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IRL blog - January 2005 (archived)

Anthropologie IRL (click for closeup)		Jan 27, 2005: Kensington Gardens Tulip Skirt by Odille > $118 > Anthropologie As my friends so kindly pointed out, I am over my shopping budget for the month of January. (Thanks guys, bleh.) So this means I'm once again on a shopping ban. But being on a shopping ban isn't all that fun when I have an IRL blog...so I've decided to post up pics of the three Anthro items my wonderful SO got for me this past Christmas. I believe all of these are still in stock at Anthro and will (if they aren't already) be going on sale soon in the stores. Online sales at Anthro take a lot longer.... This is the only item I had tried on in the store, so I knew it'd look good. If I hadn't, I never would've thought of getting it--doesn't the store pic look not quite so appealing? But IRL, it's beautiful. From the length and style, I would've thought it'd accentuate my narrow hips and short legs. Judging from the pics, that hasn't been the case. Of course, heels do work wonders for short legs! The black floral design is actually velvet embellishments, and both the skirt and its lining are trimmed with black lace that peeks out at the bottom--makes me feel like I'm wearing a petticoat. I'm not usually fond of green, but this is a great color. The fabric has a very slight sheen to it as well. Very pleased with this skirt. It's from Odille, which you can tell from my review, is a very inconsistent brand in terms of sizing. However, this particular skirt ran pretty TTS.

Anthropologie IRL		Jan 27, 2005: Marianne Cowlneck Top by Sampler > $48 orig, $20 sale > Anthropologie Okay, I take it back...I couldn't find the product page for this on Anthro, so it must be sold out. It is a nice top and was a great deal, so it's no wonder. Very lightweight and soft. It's not one of those very stretchy tees, but more like a slightly stretchy shirt material. The color gives a nice pop and should be perfect for spring. Also, I think cowlnecks flatter just about everyone. It's a bit loose at the waist, though you can't really tell in the pic b/c it's draping flat against my waist--I got a S and prob could've gotten an XS in this, so I'd say it runs TTS to a bit large.

Anthropologie IRL (click for closeup)		Jan 27, 2005: Mimi Cardigan by Moth > $68 > Anthropologie What a cute lil sweater! It's definitely the only one like it that I have, so it was a great addition. It's a very lightweight knit and is cropped but not too cropped, which is a good thing--usually cropped tops make my top look bigger than it is. Also, the color is not as red as the store pic, though I my IRL color is pretty bad as well. If you zoom for the closeup, that's prob the best representation of the color. This ran TTS. And that's it for today! Stay tuned for a review of my (relatively) new Trina Turk top. 5 more days till the ban is over! =)

Neiman Marcus IRL (click for closeup)		Jan 25, 2005: Rose-Print Top by Blumarine > $745 orig (NM), sale price undisclosed, but was a supposed "insane auction price" > Knit Wit (Philadelphia boutique) I encouraged my friend to share her IRL experience after seeing her awesome new purchase. Read on... This top is exactly as expected, being Blumarine's signature stretchy knit that conforms to the figure. It is more boatneck than off-shoulder, otherwise exactly as on model. Blumarine is insanely popular, despite sky-high prices. I grabbed the last one at Knit Wit in Philly, an upscale boutique that carries a fantastic selection of contemporary and Italian designers--fall items are 50% off in the store. For those who can't make it to Philly, clearance items will be offered by auction for the next couple of weeks. Merchandise comes direct from the store (no fakes here!), start at 50-90% off, and include popular as well as hard-to-find pieces--what's not to like? They have similar items by sister companies Blumarine, Blugirl, and Anna Molinari, plus Juicy Couture, DVF, cashmere sweaters, and more. Caveat: Auctions are added often and last only 3 days. You have to check often or they pass you by.

Blaec (same brand, similar style, diff color) IRL		Jan 15, 2005: Blue houndstooth coat by Mint > $620 orig, $120 sale > Liquidator I usually buy online b/c I can't seem to find great stuff at b&m stores--but I hit the jackpot today! Unfortunately, there was only one of each for most of these items, but I encourage you to check out all these brands that I've listed today. Wow, I L-O-V-E this coat!!!! This is my fave purchase of the day--no, of the month! It's similar in style to the coral one I have pictured from Blaec. There are shades of indigo, light blue, and ivory in the houndstooth pattern. The fit is absolutely amazing--def TTS (4 for me), with enuf room for a thick winter sweater underneath. Soft, non-scratchy wool, fully lined. I wasn't crazy about those sailor-ish buttons on the coral one--these are the same style, but dark steel colored, which blends in with the coat much better. I was very tempted to get the coral one from Blaec before--now I'm sure I wouldn't have been disappointed. It would be a beautiful color to add to my growing outerwear collection, but...I guess I don't need another coat (I live in Louisiana). Gosh, I know I'm going to keep rambling on, so I'll stop here. Mint coats are awesome! Oh, and it also came in a matching above-knee length skirt, but it wasn't in my size and I didn't want to be too matchy-matchy anyway.

IRL		Jan 15, 2005: Sweater by Ruth > $?? orig, $68 sale > Liquidator I usually love Ruth for their skirts, but I saw some great sweaters this time around as well. This one's gray with a teal velvet strip going down the front, with pretty shiny buttons, and awesome flower embroidery along the collar--too bad you can't see it in the pic. Anyway, just wanted to share my interest in this brand--hopefully y'all will have the opportunity to check it out as well!

IRL		Jan 15, 2005: Gold skirt by Anna Molinari > $590 orig, $90 sale > Liquidator Okay, so maybe I got this partly b/c it was a bargain--what girl can pass up a great piece of clothing at nearly 85% off?? With that said, it is still an awesome skirt no matter what the price. The pic doesn't do it justice. (I couldn't find a pic online to compare it with, btw.) It's 100% beautiful flowy silk that just feels so luxe against my skin. The black strip at the bottom is crocheted. I figure this will fit in great this season (not sure what season it's from), since it seems like gypsy is in. This is an Italian 44, which I believe is a European 38?? If so, then it is TTS. * Correction--I was told that Italian and European sizing is the same? Well, then I guess this runs small, though it has an elastic band, so it would prob fit many sizes.

Blaec IRL		Jan 15, 2005: Stars top by Mona & Holly > $80 orig, $20 sale > Liquidator I loved this when it was on Blaec for the original price, so I just had to have it when I saw it on sale. Now that I look at the pics, I see that the top is a tad baggy on me in comparison to the Blaec model. I think this is on account of my wide shoulders and long torso--the Small fit everywhere, but was a tad snug at the shoulders and (this was the deal breaker) a bit too short--I was worried what would happen if I washed it, so I got the Medium instead. If you're perfectly proportioned, get your true size--if you're like me, size up (at least for this particular top of theirs).

Blaec (in another color) IRL		Jan 11, 2005: Blazer by Plenty by Tracy Reese > $218 orig, $120 sale > Anthropologie I got this at Anthropologie at a reasonable discount...BUT, I'm thinking it's not quite worth it. As you can see, it fits well in the shoulders, but is a lil snug at the chest and elbows. (The next size up makes my already broad shoulders look even broader, though there's not much of a diff b/t the two sizes.) Plus, I'm not crazy about the purple-y color--I was hoping for something more like the Blaec picture. I'm 50/50 on this rite now. It's nice...I just don't know if it's that nice. But if you like it, hurry up, because it's already sold out at Blaec and prob soon on Anthro as well.

Anthropologie IRL		Jan 11, 2005: Gold crochet and sequin clutch by Moyna > $200 orig, $75 sale > Anthropologie (SOLD OUT) I'd been looking for an evening bag, and this bag by Moyna fits the bill. The color shown on the Anthro website is pretty true, although the shape seems a bit more square in Anthro's pic--my more rectangular pic is more true to form. It's very slim, so you can't put too much in it, but you probably don't want to do that on a nite out anyway. It also comes with a tiny mirror (tucks neatly away into the inside pocket) that would come in handy for those occasional lipstick checks. This one's a keeper! Anthro is sold out of this, but you can check out more Moyna bags at Moyna, Searle, and a handful of other sites.