Category: Nordstrom

The trip not taken

5/17/2014

These are the clothes I didn't pack for the short trip I didn't take...

The color palette I'd planned for was neutrals, pink, & gray. I figured that way everything would match everything else.

These colors seem lovely for spring. Here are a bunch more examples of them paired together...

a couple sold-out favorites...

Nordstrom Rack ASTR Sequin Pencil Skirt, no longer available

Fossil Edie Shift Dress, no longer available in these colors

pink, white, khaki...

J. Crew Vintage Cotton V-neck Tee, $29.50 minus 25% with the code PACKME

with a touch of blue...

J. Crew Linen Baseball Tee, $39.50 minus 25% with the code PACKME

J. Crew Factory Outfit Obsession #5

H&M Floral Dress, $24.95

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I didn't buy peplum when it first came out, did you? One, I couldn't find anything I liked that wasn't too expensive. Two, there was some question--especially for shorter women--if it might (gasp, sigh) make us look fat.

But peplum is popping up again this season, & it seems to have softened its lines & become more wearable, less
airplane-wings-like.

I've ordered a couple of these tops. I'll be reporting back to let you know if they work out!

Fossil Camille Peplum Top, $49.99

GAP Eyelet Peplum Top, $34.99

back view GAP Eyelet Peplum Top, $34.99

Banana Republic Black Peplum Top, $29.99 minus 40%

Banana Republic Denim Peplum Top, $69.50 minus 40%

Love Culture Plus Size Strappy Peplum (also in orange), $27.95

Dillard's Sanctuary Clothing Ponte Peplum Top, $59.40

J. Crew Factory Ponte Peplum Top, $54.50 minus 30%

Nordstrom Lauren Ralph Lauren Peplum Top (Plus Size), $85

Piperlime Wells Grace Ellery Vegan Leather Peplum, $27.97

H&M Off-the-shoulder Top (also in black), $29.95

Fossil top, no longer available dang it!

Garnet Hill Sleeveless Peplum Top, 3 colors, limited sizes, $38

Do you own any peplum? Has it worked out well for you?

0 Comments

What would Lily wear?

3/6/2014

4 Comments

Would Lily wear one of these dresses? Would I?

White dresses seem to be appearing everywhere, many with eyelet lace, some named Lily. Lily is lily-white & very sweet. I'm a bit edgier than she is. What do you think? Should I keep or return the dELiA's Lillie dress I ordered?

Lily Dress from Sundance Catalog for $138

Sundance Catalog Lily Of The Valley Dress, $138

Jessica Simpson Eyelet Trim Dress, $128

Nordstrom Jessica Simpson Laser Cut Eyelet Trim Dress, $128

Piperlime Pim + Larkin Embellished Eyelet Dress, $129

Piperlime Pim + Larkin Embellished Eyelet Mini Dress, $129

Lillie Dress from dELiA's for $31 after discount

dELiA's Lillie Eyelet Dress, $44.90 minus 30% with the code 30SUPER

The photo below is the dELiA's Lillie dress on me. Keep it? Return it? Size up? (Iron it? :-)...

Here's a white lace skirt from Garnet Hill, $128

Garnet Hill Full Lace Skirt, $128

Full photo, same skirt as above

Garnet Hill Full Lace Skirt, $128

4 Comments

Comparison shopping: suede ankle boots

11/23/2013

6 Comments

Have you used ShopStyle, Flit, or other comparison shopping websites much?
I usually just search my favorite stores on my own. I feel like the shopping sites are limited to certain stores--do you think that's true? But sometimes they can help you find the best deals.
I recently searched for a suede bootie. I wanted a heel that was not too high & not too low, & I didn't want a western flair. I found the options below (organized from least to most expensive) through ShopStyle, through a google search, & on my own.
I've started to believe that it's worth spending a little more on shoes because you wear each pair so many times & often for several years.
Any guesses on which bootie I picked? Which one would you pick?

Kohl's SONOMA life + style® Suede Ankle Booties, 4 colors, 24.99

Urban Outfitters Dolce Vita Joust Suede Ankle Boot, $59.99

Amazon Nine West Women's Fletch Ankle Boot, $61.33

DSW Bandolino Demelza Bootie, 2 colors, $69.95

Nordstrom Vince Camuto Grayson Bootie, $74.47

Victoria's Secret The Metro Bootie, 6 colors, $79

GAP Suede booties, $89.95 minus 20% with the code GAPLOVE

Lord & Taylor Ellen Tracy Randa Suede Boots, 2 colors, $89 minus 20%

Marks & Spencer Indigo Collection Suede Elasticated Panel Ankle Boots with Insolia®, £59

Nordstrom BP Trolley Suede Ankle Boot, $99.95

Arhaus Jewels Billie Boots, $195

Garnet Hill Giorgia Ankle Booties, $198

Sundance Catalog Aventura Boots, $198

J. Crew Aggie Suede Ankle Boot, 2 colors, $278 minus 25%

Don't forget: If you see a shoe you like in a store or catalog, get its exact name & look it up online. Many manufacturers will carry it, & you may find a lower price.
Also, you really should never pay for shipping when it comes to shoes--almost everyone ships them for free.

6 Comments

Of trends & tie-neck blouses

8/13/2013

2 Comments

Do you follow clothing trends? Instead of jumping on a trend, I watch the trends to find the ones that are most "me"--the ones perhaps I've been waiting for all my life, the styles I would have designed if I had any skill in that area. It's more like hopping on your train home rather than hopping on the first train that comes in no matter where it's going.

Tie-neck blouses in The Lady's Newspaper in the 1880s

Most trends are typically not so new, only "new to thee" (as Prospero says to Miranda). The style has likely appeared somewhere first--on a runway, on a style icon, in an era ages ago.

Here's a case in point: I thought tie-neck blouses were a fairly new trend. I thought they'd come out about two years ago. But I just found someone talking about them in 2008. And I think this type of top actually has its roots in a much more distant past. I could see royalty wearing a version of them or perhaps musketeers! And I can imagine Audrey Hepburn, hip '60s chicks, and schoolteachers on the prairie wearing them.

Still, for some reason, these blouses call to me. I think they just feel like me, whether they're popular now or not. When I bought my first tie-front top two years ago, I thought I was one of the only ones wearing it. Of course, since I bought it at The GAP, probably millions of others women were thinking the same thing :-).

Most trends last through several years. You often think a trend is brand new and fleeting. But truth is, most return the following year and for several thereafter. Sometimes it's just easier to find in stores, sometimes it's subtly changed or amplified, but pretty much it's just the same trend as last year. Like skinny jeans, for example.

I thought I was wearing one of the only tie-neck blouses available when I bought this one at The GAP two years ago. It hasn't been the easiest item to wear. It seems supremely conservative even while it's trendy.

Lots more tie-neck blouses are in stores now...

A bunch of lovely sleeveless tie-neck blouses from Nordstrom...

Nordstrom Sleeveless Tie Neck Knit Shirt, 5 colors, 5 sizes, $49

Nordstrom Halogen Tie Neck Sleeveless Top, 4 colors, 5 sizes, $69

From Anthropologie...

Anthropologie Tilda Tie-Neck Blouse, $148

From Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters Coincidence & Chance Tie-Neck Secretary Blouse, 5 colors, 4 sizes, $39.99

From Forever21

Forever 21 Buttoned Tie Neck Bodysuit, $15.80

L.L. Bean Signature Tie-Neck Blouse, Mallard Print, $95

This blouse is from L.L. Bean Signature. The same blouse is pictured to the right.

L.L. Bean Signature Tie-Neck Blouse, Mallard Print, $95

A couple last thoughts on trends...

Sometimes the trend serves a purpose. I've become a new fan of high-low maxi skirts because I like to walk and walk pretty fast. I've sometimes steered away from long tube-like skirts because they restrict your stride: you have to take fairly small steps or lift up one side. High-low skirts, on the other hand, are missing the front panel so you can run to the bus without having to hold your skirt.

Wearing something trendy can take years off. Wearing something trendy (even if it's not as new as you thought) can make you feel young and up-to-date.

So basically there's no hurry. I'm pretty sure the new trend will be around next year and the year after. You have plenty of time to see if it suits you, if it calls to you.
For me, I just keep an eye on the trends, waiting for my train to come in.

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Never count your clothes--
but if you do, here are
some ways to live with less

Trend alert: lasercut

Planes, trains, & buses:
clothing & public transportation

2 Comments

Take me away: to the French Riviera

6/22/2013

0 Comments

The truth is I've never been to the French Riviera. But I've always loved French nautical clothing, especially the breton stripes in the French Navy uniform.

Beaulieu et les montagnes. Promenade Maurice Rouvier entre Beaulieu et Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

This season, stripes are everywhere--on swimsuits, tops, dresses, even sandals. If we can't get to France this summer, at least we can dress with French flair. Salut!

ModCloth Riviera Romance Dress, $53.99

Old Navy Women's Mix & Match Boy-Short Bottoms, $19

Urban Outfitters BDG 3/4 Sleeve Striped Boatneck Tee, $18.00 •2 for $24

A couple classic French military bags...

Amnesty Int. Musette Bag, $12.50

Amazon OD Musette Bag, $16

Nordstrom Tom's University Stripe Sandal, $68.95

Peltz Sperry Women's Aurora High Wedge Sandals, $107.99

You may also like...

Go to the source for
official Navy peacoats

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Give 'em the cold shoulder

6/11/2013

2 Comments

Funny how showing a little shoulder seems somehow more risqué than just going sleeveless. But showing off your shoulder tops might be just right, especially in 98 degree temperatures. Why not give 'em the cold shoulder?

Nordstrom Trouvé Cold Shoulder Sweater, $58

Body Central Crochet Trim Cold Shoulder Top, $19.90

Love Culture Starry Web Blouse, $25.90

Amazon Armani Exchange Womens Cold Shoulder Embellished, $39

More cold-shoulder, split-sleeve, & sheer tops here...

Search party

2 Comments

Is the madness subsiding?

12/29/2012

1 Comment

Plaid jackets, plaid leggings, today it's plaid shirts. Will the madness end? I'll get help.

I think the trick to tucking a shirt and not looking too masculine or b-o-r-i-n-g is to go with feminine colors and details.

GAP fitted boyfriend plaid shirt, $34.99

Don't you love the little collar?

Norstrom Caslon® Shirt, $28.98

The color is "washed gray violet plaid."
Looks great with those yellow jeans!

GAP fitted boyfriend plaid shirt, $29.99

Pretty in pink

GAP fitted boyfriend plaid ruffle shirt, $33.99

The ruffle and the color are our feminina details.

GAP plaid shirt, Target socks

Mad enough to pull out my plaid socks to go with my plaid shirt.

Same shirt below tied at the waist.

Nordstrom Sandra Ingrish Plaid Shirt, $58

Always feels feminine to tie at the waist--needs to be long enough for tying and a thin cotton

Related post:

How to tuck in your shirt

1 Comment

White party or black tie?

5/18/2012

0 Comments

Don't pass by the juniors' department when you're looking for a special dress. Surprisingly, juniors' dresses often provide more coverage than women's. They also have more interesting details and cost a lot less. Size up.