Guest post: Reviews by Kathleen

Please welcome back Kathleen for another round of guest reviews! She reviews Anthro, Ann Taylor, J.Crew and all the rest of the brands I love on her blog Princess of Taylor. If you’re interested in writing a guest post please email me or click the “contact” link near the top of the blog. On to the guest post…

After not trying on anything at the Rockefeller Anthro (see here), I was in severe withdrawal and hit up my local store. As predicted, the new arrivals were much more limited as was the selection in general, but I found a few cute things to try on. My sister over at The Square Root of Style had spotted some tops she was interested in. She doesn’t have a local store so I tried on the first two things with her in mind.

Khosrow Blouse ($88), size 8

I thought this top was pretty, but was concerned about the length. I wasn’t crazy about the length in person, but the photos don’t look so bad. However, from the front, the blouse is adorable and makes my waist look positively tiny (I had the sash tied really tight). From the side though, ugh I look pregnant! Too bad – I love the pattern and the material is a nice soft cotton. There is a side zip that makes it easy to get into. Oh well.

Solar Star Blouse ($98), size 8

I love the color of this blouse – so pretty and summery! And I don’t have any yellow tops. This top fit well but the fabric pulled along my hips. The blouse was just long enough that I’d have to size up to a 10 to buy, but that would probably mean too much bagginess on top. If it goes on sale, I’ll consider the 10 and alter it down as needed, but for $98, it needs to fit perfectly.

Acting Out Skirt ($88), size 12

I’ll admit that I didn’t have high hopes for this skirt. I had seen it online and loved it, but I have not had luck with Anthro skirts. The hips are too tight or the waist is too big. Frustrating! I looked for the 14 which is what I usually take in a pencil skirt, but the biggest size was a 12. I grabbed it with little hope that it would work. Oh my gosh – this skirt is amazing! It is the perfect mix of pretty and professional and I can totally get away with this not only at work, but at court as well! The fit was perfect too – it zipped right up and I could move around and the extra rouching on the side smoothed out my hips rather than draw attention to them! I was so excited that this skirt worked that I had to buy it! Had to!

Castle Lake Dress ($168), size Large

This dress is so cute, but it was a bit big on me. I would definitely size down to Medium to buy. The dress doesn’t have any zipper or buttons – the waistband is elastic and it just stretches over your head. The material is nice and the pattern makes it relatively casual. I could definitely see myself wearing this out and about this summer. Also I see online that it has pockets. I didn’t notice them, but that just makes me love the dress more! Too cute! I’m wishlisting a size Medium. I tried on a bunch more things (and also a few things over at J.Crew) that I will post on my own blog later in the week.