All posts by pacificnorthwestpear

Spring Outfits

May 16, 2015What I'm wearingAnthropologie, Boden, Golden Tote, Loft, Old Navy, stitch fixpacificnorthwestpear

Here’s a few pics of what I’ve been wearing this spring.

Old Navy Dress

I think they sold out of this, but I got this striped tank dress from Old Navy in the early spring. I paired it with a blue cardigan from Banana Republic.

Moto Style Jacket and Metallic Ballet Flats

I got this moto jacket the day after Christmas when shopping with my cousin. I decided to pair it with a sweater tee from Paris, my metallic pink ballet flats and layered gold jewelry.

Peach Sweater

The sweater is from Target, the tee from Boden, necklace from Charming Charlie and the jeans from Ann Taylor Loft.

Black and White

Black and white blouse from Loft, Jeans from Loft, and pop of blue with my flats from DSW. The white jacket is from Old Navy.

Black and White Part 2

I found these curvy capris at Kohls and was so happy! Cute patterned pants that fit me, very rare. The top is from Target and the necklace an old stitch fix.

Golden Tote top

This white blouse was from one of my recent Golden Totes and I paired it with some gold jewelry from Charming Charlie and a suede moto jacket.

Anthropologie Dress

For work I paired this with an off white linen/denim jacket. I love this dress and the fit is right on for me.

Stitch Fix – Revisited

May 16, 2015Stitch Fix ReviewsFun2Fun, Loveappella, Stitch Fix May 2015 Review, Stitch Fix pear shaped body, subscription box reviewspacificnorthwestpear

After viewing what some other customers had been getting for their spring stitch fix, I decided that I would give it another try. In November I had decided that it just wasn’t working for me and cancelled my monthly boxes but I wanted to see if their inventory had changed so I signed up for a single box in May. In the comments I asked for a midi or maxi skirt, a colorful blouse and requested a pale pink top I had seen on someone else.

Here’s what I got.

Marlyn Schiff – Lia Pave Bead Necklace $34

At first glance I didn’t care for this necklace, but once I put it on I actually liked the look.

Loveapella – Hondi Lace Detail Knit Top $54

Didn’t love the color of this until I put it on and it is sooo soft and comfy! It will be a great weekend shirt or casual workday shirt.

Fun2Fun – Marlena Abstract Print Tab Sleeve Blouse $48

This was the attempt at a “colorful blouse”. I guess I need to be more specific and say “bright happy color blouse” which is really what I meant. The colors in this are dull and neutral but when I put it on the fit was flattering and I like the print from a distance.

Brixon Ivy – Lex Textured Floral Knit Fit & Flare Dress $74

This is a nice fit and flare dress and I am in love with the colors. Yellow is my favorite color so it was nice to see something in a shade I had kept requesting in the past. I wish the neckline was a little higher because without the necklace it looks really bare and I feel more exposed than I’m comfortable with at work. I’ll just pair it with a jacket on top for work I guess.

Gilli – Alanis Maxi Skirt $44

So no midi skirts for me, but this maxi had a nice pattern. The puzzle to me was why she sent it in a size small? I had requested mediums for bottoms and this was an extremely form fitted bottom so why the size small??? I was really debating sending this one back, but it was comfortable and I found a top in my closet that really worked with it and ended up wearing it the next day to work.

Overall Impressions

Surprisingly I ended up keeping all of the items from this stitch fix! At first glance I wasn’t thrilled with the picks, but once I started trying things on I ended up wanting to keep all of it. Despite the success of this box I am not super jazzed about signing up for another one and would rather reserve my clothing budget for things like Golden Tote and Boden. But for May I’m pretty happy with what I got.

April Golden Tote Review

May 3, 2015Golden Tote Reviewsclothing subscription reviews, Ellison, Golden Tote April 2015 review, Jella C., Oat & Fawn, outfit ideas pear shaped body, pear shaped body, Renee Cpacificnorthwestpear

My Golden Tote for April arrived on May 1st. (They keep slipping dates with the launches which is starting to put them into the next month.) This month I was extremely excited for the black spring chic maxi dress but when I tried to get a tote on the launch day, the site (as usual) had tons of problems and kept timing out and leaving things out of the cart and several hours later when I was finally able to get it working they had sold out of all sizes of the black maxi. They restocked a week later but they only had small left by the time I got to the site so I decided I’d try to make it work.

What I ordered clearly stated on my receipt:

Spring Chic Maxi Dress
Bring on Spring Sweatshirt in white with pineapple and palm tree print

What I got:

Spring Chic maxi dress
Bring on Spring Sweatshirt in BLUE with anchors and boats

I was not very happy that they sent me the wrong item, but when I went to the site they were all sold out of the white one in my size.

The Tote

Spring Chic Maxi Dress – size small

Because I ended up ordering the small, the gathered elastic waist was a bit tight and uncomfortable. I have since made a few alterations on the dress and let out the elastic at the front sides so it’s much more comfortable now. After I put this dress on I feel like it makes me look like I have man arms so I’m not as happy with it as I expected.

Bring on Spring Sweatshirt – Blue NOT white as ordered

I have to say, this is the softest thing I’ve ever worn. I immediately wore it the day I tried it on and am wearing it this morning as I type up my review. SO soft and cozy. I wish it was the white color, but I’m happy nevertheless. I ended up ordering this in a small since on the larger model it looked really over-sized in a medium and I the small definitely works.

Oat & Fawn Animal Print Blouse – Pugs

It’s a little bizarre to have a pug print on the blouse since I don’t have a dog, but its cute nevertheless. I like the print from a distance and the fit is okay. It’s a little loose and large but I think a smaller size would have been tight across the shoulders.

Renee C Blouse with Chevron Print Sleeves and Back

The front fabric on this is a little scratchy but the back and sleeves are soft. I like the print and the shape, I’ll probably wear it to work this week.

Ellison Candy Print Button Down

While I don’t love the tunic length on this, the color and print and super cute. The fabric is also nice and soft. I’ll just have to wear a wide belt with it to give me some shape and definition. Maybe with white jeans?

Jella C Lace Flared Midi Skirt

Love the fabric and the fit, just not sure what to wear with this? I was thinking maybe a muted pink tee and an army jacket? Not sure what to pair this one with. Also it’s a bit see through…

Overall Impressions

Overall, I think this was a decent tote. I LOVE the blue sweatshirt and the black dress will be good now that I’ve done alterations. The pug blouse and white chevron print blouse will be good for work and the green blouse maybe for weekends. I am looking forward to the May Golden Tote which launches on May 11th, but I’ve only seen a few previews so far.

PopSugar Must Have Box April

April 11, 2015PopSugar Reviewspacificnorthwestpear

The April PopSugar Must have box has arrived, and this time I’d rate it as “so-so”.

It looks like the theme is along the lines of “April showers bring May…herbs?”

Dabney Lee – Dottie Umbrella $20

I love this! It’s navy blue with white polka dots and a pink handle. Plus it has an auto open and close feature. I’m really curious to see how it auto closes but I haven’t tried it in the house yet.

One Love Organics – Gardenia + Tea Antioxidant Body Serum $39

The packaging is a strange little spray bottle and it promises to help moisturize your skin. After sitting in the sun on my vacation my skin has really started drying out so I sprayed some on my legs this morning and rubbed it in. It has an oily texture and smells quite nice. It didn’t do much for moisture though and I need to add some body lotion to my legs, but I’m really dry right now.

Produce Candles – Rhubarb Spring Candle $20

This has a very subtle natural scent and I think my husband might even be okay with me burning it in the kitchen. (He’s generally opposed to things that have any scent.) I’ll give this a try next time I want to neutralize kitchen odors.

Flip & Tumble – 24/7 Bag – $12

I already have a few of these bags, my Mom got me hooked a while back. I don’t have this color so I’m happy to add it to my collection. I usually stash one in my purse so I can use it when I’m out shopping or when I need to throw a few extra things in to transport back and forth to work. I love reusable bags. This also came with a coupon for my next purchase from flip & tumble.

Potting Shed Creations – Garden-in-a-bag Basil – $10

I’m not a huge fan of Basil, but I do love gardening and growing things so I’ll get this started right away. It’s a pretty cool idea to have an herb garden you can grow in a bag.

Mott 50 – $25 gift card

This one went straight in the trash after I visited their website. It’s all super expensive and nothing I’d be interested in. Rash guards and expensive cover ups. No thanks.

Overall, it’s not my favorite box, but I like the body serum and umbrella and the candle smells nice so I feel that it was worth the money. I still love getting surprises each month.

Golden Tote March 2015

April 4, 2015Golden Tote ReviewsAthleta, Golden Tote March 2015, Golden Tote review, pear shaped bodypacificnorthwestpear

My Golden Tote has finally arrived for March. (It took 3 weeks to get here!) They really need to work on their customer service. It shouldn’t take 3 weeks to get an order and the sale launch was delayed because of problems with their new website.

Here’s what I got.

These are the two items I picked

Touch of Spring Top

Golden Tote March 2015 — Golden Tote Touch of Spring Top

I like this top, it’s a soft lightweight material and the mixed media looks great with these black pants from Athleta.

Striped Blazer

I wish I had ordered this in a small. When I pull the two sides together as if I was going to close it (it has no buttons) it fits nicely, but when it hangs open like you’d wear it it looks too loose and shapeless. It makes me look heavy and bulky which is not what I was going for.

Kerisma Ombre Sweater – Blue

This is one of my favorite surprise items. I love the color (it seems more purple to me) and it’s super soft. It is a high-lo sweater which I don’t always love, but the color and fabric make up for it.

Le Lis Leopard Print Blouse

Out of the box I thought I liked this the least, but when I put it on it is so silky and nice and I decided I could pair it with some cute jewelry and maybe a blazer to make it work.

Love Stitch 3/4 Sleeve Tassel Top – Blush

The hem on this is not very well made and it is just blousy. I’ll try to make it work with some lighter colored jeans and different sandals. I like the boho trend but these loose flowy tops don’t usually work for me.

Renee C Work Blouse – White

Another Hi-Lo top. These items really need ironing. I don’t care for the fit of this but maybe I can pair it with something to make it work.

Overall, this months Golden Tote was okay. I like one of the items I picked and a few of the surprises, but nothing really wow-ed me. I’m wondering what they will have for their April sale which starts April 13th.

Boden Spring Picks

April 4, 2015What I'm wearingBoden Spring 2015, Outfits pear shaped bodypacificnorthwestpear

I had been dog-earing the latest Boden catalogs with zeal and finally decided to break down and order some of my picks. I had been waiting until the weather warmed up because I don’t like having new clothes that I can’t wear for many months. I often end up forgetting about them or not being as excited when it’s finally time to wear them. Here’s what I got:

Casual Dip Back Sweater

To me this was much more like a sweatshirt than a sweater, but I loved it. I wore it to work the next day and it was super cozy. The inventory is running low on this one.

Sundowner Dress

Looking at this picture now I’m sad that I returned it, but when I tried it on I found that the neckline was just too low for me to feel comfortable at work. Because of the way the dress is made with pleats at the top it sort of bloused out when I sat down and it was very low cut. For this reason it just didn’t feel conservative enough for work but it was cute on. I loved the fabric and pattern and could have paired it with any color cardigan.

Pretty Pleat Skirt and The Shirt

I had originally wanted this skirt in the mustard and grey color and had just been waiting to buy it but it was out of stock in my size so I got the red and blue instead. I absolutely love the colors in person. This is a very flattering skirt and I can’t wait to wear it. I wonder if I should have gotten the long length just to be a little more work appropriate but my husband said it looked very professional and flattering and I should keep it.

I didn’t care for the shirt though and that went back. I found the material very stiff and un-moving and I prefer softer fabrics on button ups. I’ll pair the skirt with a different white button down.

Pall Mall Dress

I really like this dress from the front, but in the back there is a seam that sticks out funny at the bottom and it makes me look almost like I have a tail or something. I’m hoping if I iron it or wear it for a while it will be less stiff and look less odd. Overall it’s a cute dress though.

Polka Dot Printed Jersey Shirt

I love this knit blouse. I already have it in a dachshund print and was excited to see it in red polka dots. It looks super cute tucked into skirts too. I have a few more items that I ordered after this batch so I’ll do another post when those arrive.

A Pear to Remember

How to dress a pear shaped body