Angie's post and Janet's post inspired me to experiment and see if faux fur might have a place in my closet:
http://youlookfab.com/2011/09/.....fur-vests/
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....rling-vest

So I ordered a faux fur vest online called Sanctuary "Rockin' Natalie" (thought the name was so apropos!) from the Rack and it just arrived. It was something I had seen and tried on during the NAS, but that was when I was just starting out and I thought it was way too over the top then. But when I saw Janet's recent post and then saw it was now on sale at the Rack, I ordered it with the matching dress, thinking maybe now that I'm a more confident dresser I could pull it off. Well, first off the dress makes me look six months pregnant even though it's an XS. And it's so low cut I had to put a cami underneath. Second, the vest is also XS but looks huge on me and I feel like the Abominable Snowman! The combo also feels too costumey for my tastes. I just need to tie a leather headband around my forehead and I'll be all set for the 70's party! It's too bad, because I really like the pattern on the inside of the vest...you could actually turn it inside out and wear it that way and get two looks in one. I'm posting these mainly because Janet asked me to post pics when I got them, but I look nothing like the ad picture and I feel like if I wore this in real life everyone would totally laugh at me (or start rubbing my belly and asking when the baby is due, LOL!). So they're going back ASAP!

So back to the drawing board. Today was a big "unshopping day"--went around the mall returning a bunch of stuff to Nordie's, Anthro, Gap, etc., so for fun I tried on some faux fur vests and cropped jackets. Honestly I'm not sure any of them work on me. A lot of them were the wrong size--they didn't have many smalls to try on. But even so, I was thinking I either look like Smokey the Bear, Chewbacca, King Kong, or Abominable Snowman in these. I even tried on Janet's faux fur vest at Macy's but I'm not sure I can pull that off either. What am I doing wrong? Maybe fur vests are not for me? I also tried some cropped jackets, especially since that seemed like more of a Bombshell look and would fit better with my style. But what do you think? How long or short of a jacket should I get and should I look for plain or leopard pattern? Or maybe the long waterproof leopard coat that Angie posted about in her list of fall coats? Or should I just give up on the idea of faux fur for me? Let me know if there's anything worth going back for (or ordering online in a different size). Thanks for your advice! And if you have any better suggestions, let me know! Anyways, thought you'd get a chuckle out of seeing me all big & furry!

1-5. Sanctuary "Rockin' Natalie" from the Rack with Sanctuary Greenwich dress (no, it's not maternity!). Size XS in both. Vest is inside out in 3. How the outfit is supposed to look in 5.
6-12. Another Sanctuary "Rockin' Natalie" in chocolate brown from Anthro, size S. I feel kind of like a grizzly bear in this, LOL. I would probably want to try to size down to XS. This one is very soft and fuzzy, but it's full price so I'm probably not going to keep it. Same pattern on the inside of the vest as the prior vest. Pics from home and from the Anthro dressing room.
13-15. A third "Rockin Natalie" from Nordstrom--also full price. This is called "Ash black" I think.
16-17. I don't remember the name of this one (Haute Hippie or something) but it was hanging on the rack at Nordie's so I tried it on too...but I feel like I should start beating my chest like King Kong!
18-19. Janet's vest from INC at Macy's, size M (I would need to get a small). It has fur only down the front and fake leather on the sides & back, so it's a little more manageable.
20-24. Robbi & Nicki cropped faux fur jacket at Nordstrom in XS. It has removable brooch pins. It was so soft, it felt like real fur. And I like how you can wear it closed, partially open or open and it looks good. But it's the most expensive of the lot. I would probably need to size up to a S since the XS seemed pretty tight around the arms.
25-27. Cropped leopard jacket from INC at Macy's. The smallest they had was a Petite Medium. I'd probably need a regular S or XS. The fur seemed a bit cheap/flat. But it wasn't as expensive. And it also seems like a very bombshell type jacket.