After I mentioned long cardigans paired with dresses in the last post, I realized I haven't worn that combo myself in awhile. So to the back of my closet I went and out came today's outfit.

Spring weddings may be the more universally accepted version of beautiful with blooming flowers everywhere, but I think fall weddings are equally gorgeous, especially when timed just as the leaves are changing colors. DH and I went to a wedding at the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens over the weekend. Um, how is it that I've never visited this place until now?! I'm ashamed to call myself a local :(

My pictures really do not do the "gardens" justice. I use the term loosely because Meadowlark is more like a mini-National Park with trails, wildlife, and just beautiful natural scenery all-around. I'm guessing we were a few weeks early because trees were still mostly green. I plan to go back soon to catch the leaves at peak foliage and will be wearing sneakers so I can freely roam about!
[photo below]: My idea of being one with nature. I literally could've sat out here all day. Darn the wedding reception for pulling me away from this view ;)

Photos thanks to DH!

This marks the 3rd year in a row that I've ventured into DC for the sole purpose of admiring the pretty cherry blossoms. That's quite a feat for me, I tell ya, to which I have my visiting out-of-town cousins to thank for.

We went on the Saturday during peak bloom weekend. It also happened to be the day of the parade and street festival. Oh my gosh, the crowds! Note to self: the years when the National Park Service predicts the peak bloom dates correctly are when the locals should visit on weekdays to avoid being packed like sardines.
[photo above] Expanse of cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin. Can't help it, this area is so picturesque that I take pretty much the same set of photos every year, haha.

As the temperatures drop every year, I patiently wait for that one last Indian summer day. Yesterday was that day. Low 50s in the morning creeped up to high 70s by the afternoon. Here's to one last hurrah to summer dresses before I put them away until next year.

I bought my Everlane swing trench jacket back in April of this year. I only wore it a handful of times before putting it away until fall. In the middle of the summer, I received an email from the Everlane team saying that while the trench I bought is water-resistant, it isn't as water-resistant as they'd like. They've fixed the problem and is sending me a new one free of charge. Wait, what?! This kind of customer service is unheard of! I was completely.blown.away. I already valued Everlane's business approach, but standing behind their products like this? I'm a customer for life.
So now I have two almost-identical swing trenches in my possession. From what I can see, the only difference between the two is the color. The current trench is one very slight shade darker than the previous version. Everything else remained the same -- black buttons, material used (fairly wrinkle prone), lined in the sleeves only, nice craftsmanship.

For reference (not included in my April post), size XS measures approximately: 14" shoulder-to shoulder, 24" sleeve length, 27.5" collar-to-hem along the back.

Along with the sage green color, the 2.0 release of the swing trench also comes in navy and tan.

I'm sitting in my cubicle this morning wearing practically the same outfit as the one below, but without a jacket. So my concentration is currently split between translating requirements to code and keeping the shivers at bay. It's actually a bee-yoo-tiful day outside, so I figured the office would be "warmer" than usual. No such luck.

I was in London riding the Tube when I saw an extremely petite girl (< 5') board the train wearing a gorgeous floral printed dress. I'd like to think I was being sneaky with my covert glances trying to get a better look, but that's probably because she was too busy concentrating on keeping her balance without holding onto any handrails.

From what I could discern, she was wearing the mini version [left photo below] and it hit her around mid-thigh. Her dress was made of canvas-like material (later learned it was hemp), so the floral print looked like it was painted on. I thought that was so cool and unique. Alas, I knew even if I somehow stumbled across this dress again, it would be much too short on me. My hunch proved to be true when SIL found the mini version when we were in Rome. She's ~5'2" and the dress was borderline indecently short on her. Sigh. The upside was that we now had a brand to go with the dress.
[left] RED Valentino wildflower mini dress ($297 at Valentino store)
[right] RED Valentino wildflower dress ($238 at BG / $357 at Saks / $357 at Valentino store / $595 at Nordstrom / $595 at Shopbop)

A quick google search on RED Valentino returned a longer dress in the same floral print (!) Unfortunately the longer dress was made of cotton instead of hemp, so the print didn't look painted on. It's still pretty in person, just not as cool looking. The cotton fabric also made a slight swish-ing sound which may bother some.

I first tried on the dress in US 0/IT 38 and found it to be super unflattering. It emphasized my bony torso, so I looked like a long rectangle on top, then all of a sudden, the bottom skirt portion poofed out in an unproportionate way. US 2/IT 40 was looser on me everywhere, so the skirt poofiness didn't look as jarring. SIL (who is shorter and curvier than I am) also tried on both sizes but had the opposite results. The smaller size flattered her curves while the larger size made her look stocky due to its boxiness. I wish we had taken comparison photos because I don't think my descriptions are clear enough at highlighting the differences.
I ended up buying the dress at Nordstrom because they price matched Bergdorf's sale price. I read online that the policy is to price match on exact items for sizes that are in stock only. I didn't see any more sz 2 left on BG's site, but figured I'd print out a screenshot and try my luck with a SA at a Nordstrom brick-and-mortar store... and it worked!

When I wore the dress out for the first time, I couldn't help but check myself out whenever I passed by a mirror, lol. So vain, right?! I kept glancing at the pretty print, and think I fall a little more in love with it each time. I'll probably have the bust area taken in by a tailor some time down the road; it's only noticeably baggy when I lean forward.

The same floral print is also available in a skirt ($198 at BG / $223 at NM / $297 at Saks / $297 at Valentino store) and shorts ($210 at Valentino store) versions.

On perhaps the final warm day of the year (60s in November? I'll take it!), I couldn't resist going bare-legged for the last time.

Happy Monday, everyone!

I went to the Gilt City DC warehouse sale over the weekend. It's a bi-annual event held in multiple cities across the country. My sister-in-law had an extra ticket for Sat. at 11am and asked if I wanted to go. Of course! Sleep can be caught up another day. Also, I've never been to these sample/warehouse-type sales before, so if anything, it'd be a fun experience.

We arrived about 45 mins early and there were already ~20 people ahead of us. While waiting in line, we saw most people from the 9am time slot leave with a white shopping bag containing their goodies. I was just thinking, I hope there's some good stuff left! Time to put on my big girl pants, roll my sleeves, and ready to be aggressive if need be. At 11am, we were promptly let inside. Coats and large bags were checked at the door.

Before going in, a security guard gave us a heads up that shoes have been pretty much picked over. Even with that knowledge in mind, my game plan was: shoes, bags, then clothes in that order. Sure enough, there was one sad table with less than 15 pairs of shoes left. I was disappointed, but the feeling didn't compare to when I realized there were no bags at this sale. Nor were there accessories or jewelry. Cue mental tears. Oh well, off to the clothes section I go.

Clothes racks were marked sizes XS-XL, but of course there were put backs placed in the wrong section. As expected, the selection was better for larger sizes. Regardless of size, I thought there were way too many pieces not worth the price tag (due to item condition). Gilt advertised this sale as up to 90% off retail, but I felt the dollar prices in general were only a tad lower than their online prices. Factor in damages (I saw ripped embroidery, missing buttons, stains -- makeup and unknown), and I think most people would gladly pay a bit more for pristine items while shopping from the comfort of their own home.

The one item I did bring home was a jacket by RED Valentino, as featured in today's outfit below. It retailed for $595 and I paid $110. One could say I got a "steal" at 80% off, but monetary-wise, it is still a hundred dollars. Out of the few items that I grabbed and tried on, this jacket was the one that I didn't expect much of. Lo and behold, I actually liked the cropped style on me. I'm wearing a US 6/EU 44 and probably could've gone down one size (had I been able to find one). But since my shoulders are broader relative to my torso, I don't think the bagginess is too noticeable and works as a cute topper -- or perhaps that's just my sale-addled brain talking.

Some final parting thoughts on the sale...

- Gilt charges a price for admission. From what I gathered, the first time slot on Fri. night was reserved for VIPs (7-9pm). Tickets weren't sold so I don't even know how one gets on the VIP list. I would imagine many of the good items were picked over during this time slot. The next time slot (9-11pm) and first that's open to the public costs $20 to enter. All other time slots were held the next day from 9am-5pm in two-hour intervals. All tickets on Sat. cost $10 with the exception of the last time slot, which went for $5. For the Sat. time slots, Gilt marked down the prices another 30%. I'm assuming the prices on Fri. did not include this additional markdown. So it's worth weighing the pros/cons to see if an extra $10 up front on Fri. night is worth it for potentially better selection vs. smaller selection on Sat. but with an additional 30% markdown.

- Manage expectations. I think upon hearing "sample and warehouse sale!" most people are expecting amazing deals. Not always true. The items being sold are still designer, so even when marked down a good percentage, the price being sold at is probably only considered "reasonable" to the average person.

- It must've been nice to be a guy at this sale. Their shoe selection was 5x larger compared to the women's, though their clothes section was probably 1/3 the size of the women's. But given the much smaller population of males at the sale, odds were definitely in their favor. There was also a small section for baby/kids clothes.

- After hearing stories from friends who have been to Barneys warehouse sales and the like, I was ready for a no holds barred-type of atmosphere. Instead, everyone was so civilized! I heard multiple "Oh I'm sorry" when two girls reached for the same item. When a girl realized she was cutting in front of me, she apologized and moved behind me. I shot her a befuddled look because I'm not sure I would've done the same. Afterwards, I talked to SIL about this and she said it's probably a DC thing because in NY, there are no apologies to be heard. Or perhaps this is just a non-NY thing? Regardless, it was quite interesting.

- Would I go to another Gilt warehouse sale? Sure, if I somehow become an overnight VIP. Otherwise, I don't know. $10 isn't horrible in the grand scheme of things because Gilt provides alcoholic refreshments/water, snacks, and a DJ, so it's something fun to do with friends for a couple of hours.