This One or That One
Or the other one.
Yes, once again I’m going to ask your opinion. It’s not like I can’t make up my own mind…or like I’m going to count up the votes and let the majority decide…but I do like reading the comments and sometimes someone has a thought I didn’t have and it pushes me off the fence. Sometimes just carefully crafting the pros and cons list for each item, I push *myself* off the fence. Either way, it’s sorta like going shopping with a girlfriend…”whatcha think of this one, grrl??”
SO. I see now that I have a little bit of a problem. A STRIPE problem. As in, I keep buying things with stripes. Mostly black and white (or white and black) but also some navy and white. And I can justify most of them, but just this week I brought home, guess what – a black and white striped top – and when I went to hang it in the closet, I realized it is EXTREMELY similar to one I bought just a few weeks ago and haven’t even worn yet.
In the picture above, going from right to left (I know, just bear with me), that’s a navy and white striped dress, then a navy and white striped long sleeved tee. Then a short sleeved black and white tee…then two short sleeved white with black stripes tees…and lastly a long sleeved back tee with white stripes. So you can see they’re all slightly different…EXCEPT the 2 short-sleeved white with black stripes tee shirts.
Those are the two I want to hear opinions on. They both still have their tags on and are within a returnable time frame.
#1 is from Target, Ava & Viv, a 4x for $16.99, it’s very a lightweight, almost silky cotton blend. This one seems a little sportier to me, and I would wear it like this or over jeans with sneakers. I’d wear this erranding, shopping, etc.
#2 is from Rainbow, it’s a 3x, was $7.99, my first “cold shoulder” top, and the softest thing ever, like if “sueded cotton” was a thing, this would be that. It’s a good length for leggings or jeans and I think the cold shoulder elevates it just slightly above v-neck #1 as far as where I would I wear it and what I would wear it with. This I would wear out with girlfriends for coffee or drinks in the evening, with flats.
So, while they’re a LITTLE different, they’re really essentially the same shirt and either could work for casual day or evening. And do I really need TWO? If I returned the Target top, that’s $17.99 that could go towards something else. What else am I going to get for $7.99 if I return the Rainbow one?
BUT.
Ha.
There’s also this. A little older, showing a little wear, but not bad by any stretch of the imagination, I have…
The peanut gallery watches the picture-taking with such interest
#3. Yes, it’s more “black with white” than “white with black,” but really. It’s a bigger fit…leaning a little towards schlubby in my view…but I COULD return BOTH the other tops and have $26 to put towards something else I ACTUALLY need and don’t already have…like a kimono to go over my green dress…or, ha, SHOELACES (I’ve been looking for elastic shoelaces because bending over to tie my sneakers is really an uncomfortable prospect).
So, there we have le Challenge du Jour. We’re not saving the world here, but…sometimes it’s nice to be included in a manageable challenge.
What say ye?
Maggie
I like the first one better than the second (but I’m not a fan of the cold shoulder, so I could just be biased). I like the way the sides hang lower on the first instead of the way they go up on the second. I know that’s weird, sorry! BUT, since they’re both similar to the one you already have, I would go for option 3, return both of them, and buy something else!
Fashion Schlub
Ooh, good eye, Maggie, on the different hemlines, I hadn’t even noticed that!
artbymandymeow
tend to agree with maggie, 100% – I don’t like the cold shoulder trend myself so even though I actually like the cut of that one the best, to me it’s out right away. I think the 1st one is the next best but, again, agreeing with maggie, the 3rd one is still good so why not just keep that and try something totally different?!
Fashion Schlub
I REALLY wish I could return #3 – ha, but that has been in my closet several years, I’m stuck with it for now!
artbymandymeow
Yeah I feel like the return date has expired on that one haha. But it still looks great on you so you’re still on top!
Iris Smale
Well, I like #2 the best, and normally I’m not a big fan of the cold shoulder either. However, since you already have a number of black and white (don’t think you can ever have too many of those – not according to my closet anyway), #2 is different – probably different than what you normally wear. This draws your eyes to the shoulders, not the rest of your body and I think is slimming. Not crazy about #1, not a fan of V necks.
Fashion Schlub
Thanks, Iris! I love hearings everyone’s reasons for liking what they like and what they don’t.
Donna
2 and 3 look too big for you. Did you try the smaller size?
Take them back and save up for those fabulous dresses we love that you keep sending back.
Fashion Schlub
Hi Donna, thanks for stopping by!
Well, #3 I’ve owned for 2 years so no taking that back 🙂 And yes, things looking too big is par for the course when you’re as big as I am through the stomach/hips/butt…when an item is begin enough to skim over that area easily, it’s usually then too big in the shoulders and neck. And I hate wearing things that sort of “catch” on my stomach (if that makes sense) so I end up with the “too big on top” scenario a lot. I know about altering but would really only spend that extra money on an item I thought I was going to have a long time, to recoup my investment. In the end, I returned #1, the v-neck tee from Target, and kept the cold-shoulder one cuz it’s unlike anything else I have in my closet.