Equipment Tegan Ikat Print Silk Shirtdress

As mentioned on the last Sunday Funday post, I went to Santa Barbara last weekend and was not well-prepared for the warm weather.  I had jeans on and it was soooo hot!  So I stopped by Nordstrom and picked up a dress on sale.  It turned out to be pretty cute too!  It is the Equipment Tegan Ikat Print Silk Shirtdress, from $348 to now $139.  

Not feeling those shoes with the dress on the model pictures.  I feel like since the dress is calf length, you have to wear heels or you will look like a shortie.  But I'm always in heels so that's just me.  =P

I got this dress in size S.  It is 100% silk, has hidden buttons all the way down, and the waist tie is removable.  It would probably be cute with a skinny belt too.  I was pleasantly surprised that after wearing it to sit and walk around in all day, it didn't really wrinkle.  

I think this is my first dress that's this length!  All my other dresses and skirts are short, knee length, or long.  It's nice to have something different.  I'm pretty sure I can wear this to work in the summer as well.  I think the color in real life is closer to how it looks in my photos rather than the web photos.  It's definitely a darker shade of teal.  

I am beginning to think about a late summer vacation, and I think this dress will be great for that as well!  The sale price is not a super steal, but not bad either.  I actually saw it on one of the actresses on the show "Mistresses" this week.  Looked cute on her!  Hahaha.

Vince Leather Scuba Jacket in Grenadine! And Another DVF Valencia Dress!

Omg, such a good mail day today!  I have been in love with the Vince Leather Scuba Jacket in grenadine ever since it first came out!  It's such a beautiful shade of red, and I've always wanted a nice red jacket.  But I was waiting for it to go on sale.  Then it disappeared for a while!  So I thought it was sold out and I missed out.  Then I saw it on Nordstrom Rack's site on Sunday, on sale for $409, and I swear my fingers never clicked fast enough to buy something lol.  My order shipped from So Cal so I got it today.  I already have like 5 Vince Leather Scuba jackets, but I seriously wear each one all the time, so I don't feel like I'm wasting money getting another one.  Plus, the red color is SO different from the rest!  I'm just super in love with it.  

I got it in the exact same size as the others, which is XS:

This color is seriously the perfect shade of red!

I almost always wear these jackets unzipped, but here's how it looks zipped up half way:

Side ribbed panels:

So the difference between this version of the Scuba jacket vs my other ones is that this one is 2 pieces stitched together, so you can see a horizontal line across the lower half of the jacket.  I'm not sure why Vince started doing this on the newer Scuba jackets.  I prefer one piece of leather, which is probably more expensive to make.  But at least it's not very obvious that it's 2 pieces and I love the color so much that I'm not going to complain too much lol.

Anyway, the dress I am wearing with in the above pictures was also delivered today.  It's another DVF Valencia Dress and I got it brand new with tag on ebay for only $100 bucks.  I really love the fit of the Valencia dress.  It provides better coverage in the chest, and there's slight ruching in the waist area which gives a slimming look.  I love this "Flames" pattern.  I can definitely wear this dress to work or on a night out.

As usual, this is size 4:

So, speaking of dresses and cleavage, I've mentioned before that as much as I love DVF wrap dresses, they usually are cut too low for me to feel comfortable wearing to work without anything under.  I also don't like wearing a tank under because sometimes you can see the outline of the tank, especially if the tank rolls a little at the bottom.  So the only option is to wear a full slip under the dress and that's annoying too lol.  But when I was browsing the Nordstrom Rack site, I saw these Lace Bandeau tops by Joe's Jeans and thought that's the solution!

They come in sets of 2, and I got 2 sets to have all the different colors covered.  I can't believe they retailed for $80 per set.  Glad Nordstrom Rack's price is only $19 because no way would I have paid $80.  So the 2 sets I got are:  Black/Orchid, and Red/Pale Gray.

I was debating whether to get size XS/S or S/M.  I ended up getting XS/S because I was afraid a bigger size would slide down.  The XS/S seems to fit well even over a pushup bra, so I'm pretty stoked about it.  The only thing is that it is pull on style, so you do have to struggle a little bit to get it on/off.  But I think these are such a pretty and easy way to solve all my dress cleavage problems and all of a sudden I have way more dresses that can be worn to work lol!

DVF New Jeanne Two Dress in Blue Arrow Tooth!

Ok, this one is really my last DVF dress in a while!  I've been buying so many of them!  I really love this one though.   It is the New Jeanne Two dress in blue arrow tooth (on sale at Saks Off 5th!).  The New Jeanne Two style is such a classic style that I really don't mind having in multiple colors/prints.  I feel like every time I wear it, I get tons of compliments!  One of my recently acquired DVF dresses - the Newsy Dress - is also in arrow tooth print, but in the green version.  I really like this print.  It's not exactly subtle, but the print somehow just works for like every occasion.  I am stoked to have the blue version now too.

As usual, I got size 4 and it is true to size.  One thing that surprised me is that this dress is a cotton/silk blend.  It's actually mostly cotton (80%).  Aside from the solid black version of this dress, which is viscose, all the other prints I have are 100% silk.  I can definitely feel the difference between the material in the solid black versus the other silk ones.  However, this blue tooth arrow print in cotton/silk blend feels very similar to the 100% silk material.  Keep in mind that DVF uses this silk jersey material, which is thick and drapes very well.  It's quite the opposite of the lightweight silk that you normally find in blouses and scarves, etc.  So anyway, I like the material a lot and I'm glad this one doesn't feel any different.

Isn't the color pretty?  The blue is a cobalt blue.  I think this print/color is actually going to be easier to wear than my other Jeanne Two dresses, especially if I want to wear it to work.  Some days I feel like wearing something bright to work, and some days I feel like wearing all black or dark colors.  I think this one may actually suit my mood on most days.  =)

Ok - Last Couple DVF Dresses For A While!

Hehe, I got more DVF dresses.  I tend to get obsessed with the same brand/style for a while, and then I will move onto something else.  I actually have noticed this with food too.  I'd literally eat the same food all the time for like 3 months, and then completely stop cold turkey.  Lol.  It's a weird thing, but I learn to deal with it.  I'm pretty sure my gym clothes obsession lasted the longest by far!  It was like 7 years or something.  But I'm finally over it (well, kind of) and enjoying having more money in my pocket to spend on other things... like DVF dresses!

So first, I couldn't help but to get the New Jeanne Two wrap dress in black.  This same dress in deep navy is on sale at Nordstrom right now.  I just wanted black, even though black is not a "DVF thing", because it's just so damn versatile.  Sometimes you really just need a nice fitting black dress.  The thing with the black though is that it is not made of silk like my other wrap dresses from DVF.  It is made of jersey, which is 100% viscose.  It doesn't feel quite as nice.  But the fit is the same otherwise.  I got it in size 4, as usual.

I'm actually wearing a slip under this dress, which is where you see the lace peeking out.  I think it's kinda cute like this!  I'm wearing a slip because 1. It shows less cleavage, and 2. This dress in this fabric is not as heavy as the silk version.  So you can actually see bra and underwear lines a little.  A slip underneath helps hide any of that.

I wish they made the full black version in silk jersey!  But oh well.

The second dress I got is 100% silk.  It is the Valencia wrap dress in "rockscape".  I think it's such a different pattern, and super cool!  I'd never have imagined that the different colors and patterns in this print could work well together, but it somehow does.

So the main differences between this wrap dress style and the Jeanne Two are 1. This one does not have a collar, 2. It is about an inch or so shorter, 3. It is not as low cut in the chest, and 4. It has ruching in the chest area on the side of the wrap that goes on top.  I actually really like this last feature.  The ruching is very flattering, it helps hide flaws.

From the side, it looks like 2 completely different dresses!

The Valencia is a great style!  Too bad it seems to be sold out everywhere online.  I wonder if DVF will make this style again.  I'll definitely keep an eye out for it!

Work Stuff from Ann Taylor

I made an order from Ann Taylor for a few more new work tops and received it last week.  I actually have worn 3 out of the 4 things this week, and I am pretty happy with them so far!  I'm so glad I now have so many new clothing pieces for my new job.  It feels like a fresh start in every sense!

For reference, I got size XS in all 4 items.  I have bought both size XS and S in Ann Taylor tops in the past.  The tops I bought this time are all loose fitting style.  

My favorite on is the Striped Crepe Wrap Blouse in dusty cornflower.  I love blue and white stripes for some reason.  I love the draping in this top.  The back is slightly longer so you can either tuck it in or leave it out like the model below.  It's very similar in style to my Pleione faux wrap tops from Nordstrom.

I wore this exact outfit yesterday.  Sometimes I like mixing patterns like stripes and plaid lol:

I also really like the Chiffon Trim tunic.  I got it in classic plum.

I didn't realize this when I ordered this top, but the back is actually made of a different material than the front.  The front is like a flowy chiffon and the back is more like a cottony soft material.  It's very comfortable and very easy to wear.  But I do wish it was a little shorter so it doesn't sit at an awkward length on me when I leave it untucked.

This top comes in quite a few colors, but I think you cannot go wrong with plum.  Ever.

This is a close up that shows the fabric difference between front and back.  It's hard to tell by just looking at the top, but the feel is very different.

The third top I got is the Silk Sketched Plaid Blouse.  I like the soft color and subtle plaid print.  This top is now on sale, with additional 60% off (code SHOP60)!  That makes it only like $27 which is a great price, especially for a silk shirt!  I paid almost $50 for it with another promotion back then.  Too bad Ann Taylor doesn't do price adjustments on promotions.  But if you want like top, now is your chance to get it at a great deal!

This blouse is actually made of 100% silk.  But it's pretty thin.  It's semi sheer to wear on its own.  You can *almost* get away with just wearing a nude bra under, due to the pattern camouflaging some sheerness.  But I opted to wear a cami under it when I wore it to work, which I don't really mind.  

Lastly, I got the Brushed Chevron Shirtdress.  I love my Mod Scarf Print dress from Ann Taylor so much that I wanted another one in a similar style.  This dress is now also on sale with additional 60% off which makes it only $35!

I like the color and print of this dress.  This is the only item I haven't worn yet.  But when I tried it on, I liked it.  The fact that the back is slightly longer than the front is great too.  It's a very subtle difference, but it helps when you bend over or sit and you have a bit more coverage.

It's a bit weird to have a neck tie, and a waist tie, though.  But I guess you can hardly see them due to the pattern:

Here's a close up of the small length difference between front and back:

So I will of course be keeping all 4 items I ordered!  They are all very nice styles and easy to match with many of my pants or skirts.  But it must be said that I do think it's stupid that Ann Taylor won't do a price adjustment for me, considering I just bought them and I could order them again at the lower price and return the other at the price I paid.  But I can't be bothered to do that and that's probably what they figured lol.  That's why Nordstrom always will be the best place to shop!