Broke Browsing

I'm broke. Anthropologie has new inventory. I'm convinced because I am broke, this inventory is cuter than anything they've ever had before. This is probably not true. So I will take a look at the sale items I cannot afford.

Um, whut?

Whether you're dressing them up with a silk blouse or toning them down with a chunky sweater, this billowy pair from Elevenses is up to the task. 

Anthropologie shouldn't be hiring Elves to make their clothes. A silk blouse and chunky sweater? How about  pair of tights and curled shoes to go with that. And juggling lessons.

I like this, but I can't stop picturing it with the above Elf pants.  The green color doesn't help matters. The sleeves are neat though, aren't they! It's on sale.

Let's see what's new over at Modcloth, shall we?

This is adorable. It's a lightweight coat, $84.99. Look at those buttons! If only we had a fall up here in Minnesota. We had one for about 2 days.

 

I love this dress. The Cezanne dress.  Love the detail. 

So cute! $99.99. Nice, you get to save tax on that last penny!

Anthropologie party dresses

I just stopped by Anthropologie and I see they have a new section of party dresses. Sadly, I have no parties coming up that would require a fancy frock. Or happily, because I couldn't afford one right now anyway.

I like a lot of these dresses, but if I had to choose one, I would probably pick the Spirited Away dress:

I have to say, a pet peeve I have about Anthropologie (and a lot of catalogs) is that they don't always have someone modeling the clothes. This dress doesn't (although it is shown on a hanger, which is pointless). I understand that this is an added expense for them, but sometimes I have trouble visualizing how something would look on an actual person. Clothes look different on a dress form or a hanger than they do on a real body. The styling and accessories can also sell a dress, because whether or not you want to buy those extras, it can help you visualize yourself wearing it - not to mention help those who don't know how to put an outfit together.

Case in point: the dress below is beautiful, but it looks a little over the top and prom night to me on the dress form. The length is a little odd too...is it above, at, or below the knee?

Once I saw it on the model, though, I was sold.

Maybe it's because she's in the snow, and waving her arms around because she's delirious from hypothermia. I don't know why, but this picture makes me want the dress. It looks flowy and not stiff. No huge pettycoat-like hoop skirt. It's silk, not taffeta, which is what I thought it looked like on the dress form. You can see the length that it's meant to be (slightly above-knee, or at the knee), and that it looks great with black tights. A suggestion of a coat might be nice here, but I guess she just stepped out...or in...the door. What a weird photo. Is she inside, and it's snowing inside?! Or is she going outside, and left the door open rudely so everyone inside will freeze to death? Why is she all alone here? Was she assaulted? Is she drunk and waving her arms around?

Anthropologie photos...who knew they could be so fun to deconstruct?

I like the Midnight Wanderer dress too:

Let's see if they show a model wandering...

Hm. She's not wandering, she's wondering where the bathroom is! Looks like the party food was tainted. That's why I hate buffets, too many people getting their germs all over the food. Gross.

I know it's a couture pose to look hunched over like you've got scoliosis or some other spinal problem (I learned this from Christian on Project Runway), and this looks like an attempt at that kind of pose. Why is it attractive to look like Gollum from Lord of the Rings? I don't get it. There are other ways to emphasize your hips. I'd like to see models and their photographers get more creative with props and poses. 

Fantasy fall outfit

I added a bunch of links on the side for places to shop, help with shopping and other blogs I like. While doing so I remembered eShakti. It's been awhile since I've drooled over their custom (optional) clothing. Some of it is a little bit Mrs. Roper from Three's Company, but mostly it's very Anthropologie-esque. Vintage, pretty designs with embroidery and ruffles and lace and such. They also make clothes in a wide range of sizes, 0-38W and custom, so most women can wear them, yay! They are more affordable than Anthropologie overall, even with customized sizing. The overstock section has some significant discounts. I've heard mixed reviews about their clothing though, and that's made me hesitate to order. One of these days I'm going to take the plunge though, and just try something out. Something like this cute dress:

Another site that I revisited is Sock Dreams. I have never purchased any socks from them, but I have dreamed about it (har har). I recently bought a whole bunch of socks from Target on sale from $1.50-$3.00, quite the cheapo score (they used to cost around $8-$12). I love that they have thigh highs at Sock Dream, those can be hard to find. These could go with the above dress and give it a casual autumn feel:

 

 

Oh, that would be so cute with a red cardigan, like this one from Anthropologie...

  

 

I only wear synthetic shoes, unless they're vintage or hand-me-downs (I'm a vegetarian), and I have wide width feet, so my shoe choices are sadly limited. I do have these Mary Jane pumps from Payless though, I'd just have to order them in brown so I could complete this imaginary outfit:

If I start looking for accessories now I'll be here all day, and I have stuff to do!

Anthropologie purchases

My mom would love this pitcher from Anthropologie, on sale now for $19.95:

It's so cute and pretty and would look nice with flowers in it. She likes pitchers. Then again, every day I see something she would love. She loves owls. Owls are everywhere now!

I have an unreasonable obsession with Anthropologie, and all things that look like they could be sold there. My dream is to have an entire wardrobe of Anthropologie clothes. To date, I only have one item. It's a skirt that I bought at an Anthro store, the first and only time I've ever been to one. I just happened to be in the neighborhood and saw the store and got SO. EXCITED. Then I went inside and saw that they have all this stuff that isn't in the catalog! (or, maybe it's just old stuff?) I couldn't afford anything so I did as I always do - I headed straight to the back of the store, where the clearance and sale items are. They had two small racks of clothes on sale, and I saw the most beautiful skirt. It was $60, marked down from...I think $160. So I splurged and bought it. When I got home, I saw that I had only been charged $30! What a score! That was my greatest shopping victory ever. It's a Moth "Lantern's Glow" skirt. I can't find it online except in dress form, it's brown with an overlay of crocheted birds.

Today I just got an email that my Anthropologie order has been shipped. Number 2 in my collection! It's a sweater that's been on sale for awhile, long enough that they ran out of the color I wanted in my size. I've wanted it because of the awesome sleeves. They're gigot sleeves, and I hunted the internet high and low for another top like it, and came up with nothing. Zero. What I love about these sleeves is that they are puffy around the shoulders, bringing emphasis to the bust area (the part of me I like) and the sleeves are tight from the elbows down, de-emphasizing my tummy, a part of me I'm not as proud of showing off. Even better than that, though, is the convenience factor. I'm always shoving up my sweater sleeves to do stuff, either because I'm warm or I don't want them to get dirty. No problem with this cardigan! Oh, and I love cardigans so much. Just like Mr. Rogers. I love layering. So anyway, I ordered the gray color, and got it in large even though I usually wear medium, because I want to layer it. Hopefully it will fit right. It's called the Juliet cardigan, it's $49.95 marked down from $88. That is a pretty big splurge for me, I'm used to buying clearance stuff that's less than $20. At this point, I'm becoming more inclined to save up for things I really love, rather than buy clothes for less that I just like. ShopStyle alerts are my friend! I have a rule that I will never pay retail. Retail is for suckers.