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.)
