Should I buy these?-Good ideas or slowly sliding to frumpyville ? - YouLookFab Forum

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Should I buy these?-Good ideas or slowly sliding to frumpyville ?

celia

Veteran

Hello dear YLF,
It has been awhile. Life has been busy and I only had the opportunity to lurk a bit.
Meanwhile I have been daydreaming about my fall/winter wardrobe and trying to incorporate different ideas from Angie's posts.
One of them is the blousey twin-set, which is from 2011. I have used this formula during summer and really enjoy the different textures together.Although I really love blazers I haven't found the perfect balance of casual dressiness to the office so far but find it much easier with this kind of mix of cardigan/blouse. I am looking forward to repeat this formula during Fall.
Another one of the 'new' twin-set is the one Angie talked here.And this takes me to my first item(s):
I find this twin-set from Lands End
http://www.landsend.com/produc...../id_272890
fun and put together at the same time. Should I go for it or does it look frumpy?
The other item comes from my rekindled love with Massimo Dutti and this coat:
http://www.massimodutti.com/ca.....p4526080.h
Contrary to what it may look it is an indoor coat and I can see myself wearing this inside the office. I know it is a little bit tricky to judge something like this without seeing it on but do you think is a good concept to try? I have some baby bootcut camel pants that would go with it which would not be exactly this formula but close.
I would love to hear your opinion on this.Do not be afraid to be very honest
Thank you,

Shopping

23 replies

Latest reply was from LadyGeek

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Celia, hi. I do find it difficult to judge without seeing the items on. I love the coat from Massimo Dutti but I myself would be wary of it -- IMO it would be easier to fit on a tall, IT or square shouldered rectangle/ slim hourglass body type. And the collar style makes it a bit tricky for many. Gorgeous textures, though.

I am super wary of Land's End because on me their stuff does not fit or looks ultra frumpy. But I like the colour combo of that twin set for you for autumn.

celia

Veteran

Hi Suz. I totally agree with you reg. the coat . I would have to try it on ,or maybe Sveta can buy it and I will live vicariously trough her
Lands End is tricky, I also find that their sizing and cut is very random.Also I am not known for my returning abilities .
I will have to think about it some more.

crutcher

Veteran

You know, I had awesome luck with clothes and fit when LE had Lands End Canvas...The cut of the clothes was just better...That said, I would agree with the others that sometimes on me LE just looks el frumpo...
You never know until you try and if you like the twinset..it is worth a try..good luck...

Deb

Veteran

The coat looks really nice and worth a try. The caption says it is wool and shimmer, not that the shimmer is obvious in the photo, so hopefully it is a subtle detail and I wonder what percentage of the jacket is wool. I am not as confident with the twin set. Lands End knits are a variable in size, fit and quality from my experience. Whilst this set doesn't look frumpy, I wonder if two items in this stripe is a little too much. Maybe, maybe not. Part of me likes it , part of me is not so sure. I'll ponder on it......

Aziraphale

Veteran

I quite like that indoor coat. It's certainly worth a try. I think you would need to try it on but I love that length of coat paired with bootcut pants and chunky heels.

As for the twinset, I'm no judge. I have a poison eye something fierce when it comes to twinsets!

Anonymous

I love the quality of landsend, but I too have found that their pieces lean toward frumpy. The frumpiness is a factor of how much extra fabric landsend builds in around the waist.

viva

Veteran

For me, the combination of "twin set" and "Lands End" is just a ticket to frumpytown. I'm so sorry to be blunt, and I could be totally wrong, but oh, so risky. It would have to fit just so (and I don't think of LE as having the most modern fits) and it would have to styled to the nines (too much work).

I do like the coat and think it has real potential. You seem so petite though; it would have to be scaled right so as not to swallow you whole.

Marilyn

I'm on the fence about the twin set. It may look better with jeans/casual, but with the black pants I'm not a fan. What would you wear the twin set with?
I love the coat!

Peri

Veteran

I OD'd on twinsets when they were in style about 10? years ago. I wore them so much I just can't wear them anymore. To me they do feel frumpy. I don't understand, because they didn't back then when I was younger.

Sorry, that's not encouraging! I just think they are an item that can go wrong easily.

celia

Veteran

Why do they have to make Lands End Catalogues so appealing ?
I guess the twin-set might be too much of a risk.Maybe I won't bother to order.
Thank you for your honest opinions.
I love to shop with YLF.

LadyGeek

Lands End, yikes!!! I used to buy so many of their tops/T-shirts/jackets but it was ages before I admitted to myself that their weird sizes swamped my petite frame. Twenty years of not buying anything from them, and I look about ten years younger. Avoid!!!!

Glory

Veteran

I like the colours for fall of the twin set but have to confess I would find it difficult to wear. I do hate to give a negative review but agree that it could edge you over to frumpy but hard to say unless it is on.

unfrumped

Veteran

Caution sign!

I think the camel and black colors would look fab with your coloring but this would have to be styled to "mitigate" the twinset look. Meaning, maybe would work with tapered pants and stylish heels or booties but if I were to wear it with classic trousers and so-so shoes I'd be in frumpdom.
I am having to look at my items so as to be able to "juxtapose" --if I'm wearing more of a conservative, classic pant I need something more modern in the top or shoes, for example.
I don't achieve this every day, but it's something I think about when adding a new item.

unfrumped

Veteran

Re: the coat, it has potential to be something unusual but need to watch out for its looking like the shapeless sweater coat. I see how they styled it with the slim thigh and then flare-the jeans both in fabric and cut give structure, and the heels for long legline and balance the coat length. It would be fun to try for gorgeous autumn color.

sftbllgir

I think styled correctly, it could be a nice casual (non frumpy) look.

Aquamarine

Veteran

Gorgeous coat but I would try to get item measurements and see how they stack up with something similar you might have.

Similarly, Lands End has item measurements with the items now so you could compare with other cardigans/tops you already have. I do think they can veer frumpy very quickly, but sometimes we get enticed by fresh colors as a new season's catalog appears in our mailbox!

rachylou

Veteran

I think you should go for a blousey twin-set, as opposed to the twin-set twin-set, like the Land's End. I can really see you in the blousey version.

The Massimo coat is beautiful. I don't think it would so swingy in real life on, I should say. But hello! Indoor coat! How brilliant is that?!!!

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

That coat is beautiful. The twin-sets from LE I think I'd pass. I've returned pretty much everything I every bought from LE in the past couple of years I think (aside from Canvas stuff which wasn't the same high quality but fine for things like really casual tees).

Nicole D

Veteran

I like the Dutti coat. I think everything has been said about the twin set that needs to be said. I feel the same way about LL Bean catalogues. I feel like I put comfort goggles on when I browse through them. That said, I have a LE puffer that I really like and have been wearing for three years.

MsMaven

Veteran

Just lost my reply. Try again, what the others have said about LE. I love the colors and the stripes but the crew neck gives me pause--this is one you'd have to try I think.

I think the coat would look stunning on many women--I suspect it looks best on a person with good shoulders.

Gigi

Veteran

I really like the coat. I think as long as you wore it with a simple, streamlined outfit you would be OK. But I know nothing about how it would fit just based on the pic; it looks like some of the commenters above have more to say about that.

As far as the LE twin set, I do think it looks a little frumpy. I think that the stripes are just too loud for this kind of thing.

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

I think MD indoor coat worth a try - this is the best way, right?
As for a twinset - I do have a poison eye for them, they are extremely hard to style in a modern way I think.

LadyGeek

Just revisiting this. Celia, didn't Angie say something like if you feel fab/happy in something you will carry it off and look gorgeous? Conversely, if 'frumpy' is the first word that comes to mind I'd trust my instinct even if I couldn't articulate it.