https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:29:37 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2312102 Sun, 05 Mar 2023 19:08:57 +0000 kkards 2312102@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Late to this. Also spent time at the local big mall yesterday-also walked away underwhelmed and basically empty handed. I have thoughts, on fashion &amp; customer service I just need to think about how to express myself </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2312095 Sun, 05 Mar 2023 18:02:55 +0000 Angie 2312095@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Go Team Cropped Flares! A great silhouette. Jag jeans are very popular here too - and so are cropped flares. If it works - WEAR IT with a happy heart :)&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311987 Sun, 05 Mar 2023 03:28:16 +0000 Jaime 2311987@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Your shopping outfit is fabulous. The experience says stick to the indie stores that understand you. I do have some sympathy for the sales clerks who are probably bored out of their minds (projecting from my own experience) but it is irresponsible of management not to train them better. The new jeans cut look great for you! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311965 Sun, 05 Mar 2023 01:52:53 +0000 LJP 2311965@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>The jeans are Jag’s Phoebe cropped boot cut - shown in finds . I have them in the colour shown in the find with a finished hem and new in the super light wash with a raw hem . They are cropped but not too short , which the ones I wore in the photo are , to my eye . Jag is made by Western Glove Works in Winnipeg , where , coincidentally , I had my first job in fashion out of university . The buyer told me it’s been their bestseller for 2 years running ( this is a big store that does a LOT of volume ) . She said she buys all they’ll cut but it’s now discontinued . I got the last pair in my size . The beauty of this brand is the pricing vis a vis the quality . Jeans are only $100 and the price hasn’t changed since I started buying them 6-7 years ago . Sure they are mainstream styling and with some stretch for comfort , but for those of us with less than slim midsections , they are great . </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311959 Sun, 05 Mar 2023 00:58:16 +0000 Style Fan 2311959@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great shopping outfit, Lisa.&nbsp; You always look fantastic.</p> <p>I love your new sweatshirt.&nbsp; I am also curious about what the best-selling jeans are. The indie boutique sounds like they have your style.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311951 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 23:12:02 +0000 Angie 2311951@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I LOVE the striped top on you, <b>LJP</b>! You look fab in high contrast. Elegant with the long vest, and KILLER cute with the scarf and bag :)</p> <p>This was quite the shopping adventure and I enjoyed your musings! Fab you could chat to ex-colleagues and get the scoop. Which are their best selling jeans style, btw? Fun new sweatshirt colour combination too! Fortuitous, and meant to be yours.</p> <p>Aritzia baffles me a bit - although I unexpectedly bought two items there a few weeks ago! I don't know who their target audience is. Modern Classics in one corner. Trends in another. Athleisure in the third. And ultra skimpy clubbing clothes in the fourth. TERRIBLE small dressing rooms that rival Zara. But at Zara you at least have a mirror in the dressing room.</p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311929 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 22:14:59 +0000 LJP 2311929@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Not sure what the theory is behind the no mirror thing . Up until recently , Aritzia wouldn’t even let you take your purse into the fitting “room” and had you lock it up in a locker . Not exactly a welcoming vibe , is it ? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311922 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 22:00:38 +0000 Jonesy 2311922@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ooh, love your outfit--the stripes mixing is fab and the layers look so chic! Your shopping trip sounds like quite the adventure! It seems like Aritzia is swinging a little too far in one direction? As Angie would say, next! I'm glad you found a few great things at the indie boutique, along with a lovely conversation. I cannot remember the last time I shopped for clothes at an actual store (vs. online), so I am baffled by the small dressing rooms with no mirrors! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311919 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 21:34:06 +0000 LJP 2311919@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>One thing this trip did cure me of is interest in trending styles - which I think are targeted more to the GenX customer . Some things were so ubiquitous and at every price point that they no longer looked interesting to me . I felt a sigh of relief looking at some new Eileen Fisher pieces online , and while reading an article in the WSJ ( which is linked in a story on Flair Index’s IG today ) . Too much is going on in fashion right now and it’s giving me a headache . Quieter , more elegant basics for me , hopefully . </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311916 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 21:24:42 +0000 Suz 2311916@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This sounds like organized and well-planned shopping, <b>Lisa</b>. I often think the first few visits to the stores in a new season are like scouting trips...you have to get the lay of the land. And not all the stock will be there, yet, of course, so it's a bit tricky to draw conclusions. It can also be tiring and demoralizing to go into the big box stores and see nothing that interests at all! But you have had good success at independents before and it looks like your luck is still with you there. The sweatshirt colours are great!&nbsp;</p> <p>Love your outfit! The cropped pants look great with the longer vest and I really like the sweater and scarf combo.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311912 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 19:58:10 +0000 Echo 2311912@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ooh, I love shopping reports, expecially on stores I have rarely been to. It helps me know whether to visit them when I am in an area that has them! But dressing rooms with curtains generally annoy me (I prefer doors), and NO MIRRORS? Yikes, I feel better about my body than I have in years, but don't stand me next to a 17 year old who disappears when they turn sideways! That is enough to discourage me from taking out my wallet.</p> <p>But your OUTFIT! I just love the black and whie, and I think the pants are a great length; they really work in this combination! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311911 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 19:55:49 +0000 judy 2311911@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Your observations about the clueless sales assistant made me recall my days of retail.&nbsp; Many of us here, I know.&nbsp; Days when we had notebooks that we wrote in customers names and what they liked and wanted to buy that we could keep an eye out for them and phone them when they came in.&nbsp; We were REALLY into it.&nbsp; </p> <p>BUT I also remembered that my rent at the time was $500 a month for a two bedroom apartment (and they never raised the rent for the five years we were there!) that now rents for $2,000 or more.&nbsp; And retail salaries haven't really gone up all that much.&nbsp; </p> <p>Not saying this ever justifies poor service, it's just that perhaps basic needs like housing, both buying and renting, has made the career sales assistant (and waiters...remember the old waiters who had been at those restaurants their whole lives?) a thing of the past...?&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;People used to be able to make a career of service jobs, where now the finances for most just necessitate that it be much more temporary on the way to a better paying gig.&nbsp;</p> <p>Okay, back to current reality and hopefully didn't get too off track of this thread.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311894 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 18:35:53 +0000 LJP 2311894@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Carol - yeah , the non-return policy stops me a lot of the time . But Karen ( buyer) knows what she’s doing and is great to talk fashion with even though our aesthetics aren’t similar at all . </p> <p>Irina - I never use that bag because of the purple ! I have never owned anything purple until now . I definitely had sales goggles on that day - Holts semi-annual bag sale </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311891 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 18:31:23 +0000 Tanya 2311891@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This all reads like a very successful shopping trip overall - you came home with great stuff, avoided the so-so things, and know what to stay away from .&nbsp; The sweatshirt is pure perfection, and those jeans look great as well.&nbsp; &nbsp;Great outfit, too - especially like the pattern mixing and the purples. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311887 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 18:24:27 +0000 Anonymous 2311887@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Changing rooms with No MirRoR??!!!! Nope. Big yay for Team Boutique though! I too find it easy to talk to the owners- even if there's nothing I want to buy. Great scores- and love the scarf! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311886 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 18:23:28 +0000 Sal 2311886@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Love your new additions! Sweatshirt is indeed perfect.</p> <p>I think the shopping days were successful - you worked out what didn’t fit you, tried on things that weren’t right, and saw what’s out there. </p> <p>Great outfit too! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311877 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 17:46:16 +0000 CarolS 2311877@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Glad you had some success out there, Lisa. I love to look at Shelmerdine (although you are right about the increasingly boho vibe being a bit much), but am wary to buy because of their return policy.&nbsp;</p> <p>That sweatshirt does seem like a stroke of luck - and I love the combo of the floral scarf and striped sweater... it's KILLER!!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311871 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 17:28:15 +0000 Irina 2311871@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Well, look at it this way - good to know where you should not spend your time and money. I ordered two pairs of pants from Aritzia, went to return in person and decided that the only things I would ever consider buying there are puffers and cashmere hats.&nbsp;<div>Thanks for introducing the Paper Label to me. They are sold in some places here, maybe I will take a look. Some soft purples I saw on the website, you know, just saying :)<br />Love your outfit! Why were you hiding that Prada bag??? Looks fab!</div> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311869 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 17:23:29 +0000 Roberta 2311869@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Honestly, this is why I rarely shop in person any more. After this kind of day I would come home with a piece of cake as a "reward".</p> <p>The sweatshirt is great, though. I love that color combination. Amd I'm glad you got to talk with someone who knew what they were doing eventually! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311868 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 17:23:01 +0000 Dee 2311868@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh boy, that sounds exhausting, but happy you finally found some items that will work for you, glad one boutique is thinking of fashion for the 35+ crowd.<br />Yet another great scarf and bag combo <b>LJP</b>, love the long vest and striped sweater too.<br />Aritzia just isn’t for me either, and what’s with the no mirrors in the change room, hate that.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311867 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 17:21:30 +0000 slim cat 2311867@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>That's looks like still successful 2 shopping days - things tried, some rejected, some - came home with you. I often tell myself in similar situations - "negative results are still results" ( better to try things and get clear picture of not loving them, than keep wondering about certain styles ).&nbsp;<br />Your outfit is perfect for occasion and fab with your darker hair! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311864 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 17:15:34 +0000 Helena 2311864@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>On my phone so I'm writing short replies ... But you know Lisa, I think the little independent boutiques you had luck with seem more "on brand" for you so it doesn't surprise me that you found more success there (saying this as an un apologetically "basic" mall shopper so nothing negative on chain stores - just your style has boutique vibes). </p> <p>I agree about Aritzia ... I think it might almost be turning into a victim of its own success ... It's so ubiquitous as to be starting to feel a bit generic in a way maybe ...? Every one of my daughter and her friends (14 and 15 year olds) look like they work there lol. And fail for Oak and Fort *thumbs down* </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/2-days-of-shopping-the-good-and-the-bad#post-2311859 Sat, 04 Mar 2023 16:57:49 +0000 LJP 2311859@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I took Thursday and Friday off of work this past week, and took advantage of the time to do some clothes shopping  and actual trying -on. <b> Looking for casual pants , jeans, and tops, shoes/runners. </b>  As usually happens when I have a day set aside for this , it was frustrating and demoralizing and didn't turn up a lot of the fabulous clothes and shoes I imagined were out there .  </p> <p><b>Day one</b> was one part of our big mall.  I tried on 3 pair of casual pants at <b>Anthro</b> - including a pair of Paige cotton pants that were too $$ but I was at the point where if they were super great I was willing to buy them.  I <b>really liked a pair of Pilcro</b> cotton pants in an interesting dark  iteal colour but couldn't figure out what I'd wear them with and nothing was styled with them in the store either .  Left Anthro empty-handed .   </p> <p>On to <b>Oak &amp;Fort</b> (Canadian chain that is like Club Monaco at 1/3 of the price).  Bought (without trying on because they have idiotic little change rooms with curtains and no mirrors) a pair of parachute pants, a t-shirt and a varsity-style cardigan. Sort of annoyed because any attempt I made at conversation with the guy helping me was met with a disinterested look. Next up : <b>Gap</b>, which had nothing I wanted. The jeans I was interested in all had big rips across the thighs. Not doing that anymore.  </p> <p>Last stop - a little local boutique  <b>(Margot &amp; Maude</b>) on the way home where I chatted "business"  with the owner who I really like (used to do business with her) and bought 2 Baggu bags.  Super happy with those.</p> <p><b>Day 2</b> - back to do the second half of the mall, and to <b>return the Oak &amp; Fort merch.</b>  Conclusion: parachute/cargo pants are not me, and I'm ok with that. Same guy who gave me no indication he recognized me from the day before.   Irritated by this kind of customer service.  I did keep a black canvas bucket hat  and a pair of sunglasses .</p> <p>Over to <b>Aritizia</b>, which was blessedly calm. Tried on the Effortless Pant and nearly cried when I saw myself in the mirror.  Tiny changing rooms with no mirror - EVEN IN THE BIG NEW STORE!!  So I had to come out and check myself out alongside a skinny 17 year old trying on something body-con or another .I looked at everything in that store, and came to the conclusion that they've gone backwards in the age of their target market at the same rate I've moved ahead. I'm done there.  The jeans were presented in such an non-accessible manner than I didn't even try.  Racks of stiff Agolde denim in size 0 and 2 merchandised with tiny crop tops and New Balance sneakers.  Beautiful store though.  </p> <p>Hit up another Cdn womenswear chain store (<b>Melanie Lyne</b> - usually too office-y for me)  and tried on 3 more pair of jeans.  One was ok and I may go back for them. Conclusion: big, long, loose  wide jeans do not work on me.  Just too much denim.  </p> <p>Checked out a few sneaker/sports stores and decided I don't like New Balance sneakers as much as I had thought I did. I did , however find a perfect pair (NB'S)  in the youth section of the<b> Bay </b>(canvas and with a less Zumba-shoe like profile ) but my size wasn't available.  Even tried on some sale Ganni-look-alike lug sole chelsea boots but am so over that look right now.  Probably just winter-fatigue setting in . Gah!  </p> <p>Last stop , an <b>indie boutique</b> outside of town which is part of a huge garden/home decor store.  I used to buy tons of stuff there but it's gone super-boho which I don't love.  Had a very interesting chat with the buyer regarding jeans trends and their best-selling style (which I bought) . Their target customer is 35 + to middle aged, with a bit of money to spend, and with a casual lifestyle.  She (buyer)  is not a fan of true high-rises ( even though she sells a ton of them ) and finds them tricky to fit . It was a blessed relief to chat with a professional who felt the way I did .  Tried on a bunch of stuff, and bought 3 things - see finds below. And that sweatshirt: My 2 fav colours in one top??? What are the chances?  It had to come home with me .</p> <p>Still no shoes or sneakers, but I'm sure there is still stock to come .  <br /> Thank you for reading!  I shop so little that I'm excited when I can , as you can tell. </p> <p>What I wore: <br /> sleeveless quilted <b>vest: Soya Concept</b><br /> <b>sweater: Dynamite</b><br /> <b>jeans : Old Navy</b> (why are these SO short?? )<br /> <b>boots: Dolce Vita</b><br /> <b>bag: Prada</b><br /> <b>scarf: Coach </b><br /> lilac nails , Chanel soft earth toned lipstick , purple eyeliner .   </p>