What I Bought in July
After June’s “no clothing purchases” goal AND the fact that after three months of working from home I was feeling Very Bored with my wardrobe, I was afraid I’d go wild in July, but I managed to keep it to a dull roar. I think?
What I kept
I’ve been looking for a few specific things -two from my “need” list: short sleeve work shirts for hot weather, and a skirt…and a new “need” born out of months of working from home: easy, loose, natural fiber dresses. When it’s super hot, they’re all I want to wear, and I only have four that really fit the bill…and a 5-day workweek. Do the math.
J CREW SHORT SLEEVE POPOVER IN LINEN, 3X
This ticks a lot of boxes: short sleeve, casual but more elevated than a tee-shirt, linen, white. And I think it will be perfect when I take it to the tailor to get two little side slits put in it. It’s just a little snug around the bottom part. NotĀ awful, but it could so easily be just right. And then it will go over jeans and slacks…and the navy skirt below if I can ever get into it š
J Crew Pleated midi skirt, size 22
Navy pleated skirt. White Sneakers. Can’t. Go. Wrong.
In theory, ha. The reality is that I bought a size 22, when my actual size is 24, because the 24 was sold out and I’ve been watching for this skirt to come back in stock since last fall and I thought MAYBE I could squish myself into a 22, and it was on sale for TWENTY DOLLARS. I think last year when I first started watching it, it was $99. So it seemed worth the risk.
But it IS too small. I probably COULD get it buttoned but I think the button would pop right off from too much tension. It’s smaller than my size and there’s no elastic. But being a clearance item there’s no backsies so I’m just hanging onto it for now. I’ll take it with me to the tailor and ask about maybe inserting some elastic into the waistband?
ONESTI RILEY LIGHTWEIGHT OPEN WEAVE KNIT SWEATER, SIZE 3X
This was an impulse buy. I saw it on a new online plus-size boutique (I’ve been seeing more and more of them popping up online, HALLELUJAH, it’s about time!) on Instagram and gave it a try. I was thinking I could wear this over my sleeveless dresses with GIANT ARMHOLES, so they’re work appropriate without having to wear a long cardigan…but that didn’t quite work. I do like the sweater so want to find a cami (I can stand) to wear underneath it.
OSIE-DURO LAYER DRESS IN BULLFROG BY MOONLIGHT, SIZE 3X
Ohhh Lordy! I hold Marielle Elizabeth personally responsible for my obsession with Osie-Duro! She included this company in her wonderful list of ethically made brands that make clothing in a size larger than an 18.
This dress is a DREAM! It’s a lightweight, swishy, drapy rayon batiste that is lovely to wear. I want it in every color and pattern. I need to have it taken up just a smidge from the shoulders as it hangs just a little low and droopy at the waist on me (I’m 5’3″), but otherwise, IT IS THE JUNAROSE DRESS REINCARNATE and I’m in heaven. This was my birthday present to myself (thank you, Afterpay) and I may treat myself to one more if my size comes back in stock. Actually, I have someone from the company checking to see exactly how much smaller the 2x is than the 3x, cuz I might be better off in a 2x.
I also want this one…
And this one…
And if money were no object (please, when is that??), this one..
Read about the good work of the company here.
BIRKENSTOCKĀ ARIZONA SOFT SLIDE SANDAL TAUPE
BIRKENSTOCKĀ MADRID HEX SLIDE SANDALĀ COGNAC
These are the “new Mephistos.” Just a simple slide like the Mephistos are, but a bit more elevated. They’re the “dressy Birkenstocks.” Also very comfortable, but the leather strap vs suede on the Arizonas is a little more difficult break-in period, so I’m only wearing them for short spurts so far. I really wanted them in a yellow ochre color but I couldn’t find them in my size in the US. And outside the US they were $25 shipping and I thought if I didn’t like them or they didn’t fit, then that’s a $25 return ticket, so I’d have spent $50 on shoes I wasn’t keeping. I’m not a Rockefeller.
Do people still use that reference? I doubt The Young People do š They’re probably like “I’m not a Gates/Bezos/Zuckerberg.”
NOT SURE IF I’M KEEPING
TARGET AVA & VIV PLUS SIZE FLORAL PRINT SHORT SLEEVE WRAP DRESS, SIZE 3X
This is definitely a work dress, not a play dress. It’s typical Target, cheap’n’cheerful.Ā A nice lightweight rayon in a fun print but it’s just BIG on me. I’m shocked to think maybe I should start going down a size in dresses? That hardly seems possible, and yet…all three of these in my usual size (3x/22-24) are just overall large. Not just too long, but too large. I’m on the fence about this one – it would need alteration to be wearable, it’s too long, and too droopy from shoulder to waist. I need to find this magical Tailor Person.
ELOQUII STRIPED LINEN DRESS, SIZE 22
Ditto the above, overall a little large but this seems to be an easier (read: less costly) alteration because there are no sleeves. It’s cute. I am just realizing I have not done “the sit test” on either of these dresses and I need to, since they would primarily be work dresses. But this one, with my new cognac Birkenstock slides (above), my cognac Able tote, and a denim jacket in the fall? That would be perfection. But only if I can sit at my work desk without “showin’ the boys what I got.” This one needs to go to the tailor, too, to see what adjustment can be done and how much it will cost.
TRADLANDS NICO LINEN DRESS CAROLINE PRINT, SIZE 3X
I was SO EXCITED for this dress. I’d seen it back in the spring on Instagram and was likeĀ That’s It! That’s the New Junarose Dress!Ā But it was pricey…and it was not a good time for that…and by the time I felt like I could swing it, it was out of stock in my size. So I stuck it in Shoptagr with a note to be reminded when it came back in stock. And I was so bummed cuz I just knew This Was The Dress.Ā SO, when it came back in stock in my size, I snatched it right up, using Afterpay, rather than paying for it outright. Then I waited.
Oh, the lovely times I was going to have in that dress! It was going to be my new go-to summer dress! Then it arrived. And it is NOT the dress. I’d been concerned about the fit, cuz it seemed like it might be a tinch tight through the belly/hips area…and that was not the problem at all. ItĀ was tight across the back and in the sleeves, which is weird…but the worst of it was theĀ fabric. It’s a lyocell linen blend, which should be a lovely lightweight, softly draping fabric. Instead, it feels like a heavy, coated upholstery fabric! I just can’t even…fathom how this fabric can be those two lovely things and feel like THIS. I almost feel like this particular dress is some sort of aberration that slipped past quality control. I’m so disappointed. It’s that style and cut I love, and I’m obsessed with the print (!!!) but it was just not meant to be. It’s already been returned and refunded.
And that’s all she wrote!
This post contains affiliate links, which means that I may receive a small commission if you buy something as a result of clicking that link, at no extra cost to you. I appreciate you shopping through my links.
jodie filogomo
I love the white top with the v. I do think it has a more elevated feel. And you know as a “fix it” girl, there could be a fix for the bottom. Adding slits??
I love both of those Target dresses and why just for work? I think they are great for both!!
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
bettyewp
Yeah, I think I said I said I was going to take it to the tailor and have side slits put in.
The Target and Eloquii dresses are “work” and not “play,” because when it’s hot, when I want to be comfortable, I NEVER reach for something with a waistband. Maybe in the fall when it gets cooler, I might wear them out to dinner…but they wouldn’t be my choice to sit on a beach or in the shade at a park on a weekend. Those are my other 4 dresses. The shapeless, no waist-seam, natural fiber ones.
Now I have to find the name of that tailor from Nextdoor Neighborhood. I’m not trying the dry cleaner tailors anymore, that has never been successful for me.
Marian
The Osie-Duro dresses are lovely. I love the colors, dye and Iāll bet the fabrics are light, comfy and last forever. They are an impressive company. Loved their website showing all the techniques.
You can sit indoors and say āI donāt need new clothes, who sees me?ā for a while and then one day, bam, āIām sick of my clothes! I want…I want…I want….ā. I suppose thatās normal.
bettyewp
And now that I’m back in the office 5 days a week I didn’t want to just wear the same 4 dresses over and over…and being outside in the heat last weekend when we were away I realized I don’t have good HOT HOT weather playclothes right now. I feel like I’m never fully equipped to be 100% comfortable and appropriate in all the situations of my normal life. Are other people?
Rita
Hi Bettye, if that J Crew skirt is just a little bit too tight these may work:
https://www.amazon.com/Extender-Luxiv-Waistband-Pregnancy-Extenders/dp/B07QW5Z8CM/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=button+extender+for+pants&qid=1596219327&sr=8-9
They’ve saved me a few times. Too bad that last linen dress didn’t work out. What a cute print it is.
bettyewp
ooohhhh….that’s interesting. I’ve seen people do something similar with jeans and just a ponytail holder…I’ll have to try that. Thanks!
Iris
I love the Osie-Duro dresses (I think I got that right), especially the first one. They look SO comfty. Glad the shoes worked well for you. That’s where I have my worse problem.
Grace & Peace,Iris
http://www.IrisOriginalsRamblings.com
bettyewp
It really needs a bit of altering but I wore it this morning anyway for a shoot and it was a delight. Easy breezy.
Yeah, shoes are definitely another story. Ya gotta kiss a LOTTA frogs before you find the perfect shoe!
julia
You’re only 5’3″? I swear, I thought you were maybe 5’6″ or 7″. You seem taller here. Hmmmmm. Interesting. Do you think maybe they had to much sizing on that last dress’s fabric? You know the stuff that makes the fabric more stiff? Too bad it didn’t work out because it’s got potential!
bettyewp
Hahahahaha no Iām SHORT! With REALLY short legs!
bettyewp
Oops hit send accidentally. My short legs and long torso were the bane of my existence for my riding years. My girlfriend and I were exactly the same height but her legs came up almost to my waist. SHE had good riding legs. I was constantly battling my physical attributes. Anyway, sizing, hmm. Maybe. This had like a coated feel to it, like it had a slight sheen to it. It felt so unpleasant to wear, truly like wearing cheap draperies. And I so loved the print and colors! It was a real
Disappointment.
Deborah Stinedurf
You did magnificently! I love, love, love the navy skirt & open weave sweater…maybe paired together? And of course you know that my love for Birks runs deep. xo
Debbie
http://www.fashionfairydust.com
bettyewp
I love the open weave sweater, too…still playing around with styling it. I’m not a cami fan so I’m struggling with what to wear under it…but I think once I get it sorted out I’m gonna love it long time. I’m seeing lots of soft cream monochromatic outfits.
And yeah, we can be Birk Sisters!
xoxo