Summer Inspirations: Cloud Gray

Day Dresses by Anthropologie
Platforms by Miu Miu

Pittsburgh is overcasted with clouds so often and although we've had plenty of bouts of sun lately, I find myself gravitating toward Steel City grays. I love this printed dress by Stella McCartney in theory (and it is on sale on the Outnet) but I don't know what it would look like on a person. Probably not as cute as is does sans human.

Chicago Trip: Outfits and Fitting Room Reviews from Anthropologie and Barneys

The above are from Friday evening, after we both got a little sunburnt and were a little exhausted, enjoying the outdoor music of Summer Dance. I am wearing the Burlapp Bold Boutonnière dress with the Cartography Cardigan, both from Anthropologie. Chris is wearing a Penguin polo.

While we had meant to venture outside of the Loop on Friday evening, we ran out of time and energy. That morning we had taken an unexpectedly long walk from our hotel to Chinatown, then from Chinatown to the lakefront by way of Soldier Field. Thankfully we were dressed comfortably (I'm in Old Navy shorts and an SJP Bitten top).

We instead ended up going to North Michigan and thereabouts on Saturday morning, before the wedding.

We stopped off at the lake again, in between stores. Chris is wearing a James Perse polo, Robert Marc sunglasses, Earnest Sewns, and Asics.

I tried on this incredibly beautiful and fancy 3.1 Phillip Lim sequined dress that was on significant sale but passed because it was slightly too short for my comfort zone. This is a size 8 and it fit fine otherwise so although 3.1 usually runs large, this was pretty true.

I also tried on this funny wrap dress by A.P.C. which I can't find online. This is a large. Although normally APC runs pretty large, this one ran true to size and fit just a little big. I tried on a few other things at Anthropologie too. 

The Salty Seas dress in a size 6 fit me awkwardly.

This clock print Lost Time skirt (size 8) poofed in a way that made me uncomfortable but was otherwise true to size. I paired it with a sale top.

While in the Coop section of Barneys, I grabbed this Ella Moss silk floral dress with a tank shell in size medium (same print different style here). It reminded me very much of the floral print dress I wore to my 8th grade harvest dance in 1994. I actually ended up buying this one and wearing it later that day with some t-strap Chies (similar here), a Forever 21 belt, and a black Balenciaga Day.

For laughs, Chris tried on this Balenciaga suit vest thing at Filene's. He ended up buying an NSF jacket from Barneys. He wore it to an art exhibit we visited in Pittsburgh this week (shown on the right).

We had such a nice trip but didn't have time to do everything we had hoped. I wanted to meet up with a few friends. My friend Jess's band was playing and I was looking forward to meeting Kim from Anthroholic. Sadly, trips always fly by much faster than you can anticipate in the planning stages beforehand and with a wedding and other firm plans in place, other things end up being impossible to fit into the schedule. Hopefully next time we can do even more!

Anthropologie Review: Tiny Windows Dress (now on sale)

While in Chicago I stopped by an Anthropologie and tried on a few things. One of them was the Tiny Windows Dress. It is very charming in person. The swiss dot fabric was something I hadn't seen in the online representations. This is a size 8 and it pulled a little at my bust but was otherwise a little roomy. So size up for busty size down or normally otherwise. The length is a bit longer than the solid color Reed shirtdress length which is good for taller gals. But it isn't too long on those my height (5'3).  Definitely worth the reduced sale price in either of the color options! It would be adorable for a picnic or outdoor concert.

Although I am back I haven't had time to visit the new Anthropologie at Bakery Square. Have any Pittsburgh readers managed to check it out yet? I hope to go some time this week but things are so hectic right now with my writing schedule and wedding planning that it is difficult to fit in indulgences like shopping. I also want to go to Saks downtown to see the 60% off sale. Maybe this weekend?

Back from Chicago!

Sorry for the blog silence. I wanted to update but there wasn't a lot of time. The trip was really fun though. I went with Chris to celebrate the marital union of two dear friends. But since we made it a long weekend, we took in some sights, some eats, and some shopping! Before we left, I tried to pack strategically.  We were driving but despite the ample trunk space, I brought just the basics: a few light dresses because it was going to be hot.

On the way there, my beloved (and older) car hit a milestone.

We stayed on a higher floor of our hotel (a Hyatt) that had a view of Lake Michigan!

We visited the Taste of Chicago festival and danced with Chicago-ans to beautiful standards performed by a jazz band.

We waited patiently to finally eat at Avec (a restaurant we didn't get to visit last November but were thrilled to try). Here we are waiting and drinking out front in the designated "holding pen" as we called it.

I wore the See by Chloe industrial print dress I blogged about a few entries back.

Overall, it was a great trip! I will have some fitting room reviews from Barneys and Anthropologie as well as a roundup of purchases over the next few days.

Hypothetical Shopping: Summer Sales Time!

Day Dresses by Marc by Marc Jacobs
Cardigans by Marc by Marc Jacobs

All across the retail web sales have hit. And although a lot of my favorite blogs are talking about the Anthropologie markdowns for this week, I've been a lot more enticed by Net-a-Porter's additional sale markdowns, 60% off Saks, additional 25% off sale prices at Neiman Marcus, and 40% off plus the 10% off coupon (YOOXMUNDIAL) at Yoox. Here are some of the items filling my virtual carts.

Note that I haven't confirmed any of these hypothetical purchases. I just filled a few carts and sat with the possibility that stuff could sell out before I return from Chicago. Even if it does, I'd rather shop in person where it is slightly less risky than shop and have a potential return hassle.