Of course you knew I'd head back to the flagship one more time before leaving Seattle, right? Hehehehe....
I spent an hour in the store on my own without the Shopping Goddess, and what a fascinating experience!
First, now that I've done it both ways, I'm convinced: If I had gone there alone in the first place, without having spent time at the sale with her, I'm not sure I'd have walked away with anything. Granted, by yesterday, things were very picked over. It is late in the early access period, and nothing had been re-stocked yet. Even in a very well maintained store (we are not talking Zara here!) it was difficult to find the gems amid the chalk dust.
Undaunted, I kept going, because I actually had a few errands to run. There was a small pull in my 1-State blazer that we had not noticed. The SA suggested she take it to alterations and it was a quick fix. Yay!
Also, I'd decided to return the very cool but not-quite-right moto trench. The no-2-way zip thing was a bit of a deal breaker for me, I'm afraid, and also, the coat wasn't quite what I needed, which was basically a piece of good-looking and slightly more stylish gear to wear for walks in the woods but also into town when weather conditions demand.
Returns made, I scoured the aisles for a few more items I'd been seeking. Lo and behold, I came upon this Pendleton raincoat with a lovely Black Watch lining. Tried it on -- it fits a bit small (rare for Pendleton, I am guessing). Or at least I took a S rather than an XS and the reason was my hips and shoulders. In any case, I quite liked it, so I held onto it until Angie could take a look at it and approve. (You would not believe how stinking cute she looked in this coat -- the SAs were falling all over themselves trying to get her to buy it. An XS was a bit loose but a decent fit on her.)
What's really nice about this coat is the princess seaming in the back -- it gives you a bit of waist definition without any cinching. There are lots of pockets. It is fully waterproof with taped seams, beautifully finished with that gorgeous cozy lining and lined pockets, the hood is not too large—it's altogether a high quality product at only $40 more than the first coat, so I exchanged the moto for this.
I got it in the green, which looks entirely different from the stock photo. It is not teal but rather a deep forest green -- yes, a bit blue-toned but definitely green, not blue.
Having come home, though, I see it is also available in navy. So I ordered it in that colour to compare. Green is a fun pop of colour for me and a bit unexpected (and it looked really nice and I liked it -- that type of forest green says "80s" to me, and 80s was the theme of "my" NAS). But there is no question that blue works more seamlessly in my closet and might feel a bit less "gear-ish." So I'm going to compare. I will return one of them.
I also looked at a long grey sweater to replace my extremely pilled and ratty (yet deeply beloved) long grey cardigan. The Halogen wool/cashmere blend is quite lovely but who can say how it will pill? Plus, it is pricey. And I was really hoping for a slightly lighter grey tone with a bit more white in it. We tried for the Leith -- but no luck--and it is out of stock online now in my size as well. Such is life. I'll keep an eye out, but no rush. These things pop up at retail all the time.
My other in-store purchase was a wild card bag! I'd told Angie I was in the market for a new bag, mid size and structured since most of my bags are so soft and unstructured. I had no idea what this bag would or should look like, but I won't carry a bag in my hand (needs to be shoulder or cross body) and I need a bit of room for my many things.
This Coach won my heart the minute I saw it. Such soft leather but such solid structure!! Such a pretty shape! Fits under the arm so easily and can also be carried cross-body! So light weight! Gunmetal (not gold) hardware. The mustard is a total wild card for me but I think it works really well with my inks/ navies, reds/ greys.
The bag also comes in a gorgeous saddle colour, BTW.
That was it for the in store purchases.
Thanks to JAileen and Angie, I've also been able to order two items online that were out of stock earlier: the red midi coat and the VB cropped pants.
Last but not least, I ordered my undies.
I am waiting on the Blondos. I'm going to see if they stock them in Canada. Since they're not part of the sale, I don't think they will sell out in the US before I'm ready to order, and there's no real rush on this item. I do intend to get them, though.
And then, my friends, I'm done!! I've decided not to stalk the VB jacket -- much as I love it, the cheaper 1-State is going to fill a similar function and I really don't need two checked jackets for fall. Unless the stars align and it simply throws itself into my shopping cart at a vastly reduced price at some point, I'm good.
What a terrific sale I've had and how much Iearned in the process! Thanks Angie, and thank you all for reading along!
