Shopping - what I saw, what I skipped, what I bought (ETA & WIW) - YouLookFab Forum

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Shopping - what I saw, what I skipped, what I bought (ETA & WIW)

Helena

Veteran

ETA - revised verdicts and the pink sweater in action downthread

Prepping for thanksgiving so I ran a few errands at lunch and was right beside Winners (US friends, think TJ Maxx I think as an equivalent) ... spotted a few items to try and wanted to talk through my logic and decisions ... for my own learning, feedback and (hopefully) interest!

First up, booties. I am looking for lower heels taupe or light brown booties. These looked interesting and were comfortable with a relatively low heel. I was unsure about the cowboy vibe though ... it's trending, but not necessarily authentic to my style, therefore I worry it will date more quickly in my personal wardrobe. Verdict: Pass.

Green sweater. Great colour, weird but cool sleeves. The neck was too tight though and made me very insecure about my softening neck and chin skin! Verdict: Pass.

Red rollneck sweater. Good fit. Nothing special though and not my shade of red. Verdict: Pass.

Pink chunky mockneck. Love the colour. Good fluid/loose fit. Soft. Comfy. High happy factor. Looks chunky but actually doesn't feel that way and drapes nicely. Verdict: Keep.

Deep red turtleneck. Love the colour. Good fit. Good fabric. Comfy. My hesitation is that my goal has been to stay away from really basic pieces. Besides the colour which is one of my faves, it is rather plain. But it's classic, versatile and my style. I'm torn. Verdict: ???

What say you fabbers? Does the deep red stay or go? Are my other verdicts reasonable or have I missed something?

Thanks for looking and reading xx

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Shopping

32 replies

Latest reply was from Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

Indigoprint

Veteran

Good job exercising self discipline to stay true to your goals.
I really like the deep red on you. It is classic and seems consistent with your style. Looks Fab just as you have it.
I vote keep.

Dee

Veteran

Yep the pink sweater is fab, and I'm agreeing with your logic on the items you did a pass on. Now the questionable deep red plain sweater, I think it looks great, and it works perfectly with your current style but my 2 questions would be:
1) Does it move your style forward in the direction you want to go?

2) And even if the answer to question 1 is no, I still wonder if you'd eventually want to seek out a sweater of this type in the end because its such a useful basic for your style and a favorite colour?
My pragmatic side says keep, it might end up being a workhorse in the end.

Jules

Veteran

I think good quality basics in a favourite colour are more than basic. But looking at this top I feel it’s a layering item as it’s maybe a bit fitted for current styling, but I don’t think you usually wear a blazer or other topper? Would be great under a black or grey blazer maybe? The pink has more slouch so it works as a standalone piece.

Helena

Veteran

Thank you so much for your input and kind comments! Dee, you've kind of put your finger on it with the "move it forward" question ... and Jules that's sucj a great point that this feels more like a layering piece in this fashion era ... hmm leaning towards returning ... will have to sleep on it!

slim cat

Veteran

Love pink slightly chunky sweater - adorable on you! Booties are nice.
Deep red sweater - nice color and fit ( I'd keep ).

Jules

Veteran

Alternately it might work great with wider jeans?

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

OOOH! Thanks for sharing. Fun to see, Helena!

My two cents:

I'd need to see the boots with more pairs of your jeans. Initial impressions are thumbs up! Iconic classic. I know you passed. I vote keep on your radar, though

LOVE the cherry pink sweater on you! KILLER - provided the sleeve length does not interfere with life.

I love a basic t-neck, personally. Fab with more hectic pants and jeans - which I wear a lot. (I wear quiet on top and loud on the botton quite a bit). They layer beautifully under coats too. Always look classic, equestrian and tidy. SOOOOOOOO, something to think about.

Helena

Veteran

Oooh the plot thickens! Thanks for your feedback Angie! I'll sleep on the sweater and maybe try it with wider jeans as Jules suggests. And maybe will take another peek at the boots ... or if I missed my chance, stay open minded to the style. Thank you!

Jonesy

Veteran

I love the deep pink sweater, and I think the pinkish-red turtleneck looks great too (on my monitor the two look very similar in color), but it's just a matter of figuring out if you will get a lot of use out of it (for layering, e.g.) and if it makes you happy. For me, practicality has to be wedded to happiness, otherwise I won't tend to reach for something. So, just today I was trying to decide between a cream-colored skirt, and the identical version in light gray (this was online). The light gray seemed much more practical, and I liked it (and put it in my cart) but then I tried to think hard about what I really desired, and it was the cream one (with a practicality boost via Oxyclean, if needed :), so I swapped them out.

SarahD8

Veteran

I concur with your skips. Very good thinking! And the pink sweater is so lovely on you.

As for the red maybe -- on my screen it looks like it leans a bit burgundy/magenta (ooh! trend alert!). It's simply a GORGEOUS color on you -- yes, just as excellent as the pink, IMO.

I think it merits a bit of play in your closet. Does it expand the color palette of your more basic sweaters in a useful way? I am thinking that you like quiet, simple outfits -- but sometimes hanker for more brightness/fun, so a basic shape in a more assertive color could be just the ticket for those times, I think. (Kind of along the lines of the "push yourself out of your comfort zone on one dimension at a time" rule.) When might you choose it over something similar that you already own? Or, might it split wears in a useful way?

I want to gently push back on the "moving one's style forward" language. I think asking if the pieces we bring in really serve what we want to be doing with our style is a good idea. But I quibble with the need for constant "progress." It's ok if some aspects of our style remain constant for some period of time (especially for folks who have a classic style probably!). We can revel in having found what works -- we don't always have to be Achieving Something New. You know? All that to say, if this kind of thing pleases you, don't feel like you need to change!

Runcarla

Veteran

I like the red roll neck sweater (5) the pink one (6-7). Not crazy about the raspberry red one (8-9) when the others are so good (fit and colour) Would it serve a different purpose, or just split wears?

Anonymous

I ran into that situaltion just the other day- good color, but meh style. Left it in the shop.

It does depend on your pairings though! I personally like very simple tops in summer, cause my skirts are mostly patterned. But my pants are mostly black and plain. So my winter tops have to offset the plain pants. Now if you have a bunch of special toppers, it could be good to keep!

Kate

Veteran

That pink is gorgeous on you, and I think your decisions on what to skip are spot on. While I quite liked the boots on you, for both the shape and shade, I feel the same about a cowboy style heel myself, so I understand why you passed. I'd listen to that feeling.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

The boots don't read strongly cowboy to me - just a thought. The pink sweater is great on you, and so is the red - which doesn't really look exactly red to me. Agree with SarahD8 about every item not needing to push you forward, you also need your favorite fallbacks to pair with your riskier choices.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

My verdict is Helena knows herself and her style and knows what works well! The pink is fantastic on you! LOVE!

I like the raspberry one also but I think you can give it a pass for the reasons you have stated, unless you need it to create specific outfits. It feels like a "completer" piece and if it doesn't complete anything in a way you want, then pass.

Bijou

Veteran

I love the taupe booties which has a slight nod to a current trend. My only hesitation would be whether a light-coloured suede would get dirty too easily, suede is much harder to keep clean than leather.

In terms of sweaters, the pink and red are the best and look great on you, whether you need to red is something only you can decide. Personally, I would lean to keeping it because it is a great colour on you, but I am someone who has two black sweaters (exactly the same basic sweater) because I like to know that one is on hand when required.

Star

Veteran

All your decisions were spot on. I would keep the basic classic piece. Those are items I never intentionally look for yet are workhorses.

Minaminu

Veteran

Great analysis and brava for staying true to your colours and favourite styles! The pink jumper looks lovely but the sleeves seems to be a bit too long, would that be OK for you? Personally, I would press the pause button just to be sure it is the right one!

LaPed

Veteran

I love analysis posts like this!

Agree that the pink sweater is the standout. If you have "basic long sleeve layering tops" on your list, keep the maroon turtleneck, but if you already feel set in that category, it's most likely going to split wears with something in your closet.

RobinF

Veteran

Agree 100% with the pink sweater! Looks great on you. I also agree with other comments about the red looking more like a layering item so would it serve your intended purpose? I quite love the look of the boots and I am also not into cowboy looks. They seem quite toned down with the jeans and I love the toe shape peeking out. My personal hesitation would be, as Bijou said, the suede and keeping it clean.

lyn67

Veteran

I agree, don't feel the urge to buy something which doesn't feel authentic for you! This been said, I would have skipped on the beige booties not because they are cowboy style but raher because they are beige. Of course it dependes what will you wear these with- but really you look so gorgeous head to toe in nr 9 (focusing on the booties with the jeans) that I wondered why do you need beige booties at all?
I do have beige (and white) booties but I am blonde and still don' t get using them that often--because:
- I like to match boots/booties with what I wear on my legs (pants or hosiery) for the maximum leg lengthening effect---OR/and
-I need to repeat the color somewhere else (other than my hair!).
I've learned the hard way somehow (because I kept trying...) but these rulles come from my guts somehow (my all times visual prefferences).
So I wear my beige booties only with tan hosiery and some lighter colored skirts (but it's rare cause I always preffer black matte sheers with darker booties in colder weather, and with some beige/brown plaid wide leg or cigarette pants. (Thus they can look great to white/cream jeans, too!).
OTOH a white (with some dark accents) bootie can be easier to do for me as I find white footwear giving a more energetic vibe to a sporty casual outfit, but that's probably only me.
Love both sweaters on you!

Helena

Veteran

Okay here are my revised verdicts!

1. The red-adjacent sweater (I'm going with light wine, or perhaps cranberry as the colour). 99% on return. I LOVE the colour and will keep an eye out for something that grabs me a little more in a similar shade. It's a good classic sweater to be sure - but I'd like to hold out for something that sparks a little more joy. I had considered doing an outfit lab with it before returning and I won't have time to return it until next week ... so if I doubt myself and have time, I'll do the outfit lab for fun if nothing else

2. The booties. Pass on this pair but keep an open mind to the style (subtle western detail). I don't love buying shoes from this particular store because I like to be able to compare sizes and try different pairs, just to be sure about fit and comfort, and the nature of Winners is that they generally just have the one pair. Points well-taken about the beige, too - especially given our sloppy winters. A light boot NEEDS to be weather-proof.

3. The rest. My verdicts stand. Wearing the rose-pink-raspberry sweater today! Yay! The long sleeves don't bother me btw ... I either tend to push them up as in the picture, or pull my sleeves down to cover my hands when it's cold - either way, these are fine for me, although I get why they could be an annoyance to others!

4. The "move style forward" issue. I completely agree with the comments that this doesn't have to be a goal or priority. As Angie says, when things are working, milk it! That said, at this current time, with changes to my body, slight shifts in my style preferences, and me embracing newer silhouettes and trends (my way, of course), I do want to stick a toe outside my usual box, with slouchier fits and a little more detail. So for me, moving my style forward is a priority right now - but the point is well-taken that it doesn't have to be an exclusive focus, nor does it need to be anyone else's priority. It's just an option (and a good one for me for now )

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments, helpful advice and positive encouragement. Appreciate you all so much! Hope this discussion is helpful for others too xx

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Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Helena, thumbs up on the decisions! They are sound, and make both logical and emotional sense.

LOVE the way you styled the new sweater with white

Katerina

Veteran

Helena, the raspberry sweater you kept is absolutely gorgeous on you, wow! It is the best of the pieces. You are soo good with colors and you have impeccable taste. The way you have worn it today is great. I love the powdery bag and belt with this outfit. Perfect combination.

unfrumped

Veteran

I like your thinking on this.

I have a weakness for our TJMAXX , and have some of my BEST and WORST purchases there! So I have had to get more picky.

It’s a complete treasure hunt, because of the jumble of brands and quality.

I don’t use a real formal list, but do have things I look out for, including things that aren’t always showing up at regular retail. But I have to watch out for buying just a too in a color I like but don’t need the item.

Also on shoes—I prefer real leather to the vinyl faux leather, and many are not real leather, but sometimes there’s a great find in a “ real” brand in leather. Plus sneakers can be good. . So I’d think about quality in things like boots, especially is something you’re really building outfits around and hoping for some durability.

I understand about “ moving style”, but both ways. It’s a good question to ASK but just not the only question. And in addition to “ style” I include “ does it fill wardrobe holes”. I have a big- enough wardrobe in terms of numbers, but incredibly I still have a few events/ occasions that I have trouble dressing for, usually due completing a partial outfit, maybe change in proportions I really want to achieve, or how cool/ warm is weather.
But it’s easier to just buy more random tops or sweaters, so I have to watch out.

ChristelJ

Veteran

The pink sweater is so very gorgeous. Everything you put on looks good on you, but sometimes something really jumps out and that sweater on you is one of my absolute favorites ever.

Style Fan

Veteran

Helena, the pink sweater looks gorgeous with the white jeans. Beautiful colour on you.

Sally

Veteran

I think you made great decisions for what its worth. The red sweater was a good pick. I also liked the booties as they would look good with jeans and white pants and black pants which I think you wear. I like you are moving towards more slouchy styles due to body changes and just preference for comfort.

Star

Veteran

Love how you styled the pink sweater, perfect accessories IMO, not too matchy, the interesting belt. This seems to be your colour, when you feel like colour IYKWIM.

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