Hi friends! It's been ages and ages since I posted, but I still read the blog regularly and scan the forum when I have time. I decided to pop back in today because I trekked downtown to the Vancouver Nordstrom in the hopes of trying some of Angie's picks and thought I'd share a report from Canada and ask for some advice.

First, can anyone help me with sizing on the Pikolinos studded booties? I usually take a size 9 or 9.5, and my feet are slightly wide. My only shoes with an EU size on them (the Ecco silver sneaks everyone had a couple of years back) are marked as US9/EU40. In the Pikolinos, though, the EU40 is listed as US10. I'm confused! My feet are a little on the wide side and I can usually wear US9.5 just fine; should I order the US10/EU40s?

Now for the NAS adventure itself. This is long, but I thought the details might be helpful to other non-US folks who have to deal with limited in-store stock and/or online-only orders.

The items I was interested in were:
- The studded burgundy Pikolinos Vicar Water Repellent Studded Bootie. These were the #1 thing that I wanted. My current booties are worn out and I absolutely need to replace them with something this season.
These ones look like a no-brainer for my style, my life, and my climate.

- The charcoal BlankNYC Onto The Next Faux Leather Drape Front moto (and the fawn Record Breaker one that wasn't one of Angie's picks). I'm always on the lookout for lightweight non-black toppers with a bit of edge and NO WRIST ZIPPERS (so noisy on my desk/keyboard!) that I can wear at work. This one looked like it would be perfect. The Bay does carries some BlankNYC so I'll check there for it once their fall stock arrives.

- The Halogen Scoop-Back Knit Top in navy. An easy piece for work and for weekends when I need something just a bit nicer than a t-shirt.

The bad news first: None of the items I hoped to try were available in the store. I checked with the sales associates, but they didn't know anything except that they weren't being carried. I did spot a bunch of the other Angie picks and forum favourites, though, so it's not an utterly barren wasteland.

Now for the good news: the sales associates were just lovely, and I came home with a few gems (I think). I got:

-The Halogen Scoop-Back Knit top in burgundy. I wanted navy but it wasn't available and the burgundy is a nice alternative. I tried it on backwards at first by accident, and it looked great. When I tried it on the correct way it clung to my bust and was super unflattering. So I'll be wearing it backwards. Whatever works! Will go well with tons of my clothes, including some orphaned pieces.

- The Caslon Rounded V-Neck Pocket Tee in "Grey Ebony". The neckline, drape, colour, and material should be perfect for me for weekends, travel, and loungewear. I wanted to duplicate but this was the last one. May bite the bullet and order a couple more in navy and pink, which weren't in store. Fills a significant wardrobe hole.

- The Barefoot Dreams Cozy Lite Circle Cardigan in Carbon/Black Heather. I've always wondered why these cardis are so beloved because they looked unremarkable, especially for the high-for-me price point. Well, I petted one out of curiosity, and that was that. I've never felt anything like it--simultaneously weighty and light, cool and cozy, silky and almost... liquid, somehow? Magic. Plus it looks great on. Life's been challenging lately so I've been gravitating to cozy, comforting items that make me feel safe and cared-for. This piece fills several wardrobe holes plus that emotional one. I suspect it will get a ton of wear. Note: I did try to the longer waterfall-style one as well and it didn't look as nice, plus the hem at the neck seemed to be on the verge of fraying. I don't usually like the bulkiness of shawl collars that fold back on themselves, but the one on the circle cardi works for me. Long grey cardis of all kinds are some of my most-worn items.

- The BP. Cozy Joggers in light grey heather. Again, as soon as I touched them I was done for. Not as magical as the Barefoot Dreams material, but still lovely. They fold up super light so they'll be good for travel, where they can do triple duty as PJs, loungewear, and ultra-casual athleisure. I like the long rise, the non-restricting waistband, and the fact that they're so lightweight I barely feel them when they're on. I hesitated to spend $35 on them but when I did a mental cost-per-wear projection and also remembered how I've been wishing I had pants like these almost every day after work for a couple of years, it was an easy decision. I chose to put back some tops I didn't really need and duplicate these instead. They don't seem to be very study but if they last me for a year or so I'll be satisfied.

I also tried the ASTR lavender and blue plaid coat. I loved the colours and the collar, but it's a LOT of coat. I wasn't ready to commit. I didn't love the wide sleeves and the beige buttons. It's super soft but definitely felt like "fast fashion" quality (think H&M or F21). Very oversized--I'm usually an L or XL, and I was SWIMMING in the XL. Even the L was a bit more oversized than I wanted, especially in the sleeves.

The Pikolinos booties are still sitting in my online cart. I may swallow the Borderfree hassles and go ahead and order them if I can get the sizing sorted out.

Whew, that was a lot of words. I hope it's helpful for someone out there!