As the days creep closer and closer to Christmas and New Years, I find myself out shopping more and more taking advantage of deals, enjoying the crowds, and doing a handful of secret shopping jobs that usually encourage me to spend more rather than save the small bit I've made. :-/ While these days haven't been so kind to my wallet, I decided to share with you a few reviews … that will hopefully make my shopping addiction worth something.
Some time after Thanksgiving I
finally got my hands on this beauty – the
Bobble Poncho from Sleeping on Snow. It went out of stock the day before Thanksgiving then came back in stock shortly before a non-Black Friday Anthro promotion at which point it sold out again. If you can get your hands on this beautiful, online-only, now-exclusive Anthro beauty, I highly recommend it. Sleeping On Snow provides some of my favorite Anthro winter goodies, and this one is no exception.
Now for the details… This product looks more purple in person than pink. It caught me by surprise. Its comes in one size, which probably looks best on thinner people. Also, take notice of the little balls in the fringe; they exist and you should know it. I bought the poncho thinking that if I didn't like those balls, I would just cut them off. I didn't know they existed (before I received the poncho) until I started reading reviews on Anthro's website. Since I bought it on sale, I didn't really care about maintaining the freshly bought look … As always, shopping for clothes for me is about finding things I like or making things I dislike work for me. Luckily the balls did not detract from the overall look and I have had no reason to pull out my scissors. Plus, the super soft warmth makes this poncho really fun to wear as well as looking gorgeous on. :)
While returning another item at Anthropologie I discovered the
Switch Stitch Cardigan in beige and off-white. Because it was the last item of its kind on the sale rack I purchased one in a petite xxs and one in a regular size xs. They both look good even if the petite xxs has gotten more wear. It's an inch or two shorter than the regular xs and not quite as wide through the shoulders. They are very close in size though, so if Anthro is out of one size, you shouldn't feel too badly about buying the other. The main reason I wear the petite xxs over the regular xs is the color; I wear off white far more than beige. That's just the way I am… You'll find that the fabric is soft, but it is also pretty thin for being a sweater. I like it, but I also live in the south where winters are warmer than other parts of the world. If nothing else, this is a fantastic transition piece getting you from fall to winter and winter to spring.
My most recent purchase is the
Shawled Wool Sweatercoat that I bought during the last day of the 30% off sale items last week. I was expecting to hate it; it looks like a coat for tall, extraordinarily thin people, neither of which I am. I ordered in a regular xs. The jury is still out on whether I should keep it and wear it, but it fits exactly as it looks on the model. The arms are slim but the fabric is stretchy conforming to your body (or whatever you have on your body). The jacket ties like a robe making my main complaint my inability to tie a pretty bow. Overall, this jacket is slimming and gorgeous. The purchase I intended to take straight back to Anthro (after confirming it made me look like a slob) is now hanging in my closet. Dang you Anthro! I really need to save my money!
I bought the
Maisy Lace Turban in a rich green color, and I'm loving it so far (especially at the 30% off cost I bought it at). I have so many green dresses (and now a green coat!) to wear it with. It's nice and soft (rather than itchy) and not too tight around your head. (Do I need to provide head measurements?) I highly recommend this beautiful headband to dress up any outfit.
I bought this
Asymmetrical Leather Belt on sale to wear with…
the Plenty by Tracy Reese
Petal Fete Dress I've been waiting on to go on sale. Paired with a denim jacket, this outfit looks down to earth and fun. It's soft and light filling on and looks WAY BETTER in person than it does on the model. Just trust me on that. The colors are bright and fun. I tried on a size 0 which fit me perfectly.
In mass quantities on my local Anthro sales rack, I was tempted to try the gorgeous
Lavendel Dress on. Compared to the Petal Fete Dress, I loved that this dress was sleeveless, one of my favorite styles. The fabric was dense and stiff not soft and flowy. The main problem this dress had was the zipper; even off of my body I was struggling to get the zipper up on this dress. Perhaps at a deeper discount I might consider it. This is a dress I would not be able to wear frequently unless the zipper was replaced and that is really off-putting when it comes to buying an expensive anything.
Also on my wishlist but inevitably not making the cut was the
Odense Crochet Topper. I tried the small which fit, but I wasn't in love. The sweater looks very business-like, which if you work in a traditional office setting, is great! I don't. I could not see myself wearing this sweater in a casual setting. It was thick and stiff, and as such I imagine it would not stretch like other sweaters do. Still, a $50 sweater that doesn't get worn is a waste of money for the person who doesn't wear it. Back to the rack it went.
The Frye Parker Lace-Up Boots have been the most extravagant thing I have spent money on in the past few weeks. I'm still trying to decide if they are worth the money, but since they only had one size 6 left in stock, I bought them. I usually wear somewhere between a children's size 4 and adult size 6; while these fit a tiny bit big at the size 6 I purchased them in, they didn't feel loose given how tight you could tie the laces. I'd compare them to the fit of ice skates: loose through the foot giving you room to move your toes and keeping you from feeling claustrophobic but tight through the ankle and calf muscle allowing them to stay up comfortably. The good: they are comfortable and cute. Apparently they are made from real, soft leather, so you will need to treat them like you would a leather jacket making sure to condition them. If you take care of them, Frye says that they should last you forever. While these boots do need to be laced, after the first lacing, they have a zipper that you can use from that point on. On my short, petite frame, the boots end within one inch of my knee. The three inch heel is barely noticeable when you are wearing the shoes as they are
that comfortable. You might find the laces to be a bit short though, especially if you have thicker calves. The tongue of the shoe is large enough to accommodate for a wide-range in calf sizes which is nice even if the laces have to be replaced with longer ones after purchasing this shoe.
Overall, if you value comfortable well-made, leather boots, you will probably like these. As for me, I think I would prefer them on sale. It's really hard to fathom spending so much on boots, well-made or not. Of course, even my best not well-made boots cost upwards of $100 making me feel even more uncertain about the true value of these boots versus any other kind.
You can purchase these almost anywhere in any color, not just at
Anthropologie. Check out the stock at
Belk,
Bloomingdales,
Macys or
Von Maur, for example. Don't wait too long though; these boots (at all of the various retailers) are going out of stock fast!
What products have piqued your interest lately? Have you been taking advantage of any crazy sales during the pre-holiday shopping extravaganza? Have you taken the time to enter my
beauty giveaway?
