Monthly Archives: February 2014

Another winter week of outfits

February 24, 2014What I'm wearingblack lace dress, how to wear a cape, Kate Spade, military jacket, outfit ideas pear shape, stitch fixpacificnorthwestpear

Here’s what I wore last week.

Kate Spade Cape

This cape from Kate Spade had been hanging in my closet with a nice bag over the hanger to protect it for the last year or so. I had purchased it on sale and was so excited to look at it in my closet that I failed to actually wear it. It seemed worthy of a special occasion that never came up and so I finally decided one day that I was just wearing this to work for no reason at all, other than I love it. I love the weight of it, the cut, and the fabric. I felt a bit like a caped crusader.

Black Lace Dress from Golden Tote

I adore this dress. The cut, the fabric, the way it looked awesome with my military jacket, all of it added up to awesome. It looked cute without the jacket, but I ended up wearing the jacket all day at work to keep warm and it kept it casual.

Teal cowl neck from Stitch Fix

I wore the teal cowlneck top from my last stitch fix with this super cozy furry cardigan I bought many years ago at the Nordstrom anniversary sale. It was a very cozy outfit and kept me warm.

Navy Patterned Dress from Stitch Fix

I paired this navy and white shirt dress from Stitch Fix with a purple cardigan and black tights and boots. I actually thought the dress was black and white until I got in my car and saw it in the dreary daylight. I probably wouldn’t have worn black tights and boots if I knew it was navy, but I’m sure no one noticed.

Bonus February Stitch Fix

February 24, 2014Stitch Fix Reviewspear shaped body, stitch fix review februarypacificnorthwestpear

Because of the mix up with Stitch Fix losing my first fix this month, then it miraculously showing up, I ended up with an extra bonus fix this month. Here’s what I got.

Pomelo – Salvatore crochet detailed V-neck shirt $58

This is a cute casual top, but I don’t see it being good for layering since there is a ton of crochet detail on the upper arm which looked weird under a cardigan. (It bunched up horribly.) By itself it is nice for warmer weather, and I can see myself wearing this with jeans and tennis shoes on a weekend. I felt it was a bit pricey for just a casual tee, but I liked the color and with the discount decided to keep it in the end.

41 Hawthorn – Milano twist front crew neck knit top $68

By itself I didn’t really care for this top because it showed every lump and bump of my jeans (and the fitbit I am wearing), but when I added a layer on top it was better. The fabric is incredibly soft and stretchy and I liked the color. This was one item I was hesitating about but ultimately decided to keep.

Stitch Fix February — With a white jean jacket

Tart – Corwin stripe cowlneck $68

I really liked this top. The colors were nice, the fabric was soft, and I liked the cowlneck with a short necklace. Definitely keeping this.

41 Hawthorn – Callafia short sleeve wrap dress $68

This was by far my favorite item in this fix. I love the color of the dress and the cut is perfect for work. I love the full skirt and how feminine I feel wearing this. These are probably not the shoes I’d end up wearing with it, but these happened to be close at hand so I threw them on.

Kensie – Kormann drape front open cardigan $78

As I’ve stated before, I really don’t love drapey cardigans and just don’t feel that they work well with my figure. They do nothing to define my waist, and end up emphasizing my widest area. Despite that, this cardigan was made of a super soft material, and a nice neutral grey tone. It felt so cozy on that I figured I might wear it on a weekend or maybe to work over a more fitted top. I did request that she send no more drapey cardigans since I have more than enough now, and I don’t particularly like the way they look, but for now I’m keeping this one since sending it back would have cost me the 25% discount.

Overall Impressions

Overall, I decided to keep everything in this fix in order to get the 25% discount. Without the discount, the individual pieces were way too expensive for what they were. The fabrics were ultra soft and comfortable, and the colors were soft and muted which I really liked. I hope to see more color in my March fix now that spring clothes are starting to come out in stores, but for now I’m happy to wear the muted winter colors.

If you enjoy reading my stitch fix reviews and would like to sign up, please click here to use my referral code. Thanks!

Darby Smart

February 16, 2014What I madeDarby Smart, Darby Smart February Review, Ink blot tilespacificnorthwestpear

I recently signed up for a new DIY subscription service called Darby Smart. For this subscription service, you have the option to sign up for a monthly box for $19 a month, or opt for a prepaid 6 month subscription or 12 month subscription at the same rate. The project is different each month and the type of craft varies.

This month I got my first box, and it was an ink blot coaster kit.

The kit contained the tiles, cork stickers for the bottoms, a prep fluid for the tiles, 3 colors of ink, a sponge brush, and some mod podge sealant.

The whole project took me about an hour, but I gave it some more time to dry. If you don’t like the way your tile turns out on the first try you can wash it off with soap and water and try again. I did this with the first two tiles because they got a bit streaky. My one suggestion to anyone trying this project would be to wear plastic gloves during the inking phase. I got ink all over my hands and neither soap and water nor nail polish remover could get it off. I’m sure it will eventually wear off.

Here are my finished projects:

I enjoyed the first project and can’t wait to see what next month will be.

My missing Stitch Fix has appeared!

February 15, 2014Stitch Fix Reviews41Hawthron, ezra, pear shaped body, Stitch Fix February, stitch fix review, TCEC, under skiespacificnorthwestpear

This afternoon we were pulling away from the house to go grab some lunch, and what did I see on my porch? A stitch fix box!! Apparently the one that was packed on 2/5 somehow magically made it’s way to my house. I eagerly opened it up to see what was inside, and while I wasn’t thrilled with what I saw, I ended up liking most of it. Here’s my February Fix.

I had asked for more patterned pieces this time, and apparently that amounted to stripes. At least there was only one solid colored piece.

Ezra Haines Striped Dolman Sleeve Top $48

By itself I don’t love this top. The scoop goes pretty low in the front and the back has a really open neck too which makes me feel cold. Since it is a nice light layer though with soft fabric I paired it with a military style jacket like the card suggested and it makes a great layering piece. Also looks cute with the necklace.

41Hawthorn Wrenn V-Neck Cap Sleeve Jersey Top $48

Again, by itself I don’t really care for this top. The color is nice and I like the neckline, but it needs to have a top layer. It also looked really cute with the necklace from this fix. Overall I’d say it’s a decent layering piece but definitely needs a good ironing first!

Under Skies Travers Short Sleeve Striped Knit Shirt $38

The fabric on this top is soft, but I’m not loving the navy and the sleeves were tight on my arms. (I seem to have abnormally large upper arms, despite almost never working out.) Again it would be cute under other items I own. I think it would look cute under a white jean jacket which I’ve been eying on the Old Navy site. I guess now I’ll have an excuse to buy it.

TCEC Roxanna Chevron Open Knit Cardigan $58

This was my least favorite piece. I’m not a fan of drapey cardigans (which I’ve stated in my profile before) and I don’t think this works for my body type. Since I was considering keeping the other 4 pieces I decided to go ahead and keep this in order to get the 25% discount. Otherwise this would have been going back.

Bay to Baubles Tatiana Delicate Rhinestone Pave Necklace

Love the necklace. It’s delicate but also unique. I’ll definitely be wearing this one a lot.

Overall Impressions

Nothing really thrilled me with this fix, but for the total price of $153 I decided to keep everything. I think some of the tops will make good layering pieces an I can definitely wear them under some of my favorite jackets. I had really been hoping for some patterned blouses, but maybe that’s just not something they are carrying right now.

If you like reading my stitch fix reviews and are interested in signing up for a fix, I’d be grateful if you use my referral code. Thanks!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14, 2014What I'm wearingBoden, outfit idea pear shape, red pencil skirt, stitch fix, Valentines Day outfitpacificnorthwestpear

Today I decided to dress up a bit more than usual since I’m going out to a movie after work with my hubby. I paired this stretchy red pencil skirt with a black heart print blouse and a pair of adorable scotty dog shoes. I’ve had these shoes for years but never had a chance to wear them until now.

And here are a few other outfits I put together this week.

This is a sweater and skirt I got from Boden and had been waiting for an opportunity to wear. The skirt is my favorite color and I love the fit and pattern of the sweater.

Heritage Sweater – Boden $76.80

Wool Skater Skirt – Boden $70.80

This is a wrap top I got in my last stitch fix, and I’m wearing it with a necklace I made from “For the Makers”. The top was an interesting piece and I’m glad it made it into my last fix.

Where is my Stitch Fix?

February 14, 2014Stitch Fix Reviewsstitch fix customer service, stitch fix lost packagepacificnorthwestpear

I am so disappointed by my Stitch Fix experience this month. I was originally scheduled for a fix on Wednesday February 5th while I was finishing presenting at a conference I had been dreading. I thought coming home to a stitch fix would have been the perfect “pick me up”. Instead, I went to check the tracking information and the label had been created and I could see what items were in the box, but by Wednesday it had never left the warehouse. I contacted stitch fix customer service, and 2 full days later, I finally got a reply that they had lost my fix and promised to send me a new one the following week on 2/14 a week and a half later than the original one. I figured that a Valentines Day Stitch fix would be pretty cool and anxiously awaited the new one.

Fast forward to 2/12, and once again I noticed that no label had been created and nothing had been sent. I knew it took a minimum of 2 days to ship so if it hadn’t shipped by Wed I wasn’t getting a fix for Valentines Day. I once again contacted customer service by replying to the original thread and asked what was going on.

Two days later (Valentines Day when my fix was supposed to be arriving) I finally get a response from them saying they are sorry but it happened again. Wait, seriously??? They lost my fix twice in one month? Supposedly the glitch in my account has been fixed and now they are saying I’ll get a fix on 2/21, a week from today. I checked my credit card and I had been charged the $20 styling fee for the 2/5 box that never shipped, so I hope they don’t charge me a second time. I’m feeling much less confident about the service overall, and highly dissatisfied with the amount of time it takes customer service to respond to issues. A two day delay per inquiry is not very good, and so far they haven’t offered me a credit or anything for the so called “glitch”.

I’m really hoping that my February box (If I ever receive it) is awesome and worth the wait. I’ll update this post when I have more information.

Update:

The 2/5 stitch fix showed up on my porch out of the blue ten days late. After trying everything on and deciding I’d keep it, I contacted customer service since there was no way for me to check out online and let them know that I got it. Within minutes, they had fixed my account and I could check out online. I’m still getting another box this month which is fine, but I was a bit surprised that when I had a problem it took 48 hrs to hear back, when I magically get a box and need to pay them money I get a response within minutes on a weekend no less. I’m grateful to have the whole thing sort of taken care of (there is still the extra box coming this month) but at least things sort of worked out and I got a box with some okay pieces for a decent price.

A Pear to Remember

How to dress a pear shaped body