Sorry, Carter, I think you're in major trouble with all the wonderful goodies that you got! You look fabulous in all of them, I think you will have a hard time deciding.
Yay for the booties with zippers on both sides, plus they are nice!
I will receive a bunch of boxes tomorrow, it's going to be like Santa misplaced his calendar. It's easier to decide when things don't fit right, I hope I will not be in too much trouble when deciding what to keep.

KEEP KEEP KEEP you look fab!!

Your photos have hugely increased my want list. Thank you so much for the reviews. I feel like I've been shopping with you.

Joyce and Cheryl...enablers, both of you!

Joy, I think you should try the EF sleeveless dress. It comes in a few colors, but I think the deep blue would look spectacular on you.

Thanks for the photos and reviews. Those grey booties are wonderful on you. And I just added a few items to my shopping cart based on your input, including those long Trouve knits. They look so comfy!

Carter, this is fantastic!

Any chance you tried the NYDJ ski pants? And could "compare" them to the EF knit pants for me?

Elizabeth, I didn't try the NYDJ Ski pants because I was specifically looking for pants without a front closure so they give a smoother fit for all my cold weather sweaters.

The EF are really perfect for my purposes. The VC pants are also great, but as I compare the two, I think the EF pants will fit my "quasi-dressy" needs better and the VC pants are a total score for travel and nice casual wear. I'm likely keeping both;-)

Thanks Carter. I noticed when I was doing my pretend ordering to figure out the duties on the items I'm interested in, that the ski pants don't even ship to Canada. Duty on the item I'm really after is zero, so I don't plan to "use" anyone this time. So that one is off the table anyway I think. I will go and look further at the EF ones though... realistically, dressier is probably also what I'm after. Shop for my REAL life!!

Hi Carter, how is the halogen u neck tee shirts. Some reviews say they are very thin. Since I would be shipping to Australia returns can be expensive...

Are not is... sorry autocue...

You found so much good stuff! I tried a lot of the same items but really didn't feel anything was new and exciting enough especially in black and grey, which is over represented in my closet. I love the EF dress with pockets! And I think the scratchy sweater looks awesome. All the bottoms rock too. Agree you're in trouble here with narrowing down!

Jenanded, I love the colors of the Halogen tees...very deep and rich. They are thin tees with a bit of nubby texture (the slub part, I guess). I only tried the 3 colors I bought, but there were no see-through issues with them. Honestly though, mine are going back because I really just fell in love with the colors, but I don't find myself wearing short sleeve tees anymore.

Thanks, AK. I did come home with quite a bit of gray and black! However, that was my goal for NAS. Those were the items I was so frustrated with last year in my closet. I have black and gray things, but they're just meh. I wanted some more substantial and "perfect" black and gray items to replace the old, "it's just a black tee/sweater, etc". I keep repeating this to myself as I work through what to keep and what to send back. I'm glad you like the dress. I am kind of ridiculously happy with it.

You look beautiful in everything. I have been eyeing many of the same items you purchased and I appreciate the pictures and descriptions on sizes and fit. I did purchase the Caslon Leather Jacket, it was the very first item I loved from the catalog and had to jump on it. I was short on time but made a special trip to the store just for that jacket. Sadly, they didn't have my size in store so it is on the way and I am really hoping it looks as good on me as it does on you! Your post did prompt me to purchase the VC Poncho and I am super excited to receive it as well. One wild card for me is the Halogen floral sweater. I'm not a pattern or color person at all but I put it in my finds with much hesitation. After seeing it on you, I think I might have to order it. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Colette, you are so sweet! I hope you love the VC poncho! I do. I love the drama of it, the ease of it, and the simplicity of it. Plus, since I start to feel so constricted with layering, I think the wide, loose "sleeves" will be my perfect "coat over sweater" solution. Please let me know what you think when you get it. The leather jacket is gorgeous! Really killer. The floral sweater was a bit of a stretch for me too, but I'm really excited about it. I decided to keep the "misses" size and return the petite. The SA said many clients were wanting shorter sweaters, but with my silhoettes, I still need the longer tops. Whichever you prefer, don't forget to play with sizes!

Thank you for taking the time to post your finds. I Love the EF dress on you and all the pants. I was on the fence about ordering a sleeveless dress but I am going to order it after seeing it on you. Thanks again.

This was such a useful post! I hadn't been planning to buy from the NAS, but a few of those items are just so great. And of course I love your black/grey palette here.

I'm particularly tempted by the Topshop denim shirt. A black denim shirt is a HEWI for me - the difficulty is usually fit. That one looks like it could work well.

Curious if you've made final decisions about what you will keep? I don't get my final (I hope, still a couple things I'm considering ordering - eek, maybe I am subconsciously waiting and they won't be avail anymore, which makes the decision for me) stuff until Thursday, when I can make my choices. There is not a Nordstrom in my town, so it is all online.

Wow Carter - stellar choices for a beautiful fall wardrobe and your insights into these pieces is incredibly helpful for anyone shopping NAS.

I wasn't going to participate due to the horrendous exchange rate right now but I am interested in the EF knit pants. They are on several fashion bloggers' top picks for NAS right now. Did you purchase your regular size (I saw one review that said to size down as they run large)? And did you go with petite or regular length? As I recall, you're on the petite side...

Well, cute Carter. Are you any closer to deciding what to keep?

Reneeb, I hope you love the EF dress. I'm SO happy with it. Dress up. Dress down. Roll it up in a suitcase. Everything I need.

Greyscale, goes a long way to explain why I always like your palette as well! I think the black denim shirt could be perfect for you.

Shannon, I hate to sound like a broken record about my EF purchases, but the knit pants are EXACTLY what I wanted. My normal EF size is a Small (Regular). These are a Small (R). I'm 5'5", but I have more length in my legs than in my torso. I love that they look like nice pants but feel like pajamas. I also love that they are more pant-like than legging, so I can choose the length of my top without feeling improperly covered. I will wear a silk jacket or tunic with them for dress up events, and a cotton or silk sweater for everyday.

Ack! Just wrote a long response and the tablet crashed before I could post. Trying again from the computer...

Angie and Raven, I am still deciding what stays and what goes. I had a bit of a reality check the past few days in terms of my climate and level of "dressiness" requirements. That is making things a bit easier.

So far, what's going back: cashmere tunic sweater, cashmere cardi (painful!), the two pocket tunic sweater. Although fabulous in every way, these items are just too heavy for my climate. I am also returning the EF blue sweater because I'm just not loving the color on me. The petite version of the floral goes back (I'm keeping the regular length). All the SS tees go back. They were basically an auto-pilot purchase for me, but I'm just not wearing the ones I have and like.

What definitely stays so far: The EF pants in black and charcoal, the EF dress in black, the regular size floral sweater, the blue blouse, the black bat-wing tee.

The other items remain somewhat undecided, although I am leaning a certain way in most cases.

The UPS guy just delivered part of what I ordered in the store to try different sizes/colors, so I'll dive into that in a bit. I also ordered (and am still waiting on) different sizes of both black booties, plus I ordered the gray FS booties that were recommended the other day. Yikes. I also ordered the EF dress in blue. We'll see how the color works for me.

Still don't know on the leather jacket. Love the CE. The Marc was supposedly delivered yesterday, but it is nowhere to be found. Nordstrom (bless them!) is sending a replacement right away. Also, after reading dakotacheryl's sizing issue with it, I had them go ahead and also send me the next larger size as well.

I will update as I make decisions:-)

Did I help with the climate thing?

More than you know, Sterling!

GREAT, Carter. It is very important to purchase and dress for your dominant climate. I'm glad you were able to prioritize that way.

I bought those NYDJ leggings 2 years ago. I agree that they run a bit big. I still had to have them hemmed a little even in petites as they were about an inch too long (I'm 5' 3"). They have travelled with me to both Orlando in January last year and Paris this past spring. I think they are perfect for travel with a lightweight tunic sweater.

They have really held up well for me if anyone else is on the fence about them.

I'm curious now about the EF pants. You said your regular EF size...I don't know mine in pants for EF. "True Fit" says Medium...do you think that is accurate?

Thanks, Angie! More prioritizing to go!

Kathleen, thanks for the scoop on the NYDJ leggings. They are really comfy, and I'm leaning toward keeping.

Peri, I think a Medium may be too big for you. I didn't do the "true size", and it's not working properly on my tablet. The normal sizing guidelines say a small is a 6-8, which is pretty accurate for me at the moment. Note that I've never been a fan of tight pants, so while the XS may actually look ok, I wouldn't be comfortable (plus, they'd be more legging than pant).

Forgot to say that I am absolutely positively keeping the Kut black jeans in my regular size. In this size they are relaxed skinny/slim straight leg fit. I could definitely size down for a skinny fit, but I like the straighter fit for these.

I have the EF pants in multiples, and as you're very in tune to buying for your climate...just thought I'd add that I wear these pants 12 months a year...just change out the shoes to make it appropriate for the season. Carter, you will love these pants.

Also, I bought a pencil skirt from EF in this fabric a couple of months ago and I love it too!!

I do dry clean as they will shrink in length (ask me how I know) if you hand wash and line dry, and I need every inch of length.

edited to add the shrinkage for me was 1/2 to 3/4 inch in length.

So glad you love the EF pants, Cheryl! I am a bit bummed about the shrinking with hand wash/line dry though. Any idea how much they shrank for you? I'll have to look at them with that in mind tomorrow. I am definitely still keeping them, but I will break down and dry clean them if I have to.