Fashion - Pocketful of Joules

My November Stitch Fix: A Total Turkey?

It seems like it’s been a super long time since my last Fix in October, doesn’t it? I guess this past month has been so busy that it just FEELS like a lot of time has passed, but it’s really only been a month + a week.

I was actually thinking of skipping my November Fix because I’ve been working through my existing closet with #thejoulespurge and I’ve also done a bit of season-change-induced shopping. However, I LOVE being surprised with the clothes that Stitch Fix sends me so I decided to get a delivery right before Thanksgiving.

Maybe my hopes were too high though, because when I opened the box I was super disappointed…

{For my new friends, if you’re wondering what a Stitch Fix is, please check out this post. If you want to know why I spend money to have a stylist send me clothes and whether I’m getting rich off these reviews, click on this one. If you’re wondering if I ever regret a Stitch Fix purchase, give a clickty click over here. If you’re feeling super stalkery and want to see ALL my Stitch Fix posts, you get on with your bad self and click around here. Okay, all caught up? Let’s join the rest of the class now…}

In the notes section for this month’s Fix, here is what I put: “Stylist: Sara J again. It’s getting colder in Maryland so let’s do some layering stuff – sweaters, ¾ or full sleeve tops, a fun blazer, skinny jeans… I’m open to it all, I just hate to be cold! Also, check out my pinterest page because I updated it for fall!”

So, did I get anything to keep me warm? Is EVERYTHING going back? Let’s check it out together.

Actually, before we check it out I have to warn you that I kind of look like death warmed over in these pictures. I’ve been struck down with some kind of daycare plague and haven’t slept for the past three nights due to coughing ALL NIGHT LONG. I’ve tried cough medicines and nothing is working. At this point, I’ve coughed so hard that I burst a blood vessel in my eye and have actually made myself sick a couple of times. In short, it sucks. So if I look rough… that’s why.

On to the fashion show!

Item #1: Collective Concepts Melandry Dotted Chevron Print Blouse — $68
In the fall and winter, I tend to do a lot of layering so that I can deal with the freezing cold outside and the fluctuating temperatures at my various office locations. This type of shirt is perfect, because I can pair it with a blazer or cardigan for an extra layer of warmth. I can also throw on a tank top underneath it all to keep me extra toasty.

When I opened the box I liked the pattern with its fun mix of blues and greens. I feel like this pattern could go either way though and you may think it’s the ugliest thing you’ve ever seen. When I put it on though, I realized the fit was off on me. Instead of draping nicely, the buttons strained across my chest. So sad, otherwise I would have snapped this top up in a heartbeat! For my picture, I styled it with a pair of black skinny pants (Democracy, by way of Nordstrom Rack) and my leopard print heels (Target).

Keep or Return? It doesn’t fit, so it’s going back.

Item #2: Peppercorn Hazel Metallic Striped Knit Top — $48
When I opened this month’s Fix I was super excited to see a bit of metallic thread. With Christmas coming up, I like to add a little sparkle to my wardrobe. However, this sweater is pretty terrible in person – the fabric is SUPER itchy and it just fits like a big old uninteresting box. If it had a deep v-neck, it might have looked a bit more flattering… but as it is, I pretty much hate it. Even with my super cute red pants (a previous Stitch Fix) and my knee-high boots (Naturalizer).

Keep or Return? I hate it, so it’s going back.

Item #3: Kut From The Kloth Cia Boucle Sleeve Terry Moto Jacket — $98
First off, I’m kind of in love with anything from Kut from the Kloth. I never even tried this brand until Stitch Fix started sending it to me and now I search it out in stores (especially Nordstrom Rack where I’ve found some awesome deals). So, a big THANK YOU to Stitch Fix for introducing us! My initial thought when I saw this jacket was coming to me was, “ANOTHER moto jacket?!” I already got one in a previous Fix that I wear pretty regularly.

I decided to keep an open mind though, until I opened the box. BLEGH. So UGLY! I can’t even believe this is by the same brand that I’ve fallen in love with! The mix of fabrics is like a super cheap sweatshirt made dorky, awkward love with a grandma sweater. What. The. Heck. I tried it on anyway though, with my favorite jeans (Kut from the Kloth) and a pair of sparkly Toms. And um… well, does my face spell it out for you?

This is absolutely NOT living in my house, especially for $98?! I hated it so much that I immediately went into my Stitch Fix account and made a note that said, “no more moto jackets… I have plenty!”

Keep or Return? Nope. Not going to happen. Ever.

Item #4: 41Hawthorn Benson 3/4 Ruched Sleeve Blazer — $78
I specifically asked for a blazer in this month’s Fix because I have a lot of work events coming up which require me to be more dressed up. I have three in heavy rotation, a black one, a grey one and a green velvet one… so I wanted something different. I pinned a bunch of cute patterned blazers to my pinterest board, hoping that I’d get something similar. But instead, I got this. It is a navy blue sweatshirt material fitted blazer with stripes on the inside. I tried it on with a striped top from Anthropologie, my black work-horse pants (Democracy) and my leopard print wedges.

Sigh. It’s the SAME blazer I’ve seen on pretty much everyone for like a year now. Also, since it’s made out a super casual cotton there is no way I could wear it to work for an event. I was thinking about using it for a sweater replacement for work, but for being made out of such a comfy material this is really NOT very comfortable to wear. It has some pretty substantial shoulder pads, and the upper arms and back sections are both quite tight.

Keep or Return? GOING BACK.

Item #5: Kut From The Kloth Jonathan Corduroy Skinny Pant — $68
Okay, here we go. I know for a fact that Kut From the Kloth pants are my friends because I have a pair of their skinny jeans and a pair of their bootcut jeans. As you can imagine, after trying on all the rest of the losers in my box, I was crossing my fingers that these fit properly!

I don’t have any other skinny cords in my wardrobe and actually pinned a couple pairs on my Pinterest page with the thought that winter is coming and I could use a pair. I feel like these can be a really versatile piece for upcoming holiday events, normal weekend fun and even a more casual workday.

YAY, they fit! They are comfortable! The blue is pretty! We finally have a keeper. Which is great, because I really didn’t want to lose my $20 styling fee! Here’s a closer look at the shade of blue:

I styled them with a Daniel Rainn tank top from a previous fix, a pink cardigan (Marshalls) and my knee high boots (Naturalizer).

Keep or Return? Looks like they are my only keeper from this Fix!

Normally now is where I would ask you to help me decide what to buy… but the decision is pretty darn clear. To be honest, I was super disappointed in this Fix (hence the Turkey title). I had really hoped for an interesting blazer and a great sweater or two for the upcoming cold season. But that’s what you get with a service like this – sometimes you love them and sometimes you hate them.

I would love your feedback on my pictures from this month’s Fix though. This month I made them much bigger (instead of the collages I normally do) and included some close ups so you could see the details from each piece. Do you like this way better, or do you prefer I return to the old way of having a collage of a couple different outfits made from each item?

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Stitch Fix, I pay for the $20 styling fee and any clothing I purchase with my own hard-earned money. If you enjoyed my review and decide to try Stitch Fix for yourself, the biggest compliment you can give me is by using my referral link. Thank you to anyone who chooses to click through and support my shopping addiction!

Psssst…Do you love checking out what other people received in their Fixes? I added quick links to every single one of my reviews on my Stitch Fix Reviews page!

Learning from Pinterest: Boots + Jeans

I was always a bootcut jeans girl, so figuring out how to wear boots with my jeans was pretty darn easy. Put on jeans + stick boots under jeans = done. Easy peasy.

Over the past year, I’ve started liking more of the straight and skinny jeans styles. In the summer, it’s pretty easy to style them with Toms, flats or sandals… but once the weather started getting cold I was kind of at a loss.

Most of my jeans weren’t super tight at the ankles, so shoving them into the tops of my boots looked kind of odd to me. If I rolled them up, that looked kind of weird too. I know that other people seemed to figure this out easily, so I’m not really sure what my issue was.

So I did what every lady does in 2014… I checked Pinterest. You can check out my Wearing Jeans + Boots board here.

It seemed like there were three main ways of dealing with things:
1. Shoving the pants inside the boot.
2. Cuffing the jeans above the boot.
3. Wearing boot socks.

In the name of science, I decided to try them all out. I mean, I might as well do the work so you don’t have to, right?

Here are the pants I was working with: Kayla Skinny Jeans in Red (from this Stitch Fix post), Kate Spade Broom St Grey Denim Skinny Jeans (Nordstrom Rack), Kut from the Cloth Toothpick Skinny Jeans (Nordstrom Rack), and Kensie Sophia Distressed Jeans (from this Stitch Fix post).

I picked these four pairs of pants because they get the most wear out of my closet. The Kensie jeans are pretty tight at the ankle, which makes them easier to manipulate into boots, but the others are more of a straight bottom which can make things awkward.

Here are my favorite boots that I’ll be using to try each style:

A. Naturalizer Jovana boot – a pretty typical knee-high version.
B. Nine West short boot – a bit shorter, which can make them hard to style.
C. Cole Haan Air Tantivy boot – a medium height, which can be awkward.
D. Frye Wyatt Disk short boot – more of a “bootie” look.

Why yes, that is a pair of FRYES in my boot list! After I lucked out in Austin last week I went ahead and clicked ‘buy it now’ on a pair I was stalking on eBay. They go for $350 new, but I got them for $99! YAY for being patient and stalking shoes online!

Style #1: Shoving the pants inside the boot.
So when I first thought of how to throw on a pair of boots with skinny jeans, I figured I’d just shove those bad boys in there. In order to keep them inside the boots, there are a few Pinterest tips that can help: you can do a small roll of your jeans and then shove that into the boot, you can tuck your jeans into your short socks, or you can buy little straps that connect to your jean cuffs and go under your foot to hold them tight.

So this style seems to depend on the pants and the boot height. For the first picture it’s working with the mid-height Cole Haan boots, but looks a little stumpy. I think that the higher knee-high boots would look much more flattering. The grey jeans are not very tight at the bottom, so they look a bit sloppy stuffed into the Fryes. As for the distressed jeans and grey Nine West boots, this is how I typically wear them. Since they are pretty fitted at the ankle, it’s easy to stuff them inside the boot.

Style #2: Cuffing the jeans above the boot.
It seems that many people deal with the weird shoving the jeans in the boot issue by cuffing their jeans above their boots, showing off either skin or cute socks. Here’s an example pin with socks and one without socks.

Ok, the red jeans are a mess. They are just too baggy to cuff above the boot and it looks pretty ridiculous. I’m also not loving the dark blue jeans cuffed — it’s not terrible and I’d probably leave the house like this, but something about the bulkiness of the cuff isn’t doing it for me. The only one that’s really working for me is the skinny distressed jeans. I actually like the look of the cuff with a pair of neutral socks peeking out.

Style #3: Wearing boot socks.
Apparently boot socks are all the rage and you can totally buy them at department stores, specialty stores and on etsy. Or, you can make your own using thrift store sweaters or old socks. I bought a couple $3 sweaters from my local Goodwill to try this out myself.

Now this is a style I can totally get behind, because it seems to work well with my tall boots and my medium-height boots. All I did was take a couple sweaters and cut the sleeves off! The boot socks do double duty of keeping my legs extra warm and also looking pretty darn cute. I’m thinking a sparkly sweater cuff could look snazzy peeking out for the holidays. Or, you could sew on a pretty button or pin on a jeweled broach. A little tip, when you’re buying thrift sweaters to use… go for a medium or a large. Both of the ones I bought were size small and I think the cream pair would look better if they weren’t stretched so tight.

I’m really glad I tried this little exercise because it helped me figure out how to mix and match boots and pants from my own closet, without going on a shopping spree for jeans with tighter ankles. So, get used to seeing me in lots of jeans and boots this winter!

Am I the only one who had issues with the whole boots and jeans combo? Did you find my examples helpful at all? Do you have a boots + jeans tip I should try?

4 True&Co Favs and a Giveaway

I’ve talked about True&Co a couple times before, here and here. However, now that I’ve lived in their stuff for a while, I wanted to give you my list of favorites that have stood the test of time.

If by ‘test of time’ I mean wearing their stuff nonstop. Washing it. Then wearing it some more.

And, because I want you guys to be just as comfy as I am, I’m giving TWO of you $100 each to spend at True&Co!

Here are my 4 ABSOLUTE favorite items that are in heavy rotation in my life:

Favorite #1: The Marielle
I love this bra. The first time I tried it on (in white) I liked it, but didn’t totally love it. Then, they came out with a blue polka dotted version! Oh my goodness, it’s the prefect mix of supportive, sexy and cute (kinda like my husband…hubba hubba). I liked it so much I bought it in ALL three colors!

Favorite #2: Cute & Comfy Hipsters
These are pretty much the only panties I wear now. They look a bit large in the picture, but they are quite sassy, while still holding your butt in check. You probably won’t like them if you’re a thong kinda girl… but I’ve NEVER been a thong kinda girl so I really don’t know what it is that you like about having fabric up your crack.

Favorite #3: The Pure Plus
This is one of the first items I purchased from True&Co and it’s still getting lots of wear. It has just a hint of padding, which makes it perfect for those chilly days. Also, it’s a gorgeous bright pink… who doesn’t want to see THAT when they change their clothes?!

Favorite #4: Sheer Even More Shaper
Sometimes my tummy needs a little help. Maybe it’s because my pencil skirt is a little unforgiving. Perhaps I shouldn’t have had that extra (few) handfuls of candy corn before slipping on a dress for my friend’s wedding. I LOVE this shaper. It holds everything in where it should be and smoothes it all out too. The best part is that the leg openings have silicone grip that keeps them from sliding up! It’s super comfortable and it gets the job done, what’s not to love?

I have to give an honorable mention to the She Walks in Beauty and Light Made in Stars bra the nice people at True&Co sent me a surprise goodie box of some items from their fall collection and this was one of the ones that I tried on and didn’t bother to take it back off. The fit is great, the fabric is soft and the color is SO PRETTY. It also has a pair of sexy-as-all-get-out matching panties. Va-va-VOOM!

Does your lingerie drawer need an overhaul? Well, I’m giving away $100 for you to spend at True&Co on ANYTHING you want. Two of you will be winners, so tell your friends!

For your first entry all you have to do is leave a comment below telling me what makes you feel sassy and then click through to Rafflecopter to let them know that you commented. You can also earn extra entries by following me elsewhere on the web. The winner will be chosen on Friday, November 14th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you’d like to check out True&Co they gave me a special referral link for my readers to use where you can save $25 off your order (no minimum purchase limit and no expiration date). Please note, I will receive a small referral reward if you use the link. So thank you to anyone who chooses to click through and support my shopping addiction.

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by True&Co, I just LOVE their service so much that I wanted to tell you all about my favorites. I do receive referral rewards when readers click through my special referral link, which is how I earned the credits to give away $200 to the winners.