share!:-)

I am done with shopping for this year. Honestly! However my birthday is next month and I decided that I will save my hubby some anguish and do the gift shopping for him :-)
I am not a bag lady. Actually I am as bag illiterate as they come. But I really need to add at least one neutral bag to my collection.
Currently I have 2 totes - silver and tan python. Between them they cover my warm and cool spectrums. Totes are very useful for me to those days when I need to carry my gym clothes in addition to my lunch to work. I was honestly thinking I would not need any other bag and I am covered!
However I discovered that for those days when I don't need to carry my gym clothes to work my totes are too big for me and I need smaller bags. I have one very structured tomato red satchel but even while red is neutral if does not work every single time - and sometimes I just want a quiter bag for an outfit.
So this brings me to a need for a neutral satchel which is big enough to fit my wallet and lunch but not too big that they get lost in it. My ideal satchel would be black and white but I don't see many of those. I want a good quality but not overly expensive bag, ideally under $200. So as our Shannon I turned to Danier and here is what I found in styles I like and size I need:
Celia satchel in black and taupe (pic 1 & 2)
Etta satchel in black (pic 3)
Barrel satchel in black and dove (pic 4) Website does not show dove anymore though but it is the same color as pic 5 :-(
Round Shannon bag in dove-  or maybe black (pic 5)
Lori satchel in bone (pic 6)
Kelly satchel in taupe or black (pic 7/8)
Two-tone satchel in black and white (pic 9)

Here is the problem: I cannot decide on the color. My outerwear is cobalt, cream, black, purple, tan and red. My clothing neutrals are black, white, cream, navy, some browns, greys and taupe. For colors I wear purple, burgundy, red, cobalt, teal.
I don't own a black bag - do I need one? Or maybe grey or taupe is better for me? I do like black and white satchel (pic 9) but I ned to see in person it it is big enough for me - dimenwions look a bit small online...
I have not looked at them in person yet: I was going today but suddenly had to work the whole Sunday :-( What do you think - which color and style for me? Or none of the above?

Thanks in advance!

If you remember my new cobalt trousers forced me to look into getting a new coat in a neutral color. I decided to check Zara again but this time do not bother with anything below size XL.

1. Double breasted wool coat I got this in navy. I like the style but I feel that even in XL it is cut too close under arms and in the shoulders and layering a blazer under it is not comfortable. Another bust!

2. Wraparound coat. While on vacation I saw this Angie's post and decided - what the heck, I will give it a try! I decided to get a dark grey in a hope that it will be more flattering for me than a lighter grey.
I am not sure Elegant Eclectic description fits me but I LOVE this coat! I have ordered XL and XXL and I like the bigger size much better. I like the oversized fit and especially the collar. Now I tend to lean towards streamline items in my style and this collar is not streamlined but oh boy, does it have drama! Maybe I am completely crazy but I love it. The length is also good - not the knee length but it wold be too much for this oversized style I think. 
The only thing which gives me pause is the sleeve length. Now this is my usual problem with coats that sleeves are on the short side. They are not ridiculously short but my ideal sleeve length in a coat would be 2" longer. There is maybe 1" to let down if my mom can do her magic but no more than that. I need to decide if I can live with this...
So what do you think? Did I lose my mind completely by liking this coat?

I already lamented about my first Zara order yesterday when none of the four tops was a keeper.
Today I got my second order for which I hoped without hope for a miracle...but it did not happen.
I have been looking for a long (over the knee) wool winter coat for years without success. I was so happy when I spotted this coat at Zara which met all my criteria so I ordered it.
This coat is so beautiful it made dizzy when I pulled it out of the box. The wool fabric is soft and nice, the color is incredible shade of dark blue (not navy but more of indigo) and the length is great...but IT IS TOO SMALL! It is tight in the hips and cut to high under arms and in the shoulders. XL would fit me perfectly but this coat does not come in XL!
It is not often that items of clothing makes me cry...actually I don't remember a single case of it - but I am literally weeping now. This was my dream coat - in color, quality, length and style - and for a minute I believed my quest is over...but it was not meant to be.
Oh Zara! I am forgiving you that your trousers, skirts and dresses would never hit my curvy bottom. I am forgiving you that 80% of your tops do not come in my size. But I will never forgive you that you broke my heart and ruined my style life by not extending this coat model into size XL.
Now I am going to pour myself some cognac and mourn the death of a dream...

...because I ordered two more from Banana Republic.
They were available in size 14 only which is one size up for me. I ordered them anyway thinking that my mom can alter them if I like them. Imagine my horror when they came and they fit even if in a relaxed way. I only hope that it is BR changed its sizing and I didn't change mine!:-) They are both Martin fit (which is my best fit from BR) and straight leg.
 #1-3 Martin navy lightweight trousers
Angie, look - these are NAVY! :-) I would let the hems down a bit if I keep them. As far as you can see the fit in those pictures - are they OK? I also ordered a navy blazer in a hope to make a suit.

#4-5  Martin plaid trousers
I wanted to have patterned trousers for SOOO long! I do have a couple of micro checks or houndtooth but nothing like this. I think they are fun but maybe I am kidding myself and I look like a clown in them? Also I think the fit is good but again - am I kidding myself? There are 2 " of hem I can let down as well so length is not an issue.

So what do you think: keep or return? If keep then should I taper legs on any or on both?

Thanks!

Monogram collection in Banana Republic. Does it look interesting or like a knight armor?