Aida ~

Hi ladies! Back from vacation (those pics will come next week, promise!) and came home to a pile of boxes :) Here are my NAS purchases, I would LOVE to get some feedback from you all.

1 - Trouve camel blazer. Was I the only one who got this in camel? :o

2 - Houndstooth print blouse. I don't like how this fits from the front, planning to return.

3 - Vince Camuto black skirt.

4 - Bagatelle faux fur trim vest. Bit torn on this. One the one hand it's MUCH more glam than my style, and on the other look how cool it is ^^ I think if I kept it I wouldn't have the fashion guts to wear it out. Plus I feel like I need to wear torn leggings and my electric guitar when donning this ;)

5/6 - Cole Haan boots. ALL the boots I tried were too wide in the calf; these were the least wide, but is it OK for them to be a bit slouchy as they are on me?

7/8 - Seychelles bootie (bottom row in 5 and on my right foot/bottom in 6; F21 top row in 5 and on my left foot/top in 6). Got these to replace a cheap Forever 21 pair (not yet broken but I'm guessing it'll happen this season) but I'm just not fully sold on the thick heel (I generally prefer thinner/stiletto heels). Thinking of taking back and trying these pumps instead.

EDIT: I also ordered wool shorts, but they were defective and I have to get them exchanged. I hope they still have my size!

Well! I finally made it out to a Nordstrom to shop the NAS (still bummed I couldn't make it out for the presale, boo work). It was harder to hunt down what I was looking for than expected; much of what I was interested in was not available in my size at the store so I have ordered a BUNDLE of stuff which should arrive next week:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/co.....ot/3178211
Pretty much all of the boots were too high or too wide at the top of the shaft; these were the only ones that fit that may work with my style. I am still undecided as to whether or not they actually fit my style but they do fit my legs well; if so, these fill a gaping hole of tall black boot (flat heel).

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/vi.....rt/3185388
Cute, floaty, and fun! I was in need of a good basic black skirt.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/hi.....ts/3156861
On my list of Top Important Items For Fall. I tried the light gray for sizing, but these were the pair my heart was set on. Looking forward to playing with these.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ba.....st/3173338
My awesome SA was able to track one of these down in my size in their system, so I hope it fits!

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/tr.....er/3155860
Tried the charcoal for sizing, but ordered the camel; am I the only one who got the camel color? :o

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/ha.....se/3202328
This I got in the store and brought home with me.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/se.....ie/3168615
This I also got in the store and brought home, but the heel felt too wide at the store; need to try with socks to see if it'll work. Will be starting a new thread for this item alone next week.

Hopefully I'm not missing out on anything Important For My Style (if so, do let me know)! I also got some other stuff at the Rack, Old Navy, Target, and some various online purchases (JCrew, GAP, Nordstrom) but I will have to share all of that next weekend. Will be out of town for a week starting tomorrow so I'll post about all of this when I return and all packages have arrived :) Have a great week everyone!

I bought some summer filler pieces that I was missing, and would love to get some feedback from you all :) Would like to return anything below an 8, and open to all opinions and styling suggestions.

1 & 2 - Green printed tee, red striped tee, denim shorts. I would like to replace my plain tees with more interesting ones for casual weekend outfits, camping, riding, etc. Leaning towards returning the red unless it's a 10 (not too versatile this boxy and short). How are these shorts for baggy denim shorts?

3 & 4 - Crochet circle top.

4 & 5 - Striped circle top. Leaning towards returning, I like my other yellow printed one better and this one seems too large though it's the same size.

6 - Sheer polka dot top. Would love to hear styling ideas on this one; would it work into fall?

7 - Paper bag shorts. Been eyeing these for a couple months. Are they too baggy? This is the correct size for me. Also would love to hear styling ideas. (Jonesy, you were looking at these in black I think, did you end up getting them?)

8 & 9 - Yellow gingham shirt, plum chino shorts. I love the shirt, but I think it needs back darts or something (this is the smallest size). These shorts are a pretty vibrant plum color, but possibly too wide hems?

10 & 11 - Colorblocked skirt, nude/metallic sandals. The back of the skirt doesn't poof so much, there's a box of buttons back there ;)

12 & 13 - Necklace, shades.

I wanted to post and get feedback about my Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale finds (that's how long I've been away ><). I had resolved to find a whole bunch of great blouses because that's my absolute biggest wardrobe hole. I spent several hours and didn't find much at all that didn't look clearly like businesswear; I'm feeling extremely discouraged but still don't want to be wearing tees all the time :( I may need some blouse hand holding because I clearly don't know what to look for. Anyway, this is what I came away with:

1. Bobeau bow tank. I like this, but is it too large? I'm not sure if there's a smaller size available.
2. Bobeau stripe tank. This one I really like.
3. Halogen cream tank. I sized up in this for the breezier fit, but now I think it looks sloppy and am planning to return.
4. H.I.P. cropped top. Different colors for me, very different style. I really like this top but would be interested in styling thoughts?
5. H.I.P. cropped top, showing how it's really a semi-circle :)
6. Frenchi sharkbite boxy cropped top. I think the fabric may be too stiff, and you can see from the left side it's not evenly hemmed or something. Not sure about this one, nor how to style it. Likely going back, am I right in thinking a drapey fabric is important for this style?
7. Frenchi sharkbite boxy cropped top, to show the super boxiness and a more relaxed pose.
8. Bronx olive oxfords. By far my favorite purchase of the day; these are the perfect oxfords I've been looking for for a couple years now :D
9. Bronx olive oxfords, detail.
10. Accessories: leather fringe necklace, champagne pearls, brass 3-triangle pendant (from UO), feather earrings (from UO). Love all of these.

Would love to hear your honest thoughts on the items, and styling thoughts!

Here are my (many) Target purchases from this past Friday (when Sheila and I bumped into each other). Not pictured is the blue dotty twist front dress, because I already cut the tags and have worn it. Pardon that this post is so large ><

I'm usually quite confident in my purchases, but nearly all of these are quite a branch out for me so I'm a bit less sure of them. Some I know I'm keeping, some returning, and some I'm unsure of; listed in each item's notes. My main interest is in whether these are items that work with my new style direction; these are my first purchases since then. I would appreciate any input you all have, and I can keep any/all/none of these items as long as they're Awesome :) None of these are styled.

1. Blue printed wrap dress. The seaweed one Angie blogged about didn't fit but for some reason this one did. Am a bit unsure of the top; if it droops much it will be gapingly large. This would be one of my few (first?) woven dresses.
2. Multi-band black belt, definitely keeping and in fact I wore it yesterday; thanks Lyn* for the inspiration! Also, black leather pumps; dislike the rounded toe (which is weird because I have these same shoes in gray and don't mind it there) so these will be going back.
3. Aqua/mustard front-tie dress. Well. I like the colors and print (though soft) but there are odd fit issues that don't show well in the photos (you can kind of see it in the side/back view, and again in the belt shot in #4). This will be going back.
4. Detail of belt of dress #3, left is how it sits and right is how I would rather it sit (to hide the seam). Also, how should bust darts fit? I feel like these ones aren't sitting correctly.
5. Bright orange dress. Love the color, love the fit from the front, don't really love the exposed zipper (I don't really like them in general). Plus since it's super long it sits a bit weird above my backside (you can sort of see it in the side view).
6. Detail of the orange and green dresses from the front. These dresses are made of rayon.
7. Bright green dress, same as #5 but different color (more green than photo shows). The zipper bothers me less here since the color is darker but same fit issues. Love both colors, not sure if I want to have two of this dress or not.
8. Red wedges. Need to walk around at home to test comfort, and if comfy will keep. Also the skirt is newer (from LOFT) but purchased before style direction change; I like it but am not sure if it works for my new style?
9. Navy top, white cropped pants. I like the idea of the navy top, but in reality the material is so stiff that it fits awkwardly (you can see it a bit in the side views) so it will be going back and I will look for another with more drapy fabric. Pants discussed in #10.
10. Striped top, same white cropped pants. Top is a size too large, need to exchange. I got these pants with the thought of putting elastic into the hems so they're not flared out (would fit a lot like the side view), but now I don't mind the flare too much. They will be worn only with heels, and I have no other white pants. Thoughts?
11. Mustard necklace, mustard belt (first mustard items), coral multi-strand necklace, turquoise tie-dye scarf. Will be keeping all three :)

Whew! If you made it this far thank you and I would LOVE to hear your honest thoughts (I've a tough hide)!

I know you suggested sizing up for the GAP Long and Lean jeans. I plan to pick up a pair of the light wash tomorrow and wanted to know if you still recommend sizing up. For me, a 2 is a snug fit, a 4 fits well but verging on being a little big due to recent/ongoing weight loss, so a 6 would be the size up. Did yours stretch out a full size, the way all the sales associates keep telling me that they do? In terms of how they fit right off the rack, I like how the 4 looks and would be fine with a bit of stretch for it, but if the 6s really do stretch out a full size this would be far too large. Thanks very much!

I'm looking at getting either the GAP Long and Lean or the LOFT Marissa. I've tried the L&Ls in person, but not the Marissas and the LOFT site has no photo of them from the side. I prefer roomer jeans for this style but I do want the seat to fit fairly snugly (looser thighs are good though). Since you've fitted both of these in person and I have not, which would you suggest for me? Or do I have to go try them both on? :)

EDIT: I've a curvier shape, roomy rear, hips and thighs with smaller waist ;)

ANOTHER EDIT: Do you happen to know the hem measurements of both of these? I don't get why the websites don't show this.

Picked up this moto sweater/sweatshirt yesterday, complete with zippers on the sleeves. It's made from a thick sweatshirt-like material but is a substantial weight and is constructed well. I probably wouldn't wear it zipped up often, but I included a photo just the same. Tags are still on, though right now I'm leaning towards keeping it. I've never owned anything quite like this, so I'm wondering what you all think?

I highly enjoyed the swap experience! It was great to see so many of my items find new homes, and I came away with 4 really great pieces. Looking forward to seeing photos of what everyone got *hint hint!*

1. White safari button-up shirt and gray wide leg lightly-flared pants (already PPL with my 4" heels, love!). The pants actually drape better than the photo shows because I was still wearing cotton leggings underneath when I took the photo; looking forward to having these lightweight pants for spring/summer!
2. Olive semi-sheer tunic sweater which I tried at Angie's request and, of course, she was right :)
3. Black double-breasted trench coat, finally I have one!

Thanks again to all the ladies who brought lovely goods, I'm looking forward to wearing my new-to-me items!

I bit the bullet and purchased 2 sheath dresses to try out. I have not owned one before, so hopefully these will be good fits. Both are petite, and both fill holes in my very, very sad dressy capsule. I'll definitely post photos once I get them unless they end up with an obviously horrible fit, but for now, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these.