new buys
mcq by alexander mcqueen asymmetrical cardigan with ruching. i practically live in cardigans, and i loved how this one had a punky twist to it. i snagged the very last one, and it just happened to be my size. it was definitely a big purchase for me, but i knew if i waited for it to go on sale then it would have been sold out before i had a chance to buy it.
marni brown cotton skirt with asymmetrical pleat detail. i'm a little unsure of this. see pic of it on me below:
i love how structural the cotton is, but i'm wondering if i'm a marni kind of girl. when i think of marni, the words "feminine" and "curvy" come to mind. i'm not sure if my build is substantial enough for such voluminous shapes.
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acne hex dc jeans. not entirely sold on these, either, since the fit is different from my roommate's jeans, which are the same style and size but a different wash. even the leg opening was a totally different measurement. each jean of the same style and size should be just that! geez, i would expect this kind of stuff from american apparel, but not acne. pretty disappointed about them fitting bigger than usual, but i'll have to see if i can find something better.
marc by marc jacobs ace of spades silk dress. how i bought this was pretty much a fluke. when it first arrived at stores months ago, i was instantly drawn to it for its vintage-inspired print. so cute. but the price freaked me out in relation to the quality of marc clothes. i kind of forgot about it for a while, but when i was at saks yesterday there it was, hanging on the sale rack. the only one in the store. and it was my exact size. do you know that my size always sells out first? anyway, the tag wasn't marked down or anything, but i figured since it was older merchandise it had to be on sale. i had a sales associate scan it and sure enough, it was 60% off! what a pleasant surprise.
cute rachel comey sandals
it's too bad i'm allowing myself to buy only one pair of shoes this summer, because i think these are totally irresistible. i especially like the orange pair, because the color is just so unexpected.
tight-rolled jeans
after the 90s, i never thought i'd see tight-rolled pants again. but lately i've been noticing this styling technique cropping up online. here are some pics from j. crew:
and you know what? i actually think it looks supercute. i just might have to try this out this summer, now that i have the frye wedges. and i would finally have a way to wear all those boyfit pants that have been piling up in my closet.
close, but not quite
i thought i'd be able to finally get a trench coat this spring, but so far, i haven't found one that fits the specs. this theory one is absolutely perfect, though...if only it came in khaki. it has really wide lapels for style and the length was perfect for my 5'2" frame.
i'm hoping next year they'll come out with a similar style in the said color. i tried on the a.p.c. one everyone is lusting over, except the smallest size was still cut too generously. and that phillip lim one i had high hopes for, turned out to be cheap-looking in real life.
i suppose i'll just have to wait another year or so until theory makes the coat in the color i want. i'm not totally deterred, though, since that means i'll have more in the spring budget for other things. i'm already getting dangerously close to overspending. i just ordered some things and will post pics when they arrive.
the 30-minute skirt
that's what happens when your friend calls you last-minute to go out, and you haven't done laundry in ages. i wanted to wear a black sweater, a black miniskirt, black tights, black doc martens, and yellow socks. but then i realized i didn't have one of the major components of the outfit i had envisioned--the skirt. how could i not have such a basic item? not willing to settle on wearing something else, i decided to make the skirt while my roommate was hogging the bathroom. i cut out two rectangles, sewed up the sides, then sewed in the elastic at the top. the shirt i was wearing was going to cover the elastic anyway, so i didn't care how cheap it looked. to cut down on time, i used the selvage of the fabric as the hem, and left it unsewn. i heard that prada used that technique in one of their collections, but i'm far too lazy right now to check that out. but hey, if they did it, i can do it too!
lucky
frye wanda t-strap wedges. i snagged the last pair in my size. yay. very manageable wedge, padded footbeds for comfort, and surprisingly good craftmanship.
the quest for jeans that fit: part 478
i've been working on my spring shopping list lately, and one of the items on the list, as always, is a pair of jeans. i should start by saying that i already have one pair of jeans, citizens of humanity ava straight legs, but i pretty much hate them now. i "sized down" like the saleslady told me to, and they fit well at first, but they've stretched out so badly they are all saggy and unflattering. so now i am completely wary of ever buying jeans again. however, i'm still convinced that there is at least one pair of jeans that can meet the specs below:
-raw or undecorated denim (little to no whiskering)
-at least 8.5 inch rise
-no larger than 16" leg openings
-plain back pockets
-do not fit like leggings
i checked everywhere online, read reviews, compared pictures from different retail sites, scoured flickr for pics of regular people in the jeans in question. the only brand i consistently liked the look of was acne jeans. also, i couldn't find too many negative comments about them, either. in fact, the more i looked into it, the more i loved not only their jeans, but their knits and t-shirts, too--simple and well-cut. after all this research i bought two pairs of acnes to try: the hep and the tube jeans.
i should make it known that i really dislike pictures of jeans on professional models. i have a hard time relating because i'm not shaped like them, and the jeans are always shown with high heels, which is how i would never style it for myself. i would much rather see a more "realistic" picture, but those were pretty scarce online. so i thought it would be helpful if i took pictures of myself with the jeans on, so maybe other people thinking about buying these could have a better sense of how they look in real life.
for reference purposes, here are my stats: 5-foot-2, about 110 lbs?, mostly a 00 in pants or 24. body quirk-->long-waisted. oh yeah, and acnes reportedly run small, so you're supposed to size up, which is what i did. and don't judge the outfit: it was late and the shirt i was already wearing. about the shoes: my roommate told me to put some high ones on, and those were the only ones i found.
acne hep raw (low-waisted straight leg). size 25 x 32
every day kind of jeans. one pant leg is tucked to show how they might look unhemmed, the other was left stacked.
pluses:
-they actually fit my waist, and that almost never happens. i usually get the gap in the back.
-probably wouldn't need to be hemmed because i think they look alright stacked.
minuses:
-the pockets are too low! i don't understand how big, low pockets flatter anyone's butt.
-the rise is a little too low for me.
acne tube dc (high-waisted straight leg). size 25 x 32
definitely not everyday jeans, but really cute. i chose these because i have a longer torso so higher rises tend to look better on me.
pluses:
-super comfortable
-the leg opening wasn't too wide nor was it a flare
minuses:
-just too big everywhere. if i were to keep these i would definitely size down to my regular one.
-would have to wear high shoes to avoid looking dumpy. well, maybe it's just me who looks dumpy.
i ended up returning both of them. the tubes were just a size too big, and the heps would have been great if the rise were an inch higher. some people don't think these issues are a big deal but acne jeans are so expensive, they better be perfect. i was pretty disappointed though, i thought these were the ones...
but then my roommate bought some acne hex which has an 8.5 inch rise. i tried them on they look pretty good! i think i just might have to copy her and get some of my own. now, if only i could dig up the $250 to buy them.
computer is fixed!
it was sort of an ordeal, but i finally got my computer back from geek squad. new updates to the store coming soon!
