Tag: Ann Taylor

Shopping for Summer: A Hunt for Sandals

SadieLeave a comment

It’s just about sandal time, and I realized that when I cleaned out my shoes this winter, I tossed most of my sandals because they were just plain worn out. Now I’m trying to figure out what kind of sandals I need this summer. I have my standard Rainbows and Havanans that I wear running around on the weekends, but I need a couple nicer options for social occasions. I should caveat that most of these options are very neutral because I tend to only get a couple options and just wear them into the ground with every outfit, so I prefer a versatile color.

Here are some of the styles I’m contemplating:

Flats

Slides are so trendy this year, so I think I need at least one slide option. I love Toms in general, and these seems like a really neutral and comfortable option. They also come in plenty of color options, and several brands are doing this style this year.

Everyone is doing a version of these Grecian inspired slides. These are Sam Edelman but Steve Madden does a good version too. Getting them in brown or a metallic would work with everything.

I think this option from Sam Edelman is the perfect marriage of fashion and function. They seem comfortable to walk in, but a little more feminine than some of the chunkier options out there.

I love a metallic, and I love the asymmetry of these slides from Nine West. These are a little more day to night than the other options above.

Another from Nine West. I love a stud accent, and the back strap would be helpful for a long day. I love these in black and they have a slightly more substantial footbed than some other options.

Heels

Starting with Toms again, I think these are great for dressing up or down on the weekend. And they look really comfortable which is a big bonus.

Ann Taylor has surprised me lately with their shoe options. I think these would be perfect for a summer dinner out because they are a little more polished but still not really formal. The heel looks kind of high but I think it’s only three inches.

I saw a friend wearing these the other day, and I loved them. They might not quite be sandals but I think they’re perfect for brunch with the girls when you’ll be in the air conditioning. They also would be great almost year ’round- perfect with jeans.

These from JCrew scream wedding guest to me. They are dressy but a little more interesting than the standard simple strappy heel. It’s also great that the heel is chunky because you’ll last long in these. I’m seeing ruffles on a lot of shoes these days. I guess that trend worked it’s way to the ground.

What’s on your wish list right now?

Hits and Misses

SadieLeave a comment

The moral of this story is that you need to try everything on before you buy it. I am between sizes right now, so depending on the store, the time of day, and the style of the clothing I could go up or down or just be realistic and skip it. Here are some the successes and failures I’ve had in the past month or so. If you can’t tell by the below, I am so ready for the warmer weather so I can wear shorts!!

Hits

I’ve been plotting to get a classic navy blazer for a long time. The Regent blazer from JCrew was finally on a decent sale (sometimes this style is excluded from sales) so I jumped. I’m planning to wear it all the time.

The only thing a navy blazer doesn’t go with is navy pants. Enter the fine gauge long cardigan. I love to wear a long cardigan with trousers or ankle pants and a white blouse. This one from Loft will go really well with all my black/navy/grey pants.

I love jean shorts. I remembered that my jean shorts from last summer were ready for permanent retirement so I started looking for new options. I got these from the Gap which is wear I get a lot of my shorts. I find, however, that jeans run a little small at the Gap at first, but then loosen up significantly when you wear them. That makes it hard to gauge when trying them on, but I decided to size down, and I think I made the right decision.

Misses

I’ve been looking for a cute pair of linen or chambray drawstring shorts as an alternative to my standard jean and khaki style shorts. I saw these at the Loft and I almost bought them online, but I decided to go to store and try them on. The larger size was falling off of me and the smaller size looked like tight booty shorts… Pass.

I tried these Ann Taylor pants on just to give this cropped wide leg trend a shot. I wasn’t optimistic but you never know until you try. It was a no go for me. I’m not sure if it was the pleating or the length but it wasn’t for me.

I wanted to love this shirtdress from Anthropologie. I thought it would be nice change from my plain jane work dresses. For this one I erred on the side of caution and sized up because it’s Anthro. I think the dress is supposed to be a little looser but it just looked too big on me. The shoulder seams were too far past my shoulders and the length was a little longer than I expected. A sad return.

Have you had any good shopping luck lately?

Hits and Misses

SadieLeave a comment

I took a much needed spending break in January so here are a few hits and misses from some February sales and new Spring lines. As usual, online shopping has been a blessing and curse. I knew I would like a few things, but some things arrived to look differently than I imagined them. From the looks of it, I got some good basics this month.

Hits

I got basically the same dress from Ann Taylor last year in grey. I loved it, so when I saw it in navy (and 40% off), I snapped it up. It’s really comfortable and easy to wear to work. I could make this my everyday uniform.

We know that I live for a white blouse. When I saw this from Banana, I ordered it almost immediately. It has a great feel, but it’s also machine washable! It’s got a good drape to it so I love to wear it by itself or layer it underneath a fine knit sweater. It’s great with slim leg pants or tucked into a pencil skirt. Love!

I bought these for $39 from JCrew. How amazing is that? They are sold out at JCrew now, but Nordstrom still has them. I wear them with basically everything.

Misses

I thought this from Ann Taylor would be perfect to wear with slim pants because it’s not meant to be tucked in. The problem was the fabric. I thought it would be a light blousy fabric, but it was a heavier polyester jersey. It seemed like the type of fabric that would snag if it got caught on something. Plus it would be too heavy for warmer weather. Return.

This dress from Ann Taylor was the same fabric as the blouse above. The heavier polyester jersey was even more annoying as a dress. Plus, the silhouette was not flattering AT ALL. Very disappointing because I thought it would be such an easy dress to throw on and look put together for work. Return.

I was singing the praises of these slim leg pants from Banana, but we had a major wardrobe malfunction. I had worn then maybe 3-5 times, no problems. I wore them to work one day with a white tunic blouse and at about 2pm the zipper just split. It split in a way that it could not be repaired on the spot. How embarrassing to basically split my pants on my hip at work. Thank goodness my shirt was a tunic length. At first I thought maybe they were too small, but they really didn’t seem like it. I realized that the zipper was just really cheap. I looked at the comments online and there were several other customers who had the same exact issue. I returned them for a full refund.

What has worked well for you recently?