Marissa Webb at Banana Republic

Hi All!

It has been a busy week, but wanted to pop in and talk about Miss Marissa.

I got an email from Banana Republic this week that directed me to their new arrivals.  Since, I was desperately in need of some procrastination, I clicked on the email, only to see a message from Marissa.

I always liked Marissa when she was at J Crew.  She had a cool girl vibe that seemed a little more accessible to the likes of me than Jenna's.

The love affair I once had with the Crew is long over, not simply because of Tom replacing Marissa and the dreadful styling of Gayle that makes it hard for mere mortals like myself to figure out how the hell I would wear something, but because I don't go out enough into the world to justify purchasing that much clothing and I am now incredibly picky about what I do buy, mostly due to my lifestyle.  I just can't do as much trendy any more.

So it was with much trepidation that i clicked on the new arrivals at BR.  Lately BR has been bedeviled by way too much polyester, so I was curious if this was going to start to change under the eagle-eye of Ms. Webb.

And I actually found some things I liked and that would go with my new life:

A boiled wool moto jacket:

colourblock soft blazer:

Multi-striped drape top:

But there is still WAY too much poly for my taste.  While I can live with some poly, I prefer a poly blend or rayon or something else.  I will be curious what direction Marissa will take them in terms of fabrics and materials, because in many cases, their silhouettes are more wearable than J Crew's, especially for women in the workforce, but I do love a natural fabric.

I admit to being completely off statement necklaces.  I think I would prefer something fun in a pearl-ish way:

I haven't been thinking much about fall clothing, as frankly I don't need much.  I have actually made one major purchase, something that I vowed to get in March and which I bought on a 30+ celcius day in July because it was a good price:

The Ugg Tall Adirondacks:

My feet are always cold in the winter and while I have a short pair of these that I bought 5 years ago and which are wonderful, I wanted a tall pair as well.  I have lots of fancy boots and coats that I bought whilst working, but now I just want to be warm!

I am also going to try the Barbour Beadnell jacket.

Neither of these purchases would be fashion-forward by any stretch of the imagination.  What I really want is warmth in the late fall into the winter.  I am a bit on the fence on the barbour, but will see.

Other than that, I need no dresses, no skirts, no jeans or trousers, no nothing actually.  I wouldn't mind a white + warren navy cashmere cardigan, but I can wait.  I would have waited on the two things above if they hadn't been on sale.

Having said that, I am leaving room to fall in love with something desperately!

How about you - what are you thinking about Marissa at BR?  Are you hopeful or "whatever"?  Have you started fall shopping yet?  am I the only person who buys winter boots in the dead of summer?

Have a great weekend!

xoxo wendy

Random Saturday Mornings: shopping, usher, etc

Happy Saturday! 

It appears that it is going to be a busy day here - and it is going to be awfully nice out - sunny and warm and you may see me out in the yard shovelling snow off the back deck!  I will also be digging through for something nice to wear for easter dinner!  But first the dreaded grocery store.  And I need more flowers - can there ever be enough?

But as always, lots going on in my head:

1) Leaving the mint to the drinks (alcholic and otherwise)

Many thanks for helping with me your advice on minty fresh fashion.  Sometimes, it is just a moment of needing something colourful to pep us up and then it is out of your system!  I think I went and put on a lilac sweater that day and it helped! I am still contemplating the spearmint cashmere sweater, but have decided to follow my new rules and stick to less trendy items...

But I have had a hankering to order some inexpensive casual clothes, so I have ordered some things to try on from J Crew and Banana Republic!  The latter are the easiest to try on as they cost nothing to return.  The former, sigh....

What goodies have I ordered?

From J Crew:

The Minnie Trouser in beechwood.  Know they fit, know I like them, know they are flattering.  Nice neutral for spring.

The Sera silk top in dark cove:

I love this colour and had been waiting for it to pop pack in my size.  I plan to wear it with my white jeans, blue jeans, the pants above, skirts.  The dealbreaker will be if the lining is poly, since i refuse to swish, swish, swish anymore. 

And in case, it does, work, I ordered a little summerwieght cardi in the same colour:

And in a purely whimsical vein, I have pre-ordered the linen banana tank top for summer:

For $37, it was worth it to try and I think it will be quite fun if it works.

I also gandered over to Banana Republic and here is what I have ordered to give a try:

The Textured Peplum top.  I wanted to try one on, and JC version are back-ordered to July (until next week when they may suddenly be available!).  Will let you know what I think when it gets here!

And for some reason, the heritage ikat skirt below just spoke to me:

So. not sure what if any will actually stay with me besides the minnie trousers (I have given up on the cafe capris - I find them getting too baggy for my taste - I seem to do well with skinny trousers or very wide leg trousers, anything else just looks kind of odd on me I think), but will let you know when they finally arrive and I give them a whirl.  The banana tee is back ordered until May, but it is J Crew, so you never know.

2) and speaking of J Crew...

When I looked in the pre-order section, I was instantly attracted to the Collection Fringe Linen Skirt below:

Oh it was expensive, $314 CDN, but it had that weird je ne sais quoi that I love so much.  SO I clicked to see what sizes were available still for pre-order, but here's the thing: the sizes only go up to 6.  While I think I could fit into a 6, I was shocked to see no sizes larger than this!  You cannot convince me that everyone from a size 8 up have already ordered this skirt.  Has anyone noticed J Crew doing this before?  Having a lookbook item in only small sizes seems quite rude to me, but am I being overly sensitive?


3) My new crush

I started watching The Voice with my daughter this week.  I prefer this show to American Idol - the format is more to my taste, plus I have a crush on Adam Levine and Blake Shelton and their bromance.  But then I met Usher.

Oh, I know - you all know him.  I know him.  But I don't think I had paid any attention to Usher until this past week, when I got to see him smile for 2 nights in a row.  Sigh... Yes, I have a crush.  Don't tell me bad stuff about him please.  There, I feel much better to have gotten this off my chest!

4) You know you live in a small place, when....

The second top story for the Maritime Provinces on Thursday night was about a wedding photographer from Prince Edward Island (PEI) who moved away to Alberta and took all the wedding photos with him.  The first was about a house fire.  This is a good place to live, and it is good to remind myself of that from time to time!

One of Canada's favourite comedy shows, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, did quite a nice spoof of this phenomenon, called "PEI Witness News", which is actually not only funny, but close to the truth of this place!




Have a wonderful day!  Am off to get ready for Easter!!!  Stay safe out there!

My New Spring Purse!!!!!!!!

As someone on a self-imposed budget and shopping slowdown, I was almost GIDDY when the UPS truck came this morning.  I found the driver attractive and light on his feet, adorable almost...




Hi Wendy!  Is your husband home?

 My enthusiasm for a package was, shall we say, unbecoming.  But never mind, Rome was not built in a day, and I am still on target and on budget. 

The box contained the Melina bag which I had ordered from Banana Republic to "test" out if this could be my Spring purse.  As Melina appeared on the web:

And how Melina appeared in real life:

Unlike some other brands, who shall remain nameless, Melina was the EXACT colour she was purported to be.  It was uncanny! Sorry for the sarcasm, but you know I have been hurt so many times before... :-)

Pebbled leather, lovely adjustable leather  handle and long strap as well.

A close-up of her side (this is beginning to sound racy, I think I will switch to "it" now..).  These are all nice details that I don't really know how to describe well, but I am sure someone else could!

And its interior...

Lovely finishing inside, with little nooks and crannies for all your little nook and cranny things (don't you wonder why I am not doing this for a living?)

And the leather on the bottom:

There is a bag for storage:

It is a wee bit larger than the satchel I have been carrying lately by London Fog.  However, I find the LF bag a bit too small - it is all I can do to have my blackberry, wallet, some lipstick and a small umbrella in there.  I am very pleased with the size of the BR bag.

It also goes nicely with a lovely little clutch I purchase last summer from Banana Republic:

I really like this purse and for the price, $166 CDN taxes in, it is within budget and of a lovely quality.

I know this is quite detailed, but wanted to do my friend GetFreshPress proud, as she had recommended this bag for me to try.  I have a soft caramel-coloured leather bag as well for summer, but this one is more refined and will do me well for meetings, travel, etc. 

All in all, I am very impressed and pleased and have one thing on my list purchased!  April 15th, out it comes, damn the weather!  I loves it!  Now I want shoes in this colour family for Spring!  Am off to do some research before I hit the Big Apple!

Hope your Thursdays are going well!  Stay Safe out there!  Tomorrow's Miller Time will be brought you by the Queen.  And yes, I mean THAT Queen!  You knew she was a fan of this blog, didn't you?  Cheeky monkey!