Ann Taylor Pleated Trim Tank

This is going to be a quickie because I've got lots of reading to catch up on for work/school aka residency.  And because I promised I would in the last post, here's an "outfit" with the A&F print skirt:

I actually mainly wanted to share this petite-friendly top from Ann Taylor, the Pleated Trim Tank, which is now on sale for $28 with the 40% off discount and is still available in XXSP in several colors.  The fit is actually very decent, and the armholes are perfect as you can see in the second pic.  I originally wanted it in this port color, but it's always been sold out in XXSP online:

The material feels great, but I have no experience with Ann Taylor tops so I'm not sure how well it'll hold up over time.  And even though I like the idea of the front ruffles, I'm not entirely too sure about the execution on this one.  The price is also on the expensive side for me even with the 40% off, so I'm still considering whether or not this is a keeper.

Belated Labor Day Finds

I've been studying night and day for weeks to prepare for a board licensing exam, and finally got it over with today.  Yay for freedom!  And although I was supposed to be studying during Labor Day weekend, I made a quick trip to the mall anyway to pick up this LOFT Ruffle Trim Wrap dress that I'd tried on earlier and was now on sale for $30:

Luckily there was still one left in 00P!  And while I thought that was a pretty good deal, I also found something else that's probably my best bargain buy to date... this cotton dress in 00P:

It's no longer online so I'm not sure what it was called, but was originally $80, on final sale for $14, and with the additional 40% off it came out to a grand total of $8!!  The dress is nice and fully-lined.  The straps are a little long and will need to be taken up a bit, but no biggie... did I mention it's $8?? :)

On impulse, I also grabbed the Flutter Silk Dress in 00P, on sale from $128 down to $48:

And while Vicky loves it and it looks great on her, this shade of red doesn't look the best on my skin tone and I have some small issues with the fit.  Nothing major but I'm not in love with it, so I think I'm probably going to return.

Right across from the LOFT store at my local mall is an Abercrombie outlet store which was advertising an extra BOGO 50% off so I took a quick look... and walked out with these in size XS:

The print is really lovely in person, and the blue is actually more navy than in the picture.  The skirts are soft, lined, are a good length, and came out to ~$15 each.  Although they were definitely an impulse buy, I think I'm going to keep them!  Will try to show them in an outfit in the next post.

It seemed like this Labor Day was rather disappointing for a lot of people, but there are still good sales to be had!  I believe LOFT is continuing their 40% off sale items promotion online and in-store, and Ann Taylor is offering 40% off 3 or more full-price items with free shipping on $150+ (code ANNSTYLE or SEPTCC).  Finally I can re-order this ruffle blouse I've been waiting patiently for since this post... and probably a few more goodies as well! :P

Mini Urban Outfitters Haul

This post is probably overdue since one of the items - the infamous UO peplum blazer -  has already been reviewed by Chloe, AN, Stylepint, and Jen (now just waiting for PAG and PetiteLG to join in the fun... did I miss anybody else??).  But what the heck, now you can directly compare and see that petites are not all the same... we're all of (slightly) different sizes and body shapes! :)

Since I'm sure everyone has seen that blazer by now, I'll save it for last.  First up is the Kimchi Blue Print Strapless Pintuck Dress.  I'd missed out on the eyelet dress that ran incredibly small and was too tight even on AN, so I wanted to see if their other strapless dresses are similarly petite-friendly.  Here it is in size XS:

The pintuck detailing is nice, and there is smocking along the mid-back, which lends to a decent fit.  It stays up pretty well but I wouldn't say that the bodice feels super tight/secure.  This was $27 when I ordered, but is now on sale for $20.  I'm a bit on the fence about this one, mostly because I'm not sure when or what I'd wear this to.


Next is the Cooperative Pleated Bow Strapless Dress in XS.  This dress was just asking to be belted, so I tried both skinny and wide belts:

Review says not for the big-chested... which is good for me because that's definitely not my problem!  The front ruffle is flattering for my body type, and the material is a casual light knit.  It's a pretty simple dress which is pretty cheap at $13 and comes in several other colors.  Hubby likes it so I guess I'll be keeping it!

I also got the Thistlepearl Chiffon Dress in size 0 upon hearing that it runs small:

But although I had no problem fitting into it, when the too-long straps are shortened, the front hem becomes almost indecently short, so it's a pass for me.  It looks pretty good on Jen who's a couple inches shorter though.

And finally, last but not least, the Kimchi Blue Knit Gingham Peplum Jacket in XS:

Here it is again over the other strapless dress:

This is probably the best-fitting blazer I own... but probably because it's a knit fabric.  I do like the herringbone pattern and the interesting design with the peplum back.  The buttons are a little cheap and very loosely attached (but that's easily fixed).  It's also probably still a bit big on me, particularly in the bust area, but not a deal-breaker by any means.

And that's it!  I think I exercised excellent self-control this time and didn't go way overboard like my last UO haul that needed three blog posts to cover!  Hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend! :)

Review: Gap Legging Jeans

Gap has been periodically sending out 40% off entire order coupons, but I usually never find anything worth keeping (or even trying) because even their petite sizing is usually too big on me.  But after seeing a glowing review from the always stylish Chloe about a certain pair of Gap jeans, and especially after learning that she shares my pancake butt syndrome, I had to try these Legging Jeans in 00P:

Now I never thought the day would come when I would actually consider wearing "jeggings," but there's just something about these that makes me feel awesome :)  And to be fair, they're more like actual jeans rather than jean leggings - they have real working pockets!

The material is surprisingly comfy and the fit is good!  The length is about right with a small amount of bunching at the ankle which I don't mind and prefer over ones that are too short.  There is also an ever so slight bit of gapping at the sides of the waist, which is pretty inconsequential and I suspect might go away with a wash/dry.  And true to Chloe's words, no flattening of the rear despite this being a clingy stretchy fabric!

Tucked and untucked views:

For some reason when I ordered, I didn't realize that they come in multiple other washes - including true black, classic, faded medium, as well as a faded dark blue wash that looks great on curls-and-pearls.  I got these at 40% off for ~$40, which is still a little expensive for me considering I usually buy kids' jeans.  That said, I might even consider picking up another color if these ever go on sale!

I was pretty pleasantly surprised by finding these possible keepers in this last Gap order (and I didn't even get a single kids item!).  But of course, there were some total flops as well... definitely don't bother with the following:

• Ruffled Eyelet Top (XSP) - Humongous boxy tent, I could probably still fit in it if I'm 6 months pregnant.
• Vintage Cardigan (XSP) - Also ginormous, probably at least a medium in LOFT cardigan sizing.
• Tweed Mini Skirt (00P) - Very wide and unflattering, thick bulky fabric and unattractive pattern up close.  *Update* Per request, pics of the skirt are here: front, gap, and side.

Gap Slim Crop Pants - A Petite Do-able?

When I heard on the "grapevine" aka Twitter that Gap's new premium black pants line has a style that runs small, I decided to add it to my order during the last 40% off sale.  The style in question is the Slim Crop Pants in 00P:

When I first tried it on, my initial reaction was oh boy, a possible keeper!  The material feels very sturdy, the cut is slimming, and yet it somehow didn't flatten out my behind like most other dress pants do!

But then the nit-picking began.  Like ExtraPetite noted, there is a bit of waist gap (although fixable with belt), as well as some extra material bunching up in the upper thigh meet lower buttock region (see extra creases on side view).  Not to mention the inherent questionable cropped nature of the pants, which I've always thought was a petite no-no (especially in a dark color) that effectively truncates and shortens the leg line.

Here's a full-body view with flats:

And some other test shots with my Dad's DSLR that came out poorly with cropped out bottoms:

I'm really torn on this one!  One one hand, I love the slim cut of the pants and how effortless/chic it makes me feel.  The price was also a bargain at ~$23 after discounts.  On the other hand, the fit is not perfect with the waist gap and back creases, and the length hits awkwardly at the ankle which I'm not sure I can pull off.  Any thoughts to help me decide would be appreciated! :)

Petite Fashion Challenge #1 - Do a Petite Don't

The always lovely Jean over at ExtraPetite is holding the first ever Petite Fashion Challenge (PFC):

The Challenge: 

Create an outfit for weekend brunch with your girlfriends. 

The outfit must include one garment that is typically notorious for being a petite "don't".

I chose to do a double petite don't: wide-legged pants (uh-oh) that end at the scary mid-calf length (noooo!).  Why? Because I love a challenge!  Just kidding... I'm clueless, and this was the only readily available item I found in my closet.  And unfortunately, I was playing around with my dad's DSLR camera at the time, and the pics I took turned out pretty terrible in quality since I had no idea how to work the settings.  But this was already last minute, so please bear with me!

The offending item in question is a pair of wide-legged white linen carpris, size XS from F21 that I bought many years ago because they amazingly fit my waist/hips.  My first thought... throw in a fun print and class it up with some pearls and a pair of neutral, leg-elongating pumps.

I suppose the top is pretty offensive too in terms of length and fit.  So I tried adding a belt:

And I guess if all else fails, tuck tuck tuck!

Blouse: LOFT Ruffle Neck Top, size XXSP (post)

Necklace: Nordstrom Glass Pearl Necklace in White

Belt: Ann Taylor Perfect Skinny Belt in Porcini, size S

Shoes: Ann Taylor Perfect Leather Pump in Porcini, size 5

What do you think?  Do any of the outfit variations pass muster?  Or should I give up on these linen capris?

Anthropologie - Size Fail

Anthropologie is a relatively new brand to me, but I keep seeing cute items pop up on several different blogs.  A quick browse at their website showed lots of really interesting designs... but their price point is higher than what I'm used to paying, so I haven't been able to bring myself to pull the trigger on anything yet - especially when I have no idea how their sizing runs.  So when I spotted a B&M store in Beverly Hills the other day while running an errand, I had to stop by!

Unfortunately, a quick walk through their relatively large store told me all I needed to know - that almost nothing will fit me from this brand.  I grabbed a couple of things that looked like they might work anyway, just to prove it to myself.

First was the Midnight's Spring Cardigan in XS:

This cardigan was styled on a display mannequin, and I really liked how the waist ties are encased within the sweater.

Sleeves were long, of course, but can be scrunched up.  The upper arms were baggy though, and the ribbed texture/material wasn't as nice as I'd expect from a $98 cardigan, so it was a pass.

I also tried the Flowing Tiers Tank in XS:

I try to stay away from ruffly tiers in general because they're usually unflattering and boxy on me, but this one seemed to have a slim shape (and plus it was right next to the sweater!).

Neckline and armholes were too low, and again I wasn't blown away despite a hefty $68 price tag.  This wasn't too hard to walk away from.

I usually have a pretty low threshold for "trying on" when I'm shopping, because you never know how things look on the body vs. on the rack.  But despite scouring the entire store including a whole second floor of sales racks, I couldn't find anything else that even came close to my size and hence worth trying on.  I suppose my wallet is relieved, but I am a little sad since they do offer some really neat designs and interesting items.  I do wish they would add XXS or 00 sizing, especially in petites!