Retail Therapy: A guide to the January end-of-season sale

I deeply apologize for the long stretch without posts!  I was doing my MTU rotation (the horror!) and then buggered off to India for three weeks.  I had to go to an internet cafe to get on the web while I was away, which was rather quaint, but made it difficult to blog.  Also, India was cold.  It was confusing.

My second day back, true to form, I got off work early and walked across the street to the mall and SHOPPED.  There were some things I saw repeatedly on sale, so I present my quick and dirty guide to the January end-of-season sale.

Retail Therapy: Capital Fashion

Sorry for the lack of posts!  I am currently in Ottawa on an elective, and I'm just now gaining my bearings again.  The time difference has been killer.  Clinic was canceled Wednesday morning, and I didn't have the keys to the place I'm staying at, so instead of coming back and sleeping like I really, really wanted to, I headed over to the closest mall I could find and tried on a handful of items.

So I was a little disappointed in the mall I went to-- there were maybe 6-7 stores there that I could see holding some interest for me, and I had about 5 hours to kill.  The only place I tried stuff on was at Ricki's, and here's what happened.

This skirt was just hanging out at the front, laid on a table in all its glory.  I tried it on for kicks, and to my surprise, it fit (I'm usually sized out).  I feel like this is probably due to my declining exercise efforts, but I'm working on it (or I will... tomorrow).  I really love the pattern and the colours of this skirt.  It's bright but also subdued thanks to the palette, and that's what drew me to it in the first place.  The fit looks great from the front, but the side does me no justice and I feel like it makes me look dumpy.  I'm not terribly pleased with the fit from the back either.  I feel like this may not be the skirt for those blessed in the posterior region.  Also a sales associate asked how everything was fitting, and I told her that usually stuff doesn't fit, but this skirt did, so I was happy.  She responded by saying that she also tried the skirt on and the size 0 was way too loose on her.  Way to make me feel self-conscious about stuffing my booty into skirts, sales associate!  Sales associates take note:  don't say that shit.  It ain't cool.  Overall, this is something that reminds me of J. Crew, although I like this print way better than I like most of their printed skirts, and the price is much more appropriate in my opinion.

Verdict: Pass.

Retail Therapy: Of batwings and kimonos

I've been a bit behind with posting my shopping goodies-- these ones are from December of last year!  I'm currently away on an elective, and having tons of fun in the sun, and I'll post about it soon!  Hopefully I'll be better with taking some outfit photos too. (:  On a related note, since I'm away from home so often lately, the next post will be a special guest post!  If any readers would like to write a guest post, I could definitely use another one too!

This top looked really weird on the hanger, as I find most drapey tops do.  It really requires one to use their imagination or a fitting room.  I like the open shoulders and back of this top, and thought it would be a fun addition to my wardrobe, seeing as I don't have anything like this, and tucked into a skirt or some pants with a cardigan or blazer, this blouse could absolutely be work-appropriate.  I like how the print wraps around the top of the blouse too-- it's a cool design choice.

I was so intrigued by this weird swingy piece of cloth when I saw it on the hanger.  It was on super sale, and I could see why-- there's such a potential for old lady bathrobe territory with this thing.  I really liked the print and the kimono jacket silhouette when I tried it on though, especially with a belt.  I will say that it does tend towards a short bathrobe, as in the below pictures, but I promise that with proper styling a piece with this kind of structure can actually look quite edgy and fun.

I've already worn this lace batwing sleeve top about four or five times since I got it.  I like how effortless it is-- it's a super easy piece to wear, but it looks like I put thought into my outfit as opposed to just grabbing for things on the floor in the dark (it happens more often than I like).  It works well tucked or untucked, which is really nice-- I think its the sort-of hybrid silhouette-- skimming the curves but with volume due to the sleeves.  The pale rose/blush colour is very versatile and I would definitely call it a neutral, especially for spring.

Retail Therapy: What's black and white and has a wedge heel?

For some reason, I wanted these zebra booties.  Nevermind that they're insane.  But they weren't too expensive and weren't final sale, so I decided to order them and see what happened.  Of course, ordering online from Forever 21 meant that I had to get up to the free shipping amount so I bought some other stuff too.  (PS. Thank you F21 for the free shipping to Canada!  You're awesome and I love you!)

I generally don't buy a lot online, because I really like to try things on beforehand and make sure they fit.  I also like the process of going out and shopping, and I find it to be a pain to have to return and exchange things you don't like, or that you need another size in, etc.  I was really lucky this time around though, and everything more or less fit, even the pants! (!!!)

When I opened this coral tiered dress, I was worried about the material.  Online, it looks like a chiffon-type material.  And it kinda is.  Every other tier is chiffon-y, and the rest are jersey.  But I showed my mom and she approved.  I've worn it twice since I've gotten it and it’s a definite keeper. (Does not come with sash.  That is my own doing.  Also someone should really pull their dress/shirt down when taking back views.  Just saying.)

I originally saw these white flared jeans (does it bother anyone else that I actually typed 'genes' first and had to correct it?) in red and wanted those, but I already had a pair of red jeans and no white ones, so I made a decision with my head.  They fit well through the hip and thigh, although they are loose in the waist (story of my life).  It's not too bad, but I hope they don't bag out!  They're also obscenely long.  I'm wearing my most giant wedges (probably 5 inches) in the picture and they still touch the floor.  Definitely need to be hemmed.  I can see them being perfect in the summer!  I'm wearing size 27, but I'd probably go for 25 or 26 in the future (they didn't have them in stock when I ordered).

Retail Therapy: Let it flow

Smart Set (it's a Canadian brand; sorry Americans!) has been having a fantastic sale since around Christmas.  Many things are marked down substantially, with a further 50% all clearance prices.  I mostly stick to silhouettes that are closer to the body, as being petite means that more loosely-fitting clothing often overwhelms me.  However, lately there's been lots of great blousy and flowing stuff in-stores and I've been tempted.  Smart Set in particular has a lot of dolman sleeves and cape-type stuff right now.  I bought a few things for my mom during Christmas but walked out with a few more things for myself (!).  At that time, they were offering a further 25% off all clearance prices, but since the 50% promo, I've returned and bought more things (not helped by the fact that I also received $20 savings cards with no minimum purchase).  The good news?  Nothing I got was over $15.

Here's part one of what I bought (yes I bought that much stuff, don't judge).

Chiffon back dolman top
This is a fairly plain top with two distinguishing features-- the dolman sleeves and the sheer chiffon-like panel at the back.  It's definitely looser but with a good drape.  I like relaxed fit and the length, and imagine it would look good with leggings, skinnies, or tucked into a skirt.  It's a sort of turquoise colour, but not too bright.  The chiffon panel at the back (sorry for the lack of photo; you can see a bit of it on the shoulder of the above right photo) starts at the top of the shoulders and goes down to about the armpit and there is definitely an issue with bra straps showing.  I've got a nude bra and some clear straps, so I think I'll be OK there.  The fabric is a thinner jersey knit, which is good for the drape, but probably won't last too long.

Retail Therapy: Bright Blazers

Bright blazers are a big trend for Spring 2012.  I love love LOVE blazers and I believe my count is up to about 16 now.  I'm always lusting for blazers that are a bit different than the usual neutrals (as I own a blazer in most neutral colours), and in mid-January, I saw a fantastic hot pink boyfriend blazer at the mall on sale for $10!  Granted, the quality wasn't great, being a stretchy jersey knit, but I'm always up for a blazer for $10.  I tried it on and liked how it looked, so I grabbed it in royal blue as well.  However, upon approaching the till, the sales associate asked me if I knew those blazers weren't actually $10 right?  I wasn't willing to pay the $30 for something that was not great quality, so I sadly departed.  But for the next two weeks, I was obsessed.  (I typed 'hot pink boyfriend blazer' into Google how many times?)  So I found a 15% coupon, signed up for their loyalty card to get an extra 20% off and bought my blazers (plus a dress).

The hot pink is my favourite and adds a great pop of colour.

I'm really loving the stance and the more casual fit of these blazers.  Although I'm not crazy excited about the longevity of the knit material, it's really cozy and feels like a cardigan.

I bought this blazer at Sirens (a Canadian chain), but I saw a much better quality version at Jacob and have seen versions at Forever 21 and Zara.  Apparently Gap's got a pink blazer as well, but I'm not sure as to the shade.

Retail Therapy: The Forever 21 sale section

I just placed a Forever 21 online order today and was struck by how many cute things they've got on sale!  Here's some stuff that didn't make it into my cart but I wish it did.  Please note that these are from the Canadian site, and there is in my experience some difference from the American site in terms of selection and price.  Everything listed below can be found in the sale section or in fabulous finds.  As for what I did get?  Saving that for a future post!

Perforated Leather Gloves - $11.99 CAD

They're real leather!  And blue!  I've already got two pairs of leather gloves, and one pair has bows, so these were a pass for me.  They also come in a cognac colour.

Basket Weave Handbag  - 24.99 CAD

Basket weave accessories, particularly bags and clutches have been popping up all over the place.  I love the simplicity of this bag and the colour-- it looks almost black but is actually a dark brown.  I don't use different handbags too often, so I try not to buy many.

Metallic Details Belt - $6.99 CAD

I really like the shape of this belt and think it would just look fantastic on.  It could also toughen up some girlier pieces, and I don't have many 'tough' pieces in my wardrobe.  However, I didn't get this belt as I got two belts already, and I would have preferred that this belt's design go all the way around to the back, whereas it actually has a solid black stretch panel.

Braided Leatherette Belt - $5.99 CAD

Similar to the metallic details belt, I like the shape of this a lot.  I didn't get it for the same reason-- I would have preferred the design to go all the way around to the back, but it doesn't.

Sheer Lace Turtleneck (Taupe) - $16.99 CAD

I love the scalloped hem and the turtleneck neckline, as well as the colour, which I thought would look good with my skin tone.  The only reason this one didn't make it is its sold out in my size!