what are your best and not so good purchases for spring/summer? - YouLookFab Forum

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what are your best and not so good purchases for spring/summer?

always trying

Veteran

As summer is winding down and we are starting our fall buying, planning, etc. what are your best spring and summer purchases? mistakes, things that did not work out as well as you thought, or things you just did not wear much for whatever reason?

#1-one of my fav outfits-chambray pants from Bass-these are great alternative to jeans for warmer weather, fit well, look best rolled, and went well with so many things. The top in photo is 100% cotton knit front,woven back-cool and airy,wore mostly with white.

#2-comfy wedge sandal, actually bought on sale at end of last summer, but getting a fair share of wear this season.

#3 these booties are Franko Sarto and I wear them a lot-

the Burk a likes are white Mountain and they are a summer workhorse-very comfy and I am enjoying the gold color.

last photo -love these espadrilles-wear them when I want toes covered, and are great for evening strolls.

No photos of the things that did not work out as well-two pairs of linen-maybe one is linen cotton blend skimmer pants-just below knee-they seem to grow thru out the day. By the time I get home they are feeling baggy. not JFE-but do serve a purpose.

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19 replies

Latest reply was from

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

Favs are numbers two and four.

On my part:

Best: Rag and Bone Dre BFs. Love them!

Worst: EF purple three-quarter sleeve silk jersey tee. That purchase made me realize the extent to which my physical comfort was at odds with my aesthetic/stylistic comfort, and current need for structured tops. I wore it once, but felt really uncomfortable with how it looked. Lovely fabric, though.

kerlyn

Veteran

I bought a similar pair of birk-a-likes (mine are brown), and I've worn the heck out of them! Best purchase this summer, hands down.

My not-so-great purchase was a silky kimono topper that looks so lovely hanging in my closet, but I just never,ever wear it! When I try it on, I feel like a kid playing dress up!

Murph11

Veteran

Good question!

These Soffit sandals have been summer workhorses... So much so that I'm considering another pair!

Also, I'm loving my WHBM white blazer. My fav look is paring it with narrow black city shorts, black sleeveless blouse and strappy heeled sandals.

The busts were three Target tees I bought but never want to leave the house wearing. Too frumpy. Lesson learned.

Söfft 'Breeze' Sandal (Women)

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White House Black Market

Long Sleeve White Cutaway Blazer

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Sleeveless Portofino Shirt

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Brooklyn

Veteran

Love your birk a likes. They are on my list for our coming summer.
I will answer for our winter if that's ok:
Winners:
Bought lots of tees and long sleeve tops in neutral colours (white, grey and black) and organic fibres. Very unexciting to purchase but it is amazing how much easier it has made it to get dressed in the morning. Very good buys.
Grey skinny jeans. Such a great change from blue and so versatile. Have worn them to death.
I also bought quite a few all cotton sweaters. I have realised that wool does not work for me because I just overheat so easily. Practically unAustralian to say that! The cotton ones have worked a treat and wash and wear really well.
Losers:
I bought 2 wool knit dresses and have only worn one. See above.

Joy

Veteran

Good question. My best purchases were EF Allot flats in black and quartz. I want to wear them all the time and have to make myself wesr other shoes.
My mistakes are also footwear. In a desperate attempt to find summer shoes in white and navy, I bought the Italian Shoemaker wedge sandals in both colors. I have not worn either and think I will see if they can be returned. They are very comfortable but I'm not supposed to be wearing sandals and I'm not wild about the style either. They were a mistake.

JAileen

Veteran

I jumped on the Steve Madden Nonstp sandle bandwagon. While I LOVE the navy sandals, they are a just too tall for me. The leather is nice and soft, but I'm not reaching for them due to the 3 inch heel. I returned the SE Okalas, which I wanted to love, for the same reason. I just can't go over 2 1/2 inches, and even that's pushing it.

I bought Naot Kayla sandals in Metal. These are heavenly. I also have them in Coral patent because Zappos sent them by accident and told me to keep them. In my increasingly neutral wardrobe of grey and blue, the coral sandals are a kind of fun pop of color. I've worn the Metal ones a lot this summer, and my feet have been happy which is no small feat.

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Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

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Best:
White Birk-alikes from Target. I vacillated on buying this style last summer and when these came up in the spring at a reasonable price I snapped them up. They've been great for adding a bit of funk to my casual outfits.

Franco Sarto nude wedge sandals. They've been the perfect dressy but not too dressy sandal in a neutral color.

Worst:
Lucky Brand soft pants; these shrunk a ton at the first wash. fortunately I got them from Nordstrom so I could return.

Denim shorts - I thought I'd wear these a ton on the weekends but instead I've been reaching for loungewear or loose dresses. Still useful purchases, just not the slam dunks I was expecting.

Women‘s Bailey Two Buckle Footbed Sandals

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Franco Sarto Utility Wedge Sandal

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Ankita

(website)

I love #4.

As for me my best buys have been:
#1 Off-white lace sleeve Dorothy Perkins top
#2 Black Lace sleeve & side panel top from Zalora
#3/4 These studded shoes from River Island that are super comfy and blingy!
#5/6/7 Beige & Brown sandals that I picked on sale.

My (I won't call it the worst), but definitely least used purchase has been these gorgeous tan coloured sandals with laser cutouts #8/9, because i haven't used them as much as i would have liked to.

I'd love to hear suggestions on what I can pair these with

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Jeweled

Veteran

Best: A lovely, lightweight, fitted button-down white shirt with a transparent burnout pattern and 3/4 length sleeves. It's a great summer topper, and a colored tank top under it makes an interesting color pop peeking through the burnout fabric! I can see this piece becoming a summer workhorse. Found on a clearance rack for $9.

Not-so-good: A pretty, scoop-neck T-shirt printed with small periwinkle-colored flowers on a gray background. It's pretty on a hanger, but looks dreary on me - I do better in prints with a white background. I mailed it to my sister as a fun surprise, and she loves it - the colors are much better for her than for me!

Anonymous

My absolute best purchases were Eileen Fisher silk pants in black and midnight. They are light weight, comfortable, and cool enough to wear on all occasions. They literally feel like pajamas to me. My goal is to wear them into the fall and possibly winter by changing the tops to sweaters and long cardigans.

My worst purchases were tee shirts with necklines that were too big, too wide, or too deep. Lesson learned.

Eileen Fisher Silk Crepe Pleat Trousers (Regular & Petite) (Online Only)

$248.00 $123.98

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shedev

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My best are the Rick Owens vest and Ecco sandals.

My worst is a black and white print top with shoulder zips. They made the top slide around and I've moved on from that design feature. The top was thrifted, so the mistake wasn't costly.

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Author Linda

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My best purchases were across the board. I needed all new summer clothing, so have lots to choose from, but these items are clear winners.

1. Vans black perforated leather slip on sneakers. This one is thanks to YLF, where I first saw slip ons in Finds. Hoping for the best, I bought three pair, and I've worn these black ones the most. At least four times a week.

2. Munro Pisces sandal in white. Best. Fitting. Sandal. Ever. I can wear these all day, and do. I hiked all over Indianapolis for GenCon wearing these.

3. EF silver linen pants. Cool, comfy, wrinkly (because linen), but I don't care. I've worn the bejeezus out of these. Perfect fit for my write at home, run errands, meet friends for lunch retired lifestyle.

4. Boden chambray pants. See above, minus the wrinkly. I have other pants, but people might not realize this because I wear these two pair so often.

5. Vince Camuto aqua stripe tee. I reach for this all the time. Just a great fitting tee and I like the color.

6. Halogen v-neck short-sleeve tees. I bought the black and white stripe and three other colors. I'm forever pulling one or another from the drawer to wear. They even look great with my new leather jacket and will slide sweetly into fall. Bought on sale and my cost per wear is now below a buck each.

Not so good purchases... I have a couple of those, too. It's inevitable.

1. Karen Kane draped jacket. Lovely on me. Perfect for summer. Maybe I'll wear it someday. Just a little too dressy for my day to day lifestyle. I keep passing it over for other jackets I already own. Not sure yet whether I need to adjust my style (go more feminine) or pass this one on.

2. Franco Sarto Holt sandals in mint. Very nice shoe. Bought because I love the color, so have wearing opportunities; they're comfy, but whenever I reach for sandals I either grab the Munros or want something more sporty, like sneakers. I have yet to wear them. Glad to have them should the occasion arise, but a pretty pointless purchase to date.

Vans 'Classic' Perforated Slip-On Sneaker (Women)

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Munro 'Pisces' Sandal

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Eileen Fisher Organic Linen Crop Pants (Online Only)

$178.00 $106.80

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Camber Sands Pant

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Two by Vince Camuto Crossover Back Tie Dye Stripe Top

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Karen Kane Drape Front Bolero Jacket

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puppycat

I feel like I spend 90% of my time in a business look (black trousers, blouse, and blazer). I work in a professional and conservative environment so I only get to play on the weekends.

My most-worn summer item was a silk kimono topper. In a neutral abstract in grey and white tones, I wore it over jeans and t-shirts, maxi dresses that were too strappy to wear alone, ankle pants and fluid tops, even shorts and a workout top to dress it up a tad. That thing was from Chicos and got worn to death. Best summer shoe was my Clarks Orlena wedges. I wore them to work and play -- unusual for me, I normally have "work clothes" and "play clothes" completely separate.

Least worn items: an Eileen Fisher linen open-weave hoodie (even thought it's very "airy' due to the mesh-like weave, it just feels too heavy and covered up for summer). White ankle pants (I love them on others, but they just don't feel like "me"). Franco Sarto Whip flat espadrilles. They look great in my closet but when I put them on my feet they look flat and wide and shapeless like cheap discount store house slippers. I keep them in my car for times when I suddenly need a flat comfortable shoe that's not a flip-flop. Can't bring myself to wear them any other time.

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Susie

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Overall, I feel pretty pleased with the pieces that I added for spring and summer. My wardrobe has felt cohesive and that it works well together so it's been pretty easy to get dressed everyday.

Workhorses for me have been shoes- Kelsi Dagger gray lace up sandals and Steve Madden cognac open weave sandals for work and Nine West (I think?) silver slip on sneakers (cheap!) plus a pair of black leather and cork thong sandals that have been my go to for casual wear.

Other things that I have been very pleased with are some accessories- several necklaces and a few scarves- that I added because last winter I was liking the idea of a third/completer piece.

For casual wear, I had good and bad. The good included inexpensive knit tops (Gap and Old Navy) that just worked well in terms of fit, length, and drapiness. I discovered that I prefer to wear casual skirts rather than shorts. So a great addition was a short, black ruched knit skirt form BR. What I haven't worn are shorts that ended up feeling just a bit too big all over and especially in the legs. I am planning to take one of my VC tube skirts and shorten it to just above the knee and add that to my casual wardrobe instead of replacing the shorts.

So, again, I've been happy overall but I am still looking forward to cooler weather and to wearing the new additions for fall!

rachylou

Veteran

My failures are two pairs of shoes that give me blisters after strolling around outside for a good length of time with the dog. Unfortunate. Because doggie goes with.

Sara L.

Veteran

I feel pretty good about most of my summer purchases but I'm having a problem finding black sandals. I've bought at least 4 pairs over the past 2 summers and none of them have been quite right. They're either too casual or not flattering. I need to be pickier and really think about what I'm buying. I want a pair to wear to work with cropped pants and skirts but with a low enough heel that I can wear them with dressier weekend outfits as well. For some reason, I just can't seem to get this right.

viva

Veteran

Like many of us, my best summer purchases were shoes: the SE Ardelia's (thanks Cocolion) which I have been LIVING IN, and the Freebird Quail, which have been my go-to heels. Also, the Gap lightning dress has been worn several times and is a keeper.

Worst purchase: a jacket from Zara that I bought yesterday and am returning today. Total impulse buy that I regretted almost instantly.

Marble t-shirt dress

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Sam Edelman Women's Ardella Platform Sandal

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Freebird By Steven 'Quail' Open Toe Leather Bootie (Women)

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Anonymous

My best: white Birkenstocks, and white distressed, raw-hemmed skinny jeans from BR. Worst: a fleece/"sporty-luxe" tshirt style dress which was so unflattering - ugh; and a synthetic blend top I stupidly bought because of the print. Most uncomfortable, non-breathable, too short in the body (and I tried it on in the store !!) worst top ever. I hate when this happens!! NO SYNTHETICS LISA !!

Anonymous

A hit was my black heels. This was one pair of shoes that didn't jump out at me, but grew on me once I tried them on.
A miss was my midi skirt, with the fabric starting to fuzz after only about 6 wears. It is a rayon/linen blend (a little weird) and I thought the linen would give the fabric some durability, but I guess not. Fabric not holding up always happens to me! Grrr!