Checking in with Anthropologie’s new arrivals…

This post contains affiliate links. Please read this blog’s disclosure post for more info.

Anthropologie is trying. Their most recent email shows several ways to style their Relaxed Striped Chino Pants ($88) for work…featuring four white women of nearly identical body types wearing boxy tops it seems…but hey, at least Anthro is thinking about work again, right? My favorite styling from the options is the “modern femme” which shows the chinos paired with the Anya Sleeveless Lace Top ($88) and the Rope Lace-Up Heeled Sandals ($148) in a cute, seasonal transition outfit that’s pretty cute but would definitely need some kind of shaping top layer (like this perhaps?) to avoid looking like a dumpy rectangle on me. On the very positive side, I noticed that the chinos page actually has the coordinating items in the “shop the look” section no matter which color of chinos you select….niiiiiiiice.

They’ve also created a landing page of Victorian detail tops which got me all excited…but the only top I’m even vaguely interested in from that section is the Laced Nautique Tank ($68).

My Anthropologie wishlist is rather short at the moment, and includes lots of online exclusives. The Annika Lace Dress ($158, above) looks gorgeous and I like the earrings and slingbacks shown with it too (the calf hair color is not online yet)! There are some very cute new shoes like rose pattern of Jeffrey Campbell’s Purdy Heels ($158) as well as the Rochester Ballet Flats ($118) and the Strappy City Flat ($138).  No must-have pair of boots for me yet but it’s very early in the season.

Looking for shoe picks? Check out this recent post featuring 10 pairs of work-ready shoes.

Another online-only dress I’m curious about is the Poppy Dress ($198), a spectacular embroidered dress that seems to have a very flattering shape. The Alina Striped Dress ($148) could be a good work option and it’s available in stores to try on. Other dresses I was excited about such as the Fern Ruched Dress ($138) have been crossed off the list for not being boob-friendly. That cuts really deep, Anthro!

The rest of my short wishlist is stuff that’s cute, but not Anthro cute, you know? A lot of these items, like the perfectly-rated Draped Off-The-Shoulder Pullover ($98, above), could be found at nearly any store. Ditto the Wilt Linen Tank ($119, annoyingly online only), the Michael Stars Draped Halter Top ($72) and the Wrapped V-Neck Tank ($58).

Anthro’s jewelry continues to be a highlight. The earrings shown above, the Alexiou Drop Earrings ($54), are lovely. The Hierarchy Drop Earrings ($48) and the Dahlia Collar Necklace ($78) are highlights alongside new classics stocked season after season like the Monogram Pendant Necklace ($38) which I own and love in both my own and my boyfriend’s initials. It is very interesting to me how Anthropologie will stock and re-stock jewelry that is clearly a hit, but doesn’t seem to do that with their clothing. Does anyone else long for the days when you could go to a retailer and buy the same piece of clothing, under the same name, for years?

The Estelle Plaid Tank ($78) and DL1961 Coco Curvy Mid-Rise Straight Jeans ($178) above are a cute outfit, though again I’d want to throw my favorite moto on over it to complete the look. These jeans are one of my favorite cuts — ultra-flattering with no stretch in the waist but good stretch through the rear and thighs. I own them in several washes. Though again, you can buy these jeans from several retailers.

In the jackets section is one jacket, the Freya Ruffled Jacket ($188) which could be cute, and one option, the Fur-Trimmed Field Parka ($188), that just makes me laugh.

A couple of weeks ago I was chatting with a friend’s high school age daughter, and she adores Anthropologie! It was interesting hearing her rave about the brand the way I used to. I asked what she likes about it and she likes that she can get ‘cute casual outfits and fun dresses’ there. She mentioned that you have to be careful about quality because a lot of it is not good, but that it’s better than Forever 21 or Urban Outfitters. That a lot of the tops are too short but great for school.

So if Anthro is trying to capture young customers it seems they are doing a good job. I asked this girl if she thinks she’ll shop at Anthro for years to come, and she said probably not, that she’ll transition to higher end stores when she can afford them and supplement that with stores like Zara. This seems to be similar to how I felt around that age — I could not wait to outgrow my high school stores and get into the cool young women’s stores!

Meanwhile, over here, I’m just waiting for Anthropologie to discover tailoring again. Trends that should be in their wheelhouse, like bell sleeves and ruffles, are looking stale in their options because they’re so late to the game. I still don’t know who Anthro is right now, but I’m not loving it. My shopping money is going almost 100% elsewhere now. Eep!

What’s on your Anthro wishlist these days?

37 Comments

  1. Eina
    August 16, 2017 / 11:14 am

    Agree so much with your assessment. More tailoring, and less " of nearly identical …"…ah yes, going back to an old pattern I thought they had completely broken away from.

    I think the website needs a separate category for natural fibers or blends, or they need to put it in the title. It seems almost every item I click on is poly/rayon/cupro/nylon which rarely works for me and just makes me frustrated at wasting time. I also wonder why the summer trousers are all so heavy when they're cotton?

    I love the shoes right now, with such wonderful colors, and have a bunch in my cart, but I often need to order two sizes. Jewelry too, some of which should work beautifully with old anthro pieces I have. It would help if there were a weight for the earrings.

    Can anyone explain how the one Anthro brand that was always carried in stores is online-only? I stopped by to try on the new Pilcro wide-wale cotton cords in light blue and they never got them in. Sold out in all of my possible sizes. There was not a single other item I wanted to try on, except for some cute return shoes that were uncomfortable. The Rienne dress is so nice, but the pattern alignment is messed up on every one I saw.

    • August 16, 2017 / 4:10 pm

      I can remember the Pilcro denim shorts were online only too for awhile. I think Anthro is playing around with space planning in their stores. I like the home stuff fine but they have sacrificed SO much jewelry and clothing space to beauty. I truly think they need to rethink that.

  2. August 16, 2017 / 1:57 pm

    Not sure how work appropriate rolled-up chinos are! But I love the colour and length of the Annika lace dress!

    • August 16, 2017 / 4:11 pm

      Ha! Yes at many offices that would be a no-no. In my casual office environment? They'd ask why I was so dressed up. ?

  3. Eina
    August 16, 2017 / 2:18 pm

    Roxy, can you say why the Ruched Fern Dress isn't boob-friendly? Online it looks to be great for hourglass figures (always on the lookout for my sis)

    • August 16, 2017 / 4:12 pm

      It is cut so small through the chest! I don't think people bigger than a B cup could fit into it, the seam below the bust gets forced over the bust and it looks terrible. Also, the dress has no lining.

      • Eina
        August 16, 2017 / 6:07 pm

        Thank you, Roxy, it wasn't clear in the reviews.

        What a waste of a great design. I'm sure it looks sweet on some. Maybe they should issue an hourglass version (in silk crepe please, I would pay more).

  4. Lindinha
    August 16, 2017 / 4:16 pm

    Hi Roxy! I'm actually glad to hear that Anthro is finding a new target market to cater to as it no longer works for me. I was feeling kinda bad about abandoning ship until this weekend….
    The dress promo was on it's last days and I was pretty bored at home. So I went on the site and stumbled upon the "Hepburn Ruffle Dress" by Moon River for $148. My size wasn't available so I searched online and found this dress at Shopbop under "Ruffle Long Sleeve Dress" for $95.
    That's the largest markup i've ever seen at Anthro and I ended up deleting the app. I don't imagine I'll be checking in again with them until the holidays.

    • August 17, 2017 / 2:17 pm

      I suppose that is a good way of looking at it!

  5. Anthropolitan
    August 16, 2017 / 5:13 pm

    Even teenagers know to be wary of the quality – very telling.

    Yeah, my wishlist is almost empty. I pretty much want this purse: https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/illona-shoulde… , this top https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/woven-ruffled-… and that's it. Maybe a piece of jewelry or two.

    I found a gorgeous Lithe dress in a consignment shop a couple of weeks ago. Vintage Anthro. I'm holding on to about 20 extra pounds right now and am not feeling so good about myself, but I felt beautiful and feminine in this dress. THAT is how I want my clothing to make me feel – lovely even when I don't feel I look my best. That is what I want Anthro to start doing again.

    • Eina
      August 16, 2017 / 6:19 pm

      "THAT is how I want my clothing to make me feel – lovely even when I don't feel I look my best. "

      So true. I miss Glen Shenk and Johanna Uurasjarvi as I think they understood that so well. Not that there aren't some excellent buyers and designers at Anthro right now!

      I just found an old silk Anthro dress that I think was online-only years ago; I feel so good in it, even without makeup, and it is comfy to boot. Oh, and it doesn't look dated (at least not to me).

    • August 17, 2017 / 2:18 pm

      Lithe is one of Anthro's most magical brands.

      I completely agree with your assessment. No matter what weight I'm at, Anthro used to have many things that made me feel and look great. It's so sad to me that they've lost that ideal and lost their identity to. I don't even know who Anthro is anymore.

  6. Stefanie
    August 16, 2017 / 6:28 pm

    I'm not hating on anthro as much as everyone else these days-still check new arrivals daily…. that being said I don't stalk my wishlists like I used to, don't visit stores 1/2 as much as I used to…I used to go to the wayne pa store weekly and haven't been there once all summer! I also refuse to buy anything at full price or even on an anthro day…. it all goes on sale at some point. There's nothing I need that's not on sale ?. It's just not as fun as it used to be. I've been spending $$ at j crew , madewell and free people and also found some great deals at Nordstrom rack! I'm done shopping for summer-in the middle of getting healthy and losing weight-abd have a ton of clothes in my closet that I haven't fit into in a few years. I'll be looking for new grey boots this fall.
    And there better be s percentage off tomorrow so I can get a PA on my Havana dress or it's going back!

    • Lori
      August 16, 2017 / 10:23 pm

      I agree I'm finding some gems to add to my wishlist, but nothing like in the past. Not buying much lately, as I'm trying to be really selective, but there are a few new items catching my eye.

    • August 17, 2017 / 2:19 pm

      Yes I am taking my money to all the same places as you Stefanie, along with Sundance, White House Black Market and LOFT. Nordstrom is another favorite. And of course Amazon!

  7. Becky
    August 16, 2017 / 7:11 pm

    I check every now and then cuz I still find one or two pieces I like. I tried on one of the bailey 44 dresses this weekend and liked it–I didn't buy it though. I mainly went to do a bunch of returns happy to say they didn't give me any problems on the returns over 6 months old. I used to buy more tops than anything and now all they have is oversized boxy nothing special tops. Ugh and chinos, boring to me plus I can get them at target if I want

  8. Anthropolitan
    August 16, 2017 / 8:35 pm

    I think there is going to be a very big sale tomorrow. I went in tonight to do returns and saw lots of stuff on racks marked down that weren't marked down online yet.

  9. Lori
    August 16, 2017 / 10:36 pm

    Interesting observation about the high school audience. I couldn't have imagined affording Anthropologie in HS, and in college we mostly shopped the thrift store. It wasn't until I had a professional job that I could think about Anthropologie's clothing, especially purchasing a full price item. I know there are plenty of teens with disposable income so perhaps it will be a lucrative market, as it is for Free People, but it is too bad they are not attracting working women anymore. I'm a university professor and I do see some of my students wear Anthro, but it is not a major brand for them.
    Regardless of the audience I agree the quality is an issue. There a very, very few things that are worth full price in the store, as the fabrics are getting so cheap now, as is the tailoring. Hopefully some other retailer will still sell fun clothes to us creative professionals.

    • Becky
      August 17, 2017 / 1:29 am

      That was my thought too, teens can afford this? lol I can barely afford this ?

    • August 17, 2017 / 2:19 pm

      I could not afford Anthropologie in high school or college either, but at the time it didn't feel like a junior's store either. It was something to look forward to!

    • August 17, 2017 / 2:20 pm

      That lace-up skirt is pretty cute! The flutter top is much too 70s for me.

  10. Magnolia
    August 17, 2017 / 12:09 am

    I am certainly ordering that Annika Lace dress. I love the color and the lace and its a dress with a not so juvenile look after all.

    • August 17, 2017 / 2:20 pm

      Agreed Magnolia!

      • Peepharris
        August 17, 2017 / 2:59 pm

        I love the Annika Lace dress as well, but I'm concerned that the color won't match what is represented online. It's called "Dark Yellow"….but it appears to be a burnt orange in the picture. There aren't any in stores near me, so I would love to hear feedback if one of you spot it in person.

        • August 17, 2017 / 3:20 pm

          I will let you know, although I often find Anthro's color assignments online have no bearing to reality.

          • Denise_S
            August 18, 2017 / 11:50 am

            No kidding. My favorite is "moss." Which could wind up being just about anything.

  11. Shari
    August 17, 2017 / 6:30 am

    Funny, I think I mentioned before sometimes my soon to enter college daughter tags along on my trips to anthro and lately she has purchased more than me. She likes boxy crop type sweaters and she too feels the quality better than the really cheap stores. Other than name brands (current elliott, paige, AG, etc), I really have not purchased anything in a long time. Nordstrom got my clothing budget this fall…….

    • August 17, 2017 / 2:20 pm

      Yup, mine too.

  12. Shari
    August 17, 2017 / 6:36 am

    30% off all sale right now. Not that there is anything I really want….

    • August 17, 2017 / 2:23 pm

      Thank you Eina, updated to affiliate links.

      The last two dresses have possibilities! I really don't like handkerchief hems though. The print on the third dress you picked is particularly lovely!

      Honestly, I don't like the first two dresses at all.

    • Sarah
      August 18, 2017 / 12:09 am

      Wow! I love the silk dress! ?


Looking for Something?