Pix-Elated

I am not sure how this happened, but the Aquatalia booties, which were supposed to arrive to me from Vancouver or Calgary, or from Ottawa via one of those, arrived on my doorstep having come from Watertown, CT. I haven't even received a bill for these, so I have no idea what they are charging me. 

And here is proof positive that one woman's "meh" is another woman's "wow!!" Crazyone was not thrilled with these yesterday; she felt the suede was scratchy and they did not give her joy.

Meanwhile, I put these on and thought, I'm never taking them off! They're that comfy, stable, and a beautiful blue grey that will work with all my clothing. Ankle fit is perfect on me. 

Excuse the terrible unstyled dark photos. I was so excited I had to share right away! 

At YLF we are all about high-low style. But we're also about the NAS!! 
And some of us have GREAT experiences with this sale, and some of us have disappointments. 

Most of us probably have a mix of experiences, and possibly different experiences in different years. 

In my first year on YLF I only watched the sale from afar. In my second year I ordered some items, but apart from some camisoles and some VC tube skirts, nothing really worked out. 

In my 3rd year I got serious and went across the border with the indomitable Sveta!! Wow, did we shop!! I came back with some beauties but returned some because they just weren't "me" -- and also left quite a few others in the change room because they didn't fit or didn't suit my life. 

Year 4, Kingston forum member Mona and I conspired to do a little cross border fun together at our "US addresses" (in a lumber supply store). Boy did we have fun trying on jeans in the dirty bathroom!! 

Year 5 I almost sat it out entirely due to grief. (My mother died in the first days of the presale.) But instead  I engaged in a bit of highly successful retail therapy. I actually returned about more than half of my order, but the items I kept were wonderful additions to my closet. 

This year, well, I got my gilet and what else matters? Seriously -- I have ordered a bunch more highly practical stuff that might or might not work, but I am happy with my main purchase. 

How about you? What have your sale highs and lows been -- this year, or in other years? 

Legend:

2012 -- everything went back except the shoes and skirt. I still have the skirt. Donated the shoes in the spring. 

2013 -- to Michigan Sveta and I go!! Keepers in photo 2. Still have the booties. Finally sent the top and skirt on to Anne in Oz after 2 years' wear and still looking good. 

Photo 3 -- Tory Burch dress that I loved but did not keep -- had no call for it. 

Photo 4 -- Tahari jacket I also loved but had no use for. Note the skirt -- my NAS purchase from the previous year!! Also the sandals were an Angie Top Pick. 

Photo 5 -- our boxes. (Some of them.) 

2014 -- Photo 6  -- jacket and jeans acquired in a little road trip with Mona. :)

2015 -- the famous Vince dress (with the booties from 2013) and a cardigan also from the sale and the Franco Sarto booties (also available in this year's sale -- super comfy but a bit wide at the ankle, FWIW). 

2016 -- the Great Gilet!! 

As requested, here are some pics of the Minkoff bag unstuffed and filled with my own stuff.  :) 

In the bag: Computer, phone, makeup case, glasses case, keys, journal or book, water bottle, wallet. This is my usual. 

It is another hot day here so I won't go as far as putting on full autumn regalia but I did manage to put on a jacket (as I'd usually carry it with at least that for outerwear) and also for one pic, a coat. 

For comparison, some of my other bags. The blue shopper is a good scale for me but doesn't fit the computer -- it's a summer time bag for going (literally) shopping!! And not much else. 

Colour block tote is what I carry in summer when I need the computer, or the navy Zara backpack, which barely fits the computer but does with a lot of wrangling. This is honestly my most used bag!! I could always get another one of these. :) Much cheaper.  

I used the Le Pliage a lot last fall and winter. I don't like how unstructured it is, though. 

Whether or not I look right with a big bag, I need a big bag. It's that simple. So the question is really what kind. 

Once again, the camera got confused by the Minkoff bag and went out of focus. It must be putting a spell on me.

Now that we are sorted on the gilet, next up is the Minkoff bag. 

Apologies for the quality (or lack) of these photos. My camera went wonky when it saw this bag for some reason, but I think you can still grasp the scale, which is the main thing. 

First, my review. This bag is a lovely soft leather. I love the simplicity of the style, the lack of ostentation. It has inner pockets for phone, etc. The hardware is my preferred silver. The colour "port" is a beautiful purplish-toned burgundy. It would look good with my grey puffer, or my navy pea coat, or (I think) with my grey and black Danier cutaway coat,  (or my gilet, ha ha) but it won't go with my red winter coat. That's okay. It doesn't need to be one bag to rule them all. 

In general, I prefer a more structured bag. My best loved bag is a very structured shopper. But in reality I mostly carry larger totes and my backpack, because I need to carry my computer a lot and most shopper bags are just short of being large enough for that. 

This bag is as big as my totes and it holds my computer. But I feel like it just looks rather large on me. I wonder if I could find an alternative. With Danier sadly gone, my options are now much more limited. Were there any other sale bags that might meet my needs? 

It's here, it's here, it's here!! 

And I need your help. 

FWIW, I would not call this "winter coat weight." Not for my climate. I would call it heavy indoor or light outdoor weight melton wool. It is plush and dense and non-drapey. 

It seems impractical -- although on reflection, maybe not. See below for options. 

It is crazy expensive. Having said that, I did the calculations and it is actually less than the straight 35% extra to the US sale price. In other words, it's a relative bargain in Canada. :) 

And I totally, totally, totally love it. 

But, should I keep it? 

These are less "stylings" than "throwing ons." It is, I kid you not, the stickiest day of the summer here, and also one of the few cloudy days, so the light is artificial and not its best. 

#1 and #2 ---  over denim shirt and jeans. 

#3 -- over a sleeveless turtleneck. 

#4 -- showing the space I have here. This is the 2. I am wondering if I should try the 0 after all? I suspect I am between sizes. 

#5 -- trying a higher contrast top.

#6 -- trying a higher contrast bottom. 

#7 -- greater love hath no woman -- trying it LAYERED with a top and cashmere sweater. See that sweat dripping from my brow? 

#8 -- with the Minkoff bag. Great bag but I fear the scale is wrong for me -- more on that later. 

#9 -- layered over a shirt, cashmere sweater and leather jacket. Yup, this thing can layer!! 

#10 -- with a sheath dress to try that idea. 

It is just below knee length on me, so midi. I don't know if it would need hemming. I would always wear a bit of a heel with it. 

Questions:

• Does it look like it belongs with me? 
• Should I try the smaller size to compare? 
• If I keep, should I shorten? 

So...is it my imagination, or do more of the items this year look like summer items? 

Like Tanya, I'm feeling underwhelmed so far, but I also know that Angie's picks can open my eyes to a whole realm of new possibilities. 

I was hoping to find a great coat (preferably a peacoat), a pair of silver or grey booties, a replacement for my Aquatalia motos, a couple of statement knits, and a patterned or bright jacket. 

Well, so far I'm not doing too well. ;) 

However, I do have some items (below) under consideration. 

I've also been intrigued by the idea of a casual knit dress. I have a navy cotton knit sleeveless that I sometimes wear "jumper" style over a top so the fact that an item is sleeveless is not necessarily a dealbreaker (although, again...could they make a few dresses with sleeves for winter, please?) 

I think the higher end knit dresses are really overkill for me -- I don't wear a dress often enough to make them a smart purchase. But one of the less expensive ones, or the EF, which would be cross seasonal, might make sense. 

I'm a sucker for sleeveless turtlenecks and find them weirdly useful layering items. So I am debating a couple, both high and low end. 

The Veronica Beard jacket intrigues me, but I need to hear from Angie about it. Ultimately, I think it wouldn't get enough wear in my climate to justify the price. 

Also looking at a bag. 

I was hoping for a few pops of colour but that is another disappointing feature of the sale, so far, for me, and I hope it doesn't bode ill for things to come. 

Another NAS purchase that's puzzling me is these Arielle mid-rise jeans from CoH. 

My two favourite jeans ever are my Rag and Bone Dre slim BF jeans (almost all cotton) and my CoH Racer low rise jeans. I have worn the Racers more than 200 times in the year and a half since I bought them.(Yes - I counted. And for anyone who wonders why I pay for premium denim, there is your reason right there.)

Despite being in heavy rotation, they are still in pretty good shape, although my cat nicked them a bit with his claws at some point, so there are two teensy pulls on the calf. I know I'll get at least another season from them, but I am aware they may not last much longer than that. 

Meanwhile, if I have any complaint with Racers it is that as a true low rise jean they are just a tiny bit too low for me, since I'm long in the rise. Because of their clever design they work (no plumber butt -- the back rise is much longer) -- but they definitely make me appear to have a long torso, and I don't think they are super flattering to my rear, not that I actually see them from that perspective all that often. ;) 

In general, with my own particular proportions (short waist, longer rise, longer in the thigh, short calves) I tend to think a mid-rise jean works best, and it's also most comfortable for my longer rise as a rule.

All that is to say that when I saw what looked like a mid-rise version of these jeans on sale at NAS, I snapped them up. 

True Fit told me my size. I ignored that and sized up by one, because I did that for the Racers and it was the right decision -- I got a smooth, slim, not calf suckingly skinny fit -- a real jeans fit vs. a legging-like fit -- which is precisely what I wanted. 

Well, this time I am wondering if I should have listened to True Fit after all. These jeans fit, but they are stretchier and a bit less substantial than the Racers, and might bag out more. I wore them for about an hour without a belt in the house, and felt like I always had to yank back up any time I rose after sitting. 

I realize it's hard to see the details -- but do you think I should try to exchange for the size down? Anyone have experience with these particular jeans? Do they look okay to you? 

I beg indulgence; I'm splitting my NAS posts up for ease of reading/ viewing, but I hope I don't seem to be bombing the forum all at once as a result. 

If you don't want to read to the end, just tell me do you like these grey knit pants? ;)

For those with the time to read further: After claiming I wasn't going to indulge at all, I had a GREAT NAS. Ha! Isn't that always the way? I got essentials like bras and jeans, I got special pieces like the Vince dress, I got fab upgrades of a few favourites, and I got some great accessories. (Thanks, Peri, Angie, Diana!)

In fact, between NAS and a bit of unexpected Club Monaco sale shopping, I may even have found a few "game-changers." ;) But more on that theory in another post. 

In the meantime, I could use some help with one decision. Most of the items I chose are obviously great (leopard scarf, Franco Sarto booties, burgundy sweater). I've decided on the Vince dress and it's a YAY.  

The item I'm not sure about is the Eileen Fisher knit pants. I'm showing with the Vince dress, and also with my grey oversize cashmere sweater from two years ago, J. Crew Collection. I lightened those shots in the hope you might be able to see better. 

Here I need to interrupt myself to apologize for the awful photo quality. I can try to get some better shots this afternoon if you like. My light is really lousy these days due to the sun's angle.

Pros: They are a lovely charcoal grey. They are soft and feel nice against the skin. Reviews state that the fabric is durable and doesn't bag out and washes well. So far, so good. One of my main goals this autumn is to increase the comfort and sophistication of my "at home" capsule -- I work from home and want to feel like I am wearing PJs but also be "put together." And I'm very, very tired of my fallback outfit consisting of jeans/ semi-tucked shirt/ semi-tucked pullover. (Actually, the word "tired" doesn't cover it; it is time for a real change -- but again, I'll elaborate on that in a separate post.) For now all you need to know is that this general type of item (e.g. a slim legging like pant) would fit in well with my current style goals. 

But--- can someone who loves these pants explain to me -- what makes these different from the double knit pants my mum might wear?  

And what makes them different than a very soft legging? (On me, they fit rather like leggings except at the bottom where the ankle is wider.)

Maybe they don't fit properly on me? I got xs which is what True Size recommended. They look like they look on the model and I don't think they would stay up if I had a larger size. In fact, I'm not sure they will stay up as it is -- I would need to wear them around the house a bit to be 100% sure. 

Am I having the same quibble as the quibble I had with the butt-vest?Maybe they are quite simply too soft for me to feel "myself" in them. Maybe I need something more structured? Like a structured ponte? I do like the fact that they don't make waistband bumps under knit tops; those dreaded lumps and bumps is one reason I can't bring myself to wear a knit top over jeans. 

Do they look okay? Or do they not? Thoughts? Experiences? Conjectures?

Thank you!! :)

I just returned from my road trip to visit family and returned to a huge stack of boxes! Mr. Suz did his own US trip while I was gone and brought back some of the loot. Other boxes arrived courtesy of the delightful Karie (and another beautiful and generous Fabber, but more on that a little later in a separate, non NAS post). 

You already know about the Vince dress. I confess, I still haven't pressed it, and it's still wrinkled, but some of the wrinkles have relaxed, and anyway, I'm keeping it. So today I had some fun trying it in a few different ways. 

First, dressing it down a bit with last year's BR sweater, the Halogen leopard print scarf (thanks, Peri!!!), the Franco Sarto boots (that I never want to take off my feet), and the Eileen Fisher knit pants. (More on those in another post). 

Next, with the burgundy Pure Amici hoodie for a tonal look. The dress is a darker and slightly more purple burgundy; the sweater is exactly the cranberry red that looks best on me. Sorry the photos are such poor quality -- I had a lot of trouble with the light. 

Trying different footwear options. 

7,8, and 9 show how fun this sweater is. I can wear it in multiple ways. The hood can create a funnel neck, it can look almost like a cape, or I can be Little Red Riding Hood.  ;) 

Yay, or nay? 

I was so excited to open this box, which arrived courtesy of the lovely Karie. (And SUPER fast). 

The dress is not yet pressed and is very wrinkled from the bag. Pressing will make the dress a fraction longer and it will fall more smoothly, but you get the idea -- size is perfect for me, but because I take a small size it is definitely knee-baring. Less short than on the model, but short for me, used to wearing midis. 

Note, like the CM dress it does not feel uncomfortably bare and passes the sit test -- I think hi-lo hems must help with this. But it is even shorter than the CM. So I wonder if I am risking age-inappropriateness. 

I could, of course, wear as a kind of tunic. But I would like to be able to wear as a dress. 

Would love your thoughts! Thank you!