When I say ‘quick pix,’ I mean it, and they are also pretty crappy, but Stitch Fix and I have come to understand each other better in the past few months, so I wanted to share a few of the nice things they’ve sent me. They’re all tops, because I guess when I told them I was sick to death of skinny jeans and did not need them to send me anymore, they ran out of ideas and quit sending me bottoms altogether – probably a good thing since I’ve apparently lost more weight in the past month and am still having to buy all new pants (and even sweatpants because I finally could not take them falling down anymore) and wouldn’t be able to wear any new ones they might have sent me anyway. I’m dreading the weather getting warmer and discovering that all that cool Free People stuff I bought back in the summer and fall no longer fits me, but I can always make a big old trip to the tailor I guess. Moving on.

Stitch Fix has, however, sent me several great tops I’ve kept (and one nice skirt I gave to a friend because sending it back would have brought my total to the same amount the full Fix was if I kept it and took the extra discount). Whenever I know a Fix is coming, I go to the website and look at what’s headed my way; sometimes I can find photos of it from other people’s reviews online, and sometimes not – but most of the tops I was able to find in these last few shipments I did not think I would like based on what I saw. Even when taking them out of the box I was not impressed, but when trying them on they really worked for me. I was not wearing makeup when I took these pics, so in most of them I took my head out of the equation. There were a few where I didn’t look TOO awful, so I kept my head on. But still, no makeup, so yeah. Not up to my usual standard. But I wanted to share a few since some of them didn’t have much online representation and other people may be searching for them like I was. So here we go – keep in mind that these did not all come in the same Fix, by the way. You only get five items per shipment, and these tops represent most of what I’ve kept out of the last three I’ve received (a few things weren’t clean when I took the pics, so they’re not being shown).

First up is the Evolution by Cyrus Lonnie Coated Metallic Sweater (hey, I don’t make up these long-ass names, I just repeat them):

While I wouldn’t call this sweater comfortable, for how it felt when I took it out of the box it was far more wearable than I thought it would be, so perhaps low expectations made it acceptable. In other words, it isn’t uncomfortable, but it’s not my usual level of cotton/jersey knit softness. In fact, my first thought after touching it was that it felt, and looked, like a car floor mat, but when worn it’s pretty snazzy and unique. The fit one me is very good, even though here it looks a little schlumpy (guess I should have bothered to put on a bra before I took this shot. Oh well). Anyway, I loved it, even though I still don’t know what color it is (I believe the actual stated color on the receipt was just “metallic”).

Up next is the Janine Colorblock Open Cardigan and the Beau Fringe Infinity Scarf:

There are items of clothing that scream “teacher” to me, and long open ruffly cardigans are one of them. So once again, I wasn’t sure I was going to like this one until I put it on. It’s actually quite cute and a nice fit, and it isn’t overly heavy so it can be worn in mild winters like we usually have. It’s not too long, which makes something this bulky more flattering, but the sleeves are a bit overlong, which I happen to love. The scarf is another crochet scarf. I didn’t need another one, but it was only about $30 so I kept it.

Then there’s my Alessandro Floral Print Silk Blouse:

Starting to sound like a broken record here, but yeah, I saw this online (albeit in another color) and thought I was going to hate it, blah blah blah. I tried it on and loved it. So much so that I was OK paying over $100 for it. The tunic style is about the only type of “blouse” I will wear – everything else is too fussy and/or formal for me – and Stitch Fix has sent me several that I really like. The print and color on this one are just divine, even though coral isn’t a color I wear well at all. It’s primarily white, so I can pull this off. Gorgeous.

The improperly-named Placer Knit Poncho is up next:

It’s fab, but it’s NOT a poncho.

This was the one I saw online and thought, oh yuk, Stitch Fix, don’t waste the postage sending me this. But it’s actually versatile and cute and fits like a dream. It’s quite long, but tapered, which usually is a disaster on my pear shape but there’s enough room and stretch to the material that it works perfectly; I can keep my bum covered without looking bulky at all. The dolman sleeves and the cowl neck are well-done too – full without being overly big (cowl necks are usually a disaster on me because of my small shoulders and chest; every time I lean over I’m flashing the world and not interested in putting a camisole on underneath a COWL NECK for modesty’s sake). The color isn’t the best on me, but who cares, this top is fabulous. Looks great with black skinny jeans (I don’t need anymore, remember? Cause I already have a ton) and my tall boots. One of my faves from my recent shipments, in case you can’t tell.

And here’s the Aleah Heathered V-Neck Dolman Top:

This one’s pretty funny, because I only kept it due to the comfort level, thinking it didn’t look good on me but I would wear the hell out of it around the house. It does suffer from the wide v-neck/flashing-everyone-my-minimal-goods syndrome I mentioned in the previous cowl neck discussion, but putting a tank underneath it isn’t as annoying as I thought it would be, and although I did wear it around the house with yoga pants for a few days, it eventually ended up in my work rotation, and now it’s a favorite top. Great color and so comfortable it’s crazy. The long tapered bottom doesn’t bug me near as much as I thought it would; my larger-than-the-rest-of-me hips tend to make tops that taper like this unflattering, but hell, I have lost ten pounds so I guess that’s why this one looks fine (I keep forgetting that clothes are going to fit me differently at 120 than they did at 130).

Wrapping it up with the Daniel Rainn Lisbet Tie-Neck Blouse:

Well what can I say about this one, except that once again this is one of those Stitch Fix items I would have never, ever tried on if I saw it in a store. First of all, it gathers at the bottom, which I usually hate. It’s also very sheer, which I rarely like (and the little cami that came attached to it was a joke, BTW, and had to be snipped out so I could wear my own underneath). It’s also a LOT of pattern for me (in case you can’t tell, I’m not much of a print person IRL. I save that for the costume portraits). Oh, and it ties at the neck. It’s just fussy, at least to me, and I almost sent this one packing. But it is tunic-like, and it’s very boho, and a gal needs a least a few prints in her wardrobe here and there, and the occasional neck-tie isn’t going to kill me. It’s cute, so I kept it. But, here’s my warning – as I already mentioned, the cami that comes with it is just stupid. It’s attached lightly by a string at the shoulder, and I seriously could NOT get the top on at all when it was hanging off of it like that. Even if I’d liked the cami I would have had to snip it out to get it on; once I did that however I realized the thing was a cheap material and had no shape to it, so it sagged down and didn’t even begin to cover my bra. If you like the look of this one, try cutting the cami out before you stuff it back in the bag. It helps!

So let’s wrap up this shopping post with my latest acquisition from Fashionphile to add to my nice little Vuitton collection, which I am pretty satisfied with at this point and slowing down on growing. This one is called the Manosque PM in the Damier Ebene print, and it cost me a pretty penny (at least as far as I am concerned it was a lot; in the realm of Vuitton I guess it was a bargain). I love this print, but it has a high re-sale value, I think because it’s only been around since the 1990s, so super-old pieces aren’t out there to sell like the traditional Monogram is. It also must be in high demand, because  people easily pay over $1,000 for some of the DE bags used, which blows my mind a little still being new to all this. No, I did not pay nearly that much; I just don’t think I’d ever do that, although when utilizing layaway paying more can at least be tolerable to me.

But first up, Simon:

As usual, he loves the boxes AND the bags that come in them, so I have to keep all of them hidden in a locked closet, even the one I’m using, otherwise he goes right inside. Sorry Simon, but I paid $695 for this bag and I’m not letting you use it as a cat toy.

Close-up of the Damier Ebene print, which I love

By the way, in reading about this print while researching why it’s so much more expensive at re-sale, I learned that it’s actually the original print Vuitton made back in the day (which I am too lazy to go look up again, but I’m thinking late 1800s). Vuitton transitioned to the Monogram soon after, and I believe the re-introduction of it in the 90s was the first time it had been manufactured since. It’s been a big success, so I don’t see it going anywhere soon. And in a previous post, I showed the Damier Azure, which is the white and grey version of it.

So there it is! It’s an odd shape, and I was quite uncertain what I was going to think of this one, but believe it or not at $695 this was one of the cheaper bags of it’s size in the DE print, and I love the little pocket on the side, so I decided to try it. Fashionphile has an excellent return policy (since they’re selling things that are already used, they have a more open mind about accepting returns) so I knew I could return it if it wasn’t to my liking. I admit that it’s smaller than I usually carry, but that’s not a bad thing to have, since my Neverfull is pretty huge and a bit bulky to carry around day-to-day. The triangle shape means I can’t fit a whole lot in it, because there’s not much room at the bottom of the bag, but when I carry a smaller purse like this (smaller for me at least) I don’t put much in it anyway, and carry a second, larger bag for all the stuff I for some reason believe I have to have with me at all times. Anyway. I actually think the size is perfect for the shape of this bag, and would not like it if it were the larger version, which is HUGE. Also, I learned my lesson earlier about buying bags labeled by Fashionphile as only in “fair” condition – this was listed as “very good” and quite lives up to that description. It has a few flaws, and the interior has some pen marks and wear (which I couldn’t care less about), but overall this thing is in fantastic shape.

So, my collecting is winding down. I have one other bag I just paid off which should arrive Monday – I wanted something from their Epi leather line, and once again found one at a good price and used layaway to pay for it. There is a Fendi I’d also like to get, even though it’s completely out of style (the Spy bag, which was an It-Bag in the 2000s but whatever, I still want one) and then I’m pretty much good for now, unless a super-good deal comes along (I don’t always spend $695). Try as I might, I cannot get into the small leather goods Vuitton is so known for and most people go gaga over; wallets and key fobs and cosmetic cases don’t thrill me in the least, so I have hard time paying a lot for them. I know to some people it’s practically a violation to put a cheap wallet inside a Vuitton bag, but whatever. I don’t know those people anyway, and it would be much sillier to spend $500 on a wallet because I think I have to match it to my bag when I don’t really care. So I don’t see myself going too crazy overall. I don’t have a lot in the way of storage, and I hate keeping things around I’m not actually using, so I feel my little collection is more or less complete (once I get the Fendi Spy, which re-sells rather high so I’m still searching and waiting for that one) because all the pieces I have are different enough to serve various purposes, while the collection overall is small enough that I’ll actually be able to use all of them from time to time. That’s just the way I like it.

After a lovely few days in the mid-70s, another Arctic Blast is on its way, so it’s shaping up to be a cold, miserable week, at least weather-wise. Here’s hoping you stay warm with yours!