Mocha Dress

I'm a fan of coffee. I drink a full pot of black coffee, every day. On particularly cold nights, I'll make a pot of coffee before bed.

Every trip to Whole Foods, I spend time browsing the bulk coffee bins. I love the smells of the different blends of beans, the varying roasts. I love the sight of those light / medium / dark roasted beans. In buying beans, I look for the shiny coat of oil on the very dark roasts. I sometimes buy the mixed roast blends, just because of the color progression in the bin.

In looking at the "final call" sales from myShape, I came across a very tempting blend. This dress, AGB - Jersey Bubble Dress in Coffee Bean.

A whimsical print and bubble hem add a wonderfully playful touch to this lovely and liquid, light- to medium weight jersey dress. Designed to hit above knee. Flatters proportioned shapes.

I like jersey. The print is delightful. I could probably even put a fitted long sleeve tee underneath it for winter wear - something in a shade of coffee, with or without cream.

It's recommended for my "M" body shape. But, it's a bubble dress. There is no way I could wear a bubble dress without being asked "when are you due?", especially not in mom circles. No amount of running is going to change that.

Sigh.

Still... I'm thinking about it. Over my third cup of coffee. Maybe with the 3" heel boots and these earrings?

A Tale of Two Skirts

The sun is shining, the temperature is in the high 60s, and my mind has turned to thoughts of... skirts. I'm shopping for something pretty and practical; but mostly pretty. My personal shop at MyShape (I'm an 'M') has been updated with many new options for spring/summer skirts. I narrowed it down to two, and here's the pros/cons:


Lilly Pulitzer's Private Party Pleated Skirt, in Navy.
Pros:
Cotton/silk blend, fully lined (no slip needed!),
and a delightful blue/white pattern
Cons:
Dry clean only (I can live with that), $248

I could do several combos, but I'm not sure I can justify the cost on a price per wear basis.


Charlotte Tarantolas Sloan Print Skirt.
Pros:
Fully Lined (yea!), slant pockets (double yea!). It's white with faded black, gray, pale yellow and a touch of rose. It's good for casual, paired with tees & tanks I already own; could be dressed up a bit with heels and a camisole/cardigan.
Cons:
At $72, it's still a bit on the pricier side for me. Will not likely have the staying power past a summer or two that the navy/white skirt would. I'll need to figure out how flexible the color combos will be, in order to figure out the PPW.

On a wardrobe staple note, there's this Tadashi silk chiffon skirt for sale ($99). This is separate from the spring skirts, but it fits in well with this shopping expedition.

I know I said $72 was pricey, but this is the type of skirt which I can wear for decades. My grandmother had a similar one which she was able to wear for 30+ years. It was her ultimate 'go-to' semi-formal base - paired with silk blouses, sleeveless satin or cashmere or angora twin sets, depending on the fashion of the time.

More MyShape

Rebecca emailed me after yesterday's review of the skirt and the MyShape shopping experience. She wanted to know about my answers to the profile questions about fit. She also mentioned the relatively small number of recommendations for her.

I think the recommendations will increase in both number and variety as she adds more information to her profile. I tinkered with the fit preferences several times, first to add information, then to change it after seeing the first round of suggestions.

My personal shop was originally front loaded with loose, flowing bubble tops and other items which would hang right off my broad shoulders. As so many other moms, the last thing I want is to be given the "is she or isn't she" look. I went back into the preferences. I found that a "close fitting" on shoulders and bust moved clothing with empire waists and wraps ahead of the bubbles. Waist-comfortable. Hips-loose. And pants were listed at below the waist (.5-1.5 in)

If you're wondering about the types of suggestions, there's individual items, complete with size recommendations. There is also a section for Play/Work/Going Out outfits. Here are a few of my 'M Shape' recommended outfits:I can see myself in any of these outfits. I like the way they're presented. It's easy to look at these and think about combinations I could make with items I already have in my closet. For example, I have a pair of slightly faded black pinstripe pants which I could use in either of those first two outfits. White tee and black cami are both in my drawer, so the sweater and jacket is all I'd need to finish these off. And... I have a creamy heavier knit shrug which I could use for a cold weather version of the first outfit.

I could easily use my 3/4 sleeve scoop-neck black tee with either those cargos or skirt. I really like the shape & pattern of the skirt ($60), and it's going on my wish list, if I can figure out which skirt(s) would have to go before I brought this in. I like the cargos, and do need to replace my old size 10 favorites, but would probably choose a different material than the silk MyShape carries.


About prints:
I'm not as big on the prints. Of the two above, I'd only wear one. That first photo is of the lovely ABS Hippie Shirt. I would not wear this. Ever. Wait. I have to modify that slightly. If someone I loved dearly bought this shirt and gave it to me, I'd wear it only on occasions when I'd be seeing this person. Then, I'd take away the checkbook, for having the lack of common sense to spend $242 on a piece of "hippie" clothing. It would actually make a beautiful skirt, but I'm not putting that on my top.

I find the second print strangely appealing. It's not just the cut, which I love. It's the fabric pattern, too. The Sweet Pea floral shirt is a happy shirt. At $72, I'm not racing to purchase it, but I'll keep an eye out during the next round of sales.



Now for the dressies, as my daughter used to say. The first dress is by Elana KaHan. It's really lovely. I can see myself in this twirly skirt on an evening out for dinner and the symphony. It's spun nylon, and a beautiful deep green. I can't remember the exact price, but think it's in the $120-150 range. Not bad, if it were to be the official dressy for a few years.

The second dress has a wonderful vintage feel. The cut of the sleeves and the smocked shoulders are both well-suited to me. It's soft jersey (cozy!) and $118. This is probably the better price per wear dress, as it could be dressed up with jewelry and heels, or go to the office with a sweater and flats.

The final item in the photo calls to my inner princess. That should warn me off right there, since I was actually a tomboy as a kid. Kay Ungers Ottoman Coat. It. Is. Beautiful. It wants to be mine. If I had the $462 to spend on a single item, I probably still wouldn't. But I'd want to.

Anyway, MyShape is running a 25% off sale for everyone with a personal shop for the last 3 days of January. If you browse through the sale items, there are quite a few bargains. I'm picking up the washable suede snap front jacket ($49, less 25%) from the first photo, so hands off.

MyShape Test - The Skirt

I'm almost back to human after the flu, so I figured I'd dress like a real person today. Pulled the denim skirt I picked out from my personal shop at MyShape. It was the perfect choice for today, since I'm still in the mood for cozy t-shirts and warm tights.

Of the MyShape body types, I am an M. I was skeptical - was sure I should have been type Y. When I first pulled this skirt from the box late last week; it just looked like the waist would be too small for me. Maybe I just have a slightly more distorted body image than I thought.

When I tried it on, it fit. It sits slightly higher on the waist than I normally wear, but that's okay. Running is slowly changing my shape, and as the next few months shave a bit more of the stored fat off my middle, the skirt will drop slightly to just below my belly button. I don't have to worry about it falling off, as it's not any danger of ending up larger than my hips.

I really like this skirt. The 'V' stitching across the back (pictured) does something near miraculous. It creates the illusion of a curvy rear. If you click on the image, you can get a close up of the stitching detail. The front has the same detail, but the fly breaks up the 'V', so I don't have the appearance of a curvy tummy.

So far, I'm going on record as a fan of MyShape. I'll post photos of the other items I purchased as I work them into my wardrobe this week. Assuming, of course, the rest of my family doesn't come down with the bug I had last week. If that happens, I'll be in jeans and robotussin spotted t-shirts for a while longer.

MyShape Test - Pt. 2

My order from MyShape.com arrived today! All four items were included, so I guess that 2-3 week delay on the pants... wasn't. I opened the box to find a lovely drawstring bag containing my items, and a personalized thank you note (see white envelope), and details on the return policy (free shipping). They request that you give them details on returns, so they can adjust fit and color preferences for future orders.

I'm still feeling pretty icky, so playing dress up in my wardrobe is not in the cards for today. I will try everything on, and will get a couple of photos when I can stand being out of my fuzzy slippers.

Before trying anything on, I'd say there's one item which may not work for me. The skirt, which is a really cool A-line cut is probably going to be too small for my waist... at least for the part of my waist where I like to hang my skirts. It would probably fit perfectly if I wear it exactly half way between my hips and ribs.

Both shirts will probably be great, and the pants appear to be correct, as well. I hope the pants work, because I L-O-V-E the color. Bittersweet is the name, and it is the super dark brown of a french roast coffee bean.

UPDATE: Everything fits. Not just fits, but fits properly. Even the skirt... heck... especially the skirt. The white blouse fits across my broad shoulders without being too loose around my waist. The pants, fantastic!

The red stretchy shirt I bought is more vivid than I anticipated, but since I'll likely be wearing with dark blue jeans and a neutral cardigan or jacket, not a problem. My mom has always said I ought to wear more color, and I'm finding that she's right about more and more of this stuff as I get older. Just don't tell her I said that.