Pix-Elated

Sveta challenged me to try out the striped skirt with some coloured tops or toppers (I was playing it too safe with neutrals). 

I don't have many options. But here they are. 

#1: with cobalt silk tunic. i don't think the "grin" was as noticeable IRL as with the flash. 

#2: with fuchsia knit jacket and silk shell. 

#3: with fuchsia silk blouse and bright accents. 

#4: bonus neutral pattern mix attempt. 

Are any of these wearable, do you think? 

P.S. Wore the skirt with the peplum today and black pointy toed flats, plus white jean jacket. Happiness factor through the roof! 

Lisa asked me if my striped VC skirt would work with chambray or denim. It just so happened that I recently received the J. Crew chambray shirt to try, so let's take a look. 

I own a dark denim shirt from Banana Republic. (Pic 1) While I love the colour and the buttons of that shirt, I am not crazy about the shape (or lack thereof) and the lack of draping. The fabric feels stiff and bulky. Wearing the shirt is a bit like having a bad hair day that you keep hoping is in your imagination but turns out not to be. So I've been looking to replace it for a while. 

This chambray is a contender. It's much lighter in colour and the fabric is also lighter weight. Although the fit is more oversized and boxy, it is easier to tuck, semi-tuck, and drape. 

Pros: fabric is nice, collar behaves well, seems more easy to style in some ways than the denim one. 

Cons: not sure I like the colour as well, feel ambivalent about the ivory buttons -- they don't work with everything equally well. 

On to the striped skirt! As I told Lisa, I think to work with a soft blue like faded denim (or even darker denim) or chambray, this striped skirt requires some careful styling. Here I have bookended the black with my glasses and a cami and my sandals. I'm essentially wearing it as the shirt as if it were a jacket. 

To my eye, it doesn't look as good on its own with the skirt (even with my glasses). If I had dark hair I don't think this would be an issue. My hair would bookend. But Lisa, you are on the fairer side as well. So I would consider this. Having said that, I would LOVE to see you in a skirt, any skirt, so if you are considering, please don't hold back!

Back to the shirt: what do we think? Is it a keep or a return? I am truly ambivalent on this. I suspect I would wear it enough to earn keep. But it doesn't feel like "the one." (Note: I did buy it on significant sale, so cost is not a big issue.) 

I am now a proud skirt twin to Tall S. Am I crazy? Can a shorter person carry off the bold stripe?  I don't know, but I had to have it anyway. 

I have loved my cobalt and navy Vince Camuto skirts so much this year that buying another in a pattern seemed almost essential, especially at the sale price. It was a tough contest between this one and the houndstooth, which I also ordered, but in the end, the rugby stripe won out. 

And then, after I bought it, I had a moment of panic that I might not be able to style it! 

Today I had a chance to play in the closet with it. Thank goodness, I do have a few ways to wear it. Here were a few of my most obvious and easy pairings. 

Notes: the skirt is shorter this year than last. I don't think I need to alter it. (I needed to shorten last year's version.) 

Also, for me, this is pretty much a summer only item, which is why I have shown it in summer combinations. 

#1: with asymmetrical neckline tunic. A lower neckline than I typically wear, but I hope it is okay. 

#2: with peplum top.

#3: with peplum and kimono to dress it up

#4/5: with ruched turtleneck and denim jacket to dress it down

#6/7: with Gap mesh sleeve sweater and denim jacket. 

I have a couple of other options as well, although so far, not too many of my coloured tops were working with it. I'll continue to experiment. 

Hope you agree it's a winner for me. I do love wearing these easy skirts. 

Hmmm. For someone who swore off black, I seem to have a lot of it, don't I? Oh well. I guess it just wants to follow me home. 

Like Denise, I wasn't going to post these everyday casual outfits, but in honour of Angie's blog post, here they are. You'll see that my personal variation is the button down. I need the higher neckline. 

Some you've seen before in other posts.

White shorts: Mexx, bought last year. 
Short seersucker shorts (worn only at home): Banana Republic
Denim cutoffs: Gap, bought 3 years ago.
Black and white microcheck shorts: Vans, bought last year

Striped linen buttondown: J. Crew
Chinoiserie pattern Tee: J. Crew
White button down: Jackpot, from 2 years ago
Silk sleeveless button down: Banana Republic
Ink blue cotton top: Mexx, bought last year (looking at it I see it is too short for shorts...oh well....it is also pretty much done and will be donated at end of season.) 
Pale blue cotton/linen button down: Banana Republic, bought 3 years ago. 

Thanks for looking -- this is what I look like on my work at home days all summer. 

Sveta has already given you a brilliant encapsulation of our great NAS adventure, and I have shared my boot woes with you at tremendous length. 

Tonight's instalment concerns my other "misses" from the sale. But first, allow me to tell you about the overall Nordstrom's experience. It was my very first visit to a Nordie's (other than the Rack in Union Square NYC) and I was dangerously impressed. Seriously --- can there be any better place to shop?? High end, but not in the least forbidding. And sales associates practically jumping all over themselves to make the experience a better one for you. Although, truth be told, part of their eagerness in this case might have been to make the experience better for themselves, too. ;-)  

Sveta and I were the stereotypical polite Canadians who even cleaned up the entire change room after ourselves, but honestly, by ordering as we were forced to do, we quite unintentionally created a lot of work for them. So their suggestion that next time, we could have our rooms stocked in advance with the items on our wish list was one we're eagerly looking forward to taking up!

 Most of you know how much I admire Sveta's style, so it won't surprise you to learn that we actually ordered quite a few of the very same items! 

I ruled a few items out without taking photos. Not that they were bad in themselves. I just realized right away that they were not what I wanted. 

Here are the "ones that got away" -- the near misses that it almost broke my heart to leave. 

Pic 1: Tahari Minka jacket. LOVED how this looked and felt but to Sveta's eye it seemed like a skirt jacket only, and I need one that is more versatile. I was afraid it would turn out to be an expensive fantasy life purchase.  I am wearing the larger of my two possible sizes here....I could just barely button it. Angie had actually suggested I size down in it but they could not obtain my smaller size for me -- turned out it would not have been necessary. 

Pics 2-3: Mural bomber. Once again, I adored the look of this jacket. Loved the colours, the shape, the cut, the detailing --- everything about it was fab and perfect for my style.

But I could not get past the plastic-y feeling of the faux leather. It felt very hot on my neck. Plus, the neckline itself was a bit wonky on the one I tried -- wrinkles that would not unwrinkle. 

Add to that the fact that I would have needed to narrow the sleeves to make them stay scrunched. Also, I did feel that in some ways the style was quite similar to my washed leather jacket from Danier. That one is not a bomber, but the collar and colour is similar. So, taking all those factors together, I regretfully bid it adieu. 

Pic #4: Theory Jillian sweater in navy. Again, I adored everything about this sweater. Everything but the price tag, that is. The texture is extremely soft -- like a cloud! And I loved that. Until I noticed that even fresh out of the bag it was showing signs of pilling. I have another Theory sweater from last year that I adore, but it has already pilled a bit. All knits pill -- that is the nature of them. But Sveta wisely commented that if it was a choice between the plain navy Theory and the DVF sweater (and it was, as both were splurge items for me) then the DVF was the one to take. Her idea was that I could find something similar to the Theory at a lower price point.

I hope she is correct, and if she isn't, I'll make her eat her words at next year's S&S NAS extravaganza! Because you KNOW we will be doing this again! 

Stayed tuned! On the weekend I will post my "hits." I am travelling until then so won't be able to take good pictures of the items I kept, and I would like you to see them styled a bit so you will appreciate their full fabulosity! 

Thanks again to Angie for behind the scenes help and suggestions and to Sveta for being the world's best shopping partner!