Things I Will Not be Wearing on New Year's Eve

About a month ago I purchased a few dressed from Victorias Secret as possible candidates for New Year's. From the reviews of VS I've done recently, it is now clear that their clothes just do not work for me. They either A. Don't fit, or B. Are poor quality. Well sadly I got hit with reason "A" this time around.

Here are the dresses I purchased which (or course) look great on the models:
 

VS Ruched Crewneck Sweater Dress
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VS Banded Bottom Dress
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Both options would have been really cute for New Year's but I had my heart set on the sweater dress because I loved the pattern. I purchased the snake print dress really for work and I liked the colorway.

Here are the pictures of me wearing them:

The length was good on this dress and could be adjusted a bit because of the ruching. The sleeves were a little long but the pattern helped hide the extra fabric. It's hard to tell in the photo but this dress is cut funny. The seams that go along the side actually twist to that the right one ends up in front right between the legs and the left one ends up in the same place in the back. It made the dress sort of rise up in the part making the dress a little risque. I also could FEEL that seam in the most unpleasant of ways on my back side. There was also tons of extra fabric around the torso as illustrated in the picture on the left. Overall it just wasn't flattering so I'll be returning it.

Here's the second dress:

 

As you can see, the actual color of this dress is WAY off of the pic online and I hated it. The fit was also bad. The top portion was cut a little large with no real definition in the bust area so the girls got a little lost and the length hit me at an unflattering spot. This one will be going back as well.

Since these were a bust and I'm a procrastinator, it is now Thursday and I still don't know what I'm wearing...guess you'll find out!

Super Man

Ok this is not a post about me wearing blue tights with a red cape, although I would probably rock that. Yea, I said it. There is a cape in this little story. Namely, this one:

Talbots Gray Plaid Kimono (no longer available online)

When I first saw this kimono (come on peeps, this is totally a cape, but whatever), I died. Really. Right there on the floor I dropped like a fly.

That blown out gray plaid had me at hello. Seriously Gorgeous. But at $200, kinda high for Florida. You know the drill...waited, waited, went out of stock. Go figure. Then it magically reappeared on sale for $100 and I thought, yea, that is SO happening.

When I received it, right away I was worried. It looked ginormous. Literally like a giant could wear it. When I put it on, my suspicions were sadly confirmed. See?

I even busted out the leather driving gloves for some styling goodness a'la the Talbots pic,
but even they couldn't save this fit disaster.

I tried readers, I really did, but no matter how I looked at it, I was just swimming. I really wanted to love this, but alas, tiny-ness strikes again.

Happy Monday Lovelies!

OTK Strikeout

As you might have already guessed, my OTK experience was sadly, not a positive one. You can see the exact boots I purchased in this post.

I've actually had these boots for a few weeks but the saga with taking my own pictures with my crappy camera finally overwhelmed me to the point of a temporary timeout. That is until I swung by Tarjey and picked myself up a handy 66" tripod. Let me tell you. Greatest invention ever.

Moving on, here are the pics. As a disclaimer, I actually took several pics of different items so there's not a whole lot of 'styling' going on here. For these pics, I only wore this wash of denim so you could see the boots, otherwise, they kinda disappeared.

Diba's on left, Guess on right.

Thoughts:

Both of these boots totally missed the mark. The Diba's had quite a bit of 'leather' on the shaft which added ablot of mass to my legs. Although I thought I'd like the looser fit of the split back, they ended up coming off as quite hookerish. The Guess ones were better but the shaft was pretty tight and it was very difficult to get my pants to actually stay down as I pulled them up my leg. Not only that, but coupled with pants, they were too tight for my legs and caused the slighted amount of 'bulging'. Ummm so not the look I was going for. Bare legged they fit great but come on, I'm not going to pull that look anytime soon unless something happens to my day job...

I think I've gotten rid of the OTK boot itch...which is probably a good thing since it's like 100 degrees here 90% of the year....

Happy Holidays!

Victorias Secret Review

A few weeks ago I purchased several things from VS online and am just now getting to the review. As a disclaimer, I took these photos kind of on the fly so my head is cut off because, well I'll just say it, I was looking less than stunning. Also, I was kinda tired and didn't want to hunt down all the links to these items but I believe they are all in stock and can be found on the VS website.

First up we have this shirt:

Pros:

• On Sale
• Pretty Color

Cons:

• Cheap looking since the material was really thin
• The stitching on the bust was so not helping the girls
• The V neck was a little too low to not be self conscious.

Verdict: Return

Next we have this top which I thought was gorgeous:



Yea I know this is wrinkled as hell and I'm also not wearing the best bra. I said these pics were on the fly, geez...



Again, wrinkled but the bow detail on the back was really pretty on the model.

Pros:

• LOVED the powder pink
• The bow on the back was so sweet

Cons:

• AGAIN with the cheap fabric. This was so thin that I thought if I washed it, it would develop those little tiny holes in 2.5 seconds.

Verdict: Return

I also obsessed over this tunic for a few months before buying it:

Pros:

• LOVED the pattern. It was just so pretty!
• I liked the little lace/fishnet panel on the front. It's a little hard to see when I'm wearing it so I included a picture of it laying flat.

Cons:

• I'm beginning to think that VS uses the cheapest fabric possible to make their cloths. In the pictures this tunic looked like a nice jersey. But in reality it was a shear polyester or some garbage.
• The arm holes were way too low.
• There wasn't enough fabric on the top to make this look proportional. I think I ended up looking like a big cone, ie, not cute.
• The way the fabric was gathered on the butt was just not flattering.

Verdict: Shock? Return

After all these disasters, I did like the swimmies I got:

 I actually had purchased the bottoms on the right a while back but couldn't find a top I liked enough to go with it because the one also pictured above was sold out. It came back in stock and I snatched it up!

These Boots Were Made for Walkin'

Sorry readers (really just one, maybe two...umm a little help here; spread the news!) for my vacancy on the ol' blog. I've been out of town on business and while I returned home Tuesday, I just now got to functioning. Yesterday was a little foggy at work but my day was instantly brightened when I received not one, but TWO packages containing one of my favorite things in the whole wide world (www?): shoes! Three pairs of spat boots and two pairs of tennis shoes. Yes, it was a good day.

Now on to the reviews!

First up we have the Diba Trick Key Boot:

Pros:

• Shaft height of 13" hit at a great height.
• Shaft opening was cut nice for my calf size even when worn with bare legs.
• The cheapest of the three coming in at $49.

Cons:

• All man-made materials and looked obviously so.
• I'm not sure if it was the heal or the arch, but something made this shoe a little uncomfortable.
• The zipper is quite large, a standout silver and was on the outside of the leg (I never jumped on the zipper trend).

Verdict in Theory: Return

Next we have the Jones New York Florentina Boot in Taupe:

Pros:

• Really nice color and also comes in black.
• Very comfortable.
• Real leather and suede.
• Suede, spat and ankle buckle details are all on trend.
• Subtle zipper that's on the inside of the leg.

Cons:

• Most expensive of the three at $119.
• Suede shaft caused a slouching effect (ok I guess, but not the look I'm going for).
• Shaft opening a bit too large for my legs
• While the details are on trend, it's a little trend overload for my taste. They seem like they might get 'old' after I've worn them for a season and since I rarely get to wear boots in Florida, I'd rather buy something with a little more staying power.

Verdict in Theory: Return

Last we have the Kelly and Katie Rose Boot in Dark Brown:

Pros:

• Very comfortable.
• Subtle zipper on the inside of the leg.
• More substantial heel than the others; might be easier to walk in/more comfortable when worn for long periods of time.
• Stiff shaft (giggle, ok I'm done) that stayed put.
• Good price point at $59.

Cons:

• Man made materials BUT not obvious (I made this a con only on principle. Boo man made).
• The insoles of this particular pair were not put in correctly; there was some weird bumpiness I could feel when these shoes were on.
• A little taller shaft than I would have liked.

Verdict in Theory: Exchange for pair that has better insoles

All Spats found on DSW's website.

For the tennis shoes, I purchased the same pair in two different colors and two different sizes. To save some time, I put one shoe on of each:


Disclaimer: Yes, I'm very pale despite living in Florida.
What can I say? No one makes wrinkles look sexy.

Also, these pictures are so crappy! I need a new camera...

I ordered these Nike Air Max Trainers in both the dark gray and the pink. The 5.5's were the winner here (because of socks maybe?) and while they weren't uncomfortable to walk around in, I didn't exactly feel like I was walking on air either...I like the style overall and the dark gray is really chic. But still, I'm not sure. I'm beginning to feel burned out searching for new tennies so I'll sleep on it.

Verdict in Theory: Unknown

I'm going to continue thinking this over for another week or so before I take any action so if you'd like to weigh in, please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Airing my Dirty Laundry

My first review!

Several months ago I spotted these adorable d'orsay jelly flats from Chinese Laundry:

Chinese Laundry Sweet Caroline Flats

Oh, you had me at hello, you! After doing a routine search on Shopstyle, I discovered that this shoe didn't exist in a size 5. Bummer for me, as usual.

To add insult to injury much later, a girl friend of mine came padding in with these babies on pronouncing how cute they were. Umm hello, yea I know. I saw them 3 months ago, I thought. She scored them at Ross. I won't even go into what I think about Ross. Or her for shopping there (bygones!...).

Moving on to earlier this week. I was looking at shoes the other day when what do I spy with my little eye? These lovelies in a size 5 on Endless. AHHHHHHH (cue the celestial lights)! They were on sale, free 2 day shipping and I threw Ebates in there. I waited all morning for them and they finally arrived a few minutes ago.

BIGGEST. DISAPPOINTMENT. EVER.

While they were definitely as cute if not cuter in person, they had a trifecta of flaws:

1. The smell. Ohh the smell. Imagine if rubber were alive, and then it died and started to rot, yea, this would be the smell. 
2. They made an awful (ie embarrassing) sound when I walked. No, I have not had too many tacos, those are my shoes, thankyouverymuch. I think not.
3. I could have looked past all this (ok, well maybe not number 2. Pun intended. Hahah. I crack myself up) BUT these shoes were HUGE. See below (yes, that's correct, pictures! Of me! Well at least a part of me...):

Look at that toe space! Perhaps I should blame this on the fact that I'm not cursed with long 'fingery' toes. Or not.

If I moved my foot all the way forward, you can see just how big these are. I know I'm not smaller than a 5, so these shoes are just wrong. Wrong. Wrong. WRONG!

That's ok, I have 5 more potential candidates coming next week (3 boots and 2 gym shoes (technically the gym shoes are the same pair, just two diff. sizes in two different colors) which I've mentioned in older posts. MAYBE one of those won't be disappointing.

Is anyone else feeling sorry for me or is it just me?