Items that caught my eye in-store

I was on a mission in-store this week, looking for some specific items to help out a friend who is costuming a couple of TV and movie shoots in town. Of course I also spotted several items I thought were interesting for me as well. I’ve tried to pick items outside the catalogue to highlight. For reference, I am 5’8″, 145 lbs, 34D with an hourglass figure (tiny waist, large hips).

Since my office is always cold I was immediately drawn to the Chinook Cardigan ($128) shown above. My torso is shaped such that open cardigans never lay the way they should and always blow open in the wind in ways I don’t like. But I felt this one had enough substance to stay in place and it looked warm. A try-on confirmed this — it looked really cute! I found it to be true to size. Another flattering silhouette came by way of the Veraison Dress ($148). Zoom in on the product photo and you’ll notice long, vertical stitching meant to flatter. I found this dress a bit large in the shoulders and chest in a size 6. I passed on it for myself because of the cap-sleeve style but purchased it for my friend’s shoot.

Visions of warmer weather danced through my head thanks to the Natural Sunlight Dress ($168). I am always drawn to Anthro’s strapless dresses even though they are impractical for me! This dress is made of cotton that was a bit stiff in the fitting room but would soften up nicely after a washing. My normal size 6 was a bit heavy and wanted to pull down a bit on me. One of the scenes called for a spring dance dress, so I bought this hoping it will fit the bill for my friend.

For myself, I was looking for the Sweet William Blouse ($128, above) but didn’t find it. I did however find the Quiet Mirth top ($98) and gave it another whirl. The medium was pulling a bit and I was annoyed to find that the security tag had been placed such that the natural fit of the shirt was interrupted. All the Quiet Mirths in the store were like that. Annoying! I also noticed that on a couple of them the stitching was beginning to fray around the jewelry detail. Normally Anthro’s clothes are of sound quality so this was surprising to me. I passed on the shirt.

I noticed a few other tees of interest: the Serpentine Path Shirt ($58, ran one size large) had fun detailing that I thought was perfect for a college student part for my friend; the Stacked Petal Scoopneck ($48, ran true to size) had a large crowd searching for sizes; the Bubble Garden Tee ($68, above, true to size) looked like fun weekend wear; the Secret Grove Tee ($68, true to size) was added to my wishlist online; and I broke down and got the Country Life Top ($58, true to size) for myself. One thing to note with the Country Life Top…in the model shot on the product page (below) you’ll notice that the detailing sits over her chest. Well on me that all was above my chest. I didn’t mind, the shirt was still quite flattering, but this is an important note on fit.

The Wink-And-Watch scoopneck ($68, I was between a Small and Medium) didn’t grab me by itself, but when I saw it under the Jam Jar Cardigan ($298, short and runs one size small) I thought the outfit was very cute! Blue and red, such a classic combo. In the fitting room though I was disappointed to find the Jam Jar Cardigan hit me above my high hip, making it too short to be pratical. I bought the outfit for my friend instead.

The last item I wanted to mention is the Loop-de-Loop scarf ($48) which is such a beautiful piece. I passed because I couldn’t think of any outfits to wear it with but if I do I will be going back for the brown one.