Piping OOTD

I wore this See by Chloé dress to campus one day recently. I also wore it few days later for a dinner date with Chris to celebrate my birthday. Although it is new-ish to me, the dress and I have a storied history. I bought its wool-blend, mixed-print dress sibling back in 2011, after searching far and wide  during sale season. Then I discovered this style in silk featuring the same unique lines, zipper design, and deep front pockets via Yoox. It was on sale but still out of my comfort zone for a day dress. Eventually, I ordered it with an additional percentage off coupon code but returned it. Unlike its forgiving wool counterpart, the silk dress ran small and offered no stretch. It wasn't comfortable and even on sale it was too costly to suffer any discomfort.

Over the years I continued to check ebay in case it came up for a good price. And eventually it did!

I've not written much about life here because life has been too busy to spare much time. But the semester is almost over. Graduation is this Saturday and grades are due a week from Wednesday. Chris just got back from another two weeks in Ghana for work. Emilia and I are thrilled to have him home again! I have stacks of paper to grade and the house is a mess but I am mere days away from a break from all the craziness. Just hanging on... 

Details:
See by Chloé dress
Spanx tights (30% off during Saks Friends and Family!)
Marc by Marc Jacobs punk mouse flats (in black here for 30% off during Saks Friends and Family!)
Banana Republic Elephant bracelet (similar here); Kors watch; Yurman necklace

Bargain Alert for Lovers of Bailey 44 Column Dresses

Tank dresses similar to Anthropologie's Maia Column, and Petite Column dresses

I am not usually one to promote knock-offs but many Anthro-philes have lamented the retail price point, quality, and full-price sellout of Bailey 44's column dresses, available at Anthropologie in various iterations over the last year. Recently, while browsing my Google Reader, I noticed that the lovely and always well-dressed Najeema of A Stylized Hysteria was wearing a maxi dress that looked suspiciously familiar, with its askew, zig-zagging stripes and its potential to flatter a range of figures. In her entry, Najeema mentioned that she found it at TJ Maxx and the brand was Max Studio. I decided to check out my local Marshalls and TJ Maxx to see what was up.

Tank dresses similar to Anthropologie's Ines Column and Scrolled Column Dresses

Although I couldn't track down the exact maxi shown on Najeema (which is a shame because I love the full length of it) I did find striped and lacy tank tops, shorter dresses, and maxi skirts from Max Studio as well as other brands, adopting a very similar aesthetic to Bailey 44's.

 Bailey 44-esque maxi skirt

In my research I found the "real" Column dresses to be made with nicer and thicker fabrics, offering a bit more coverage than these cheaper versions. But all of the discount options I saw (from checking two Marshalls and one TJ Maxx) were available for $19.99-$34.99, making them an undeniable bargain, comparatively speaking. I imagine the simple design elements and the popularity of the column dresses mean we'll be seeing a lot of brands attempting their own versions in the coming months.

If you missed out on the Bailey 44 Column dresses, do you think you will buy one of the bargain options?

A Suitable Replacement

I became enamored of the Proenza Schouler PS 1 handbag a long time ago but knew it wasn't in the cards for my budget any time soon. Unwilling to pursue a blatant knockoff, I channeled that enthusiasm more generally to the category of vintage leather satchels. Recently I decided to take the plunge and bid on one from the Coach of yesteryear, on Ebay. I knew I loved vintage Coach leather so it seemed like a safer bet than going with a stiffer, shinier contemporary version in the realm of my budget.

I was pretty pleased when I received the result. While it was more worn than I anticipated, I grew to appreciate the aged leather. The cross-body strap makes it an idea purse for quick errands or dog walks.

It's certainly no PS1 but it was also only 1/100th of the cost. Shown with a Zara coat, Old Navy cords, and Tory Burch flats.

Hypothetical Shopping: A Review of the Outnet

Since the Outnet launched, as examined in my previous post, I have browsed their stock to determine whether the site lives up to months and months of hype. My conclusion is that, much like parent site, Net-a-porter, the stock selection is quite beautiful but the prices are still comparably high. Most competitor department stores had the same pieces for less money months (or in some case, a year) ago. Pieces from seasons past still populate the pages, with only moderate discounting. The ranges of discounts span from 30% off to a rare but impressive 80% off.

These pieces were among the most deeply discounted at 80% off retail. The dresses (by Chloé on the left and Marc by Marc Jacobs on the right) were already sold out. The Nina Ricci jacket was still available at the time of my browsing.

All items have the same volume and variety of photographs from NAP. The fit guide and measurements for each garment are also included in the information. I was glad to see this as it remains one of the best aspects of the parent site. Most items tend to be priced at 50% off retail. Other than the comparable frill-less, editorial free design the bulk of the site seems like a redundant addition to the Net-A-Porter brand if, like me, you were familiar already with the now-defunct sale section, complete with disappointingly stingy discounting.

But this site's surplus of older seasons stock might be an asset to some. If you are looking for a now-rare piece that you regret missing the first time around, the site can be useful. Unfortunately (and fortunately), I have an iron clad memory for basement sale prices and cannot bring myself to pay a penny more than the lowest discounted price of yester-season. This useless skill makes it nearly impossible for me personally to actually shop The Outnet.

But I can hypothetically shop. My hypothetical shopping cart includes this Tibi dress that sold out when it dropped to 80% off on Saks.com. It is 50% off on The Outnet.

And this beautiful, surprisingly modest Dolce and Gabbana frock, which I would wear to the late spring/early summer weddings I will be attending in the next few weeks.

I would also buy these seasonally inappropriate dresses by 3.1 Phillip Lim and Viktor and Rolf, respectively.

I am already eager for fall as evidenced in my stubborn, seasonally inappropriate recent outfits of the day. My next entry will document the seasonal inappropriateness!