Review: Stitch Fix #3

Happy Monday! It’s been a long weekend and today is a big day for us (more on that soon! I don’t want to say anything too soon but trust me, I can’t wait to share…no. It’s not what you think.)

It’s taken me nearly four days to finish this blog post. I think that’s indicative of the week I’ve had BUT there are now not one (ah-hem the above #vaguepost) but TWO awesome things about to be announced! Huzzah! Tomorrow, tomorrow I will have more to post

Last Friday, I got my third Stitch Fix. I forgot to post about my second but I actually liked this one – even if I only kept one thing from it. Here’s what my box included this month: 

Street Level Parvin Reversible Tote
$58

I liked the bag. I did, even though I didn’t get an image of it. But I’m not really in the market for a new bag and if I was, I probably wouldn’t spend $58 on a bag I can get comparably for $48 at Nordstrom or $35 at Target. I’ve checked out those two bags before…and well the quality just wasn’t there for me to want to spend that kind of money on a bag when I’m not in the market for it.

Verdict: Return

Stitch Fix Outfit 1

Liverpool Anita Skinny Pant
$78

I loved these. I loved the fit. I loved the color. These pants got a big fat keep. Normally $80 is a bit heavy for me to spend but with the $20 credit from the styling fee, bringing them down to $58 plus the fact that they’re nice enough I can dress them up for work but also casual enough that I can dress them down for a weekend, I felt they’d get enough wear out of them to justify. I have a pair similar in black that I wear CONSTANTLY from Ann Taylor so I knew these would get plenty of wear out of me.

Verdict: Keep

41Hawthorn Felton Lace Detail Blouse
$68

I ordered a top similar to this from JCrew last year and ended up returning it because it was…just awkward on me. This one? I loved the style and the cut would have worked, but the shoulders were a bit narrow and the chest felt a little too tight. This was the first piece I tried on because I was so excited about it (it would have been perfect with the skinny pants!) but alas, the fit was no bueno.
Verdict: return

Skies are Blue Asa Blazer
$68

I don’t really wear blazers often enough and while I loved the look of this, I didn’t love the look of it on me. It was good quality but I wasn’t crazy about the hook front.

Verdict: Return

Skies are Blue Dupree Split Neck Blouse
$58

Ugh, I went back and forth on this one. I loved the top. I loved the style. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as flattering on me as I wish it was. I didn’t LOVE the color – I much rather prefer navy blues to cobalt blues. If I wasn’t on a tight budget this month, I would have kept it – no doubt. But I am on a tight budget and that tight budget doesn’t leave room for me to keep things that I waver on. If I have to pause about whether I really love it or not, I probably don’t love it enough to keep it.

Verdict: Return

All in all, I did love the styles picked – but colors and fits kept me from going all in on this fix. That being said, they’ve gotten better and better so I am looking forward to my next fix at the end of January! 

 

Have you tried Stitch Fix? If not, I highly recommend! 

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What I Wore: Weekend Wear

Ahhh the weekend. Generally, I spend my weekends in leggings and oversized sweaters – it’s the two days that i don’t need to dress up or put a lot of effort into. Prior to the comfiness this past weekend, I got a little “dressed up” for a sweet Junior League event and stepped up the weekend outfit effort.

{Sweater – JCrew  | Shirt – Target, old (similar, similar) | Jeans – Old Navy | Boots – Macys (Similar) | Belt – Gap (similar) }

Hubs had drill this weekend so it was just Little Man and I at the Junior League of Annapolis’ Pig & Pearls event. Which was fun. But last time we held this event, Hubs was at BCT in Oklahoma and I didn’t have to chase around a 2 year old. In retrospect, I could have – and should have – considered a baby sitter but it was billed as family friendly. Which it was, very much so, but not necessarily to rambunctious 2 year olds.

Apparently Little Man is a fan of Bluegrass tunes. Kid’s got some good taste in music!

Either way, we – well, I – had oysters, some BBQ and I enjoyed a glass of delicious Boordy and some good company – wasn’t as great as if I had been able to go with Hubs or solo because wrangling a 2 year old who wants to get into EVERYTHING can be very trying BUT he loved the music, I loved the wine and the friends and he took a LOOONNNGGG nap afterwards so…win win.

What does your weekend wear typically look like? Do you put a lot of effort in or are you a leggings and tunic kind of gal (which I was after we got home…not gonna lie)? 

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What I wore: Girls Night Out

Tuesday night I had a lady date to celebrate a pal’s birthday. I don’t usually stay in work clothes for a night out unless it’s a work straight to happy hour type thing, usually I’m all about comfort – give me ponte pants/leggings or give me death but the other night was different.

But I was really digging this outfit. I loved the simplicity of it and kind of wanted to show it off. Also – there was a rush to get home, get E settled and head out to meet my pal – the desire to get out the door was stronger than the desire to change my clothes and try on six different outfits which I knew I would inevitably do.

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{Pants | Top (similar) | Flats (Similar– SAVE!) }

Sorry for the serious lack of posts – the struggle between training well for a race, being a FT Working parent and the need for solo time to decompress is a fickle balance and one that, a year and a half after going back to work, I’m still working to figure out. I do love these easy what I wore type posts though – my issue is I never remember to take a picture until I’m home or changing into my running clothes. No bueno!

That all being said – stay tuned for some fun ideas I have in the works. And as always… find me on twitter, facebook, and instagram. I’m still relatively active most days!

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My first Stitch Fix

It was about time I jumped on the Stitch Fix bandwagon.

Friday afternoon, the box arrived. The glorious box!

Then came the disappointment. Maybe I put my sizes in wrong. The styles themselves were not horrible. A pair of black skinny, high waisted pants that wouldn’t even fit over my thighs – the style itself was adorable. If only it had fit. Medium petite? I’m anywhere from a 6 to an 8 to a 10 depending on the brand and the style of pants. Hmmmph, no big. I wouldn’t have spent $100 on a pair of black pants anyhow (because…Loft. Need I say more?)

Then the dress that was just a touch too tight. Design? Super cute. Sizing? Not so much.

(don’t mind the blurriness)

Or the pop over top that I loved but the fabric had no give and I was worried my boobs might pop a button if I bent over the wrong way plus it pulled in an unflattering way over my midsection. The very midsection that I’m incredibly self-conscious about.

Finally the other top which was cute. Flowy. But I’m not big into prints. Or at least not geometric prints. Was this geometric or animal? Who knew.

I did keep the necklace. That was really pretty and I loved it and after the $20 styling fee, it was only $8. #winning.

On the plus side, the pants I’m wearing above are an amazingly comfortable pair of Loft Ponte Pants. Highly recommend!

Have you tried StitchFix yet? If not, it’s worth checking out. I updated my style profile and my sizes going up a size in most things so I make sure everything fits next time. The style was about 85% on point, the size was like… not on point at all, but overall I came away with some great outfit ideas thanks to their style cards, and a pretty statement necklace – since I didn’t have to deal with the mall, I consider the experiment a success!

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What I Wore: Camel and Stripes

I’m lusting for fall weather that I know is right around the corner. So the other day when I saw morning temperatures were only in the 60’s, I grabbed the latest cardigan I picked up on our most recent outlet jaunt.

I had happy hour plans that night so I wanted to be sure I would be comfortable. That was the great thing about this outfit – it totally took me from office to happy hour without much effort. The sweater, tank combo was perfect for casual Friday and the tank, necklace, sandal combo was great for casual happy hour at Greene Turtle.

Another plus? I can totally make this a more business casual outfit by trading out the jeans for black pants or a pencil skirt. Win!

Tank: JCrew Factory (Old. Similar) | Jeans (Old Navy) | Sandals (Target, Similar) | Sweater (JCrew Factory) | Necklace (JCrew Factory, Similar)

 

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What I Wore: Camel and Tan

I picked up a new bag this week and I’m in love. Since starting my new job, I’ve been looking for a new bag, something with a bit of spunk without breaking the bank. Earlier this week, I found it on a lunchtime trip to Target.

black and camel outfit

Excuse the wrinkles. It was the end of the day.

Pants | Tee | Necklace, (JCrew Factory, sold out – similar) | Sandals, Loft (sold out, similar) | Bag (other fun satchels: here, here, here, here and here)

merona satchel

I wanted a bag smaller than the standard tote bag (this is similar to what I was using, which i picked up when I first went back to work in February 2014), and this satchel is the perfect size where I can carry the necessities (kindle, wallet, notebook for blog topics/ideas, makeup) but small enough that I won’t accumulate a bunch of crap – which I often do.

Also, about this tshirt, I know it looks like garbage because…selfie. Which I’m bad at taking. But seriously? It’s the basic crew neck tee from Loft, and oh em gee, they’re the softest, best quality tee shirts I’ve found in a very long time. And they’re cheap as you know what (Especially right meow with their 50% off “everything” sale – code GET50).

Happy Thursday folks!

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The Day The Jack Rogers Died

I’m thinking of the song American Pie – “the day..the music died..” I mean I know a pair of shoes that breaks is not the end of the world and certainly not the end of an era as American Pie is discussing. But it was a sad day to me.
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My Jack Rogers broke en route to lunch on Friday. It was my last day at work before starting a new job, and we were on our way to a team lunch. As I was getting into my colleague’s car, the thong broke off.

Saturday morning, the first thing I did was order a new pair. I mean, when you break it down to cost per wear, at $117 per pair, that’s $30 per year. say 104 wears per year, if you assume I wear them 3x/week for 6 months of the year that’s roughly $.28 per wear.

Consider spending $20-30 on a pair of sandals from like Target or H&M that last a season – maybe two if you’re lucky. Your cost per wear may be less but when the time comes to replace them? You won’t find shoes like that again. Thus, I stick to the classics.
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Brand spankin’ new.

I mean…look at the difference here.
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Gross. I know. But four years of love, parties, fun, pregnancy, playdates meant that they were perfectly worn in and comfortable. I’m looking forward to the fun memories of the new pair.

Needless to say, I’m also looking for a couple of backup pairs that are (slightly) more work appropriate. A couple of the ones I’m eyeing are here, here and here.

Other suggestions? 

 

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Lilly for Target Love

So I never really blogged about my disappointment with how the whole Lilly for Target ish went down. I was up, out the door by a little after 7am on Pink Sunday, and in line at our target by 7:30am. I got in the doors by 8:05 because they were only releasing so many women in at a time and within that five minutes, everything was gone. Racks emptied.

I hovered, came out with a couple pairs of shorts for my friend’s daughter, a pair of sandals and a beach blanket traded to me at check out.

So to eBay I went. And Facebook B/S/T groups. I’ve picked up a couple of cute things – but none as loved as my crochet tank top and my pineapple sandals (that are probably 1/2 size too small). This particular top was a unicorn for me – nearly impossible to find. It was on my original wish list back when the look book first came out. I finally found it on eBay for a not so ridiculous price as a Buy It Now (versus a straight auction which I lost 3 of before calling those attempts futile).
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(Top: Lilly for Target, similar | Pants: Old Navy | Shoes: Jack Rogers | Necklace: Loft, similar )

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Huge, huge fan. Looks great with jeans or dressed up. This weekend? I’ll try it with my Palazzo pants (which I need to get hemmed).

What is your unicorn piece of any brand? Any pieces that are long gone that you’re still lusting over?

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Casual Tuesday

After a weekend of travel and bundling up, I tried to put a little effort into my outfit today – even though there was only 2 of us in the office for most of the day – with the grey weather and the next two days gearing up to be sleet and snow and rain and more snow, I decided it was time to bring a little brightness to my wardrobe.

I took advantage of the tax free shopping in Vermont as well as the spring line at Old Navy to get some springy looking clothes. I figure if I will it to be spring it will be right? Maybe?

 

Casual Tuesday

The sweater is a little more red than pink in that picture but…whatever.

Pants – Old Navy| T-shirt – JCrew (similar) | necklace – JCrew (similar) | Cardigan – Old Navy | Flats – Tory Burch

 I think I need more in this poppy/coral color. I’ll be revisiting Old Navy soon. They had some really cute spring finds. Kind of hard to shop for spring when you’re about to get 6″ of snow and nearly slip out trying to get into your car because of all the stupid ice.

What did the outfit look like on me?

Pardon my selfie-ing.

What do you wear for casual days at work?

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Fashionable Friday

So i’m not really a fashion blogger, but lately I’ve been aspiring to show off a bit more of my “style” in my pitch to be more of a lifestyle blogger.

It’s going to take some time because well…working mom…with not a lot of time (or energy?) to  model beautiful outfit posts and then post them. Working mom blogger problems. Thats a bigger issue because working moms who blog regularly? I don’t know how they do it. I mean…I wrote half of this post while catching up on The Voice after a toddler dinner time meltdown, waiting for hubs to get home. Gifts to wrap, floors to vacuum, bathrooms to clean, trash to take out and I’m blogging but feel like I shouldn’t be.

I digress.

Yesterday (hi scheduled post. what of it.) I took a couple hours off in the morning to hit up my semi-annual dentist appointment. Before my mid morning appointment, I hit up Pure Barre before my dentist appointment, and then headed into the office. Thankfully, I work in a casual work environment and didn’t have any client meetings, so I opted for the “leggings as pants” look. Don’t judge me.

Either way, it was comfortable and had….a touch of class. Maybe. I don’t know statement necklaces and JCrew sweaters class anything up right? And those boots? I picked them up last weekend in Columbia and I love love LOVE them. Comfortable, fashionable and versatile. Love them.

 

pure barre to the office

Leggings (similar)  | Boots | Tank | Necklace | Sweater

The key? Dry shampoo, deodorant, and make up before I left Pure Barre – although thinking about it as I type I don’t remember if I actually put make up on. Maybe mascara? Maybeee??

My trick – because i pull similar looks off often on days without meetings – nice shoes. Nice sweater. Layering tanks.  I’ve also pulled this look off with chambray shirts, flannel shirts…

I’ll try to get some pictures this weekend to do the whole outfit modeling thing. (Read: I’m super insecure with my body right meow and don’t want to take pictures because I haven’t been working out as much. Real Life with Working Moms without enough time)

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