Pix-Elated

Hello, my name is Suz and I don't have enough toppers! 

Background: At the moment, apart from my kimono jacket, I don't own a single black topper. I retired my vintage Hobbs crepe 3 button jacket so I am out! 

(Actually, apart from two leather jackets and my recent blue jacquard blazer purchase from Zara, I have no F/W jackets. So that is where I am starting from -- and I am a person for whom jackets are the backbone of the closet.)

Here for consideration, two items -- The Banana Republic Monogram Tuxedo jacket, and the BR Martin plaid trousers also so beautifully modelled by Ceit, Sveta, Marianna, and others. 

First, the pants. They are rolled up here and possibly not the right length since I didn't bother to pin. Please ignore that. Also, if the fit is judged poor, they go back -- there is no sizing up. (There are none in the bigger size and it does not fit anyway -- I tried it in the store.) Note: Mr. Suz fell in love with these. 

Next, the jacket with pants, for a sort of unmatched "suit." Would this be do-able? Or is it just dumb? 

Pic 5 shows the jacket done up. I would never wear it that way, but there it is. 

Pics 9-12 styled with my baggy/ slightly slouchy tapered wool trousers. The blacks are not identical but they are close, and the weight of the fabric is very similar. So I think they could work together? As a sort of "le smoking" a la Angie's dressy separates blog post today? 

Pics 13-15 styled a few possible ways, or at least half-styled. 

Fit concern: the sleeves are just a touch too long. I don't know why since they were not too long on a version I tried on in the store on the weekend. But there it is. I would usually wear them scrunched. But it's a bit annoying. An alteration probably  isn't possible or worth it because the buttons are too close together and the sleeve is only a teeny weeny touch too long. 

Also, I always worry that this length of jacket cuts me in half and makes my legs look even shorter than they are. 

Would love your thoughts. 

Are you tired of my suit saga yet? Well, if so, sign off now. Because there is more to come. 

Let's see if I can summarize. 

1. I returned the Banana Republic suit. While I loved the fabric and the quality to price ratio was high, it just read too "classic" to me and not quite right. 

2. In my possession still are the Lanai jacket and Testra pants. But I have not cut the tags. 

In the photos below, I have tried to show it in natural light. It actually looks more purple here than it does IRL (the day was very overcast but with glare). More on the photos and my concerns below. 

Meanwhile, on the weekend I tried on more Theory jackets and pants. 

I tried the Lanai and the Gabe 2 in the urban stretch fabric. Both were a good fit. There was no buckling whatsoever in this fabric on the Lanai. 

In fact, Sveta, whose judgement is impeccable, and who's a stickler for fit. actually preferred the Lanai to the Gabe on me. 

Having said that, I was wearing a flared skirt at the time, and the Lanai would definitely work better with a skirt than the Gabe would. So I actually think either jacket would be good for me in the urban stretch. 

But, as you know, I don't just want a jacket. I want a suit. And there's the rub.

I tried 3 different styles of pant in the urban stretch. And all I can say is YUCK!! In an unlined pant, this fabric felt like cheap 70s polyester. It showed every lump and bump. In fact, it showed lumps and bumps that aren't even there! (I walked out of that change room with some serious body image issues, I tell you.) 

And sizing up didn't work all that well. The fit just looked bizarrely "off" in some way that I couldn't identify precisely. After all, I already own an older version of the Emery trousers in a grey stretch flannel and they work great! But it seems I'm not alone. If you read the Nordie's reviews you will see I am not the only person to complain about this. 

So...what to do? 

At the moment, I'm holding onto a suit which was effectively free to me. With the reduced price plus Nordstrom notes, this Lanai plus pants cost me nothing.

So what is the problem? 

My concerns have to do with the fit. The pants are just plain weird, to be honest. In the stock photos they showed them skin tight and cropped or looser and cropped. I sized up because my regular size was too snug across the hip bone for comfort. Meanwhile, this size is hugely baggy in the legs and perhaps not right in the rise -- I'm not entirely sure. 

Denise suggested the pants were too long and not streamlined enough. So in some of these photos I tried to shorten one pant leg a bit to see if that helps. 

Then there is the fit issue with the jacket across the bust area. The wrinkling is not extreme, and it's less noticeable with some tops than others. Maybe it would cease to be a problem after a while. It's hard to say. 

Right now I am wondering what to do. Should I: 

• Keep the suit I have, possibly getting the pants altered in some way, and ignoring that slight jacket fit difficulty. 
• Keep the jacket as a stand alone jacket and return the pants. 
• Reorder the BR pants to wear with the Lanai jacket. They don't match and it's much more evident IRL than in this photo, but they could be worn together in a pinch. 
• Send back the Lanai and the pants and wait? 
• Look for a Gabe 2 or a Lanai in the urban stretch as stand alines. (Of course this would be twice the price of the current jacket). 

Your thoughts would be most appreciated! 

1. Suit -- one pant leg shortened...not that you can really tell, I realize. 
2, 3, 4 --  Side and back views. 
5. Another view. 
6. Just the pants. 
7. Lanai with the BR pants (now returned but still available in my size.) 

Today's outing is lunch with a friend who always dresses a lot more casually than me. I thought this might be a good time to try the hoodie under a blazer. You can't really see it in the photo but the cashmere hoodie has a really nice waffle texture to it. I thought it played well against the jacquard.  

Jacket: Zara 
Cashmere hoodie and cami: courtesy our own Mo.
Jeans: J. Crew toothpick, sized up for a bit of ease.
Booties: SE Petty. 

I would have tried this on Friday but I was already dressed! So here it is today. Had to brighten the photos a tiny bit. It's so dark again....

Sorry I've cut myself off in one pic! Camera repositioning after my outdoor adventures. 

Peacoat: Vince Camuto
Jeans: Kut from the Kloth Diana skinnies
Belt: who knows
Bag: Danier
Sweatshirt: BR
Navy booties: Zara

So, the other day I said I was returning the pink jacket from Zara. But I put it on this morning before I got set to pack it up. In walks Mr. Suz. And much to my surprise, he loves it! 

(Honestly, that man is surprising me more and more every day. First he wants me to stay blond-ish and now he likes a pink jacket? Only the Shadow knows what goes on in the minds of men...) 

I am taking "outdoor" pics today because it will be my only chance. I got some photos of the Lanai to show you later. But for now, here are some outdoor pics of the jacket, which also happen to show my current multi-coloured hair. Not to mention my wrinkles. Whatever. 

I still have not decided absolutely on the jacket, but Mr. Suz's opinion obviously counts for something. He thought it was a fun piece, unexpected, yet potentially practical given its cross-season fabrication. He felt the same ambivalence about the colour that I did and some of you expressed. Interestingly, he didn't like it at all until he saw it on me. But when he saw it on me, he liked it a whole lot. 

Feel free to weigh in again if you wish! And thanks for humouring me. I do think it shows a bit better in the light. 

Angie -- I know you are very busy so there is no rush with this. I just wanted you to see it when you are able. Thank you! 

Since pink is the flavour of the day, up for review is a jacket I received yesterday from Zara. I ordered it because: 

• I need more toppers.
• It is a flattering colour for me but one I almost never wear. 
• It is mostly cotton so could be a genuine year-round item for me. These are rare and precious. Items that transition well into spring are a good find. 
• I thought I could try some of the fun colour pairings in the blog with it. 
• Zara jackets seem to fit me astonishingly well right off the rack. 
• I liked the low one button stance and the length -- longer than my current jackets. 
• The price was right! 

Now that I have it, I'm just not sure. The fit's great, the fabric's good, it's surprisingly well made. So what are the problems? 

It doesn't pair well with many items in my closet. It's not exactly blush (although it works with the blush DVF sweater...I think?) It doesn't work with fuchsia or orchid or "my" reds. It does work with my Only Mine dot sweater (pink dots of the sweater are almost an exact match) and a few other tops.
I think it would look good with faded denim. It's nice with grey, winter white, etc. So I do have things to wear with it...but the pairings are not all that exciting. 

Showing it in #1 with black (and my Philip boots!) -- feeling a bit like an 80s throwback here. 

In 2, it is with navy. 

In 3 it's with black baggy pants. Oh, I love these pants -- Angie, I think they are like your Theory pants a bit. These have a touch of slouch but mostly it's just roomy fit with extra at the bottoms. Such luxe fabric. LOVE it. 

In 6-8 I am trying it with my plum skirt. Does it work or is that nuts?  I wish the colour reproduction were a bit better -- I am so sorry. The light is dismal here.  And with this colour I keep getting a "now it does work, now it doesn't" sensation. 

I am also wearing the Mazy moka boots. SO comfortable. What do we think of this colour? Tomorrow I will post more pics of these with my dresses. I don't want to be a forum hog. 

Thank you all for looking and for your thoughts! 

I have a few K/R threads to post over the next couple of days. Here's the first. And thanks in advance for your thoughts! 

This cropped Zara sweatshirt looked to me like a fun way to participate in the camo trend. (I don't have anything else in camo print, but I liked the blues in this one). The light is awful again today so I have lightened a couple of these so you can see it better. 

Now that is is here, I'm not so sure -- it's light coloured on the inside and because it's hi-low you can see that at times in movement. OTOH, it's pretty easy to wear. I put on a cami in the first photo -- otherwise you'd get glimpses of my midriff -- horrors! I am wearing a silk shirt underneath in the skirt photos. 

You can also see my new Philip boots. SO comfortable.

So. Those great boots I bought on the weekend? 

I bought the wrong ones!!!! 

Seriously -- I thought I was bringing home charcoal and I brought home Moka. Moka is like a dark, dark taupe. It's not a bad colour for me, but not what I wanted. In the store I kept referring to the "grey" boots as did the SA, and with the lighting, that's what I thought they were. But at home, there is a distinct hint of brown in the light. 

I phoned the store. They do not take returns, no exceptions. You can exchange within 7 days only. I do not live in Montreal. 

Oy vey! 

Worse yet, they do not have the boot that I actually want in the store. That is how I got confused. It is on the website, but not in the store. And store and website seem to be working at cross-purposes. 

First the guy tried to talk me into keeping the moka. I will try to show you with some outfits a little later, but honestly, moka doesn't feel like what I want. And for this money, it had better be right. Right? Right. What's PPP if you can't exercise it over a high-ticket item like this?

But what to do? 

The best I could get was the following: My stepson (who is visiting me this weekend) will take them and return them. (Luckily, he lives right around the corner from the store). They will extend the 7 day rule for this.

Once they get the boots back, they will give my stepson a credit note to give to me. The credit note will never expire.

BUT, I have to use it at the store; it can't be used online.

In other words, I'll need to go back to Montreal to find a pair that I like better. Meanwhile, I will have money in the "boot bank," so to speak. But no beautiful grey boots. And the money I spent will already be tied up for this season. 

:-( 

In yet another wrinkle, I found the other boots I bought for half price on 6 pm!

However, it turned out they weren't available in my size anyway (and now they are totally gone) and even if they had been available it would have meant a trip to the border....so I don't feel quite so badly about that. At least I can keep those and wear them -- I'm certainly in a better spot than I was, without any boots. And I guess I can wait and buy a second pair of great boots next year, now that I know this company makes boots that fit me well and will fit my purposes. 

What an adventure, though. Next time I am taking all products up to the sunny window! 

It's Canadian Thanksgiving and we're visiting our stepson and his family. The weather is glorious and we went for a walk; I was actually baking in this outfit! 

I tried a dressier version of this look last week.  Today I decided to dig out my only flared jeans and join the Amber Sun parade for a more casual take as per Angie's blog post. 

These jeans get little love from me, but I'm surprised by how comfortable they are, and the weather is absolutely perfect for them today -- bright, sunny, no hint of muck on the roads. The only problem is that they're just a touch too long for these Donald Pliner booties so I don't think I can actually wear them outdoors this way. 

Jeans: GAP Long and Lean
Sweater: Amber Sun
Belt: one of those cheapie made-in-China ones
Shoes: Donald Pliner