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My Talbots selections - Are these fab? Or am I out of my mind?

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

Hello Lovely People!

Now, I am blaming BethW for this post (well, not really, I know I need to be a grown up and be accountable for my own actions......<giggle>), but I somehow, accidentally (of course) discovered the Talbots website and noticed that they ship to Australia! I've found a couple of items of clothing that I really like, but before I go to the effort of trying to work out my size etc, etc, etc, I thought I would get some honest feedback first. I'm actually planning my Spring/Summer wardrobe now, as in QLD it is hot, oh, around 9 months of the year!

My first selection is this little dress:

http://www1.talbots.com/online.....e=cat90030

I love this dress! I was actually thinking that I liked the green. I already own a couple of red and pink dresses. What do you think of the style and the colour? Is it a nice, casual and cool dress to wear as a MOTG? Or do you think in real life it could look a tad matronly?

Second on my list are these Bermuda shorts:

http://www1.talbots.com/online.....e=cat70008

I thought the slight flare and above knee length looked flattering. Given I have lilly white legs, I was a tad daunted about colour though. I did like the red (I wear a lot of red), but I worried that it was too bright a colour and might scream granny. Then I considered the Desert Sand and the Nantucket Navy. I feel some trepidation about the desert sand, because it reminds me of a post Angie wrote about this being a difficult colour to wear; and I worry about Navy being too dark. Hay-elp! What do you guys think? Colour? I love the concept of them, am just not sure of the reality.....

Next, is this tunic. I just loved the fact that it looked breezy and cool. What do you think? Hmmmmm, not sure about the length!
http://www1.talbots.com/online.....e=cat90030
Finally, this t-shirt really caught my eye:
http://www1.talbots.com/online.....e=cat70012

Nice? Yuck?

That's it! Sooooo, what do you think? Please - encourage me or save me from myself! All advice is so welcome!
x

Shopping

23 replies

Latest reply was from Katiepea

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

You have posted the wrong link for the tunic.
I do not know about the dress. I like the green color but not sure about the length and fit. I will let experts to respond.
How about shorts in white? I just bought white clams and love how they play up bright summer colors. Angie was right - white pants do not make your bottom bigger if the fit is right!

NK

I've had that same dress in my shopping cart for a while now, so I like it!

The shorts seem like a nice cut and length.

The t-shirt is just okay to me for some reason. Maybe it's the sleeve length or the fact that the neckline is kind of between a scoop and a v-neck. Who knows.

crazyone

Veteran

I'll dissuade you from the t-shirt, even though it's pretty: $50 is just too much for a t-shirt that will probably pill in a few years!!

puffenstuff

(website)

Veteran

I love the look of that dress especially in the green. I am wondering how the fabric would be though, it says rayon/spandex so I am presuming it's a shiny type of fabric and I personally find that a little hot.

Shorts and T are cute but honestly I think it's a little too much once you convert to AUD + shipping. Maybe try Just Jeans or Jeans West

marianna

Veteran

I can't see the tunic but I really like everything else! Great selections!

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

hehe this is funny - I've just been perusing the Talbots site too since discovering they ship here!!!

I quite like those shorts you've picked - I'd pick the red or white or navy for me LOL

But, my absolutely favourite thing on their site is this dress:

http://www1.talbots.com/online.....e=cat90030

I adore it in the green and think its just beautiful!!

taylor

Veteran

No tunic pci:(

I like everything and the colors are fab. The dress may be a bit long for everyday...but perhaps not...must see on:)
Shorts are 10's and I love the red!!
T-shirt is pricey!! perhaps wait for sale.

Tanya

Veteran

I like the dress and the shorts, and also think that the shirt is too expensive. Can't wait to see the tunic too.

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

I like the dress esp. in green! You might need to hem it up just above the knee to make sure it's not too grandma.
For the shorts, I second the suggestion for white, otherwise I think navy (if it works in your wardrobe and you want a neutral) or red. I LOVE the ribbon belt on the shorts.

I don't care for the tee esp. at the price.

Please post a link to the tunic!

Theresa, I like that dress! Very flattering shape for an hourglass or pear. I would hem it up a bit, too.

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for your feedback! I'm going to ditch the t-shirt idea and I'm going to ditch the tunic. Here is my current stage of thinking now.....

I still really love the dress and I really loved the shorts until Puffenstuff gave me a dose of reality. I mean, I live in Queensland for goodness sake, surely we are the shorts capital of the WORLD?!!! So, sadly, they are off the list too. (For now. If I can't find anything here they will make their way back on it pretty damn quickly!)

As such, I think I will dip my toe into the world of international shipping and just take a chance on the dress at this stage. And I shall pray that it is not a shiny fabric. (Do you hear me up there, fabric Gods? NOT SHINY!)

(Actually, it may make more sense to query if you've seen this dress in person whether you can vouch that the fabric is more of a soft matte type fabric?)

Now that I've got that out of the way, I would really love your help with the sizing pretty please!

With the dress, if I went for a petite size, then it *should* theoretically end on or just ever so slightly below my knee. Am I correct that this would be the best length for me?

In terms of the size, my measurements are on the lower side of a small and I'm about up to an inch off a petite (in some areas).

HOWEVER, I am seriously (yep, seriously) on a diet right now, as I have to fit into the bridesmaid dress that I ordered a size down (crazy or stupid I'm not sure!) and so if you guys tend to say that sizing is on the "generous" side, I will go for a size P. Soooooooo all this rambling to get to this point:
S or P size? And Petite length? Oui? It will take between 2 - 3 weeks to get here anyway and it is still winter, so I won't get a chance to wear it for a month or two realistically anyway!

Thank you so much for being my voice of reason! x

yublocka

(website)

Veteran

KP I'm excited you're taking this plunge! The dress is gorgeous! Can I be a devil and suggest you consider the shorts though? I don't know about you but I find nice tailored short REALLY hard to find in Australian shops!

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

ooooh I'm loving you being brave!!! I may even be brave and order that dress that I love too!!

I'd have a quick squiz around to see what other shorts are around because I'm like Tam - find it hard to find nice dressier tailored shorts usually - but having said that I haven't a clue whats out at the moment but I did notice a few shops bringing out their spring goodies last week...

Wish I could help you on the sizing issues but sadly I'd be in the same boat as you!

April

Veteran

Katie, in general Talbots runs large. Can you order something lightweight (to reduce shipping) in two sizes and see what works for you?

Boof

I've seen the dress in person, and it isn't shiny. It's a mat knit dress. I'm about 5'5," and Talbots dresses tend to hit me right below the knee. As far as working out the sizing goes, you could either email them or do the live chat on their website. They generally have very helpful customer service.

Beth

Veteran

Katie, I love the pieces you chosen (with the exception of the already mentioned expensive tee). Sizing tends to be generous, so I'd size down.

Glad to be such an instigator.

Itari

(website)

Love the dress. Love the dress.

The rest is fab too. And no, there's nothing "granny" about the Bermuda shorts. At least in my opinion.

Lisa

Veteran

I am not familiar with talbots sizing but think you should give the dress and shorts a try. Nice Bermuda shorts are not easy to find.

wilson

Just for the record, I LOVE the tunic! It is tailored and more refined than most tunics I've seen around.

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

Well I am excited to say I've placed my order! *Happy and excited dance in progress!* I ended up ordering the green dress and the navy shorts.

The only issue I discovered was that the dress was not available in the Petite size, so I ended up taking the standard size and will alter if necessary. I was however able to order the bermuda shorts in the Navy in a petite size, so that should be great.

Thank you everyone for all your help with giving me some honest feedback and with sizing recommendations. It has made it a lot more fun, that's for sure! Now I just have to sit back and wait......

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

Can't wait to see pics!

yublocka

(website)

Veteran

Exciting!!! Can't wait to see how it goes!!!!

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

Katie, I tried on that dress in the store and it was very cute! It wasn't on sale yet so I didn't get it.

BUT, I have to ask, did you see anything about the sale items being Final Sale? Talbots recently changed their return policy and had been putting everything that goes on sale to Final Sale -- meaning you can't return it. I recently bought a couple of jackets from them and had to stop and think if I was really, really going to commit to the hot pink one because it was on sale and there was no going back. Luckily I wanted it, but...

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

Wow Kristen, if the *QUEEN* of gorgeous dresses says it is cute then I'm hoping it will be a winner! (except that it wasn't fab enough for you to buy it. Hmmmmmm, am I now overthinking?)

Yes, I saw the no-returns policy on the dress and decided that I really wouldn't bother sending it back to the US even if it didn't fit, due to the cost and effort. In Aus, only a couple of the major stores have a returns policy (and most of the time it is quite strict), so we are pretty used to having to like or lump something. That's partly why I'm a tad nervous about this little shopping endeavour. (It has helped me stick to my diet though - I'm determined that I shall not bulge in awkward places when I try it on!)