Vancouver Report #2

I went to the Vancouver store today because I happened to be downtown and wanted to know if they were planning to stock the Elvina Blondo in snake print or whether I should order from the US. Turns out they will *not* be stocking them in Canada and they are not on the Blondo Canada site, so I took the precaution of ordering from the US. I know this is a style and pattern I will wear into the ground, so it's worth it to me. 

A few observations -- the store was quiet, as Ariadne noted. Excellent customer service. They didn't have a ton of stock left, but certain things remained in volume. The fringey Halogen jacket that Angie bought filled half a rack. 

I *did* see the Eileen Fisher black jeans there in store, and on sale. I didn't note the price, sorry. But they exist -- if you're in Canada, just call.  

I also saw the Madewell jeans I had wanted and was able to get them in my size. ;) 

No Leith cardigans in my size, no Avec les Filles red (or black, or any colour) coats. 

No Veronica Beard fancy blazer. 

No 1 State checkered jacket like mine at all! 

I also got a pair of Zella leggings. :) And a pair of those BP joggers that Ariadne mentioned. Perfect loungewear. (Thanks!!) 

This post is also published in the youlookfab forum. You can read and reply to it in either place. All replies will appear in both places.

42 Comments

  • Suz replied 4 years ago

    ETA: I won't get to evaluate these items for another couple of weeks because I'm having them sent to Kingston. But I'll report as I get arrivals. :) 

  • Kathie replied 4 years ago

    So glad you got the boots! And, I still have my fingers crossed for you, that the red coat turns up!

  • Firecracker (Sharan) replied 4 years ago

    Those boots look fantastic. Glad you are getting them!

  • replied 4 years ago

    Glad to hear you got the boots ! Interesting to read all of this - the fact that a Cdn store has the EF jeans yet they won’t deliver them to a Cdn address . My “source” in upper management with Nordstrom Canada told me today that the Canadian website will be up and running in January . Apparently next NAS will be much different for us here in Canada !

  • Stagiaire Fash replied 4 years ago

    Glad you got the jeans, and that you’ll apparently be able to get the boots. Aren’t you glad you dipped south of the border for your first run?

  • Style Fan replied 4 years ago

    Thanks, Suz.  Those Madewell jeans look great.  I haven't phoned the Nordstrom store yet (I am away).  Jeans are on my list.  Love your boots.

  • Jaime replied 4 years ago

    Jeans look great and glad you ordered the boots - agree you will wear them to the ground!

  • Preppy Pear replied 4 years ago

    Love Madewell jeans and the boots are fantastic.
    I have seen the red coat pop up online a couple of mornings, once in an xl and once in a medium. Keep checking!

  • kkards replied 4 years ago

    interesting...that the halogen jacket was not a Canadian best seller, when i was at my local store on Saturday there was 1 lonely jacket, clearly a return....but tons of the EF jeans...
    and lisa p, i guess i just assumed that Nordstroms had a Canadian retail site already...how odd...

  • Laura J replied 4 years ago

    Great boots! It's fun to hear about the Canadian Nordstroms. I hope you find the red coat. I've seen that Nordstrom lists the out of stock PG boots I'm looking for at 5 am (or at least I find them then- still not my size). Good luck!

  • Elizabeth P replied 4 years ago

    Thanks Suz.  I still haven't had a chance to do my Canadian calling.  Must get on that!

    I am interested in the Blondo boots too.   Did you have a chance to try them on?  Reviews suggest they run small, so if you did try them, did you take your "normal" size or larger?


  • JAileen replied 4 years ago

    I’m glad you got the boots. I’m keeping them, too. Waterproof is nice, even if I do live in a desert!

  • Marilyn replied 4 years ago

    Suz.......The snake print Blondos were at the Ottawa store on Sunday.  I picked them up and checked them out because I recalled that they were on your wish list.  They were cheaper than the $206 CDN on the website.....$170 something.

    LisaP......Soooo happy to hear they're finally going to give us a proper Canadian website.  Don't know why it took so long.  The current setup is ridiculous.

  • Joy replied 4 years ago

    Yay for the boots. Those just look like your style. I would like a report on the height. I keep looking at the black snake as what may be the perfect booty with my bison leather bag, but am concerned about 2” heels on wet pavement. Maybe they do not feel that high in r/l?

  • RobinF replied 4 years ago

    Love those boots! Hope they work for you!

  • Stagiaire Fash replied 4 years ago

    give us a proper Canadian website. Don't know why it took so long.

    I’m not saying Canadian and German laws are similar, but moving to Germany has made me aware of how very different internet commerce laws can be. Even within the EU, it seems each country has its own requirements. I bet Nordstrom is either building an entire new site from scratch or doing heavy-duty retrofitting for the US site to work in Canada.

  • Susie replied 4 years ago

    Yay for finding the jeans! And those boots look so perfect for you; it was helpful to find out about the need to order them. 

    Side note: I think I must be the only forum member who doesn't really like snake print. I think it's simply because I don't like snakes! Though that being true, it would make sense that I would rather see it on clothing than on a real snake!

    PS Did you get the 1 state long blazer? Or try it? If so, how was the sizing/fit for you? I'm wondering how the fit compares to the windowpane one. I ordered the long one with my first order but it was cancelled. This morning one was briefly available so I ordered it to try. I know there is a good chance this one will cancel too but hopefully I will get lucky.

  • Jules replied 4 years ago

    I went to Yorkdale on Sunday. Also quiet, lots of eager SAs. I don’t really find it worthwhile to seek out specific items because so many things don’t make it to Canada, but I did come across & try on the olive leopard print pants and supposed miracle one-size-fits-all undies. Pants weren’t for me and the undies stretched out to be somewhat transparent on me and felt a bit snug, which did not appeal. I can usually wear L in underwear and size up to XL for comfort. I’m generally not impressed with supposed OS items because yeah they may ‘fit’, but they won’t fit the same on XS and XL. I don’t get why the manufacturer wouldn’t do at least two sizes.
    Fell in love with this Pharrell-sized hat that was not on sale, but my DD convinced me it was too much for my small features. We have fun shopping together!

  • Suz replied 4 years ago

    Adorable pic, Jules! And thanks for the Yorkdale report. 

    Re the website -- it's been confusing as all get-out for me this year! In the past, if I visited the online site, I would be ordering from the US. I have a US Nordstrom card. That I cannot use in Canada because it comes from a US banking institution. 

    However, I'm also a member of the Canadian "Nordy club" because I shop in Canada. Which is nice, but odd -- I collect points in both countries and can't use them interchangeably!

    And now when I go to the site, because I'm located in Canada, it automatically directs me to the Canadian store. You can't order online from the Canadian store -- no online shopping yet, as LisaP pointed out.

    I have to go through some rigamarole to get into the American site to order things from the US with my US card. I'll bet you're right, Fashintern, that they are in the process of developing something unique. 

     I look forward to a time when there is one site for Canada, one for the US (as with many other retailers) and I can decide which one I want to visit. 

    Re the Blondos -- Marilyn, were the ones you saw the Elvinas or the Eliza sale booties? There are two different styles. The guy in the footwear department assured me they wouldn't be carrying the Elvinas in snake print and made no move to check further (i.e. could he get them for me -- maybe I should have pushed him harder. If they are indeed available in Canada I should cancel that order and get from Canada!!) I don't want the other style, though - -it would be too loose on me with the open sides. Vancouver Nordstrom's didn't have the Elizas either, by the way....

    Elizabeth, I have two pair of the Elvinas already from last year so I know they fit me. I do wear my larger size as I most often do in boots and booties simply to put in a thicker sock or insole if I want, and also these are quite pointy. I ordered a 7 when my usual size is 6.5 or 7. I love the slope of the last -- it's perfect for my foot. There is width where I need it and narrowness where I don't and while the heel is a bit wide, that is my constant issue with all footwear except for La Canadienne, and these are not as bad as most for me. 

    I don't understand the negative reviews for these -- I had ZERO quality issues with my two pairs, one of which I wore every day for the entire winter of rain and snow and both of which still look almost completely new -- they held up in waterproofing, too. 

    Susie, I didn't buy the 1 state long blazer but I tried it and loved it. (Not great photos -- it was hard to get into decent light and my dress did compete!) I was between sizes in it, though, and the fit of the shorter jacket was better on me, which is why I chose it instead. I am a bit "hippier" than in the past which is the issue. 

  • Marilyn replied 4 years ago

    Suz.....I'm fairly sure they were the Elvinas. They didn't have a cut away side. I could be wrong but you might want to call the Ottawa store.

  • nemosmom replied 4 years ago

    Those snake print boots will be so cool with all of your outfits!

  • Suz replied 4 years ago

    Thanks, Marilyn! 

  • Stagiaire Fash replied 4 years ago

    Ack, now you’ve reminded me of our other tangled accounts—H&M and Hollister wouldn’t let me use my US account here, but also wouldn’t let me create one on their German sites because “an account with that email address already exists”. And Kate Spade NY continues to piss me off by sending emails about US prices and sales, but when I click on the link, it takes me to the UK site, which has generally never heard of that US stuff. It was a problem when I was stalking my backpack, because it was only in the US website.

    My son says (now) that I can download a vpn to make it look like we are in the US. If only he would’ve told me that right when we got here & I was messing with medical records and similar that were suddenly unavailable!

  • lindalu replied 4 years ago

    I get nervous when I hear that the Canadian stores are quiet!  I sure hope that Nordstrom doesn't go the way of Canadian Target stores!

  • Marilyn replied 4 years ago

    Me too, lindalu.   The Ottawa store wasn't any busier than usual on Sunday and it was the first weekend with open access.  Our big mall, the Rideau Centre, did a major expansion 3 years ago and already several stores have come and gone.....J Crew, Express, Alex and Ani, a shoe store that I can't remember the name of, and Town Shoes shut down altogether.

    Suz.....I'm not having any trouble getting to the Nordstrom page.  I can use .com or .ca and I get to the same place.  I wonder why you're being redirected.

  • Suz replied 4 years ago

    I get to the same place but it's the Canadian site, not the US one, and if I want to place an order online from the US store, I have to do a song and dance to get there. It could be my location settings or something. I'm not sure. I never had this problem last year. Anyway, it's just as well because I should stop ordering!! :) 

  • replied 4 years ago

    I don't get the impression that NAS Canada is promoted in quite the same way as it is in the US.  Every single blogger/influencer talks about NAS US, but that segment of the population is a whole lot lower here and hence the awareness may not be the same at all.  I still hope the Cdn stores are doing well though - I really would LOVE to have one in Wpg some day.

  • Marilyn replied 4 years ago

    Oh.....gotcha, Suz!  I misunderstood.

  • MidwestrnChic replied 4 years ago

    Suz, you really had a fantastic NAS.  I cannot wait for more pictures, especially with the snakeskin boots and the wonderful plaid boots too!

  • Elizabeth P replied 4 years ago

    I just placed the first of my “I’m not really interested in fall clothes now so won’t likely participate in NAS” calls. They didn’t have your boots in the system, so whatever Marilyn saw must have been either different boots or coded differently which would make them hard to find.

  • Marilyn replied 4 years ago

    Dang.....Now I want to go back to see what the boots are.  I could have sworn it was them. 

  • smittie replied 4 years ago

    Marilyn, I could have sworn it too.

  • Marilyn replied 4 years ago

    Smittie.....Glad it's not just me.  I tried the Elvinas in taupe last winter so I'm familiar with the boot.  Maybe they ARE coded wrong.

  • Suz replied 4 years ago

    It's so confusing, right? I have to say that the young man in footwear in Vancouver didn't exactly do a thorough search on the computer for me. He just asserted they wouldn't have them, full stop. I could have pushed the matter but figured since I can get them anyway I'll just do that. It may cost me a few dollars more but it's worth it to me considering I know the fit and function of these and they will bookend my hair. :) 

  • Stagiaire Fash replied 4 years ago

    Susie, you are not alone in not being a fan of snakeskin. I made a quiet mention of my non-fandom in replying to someone else’s k/r. To me, animal prints very, very easily cross the line into joke territory. There are people in the forum (like Suz) who wear them well, and I do enjoy the silliness of my leopard gloves, but for the most part it’s not for me.

  • Elizabeth P replied 4 years ago

    I think I might just have to call the Ottawa store directly...  ;-)

  • smittie replied 4 years ago

    Do you think the item numbers might be different in Canada ((gasp!))?

    I have asked about the availability of 3 or 4 different items in Canada (including the born lace-up booties, which I thought would be here for sure) and none were available.

  • kerry replied 4 years ago

    Smittie, there’s a thought! Yikes! But I didn’t see (and I asked) for the Born lace-up booties at my local Nordstrom. Granted Sherway is the smallest of the stores in Toronto. I’m sad they didn’t carry the Pendleton raincoat.

  • Marilyn replied 4 years ago

    Elizabeth P.......YES......I would call the Ottawa store and ask for the footwear department.  On Sunday, they were sitting on the tall glass display shelf to the right of the cash when you're facing the cash. 

  • Angie replied 4 years ago

    YAY. You found the jeans, Suz! The NAS has been unexpectedly jeans focused for you - EXCELLENT refreshers. 

  • Suz replied 4 years ago

    Angie, so true! It's been odd. But it also makes sense since I gained weight and sized out of most of my jeans and hadn't had a true refresh in over a year. I got some nice higher waisted slim straights that are in fact more like skinnies for my body type -- but nothing else. And I wanted a change. So this is perfect! 

  • Angie replied 4 years ago

    You are sorted, girlfriend. 

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