Stitch Fix #9 Review — Near Perfection!

Posted in Fashion, Review, Stitch Fix by Girl Friday

I love my stylist Alessandra! This my my fourth Fix with her: while not everything was perfect, she keeps nailing my style and my wants!

This time around, I asked for some seasonal transitional items — both for weather and for my return to my part-time job at the theatre. I wanted more separates, maybe one dress, no black and white or polka dots. Oh, and maybe a teal skirt, and anything in dark blue/teal, plum, or mustard yellow. I received my Fix three days early (a second time in a row!) and loved what I found!

Item #1: Brixon Ivy’s Dona Lace Sleeve Knit Top ($48)

This has to be a new Brixon Ivy top for the fall because I couldn’t find an image of it anywhere online.

I loved the color (a rich navy) and the lace yoke/sleeves — I thought it was fun, playful, flirty. Because of how idiosyncratic it is, I tried pairing it with a new skirt I just bought from Old Navy and booties. Not a great look, but sometimes it’s fun to push a limit and see what could/couldn’t work. Some of my favorite outfits are those that come out of “well, what if I paired…”

Anyway, back to the shirt. it’s about a half size too small and pretty thin (I notice it so much more when seeing these photos). It also has a weird hi-lo, shirt tail hem that, when it comes up at the seams is well above my hip. Weird. If it fit properly, I think it could have that casual sexy feel, but I feel kind of frumpy in it with the size being off. Returned.

Item #2: 41Hawthorn’s Lisbon Stud Detail Blouse ($58)

Love it! As you’ve probably noticed, I wear a lot of bright colors, but never much black. It’s from years of working at the theatre and always wearing black so I could slip through the audience unnoticed. I revolted when I got a promotion a couple of years ago: “no black unless I need to!”

I pulled this blouse out and loved it. The weight is great, so, despite being loose, it fits beautifully. I love the stud detail, as well as the cuff on the sleeves. I love it with jeans, and I could easily dress it up with slacks or a skirt. Kept.

Item #3: Papermoon Soldano Scallop Trim Blouse ($44)

The color is rich and lovely, and the scallops at the neckline and armholes are sweet. While I loved it with a more masculine, edgier (faux) leather jacket, this was really light and airy, making it feel boxier than I would like (unlike the heavier 41Hawthorn blouse) with other pieces. Returned.

Item #4: Margaret M Christiana Pencil Skirt ($78)

When I saw the price, I was ready to throw the skirt in the return bag without trying it on. “Almost $80 for a skirt!? No way!” I tried it on despite that reaction and loved it. It’s quite fitted, but the fabric is soft and the pattern is fun. I paired it with the purple Papermoon blouse above, a white one here (which I wore to work!), and I have so many fun ideas for this one into the fall! I had some credit, cutting down the price a bit. Kept.

Item #5: Kut from the Kloth’s Caleb Dress ($68)

Sound familiar? That’s because I received this dress back in June! (Actually, that’s when this photo was taken! I didn’t have a great one from today; sorry, folks!) The original I received was a size 12, but fit like a 14 or so. I was so dismayed that I emailed Stitch Fix to see if I could exchange it somehow. They were out of 10s, so they offered me a size 8. I accepted, then declined.

Well, Alessandra was great and tracked down a 10 for me. And it’s $30 cheaper than it was in June! It fits beautifully, the fabric is fantastic and the watercolor pattern is stunning! Obviously I had to keep it!

Hit or miss: overall, success! I kept three of the five pieces, though I now kind of wish I had kept the Papermoon blouse. It did look really nice with that jacket! Alas! I received pretty much everything on target of my desires: mainly separates, and ones appropriate for the fall; plus a dress I knew I would love in my size and $30 cheaper!

3Sep2015

Labor (Day) Pains

Posted in Fashion by Girl Friday

I couldn’t help playing “labor pains” off of my disappointment over summer’s end with Labor Day. Sorry, folks!

When I buy clothes, there are certain qualities I look for: comfort, ease and wearability over 12+ hour days; some originality and fun-ness (yes, that’s a word now, deal); a great shape. Pockets are a plus too — especially in dresses.

At one point this morning, I seriously questioned why I ever bought this dress. It is a full wrap style, meaning I was relying on a button to stay in place all day for this to work. Risky. To fix that problem — and the weird button-lump that was happening — I decided to safety pin myself in. Ladies with large chests with understand this: it is flipping hard to twist yourself in such a way as to see under your boob. I needed both hands for pinning so I couldn’t, like, lift myself out of the way. I instead had my neck and shoulders cranked and contorted around and kind of underneath… Really not glamourous.

After four (!!) attempts, I finally asked B to help. When he too failed, I pulled the frock off, laid it out of my bed, pinned accordingly and shimmied back in. And, wonderfully, that method worked.

Dress: H&M

Shoes: TOMS

Jewelry: Global Odyssey

The guffawing in the fourth and fifth photos are reactions to one of our cats, who is out of the frame. Sweetie was casually laying around watching this mini-photo shoot. As we weren’t paying attention to her, she flung her little purple ball at me — attempting to photo-bomb everything. She obviously elicited a reaction, so I guess she won.

16Aug2015

Balancing Act

Posted in Fashion by Girl Friday

Dress: Old Navy

Cardigan: Loft

Belt: Target

Shoes: TOMS

Earrings: Old Navy

I was rereading some old posts and noticed how often I mention that my work days are hard or tough or trying in some way. There are few people in the world who can say that their occupations are stressless, worry-free, ideal. While I’m not one obviously, I also don’t want to imply that my professional life is somehow abysmal: in my full-time gig, I’m lucky to work in my favorite little city, learning its ins and outs, and talking to people everyday about it; in my side job, I engage with people at a theatre — a place where they are actively partaking in hours of social make-believe. Considering I’m not-yet-30, I would say those are pretty sweet deals.

That said, here’s the rehearsed line: “yesterday was a hard day.” We had a huge work event in the high heat of August. There were unclear expectations, a lot of problems to resolve on the spot, and some unkind actions. I came home — hot, sticky, tired, achy — took a bath, drank a glass of wine and cried. It was one of the hardest work days I’ve ever experienced.

As I’m about to turn 30, I’ve been thinking of the changes my life should take. (In some weird, macabre way, when I was a child, I never thought I would live to 20, let alone 30, imagining I would die young, tragically, romantically. Too much Poe and Shakespeare for me, I suppose.) I’ve considered the professional, the financial, the familial, the physical; yesterday’s event, though, veered me to the hardest needs and wants, goals and dreams to consider — the emotional, the personal, the intellectual. “What type of person do I want to be?” “What lessons have gone unlearned thusfar?” “How will I be remembered when I’m gone?”

I have an unhealthy work-life balance, as in, there is no balance. I work a lot — for ten months a year, I average 50-60 hour work weeks — and I let everything else slide. Friendships have withered, my exercise routine is null, and I’m left tired and dull feeling so often. That’s not who I want to be, nor is that how I want others to think or remember me, the workhorse with no life. Yesterday truly made me think: is this it? Is this all I have to hold on to — this beat, extinguished feeling? I reflected back to this window when I was 25 when life was perfect: I worked a full-time and a part-time job; ran several times a week; took poetry writing classes; organized a high school reunion with old friends; and courted B by walking around the city. There was hope and happy exhaustion. And that’s want I want again.

While this is mainly a fashion blog, over the next few months, I’me endeavoring to share my “30th birthday resolutions:” the aspirations I’m hoping to incorporate as I close one chapter to open another.

13Aug2015

Vampin’ It

Posted in Fashion by Girl Friday

You know when you’ve hit that point when you’re so tired and so stressed that it comes out in fits of giggles? Yeah, that’s this week. (I’d much rather have that than an explosion of anger or tears!)

Today was (yet-another) a long haul day: running around in prepping for an event Saturday, a private group tour of the museum, and then manning the museum for an after hours thing that takes place outside the building. This dress, though, is my go-to for such days. I slip it on like a jacket, zip it up, DONE. And it looks classy. It’s so easy to wear, I was — literally –showing a coworker how to do downward dog in it. (I made sure to put my butt toward the wall because, despite being magically wonderful, this dress is still too short for yoga. You pick your battles when dress shopping.)

I upped the ante with some vampy red lipstick. While not autumn just yet, I couldn’t resist the nod in its direction. I’m trying so desperately to savor the last bits of summer, but I can’t help looking to the fall: tweed jackets, scarves, boots, and all.

I felt very 1940’s starlet with the lipstick and “fancy dress” (as a volunteer called it) that I tried to channel that in some of these photos. That obviously devolved quickly into goofiness, including the quintessential “lemon face”/”lion face.” B, who is still recuperating from surgery last week, laughed at the inanity of this mini-shoot. While there are some photos here, I declined posting those in which I: shook my butt dancing; nearly fell over; made overly animated face and hand gestures while on a phone call. You don’t need to see that, I promise.

Considering I’m still a day away from this big event, I’m really curious about how the punchiness will manifest in the near future!

Dress: H&M

Shoes: TOMS

Necklace: LOFT

Watch: Fossil

22Jul2015

Hot Hot Hot!

Posted in Fashion by Girl Friday

The heat wave we’ve been experiencing in New England over the past week has finally broken! It was a steamy few days during which I was trying to don the lightest clothing I owned and taking frequent cool showers. (On Monday, I decided it was necessary to wear a bathing suit while lounging on the couch in my library. B came home from work to find me asleep and sprawled with A Member of the Wedding resting on my bare belly. The joys of living with someone: you get to see all the nitty-gritty!)

Now that it’s a bit cooler — and that I am tanner than normal — I decided to pull out this new Donna Morgan dress. I originally saw it on the Stitch Fix blog back in the spring and wanted it badly. I loved the shape of it, as well as the unique pattern of the fabric. Plus, the color is gorgeous! But, in Stitch Fix fashion, I didn’t have a Fix lined up in time and, while I get pieces I love in the end, I rarely get those that I see and am desperate to own.

In a late night online browsing session in the spring, I stumbled across this piece on Modcloth. The price was too high (I think $129?) so I put the idea to rest. When I was on more recently, I searched in again and saw that it was on final sale for $64! And they had my size! I scooped it up in a heartbeat!

As mentioned earlier, I love the vibrancy of the color (“hot pepper” according to the tag) and the patterned fabric. The fit is just right too. This time around, I paired the dress with my go-to TOMS ikat flats. I have an after hours work event to host, plus an arts festival in the city after that to attend, so I knew running around necessitated comfort.

Dress: Donna Morgan via Modcloth

Belt: H&M

Shoes: TOMS

I’ve been trying lately to really balance work stuff with fun stuff. I’m often guilty of cutting myself from my own life and dedicating inordinate amounts of time to whatever I do. It may make me a “valuable employee” to my bosses, but it leads to burn out pretty quickly. (Definitely a lesson I’m trying to impart upon my work intern or any younger readers here!)

When I found out that my little city was hosting a week-long arts festival, I knew I had to participate, even if it meant a lot of late nights. There’s something about taking that break to breathe, recoup, and connect with people on an emotional or intellectual level that sounds instantly appealing. Don’t get me wrong — I love talking history or theatre non-stop, but sometimes, I just want to sit back and be someone else’s guest.