This post about the Anthropologie October 2018 new arrivals contains affiliate links. Please read this blog’s disclosure post for more info.
Just in time for a weekend of musing, please join me in welcoming the Anthropologie October 2018 new arrivals! October is typically one of my favorite clothing months of the year! We can expect layering and rich color mixes. A la the look above, Anthropologie recently discovered that tone on tone looks great! (It’s one of my favorite styling tricks too, Anthro.)
I’m liking the styling on the website more than I have in recent months. But my gosh, 15 pages of new arrivals is overwhelming. And that’s just in clothing. So I’ve gone through everything to whittle the pile down to a more digestible intake. Perhaps you’ll find some new items to love. Even better, you can get 20% off anything full price with the extended survey discount code SSP18MXPXN, which now lasts through September 30!
I’ve recently been enrolled in executive training for work. In our last two sessions we’ve been focusing on how to approach sticky problems that seem to reappear no matter how many times you solve them or don’t dissipate even when multiple solving methods are applied. In the class I giggled to myself and thought, this could easily apply to Anthropologie! One of the methods we’ve been working with in class is called “See Things Newly.”
Basically the idea is that if you bring the past into work with you each day your mind will not expand to find new solutions or ideas. It’s a brilliant concept and this is not the first time I’ve been introduced to it but, well, with the idea of seeing things newly, I’m pretending I didn’t know this before! Seeing it newly so to speak. I feel like it’s a good approach to bring to this post as well. As much as I can, I’ve tried to drop my history with Anthropologie and how much I miss the old Anthro to see the new arrivals as though I’m just discovering Anthropologie now.
A few disclaimers I must state up front: my evaluations and thoughts in this post are based on looks alone. I have only seen these pieces on the website; not yet in real life. So I cannot yet comment on the quality or construction of the new arrivals. If you have seen or tried these items please let us know your thoughts in the comments.
ANTHROPOLOGIE GOES BACK TO WORK
One of my oft-repeated pieces of feedback for Anthropologie over the last two or three years is that they need to get back to making great work pieces with a twist. Dare I say that among the Anthropologie October 2018 new arrivals, I’m seeing quite a bit of work-ready items?
Even better, as I’m about to head back into a conservative office environment, I’m delighted to see pieces that will work at my new job. The Joss Sweater Dress ($525, above) immediately jumped out at me as a beautiful, modern yet feminine, Anthropologiesque piece. I know that price is painful — in the future, instead of carrying the designer piece it would be nice to see Anthropologie deliver the item from their in-house teams at a better price. However, this dress might be worth the investment. I also like how Anthropologie styled the dress with the D’Orsay Heels ($140).
Casual office workers will also find plenty of options to delight in. I’m intrigued with the Monterrey Tunic Dress ($395) for instance. It could easily be a weekend dress or a work dress in a less conservative office. Yumi Kim’s Duet Mini Dress ($218) is probably too short for my office, but would be great in a modern workplace with a blazer such as the Luxe Velvet Blazer ($398) or the Moonlight Velvet Blazer ($328).
Beyond work-ready dresses I’m seeing work-ready blouses, too! My one comment would be most of the blouses I see lack structure, especially in back. A basketweave tab or some darting or something would go a long way towards making these tops flattering on hourglass figures. As they stand I’ll need to layer over them to make them work — they’re too boxy to stand on their own.
And in some cases, I’ll need to layer underneath too. The stunning Reese Blouse ($295) is breathtaking but can’t be worn on its own. (Love the earrings paired with the top in the product shot, and this similar pair too.)
There are lots of tie-neck and pussy bow tops to choose from in the Anthropologie October 2018 new arrivals. The Jackie Tie-Neck Blouse ($88, above) might be my favorite, although the rayon material gives me serious pause.
Here are some of my picks for the most appealing office-ready items for October, with more in the shoppable boutique at the end of this post.
BRING ON THE CUTE COATS!
For the Anthropologie October 2018 new arrivals, coats are back on the menu! Blazers, sherpas, motos, sweater coats all make appearances! Although it’s not very cold in NYC yet I’m feeling cozy already.
The first coat to jump out at me is the Helsinki Coat ($178, above). Firstly, I adore this model! More of her please. And then the coat is a lovely longer length in a great subdued hue. It’s joined by colorful options like the Oslo Sweater Coat ($248), the Ashton Frayed Poncho ($88, expect to see ponchos everywhere for Fall!) and the Paneled Leather Jacket ($525).
The sweater jackets look particularly promising, don’t they? Below, the coats on my radar.
From cute pants (love this entire look!) to cozy sweaters (need or no?) and pretty shoes (yes please!), below are all of my picks from the Anthropologie October 2018 new arrivals. What are you liking, what have you tried? Don’t forget to use code SSP18MXPXN for 20% off your full price Anthropologie purchase through September 30th.
Nice fresh eyes, Roxy! Fall is my favorite fashion season so I always find lots to love.
I love the model wearing the Helsinki coat too! She looks like she'd be fun to hang out with. FYI – that coat is $50 less at Nordstroms.
Author
Thank you evb. And big huge *sigh* to the coat being cheaper at Nordstrom. Here's a link: http://bit.ly/2OsQgjj
Thank you so much for the code! I used it to buy the Tie Neck 52 Conversations blouse in the bird and tiger prints. I need blouses for work and these came on the site a few weeks ago but then suddenly disappeared until a couple of days ago. So happy to be able to order them at a more reasonable price!
I appreciated this entire post as well. I'm still seeing incredibly high prices for some pretty middling product choices and crappy construction, but there are some glimmers of intriguing designs, especially in the coats section. Shoes are looking more promising, too.
Author
That's great LaurenSophie, you're welcome!! I agree prices are really high.
The overall prices are way beyond what I can afford. Over $500.00 for that sweater dress? Its adorable but I cannot pay that much for one dress…between the styles and the prices and that the more designer they go, the fewer XLs I see. …I feel like the store has nothing for me anymore …sad face here.
Author
Such a bummer Nancy. I will echo your thoughts. I just had a personal shopping client who loves Anthropologie and wears a size 14. Although that size can be found on the website, I felt terribly that we had a hard time finding it in the NYC stores. It's not OK. It's negative messaging and I'm very disappointed.
Thanks Roxy, It is upsetting that as more stores are adding plus size, Anthropologie is reducing the top of the regular size clothing; XL and size 14/16. To add insult to injury, i.e. Maeve was always a go to for me and now that line is being cut much smaller, espec. in the bust area as you have observed and posted on. You would think they would look at what a competitor like JCrew learned from becoming "too designer focused/higher prices" …the company as a whole did not do as well and now they are back to selling more affordable basics. I know we go over and over this topic and why they do not listen to their customers, the surveys, etc…it is infuriating to me.
Author
Nancy I am having the same problem with Maeve these days! I know you have been a community member for a long time, and I don't know if you remember but Moulinette Soeurs used to be cut very small in the bust, and I feel like Maeve has taken on that mantle. It's frustrating, mostly because SO MANY of the brands Anthro now carries or designs have the same problem.
I am really disappointed in the offerings for fall so far. I did order a pretty sweater cardigan which I will keep. It is by Meadow Rue and is called the Floral Eyelash Cardigan. I think it is pretty. That is what I am missing at Anthro, is pretty. I am hoping the holiday selection will have more of that. I just got back from my local store and there was NOTHING I would buy!
You are right and I have said the very same thing…why can't anything at Anthro be PRETTY anymore ??
Author
Barbara that Floral Eyelash Cardigan IS really pretty! Nice find.
It is pretty but prices are getting to the point where you can almost pay a bit more and get Vince (albeit on sale) or theory. That is what I am struggling with as the quality just does not seem to be there.
Totally agree, Shari. For those prices I could wait for Joie, Johnny Was, Sundance or Peruvian Connection to go on sale and at least know that I am getting natural fabrics and quality. I'm not participating in this sale, but I do have a small cart lined up at Sundance. 15% off and free shipping is enough of an enticement for me.
Author
So true. Many brands blowing Anthropologie out of the water qualitywise, often for less. And when you get into the $300-$600 bracket, the competition is even more fierce.
Thanks, Roxy! I might add that the only way I would order this at that price was because of 20% off, and I worried it might sell out before it hit sale. I will NEVER pay full price again because of the fact that Anthro will not give a price adjustment if the item goes to 20% off during a promo. For me, that really curbed my buying from them!
Has anyone ever used Afterpay? I'd like to hear about their experience.
I agree with others about pricing. Jeez! Anthro – you can't give me a good reason to pay these inflated prices for all synthetic fabrics. And I can't speak for quality, but I know other have.
I have to agree with your point about the excessive offerings, Roxy. It's too overwhelming. Pare it down, Anthro, and offer more in the B&M stores. Then I might drive about an hour away to the nearest store to give you another chance! Because, honestly, I MISS the whole experience of finding LOTS of possible purchases, spending lots of time trying on a dressing room full of the pretties, and going home with a bunch of items I couldn't wait to wear!
I would love to hear any reviews on the new offerings. It looks like Anthro might be TRYING….but they've got a long way to dig out and get back their fanbase. I get that seeing things with new eyes might help. But they still need to wow the crowd that can afford them.
Author
I'll have to defer to others on Afterpay. I have not used it and have no plans to.
And YESSSSSS luvlucytoo you are so right, let's have more in the stores and less online. Stores feel bare while the website feels overwhelming. Why is that??
I have not used Afterpay; however, it sounds similar to Flex Pay used by HSN/QVC etc.
I’m with you Roxy, finally seeing some promise in the latest arrivals. I picked up the Sherpa Moto Jacket, and honestly I just ordered it to get free shipping on my sale order but I ended up loving it! It’s ideal for those of us who are 5’8” and above as the sleeves are very long. It’s also incredibly warm. The other standout I noticed in the new arrivals was the corduroy skirt (in sky). I took my normal size and I plan on getting a lot of wear out of it these next few months.
Author
Thanks for your mini-reviews Brittany! Makes me want the Sherpa Moto Jacket even more. =)
Does anyone know what jeans are in the photo with the Clovis Blouse. I do love my animal prints.
Author
They're not online yet — I specifically included them hoping Anthro will push them live!
I don't know about Anthropologie specifically, but when I worked at a different retailer, we often would include clothes in our images that were for that season, however, they often didn't arrive in time, or were part of a later push. I hope these will definitely be available soon, but maybe the order was delayed or something. It used to happen to us all the time.
On another note, while Anthro hasn't been my go-to for a while, I think that there is some new life and points of view in the company and I am excited to see what happens. You don't really realize how long it takes for a vision to come to life… while Anthro is starting to do better with their assortments, I'm excited to see their assortments in the upcoming months! Maybe it'll be better then!
OT – Sundance is offering 15% off 100+ plus free shipping with code: SMFSOA
Author
Thank you evb!
Has anyone ordered petites from Sundance and can comment on sizing? I am pretty small and when I look at the size charts, it seems like Sundance runs large, even for petites. Thank you!
Author
Hi Guest, it depends on the brand but I'd agree that mostly Sundance runs on the larger side.
Thank you Roxy!!!
If I were just discovering Anthropologie today I would probably not be very impressed. It's actually the history I have with it that keeps me hoping and checking back in.
I'm honestly not terribly impressed with anyone's offerings this season (at least not with the offerings from places I can afford). I've bought a total of 3 things this season – a $40 pair of AG Primas that I found in the sale room, this stunning Johnny Was bag that is also sold at Free People https://www.freepeople.com/shop/velvet-bloom-tote… and this one top at Anthro that I thought was cute and versatile (and was cotton). It should have had a starting price of $68 or $78, though. https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/southern-eyele…
The cutest items are of course the bags and boots, but I'm being stubborn about not buying boots there because I'm protesting not being able to return them at a store. IF I were buying boots from there, these are the ones I would consider https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/kiwi-encrusted… https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/colloquial-rai…
Author
Love that Johnny Was bag! I was hoping to make it to one of their NYC locations this past week but couldn't, hopefully this week.
What bugs me about Anthro’s new arrivals is that there is no rhyme or reason or sense of a “collection.” I don’t look at the new arrivals page and see outfits, I just see a mess. On the other hand, there are places like WHBM where each collection is curated and has a clear color scheme so you can be sure that things will work together.
That being said I did buy the faux-fur aviator jacket with my teacher discount and I’m excited to wear it when the weather cools! https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/faux-fur-aviat…
Author
Totally. No sense of how to pair things together or how to create a capsule wardrobe. It's almost an oxymoron that Anthropologie shows all their items in outfits right now, but every single outfit feels disparate. No cohesion.
Cute jacket! I do love the huge faux fur panels.
Is there an October catalog this year?
Author
Hmmm good question. I don't think I've received one.
Author
Got mine last night evb.
well shoot, I haven't gotten a catalog since July.
The Joss Sweater Dress is lovely! The price makes it out of reach though. Searching for a similar item or even separates at an affordable price…..
Author
The good news is sweater skirts are everywhere, including at midi length! The top portion might be a little harder to find.
I have been following this site for years but have never commented….until now. I've had such bad luck with Anthropologie lately. The dresses are my go to work/leisure/anything attire; the ones at Antro have been nothing but a mess. I used to spend quite a bit but nowadays my husband is rejoicing in the fact that I can't find anything. The one thing I've noticed that has proved frustrating is that I can never find anything available in stores, per the website. It forces me to order online which then means waiting days or even weeks for a product and then having to return it because better looking online with photoshop. What gets me is that even clothes I know for a fact are available at the location near me don't show up as available. According to the store availability link online, most of the stores near me have no inventory. This has made trying anything on prior to purchasing nearly impossible and I'm now concerned I'll be put on some sort of BAN list due to returns. I'm all over the place. The clothes are a disappointment; I've already tried on a few of the October ones available at the stores near me (online says they're not there) and what a waste of time. The fit of Maeve is all over the place. I no longer feel comfortable ordering.
Author
I echo your sentiments Daniela that the store stock doesn't seem to be reflected online half the time. Nothing is more annoying than paying a shipping fee only to see the item in a local store a few days later — OR going to several stores to see if they do in fact have an item in-stock.
I'm seeing some uncharacteristically pretty stuff show up on Free People guys. It's not quite old-Anthro caliber, but pretty. I'm not sure what the brand is trying to do.
Author
Agreed Guest! I love many of FP's new arrivals (and will try to put together a post for it soon).
I have a general question about the brands at Anthropologie. I"m with so many who have commented on their disappointed in Anthropologie's waning quality and styles. I'm just wondering what happened to so many of the brands that Anthropologie had that were so wonderful and offered that anthro magic – Angel of the North, Floreat, Girls from Savoy, C Keer, etc. Those were the brands that offered such beautiful applique, embroidery, etc. and were in house brands. Did Anthro decide to remove those designers/labels?
Author
It's a combination. In some cases enough of the designers responsible for a line left that Anthropologie decided to discontinue the line. Some, like the designers behind Girls From Savoy, struck out on their own and took the name with them.
In other cases, Anthropologie decided the line wasn't fitting their aesthetic anymore, discontinued the name and reassigned the designers. This happened to a couple of friends of mine that were working at Anthro's home office and is the most heartbreaking to me.
Thanks so much Roxy, it is heartbreaking! Is Girls from Savoy a brand that can be bought elsewhere?
Author
I WISH! But no, alas they stopped their line a few years ago. I know they worked very hard for several seasons but had trouble getting the market penetration they needed. It's hard out there for small labels — they also couldn't offer things like free shipping/free returns and make it work as a small business, and that may have hurt them too. I worked with them on several posts here and I remember the community was disappointed that sale items were final sale, and even with totally understanding why it's hard for a small labels to digest the cost of all that. Anyway, they're off doing other fashiony stuff now but I'm hoping they come back eventually.
Thanks again Roxy for all of your knowledge and insight!!!
Has anyone noticed how horribly uninspired the home/still photography and styling is now both on the site and in their catalogue? I guess they really are cutting corners wherever they can. But with such dismal, unsophisticated photography and styling they are really tearing away at their very core. How can they not see how banal they have become? The catalogue both for home and October were a snoozefest. I wish they would notice– maybe they just don't care…
They have become way too corporate and seem to have lost their way. They seem terribly mismanaged. Time to roll heads again, Anthro?