Intergalactic, Planetary

I wore my 4" spat boots to work yesterday and, while my feet didn't hurt any more that normal, I was ready for some flats today, to distribute my weight to different parts of the soles.

What better flats than my fairy godmother oxfords? With the heatwave on, they feel great with a breezy yellow blouse.

I used to complain about my arctic office, but I sure am thankful to escape to the air conditioning today!

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WIW: NAS Women's Meeting :)

I had to get out the door early today, without my usual 3+ hours of time to loiter online and wake up, so this outfit was seriously based on the fact that I knew this shirt could not be wrinkled. Button-front + favorite jeans + favorite boots = baddabing! I even got a compliment from a coworker who asked where I got my shirt and boots. 

But who cares what I'm wearing when I have seen the promised land, right?? 

My early outing was due to a meeting to review the women's NAS merch! Without "giving away the ending," here are some of my personal observations from the stock at my location as well as replies to concerns on Alicat's thread.

  • YLFers who purchased animal print booties in the past will be pleased to see the look roaring back... bust those babies out this Fall. 
  • Natalie, the "purple" theme in the catalog extends to all variations in the store - you will see oxblood! A pretty cool oxblood leather tee was in the mix. I believe there was an oxblood jacket and oxblood trousers, too. 
  • Military items are highly represented - if this is your look, you should take a look
  • Great deal on some Rag & Bone jeans!
  • Nadya, we got some amazing Plus and Petite items in store! Halogen is coming to Plus for the first time, and there were several really great leather jackets and suit jackets. 
  • If full leather is not your thing, there are some really nice ponte-and-leather options. One Classiques especially stood out with an instant-hourglass leather inset. 
  • Those looking for alternative neutrals to black should check out the navy and taupe suiting and taupe sweaters. A really cozy Vince alpaca/cashmere sweater coat jumped out at me. 
  • True crewneck, long-sleeved tees are back at long last.
  • The Halogen seamed pencil skirts are back... and I know a lot of YLFers didn't like last year's version, but they have changed them again. The fabric is a little lighter, but still plenty thick, and they are a bit shorter. If you weren't happy last year, you may give it another go.
  • As I said on the other thread, too, if you don't see what you want in store, your SA can order it for you as long as the supply is there. 
Let me know if any of the sale rules are unclear, and I will gladly clarify information.  :-)

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Sand Snake's Day Off

Dashed off to happy hour for my lovely friend, who is leaving the bank where we used to work together. She is about to get married and focus on a business venture she's been working on for some time. 

This is the first bank I worked at, full of fun, quirky personalities. I would have loved to stay there with my group of oddballs, but I was never offered a full-time position. I guess I simply had another fate, though, because that forced me to look for another position and ultimately land where I am. It was fun to see some friendly faces from the old days, especially since some did not recognize me with my short hair. I also enjoyed informing everyone that I now help dress people for a living. :)

After that, it was straight to Korean BBQ dinner with DH and a great couple we are friends with. 

All in all, a great use of a day off of work!

Snake dress - ?? Drawing a blank tonight!
Timberland "Rudston" burgundy boots - Amazon
Ted Baker bag - flea market
Cougar skull necklace - Etsy
Spy sunglasses - Ebay

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Earthy Urbanite, the Workplace Edition

The polished-up version of this morning's outfit. Post and run, but I will see you on the forum tonight!

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Earthy Urbanite

Just a quick outfit thrown on to visit Dr. Shrink. It was a warm morning, but I felt like being covered and comfortable, so I went for boyfriend jeans and a simple linen tee. The heels and nylon bag are my nod to the urban princess portion of my style persona. Working later today, but it was nice to get a casual outfit in. :)

Madewell linen tee - Madewell
Olive belt - flea market
Old Navy boyfriend jeans - Old Navy
Fergie "Major" spat boots - Overstock.com
Zella bag - flea market
Saturno tiger charm - Florence, Italy
Silver chain - Ebay

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Customer Service Reviews: Brooks Brothers & Shoprunner

So last night, I decided to pounce on a 50% off Brooks Brothers trench - lined in breathable bemberg, complete with water-resistant finish and zip-out liner... but I had to wait until morning to order. I was using both a $10-off promo code (for signing up with their website) and Shoprunner (a company that provides free 2-day shipping and free 2-day returns on various web retailers), and I could not get both to apply. Customer service for both were closed at night. I had been watching this item for days and no sizes had sold out. 

Brooks Brothers 
This morning, I woke early to try and contact BB, and my size was sold out! Every size but 8 and 10 was sold out! (Did I cause the ordering flurry with my little YLF post??) I then called BB customer service and explained what happened. They gave me the number for four stores that still had my size, and thankfully I was able to order from the first store I tried.

Nicole of the Saint Louis store was super nice, polite, patient, and easy to work with - she found the coat, re-verified all the materials for me, agreed to honor the $10 code, and took my information in scant minutes. She would have also matched the web shipping fee, but without Shoprunner it was $12, and store shipping on sale items 40%-off or more is only $9. Additionally, when I called back to ask about tax, it turned out tax was $17 instead of the $19 they would have charged online. In the end, if Shoprunner is taken out of the equation, I actually came out $5 ahead by ordering from the store vs. the website. Thanks, BB and Nicole!

Shoprunner
Now on Shoprunner's end, this is the second time I've had trouble using the service. Considering that they only have partnerships with 73 stores, and that I've only ordered through three of them, that is a dismal percentage of success. BB told me the issue was with Shoprunner login, and Shoprunner has told me that the issue is likely with BB checkout. Shoprunner will not honor the $9 in shipping that I was charged due to not being able to use their service, but they are having a tech look into the glitch.

I am using a free trial membership, but after 6/2014 it would be a $79 annual membership. I will continue to use the free membership, but I will definitely be watching to see if they can iron out these kinks and provide a smooth-running service. Many of the retailers they partner with already offer free shipping and returns, so the benefit is only speed, with the occasional savings on returns. At $9-$12 a pop, mistakes like this would add up quickly over a year and leave me spending that same $79 in shipping fees after all. 

The Verdict?
Big thumbs up for Brooks Brothers for standing behind their promise and letting me have that $10 in exchange for registering my info with their website. Thumbs are sideways and shaky for Shoprunner, awaiting a future decision. I realize they are a new company, and the concept is solid, but my opinion is that they need better testing of the system on the user end. 

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Waist Surrendered, Legs Deployed

And sunlight almost missed! But I eeked out a barely-passable outfit photo to share.

I really liked this outfit - it felt like a distant cousin of the dropped-waist flapper dress - but I don't think it comes across well in the photo. The linen top is very light, and movement helps the lines of my body show through so I'm not such a brick house IRL. I got some compliments, too, so it can't be all in my head! 

Brochu walker top - $1 at flea market
Anthropologie dress - Anthro
Report Marks booties - Amazon
Nine West bag - flea market
Chain mail watch - gift commissioned by a friend (the watch face was an old one of hers, and she had her chainmail-artist then-boyfriend make me a strap out of sterling silver rings). 

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Dynamic Neutrals

Had only minutes to dress for work after going out to a car show this morning, so I'm decked out in Neutrals today - hopefully neutral doesn't mean static or without drive today! Chose accents of silver and super dark, ink blue jeans. The only color is my green marble print watch.

ETA close up pics of the hair... Straightened the ends today for more texture and choppiness. WDYT??

Peyton jacket - gift from Mom via Nordies

Pleione shell - gratis

Kut from the Kloth Mia skinnies - gratis

Necklace - Rack

Nine West bag - flea market

Lucky Moran sandals - Amazon

Nixon timeteller watch in emerald - Rack

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K/R: dressy-ish black boots

I noticed that a big wardrobe hole is a dressy-ish black boot that I can wear to work. I was initially thinking to go for a Report Marks alternative, but the Clark's I ordered with that in mind didn't work for my feet. I also would have loved a black version of my Frye Julias, but those aren't around anymore. These are Timberland, and super duper comfortable, just like my other Timberlands. 

Do you think the slight ankle bagging makes them too casual or stompy? Or just unflattering? I want something really simple and sorta sleek to go with outfits like this, which can't handle a lot more personality. 

You'd think I'd be able to tell for myself, but I have notorious boot blinders. 

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K/R: ASOS Photofloral Dress

I ordered Ceit's awesome marble print dress from ASOS (not a k/r, to debut soon!), and this one fell into my cart for good measure. Great price, great comfy fabric for work, fits well. Would be a total keep, except I'm unsure about the pattern placement of the red roses. Are they too weirdly smack-dab-in-the-center?

http://us.asos.com/River-Islan.....VyLUlzbGFu.

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