TBMD

It recently occurred to me that in the six months that I've owned this dress shirt, I've yet to wear it as it's intended to be worn, all buttoned up for work. I've worn it casually, as a cardigan substitute, and for extra layering purposes. Well, no longer! For today's outfit, I added a black vest and blue suede pumps so it's not simply the typical dress shirt and pants combo.

PS - Can I gush over these Ann Taylor ponte skinny ankle pants real quick? I love LOFT jeans but never have quite the same luck with AT pants for some reason even though they're sister brands. The length is perfect and hits me right at the ankles. Yes, there is bunching around the knees, but no creasing anywhere else! With most pants, I usually look like a wrinkled mess around the thighs after a full day of sitting at work. Also, no butt sagging either. I'm loving the thick, stretchy knit material. There's a side zipper and the pants are dry clean only. For reference, I'm wearing size 00, my usual AT size.

I suppose you can say I'm channeling either Waldo or the Hamburglar today. I seem to always associate shirts with wide stripes with those two characters. I can understand Waldo because I loved those Where's Waldo? picture books growing up. But the Hamburglar? I didn't even know of his existence until seeing friends in Halloween costumes a couple of years back.

I feel like the top half of today's outfit works, but the bottom half...? I should've grabbed my gray purse instead of the white one. As for the shoes, I thought pink boat shoes were too matchy-matchy and didn't think any other pairs I owned worked as well as the red loafers (which isn't saying much if I'm second-guessing myself.) Perhaps simple low-top white sneakers or beige espadrilles? I shall mentally Photoshop in the replacement shoes.

Another one of my outerwear purchases from over the summer is the Stella McCartney trench cape coat (no longer available). I've loved it ever since spotting Anh and Wendy's camel versions from years past.

I'm wearing size IT 40, but really should've gone down to a 38 so it's more "fitted" like on the model (an oxymoron since it is a loose-fitting style.) From certain angles, it does look like there are too much fabric, and I certainly sometimes felt that way as well depending on how I "drape" the fabric. I keep changing my mind about taking the cape to the tailors because I just don't know if it's worth it. Ideally, I'd like the sleeves to be shortened to bracelet length and maybe slim the sides a bit to get rid of excess fabric. I also wonder if the cape needs to be shortened by 1-2". Any thoughts? Am I just over-thinking this?
This was my first experience with the Stella McCartney brand and I'm underwhelmed. I should've stopped lumping amazing quality, $$$, and a "brand name" together long ago... I suppose the markup is still a hard pill to swallow. I was surprised to find the cape to be unlined on the inside and with loose threading in multiple places. The more I wear the cape, the more I find myself starting to come around to the lack of lining because of how easily the fabric moves and drapes. I suppose it would be unsightly to see lining peeking through? Then again, the pockets are visible in the first photo above.

Capes are very trendy this upcoming cold-weather season, but I think they're something only girls would like. DH hasn't seen me wear my cape yet, but I can already picture his WTF-face and liken me to wearing a garbage bag due to its bagginess. Girls on the other hand, I feel like can appreciate capes more. One of my female coworkers complimented me on my cape the first time I wore it to work. I then started effusing about how it's like I'm all wrapped up in a cozy blanket. Can you tell we've commiserated over the cold office one too many times.

I stumbled across a great "look for less" option in Rebecca Minkoff's Pierre cape coat. This cape is the closest I've seen as a dupe for Stella's (believe me, I've done my share of window shopping trying to hunt one down.) There are a few noticeable differences: RM's lack the shoulder epaulettes, has more buttons, and looks to have "real" sleeves which might make for a sleeker silhouette by cutting down on excess fabric. This cape retails for $498 and comes in two colors:
1) blush [photo left below] - available at Shopbop
2) noble green [photo right below] - available at Nordstrom, NM, Cusp, RM

When I was in London earlier this year, I inquired about trench cape re-releases because the camel and pink versions were from two different seasons. The SA at the Stella boutique said she doesn't know about this particular cape style, but capes in general are usually available every winter season. I don't know if the waiting game is worth it since RM's is such a great dupe. If I hadn't already gotten my hands on Stella's, I would snatch up RM's in a heartbeat. Patience is not always my strongest virtue.