Petite Fashion Challenge: From Summer to Fall

Challenge:  Make Banana Republic shift dress work for both summer and fall.

Summer Look:

Dress:  Banana Republic, 00P (from 2008 or so)

Shawl:  UNIQLO (bought in London!)

Shoes:  Aerosoles (bought in circa 2007, size 5.5)

Fall:

Dress:  same Banana 00P

Scarf:  Banana Republic, bought August 2010

Jacket: Badgely Mischka (2006ish?  Don't remember), Size 0

Boots: Donald J. Pliner, Size 5

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Topshop on Oxford Street



I was excited to go to Topshop. I went there a few times when I was in the UK in 2001 while studying abroad, and was excited when they opened one in New York and when Toronto's Jonathan+Olivia started carrying Topshop.  However, the prices in these stores are a bit higher than in London (and knowing London's prices for their non-British brands...Topshop was definitely worth checking out).  I had looked at the website before, and had a rough idea of what I was planning to buy. 

On my first full day in London, I checked out the flagship on Oxford Street.  I knew the store had a petite section and was excited to see what it had to offer.  Sadly, the selection was very small for the size of the store (it was not much bigger than the petite corner at Next, and this Topshop was probably twice its size.  It was a FLAGSHIP for goodness sakes!  And the one jacket which caught my eye was only available in one size.  Seriously....every single jacket (and there were at least 15 of them) was in a UK size 12 (US 8). The standard size was fine, though. 

I don't know if it's just me or not, but I didn't find TopShop as appealing this time around.  Though there are pieces which I'd purchase and some of the things do look good online, I think I'm getting a little too old for the place.  I know that there are plenty of girls my age (31) who are still into funkier looking clothes, but that's just not me.  I'm for things that are just a little more lady-like and sophisticated (which sadly, many women don't seem to care that much about anymore). I don't want to look like I'm about to hit a club that plays nothing but music that would give me a headache. 

Of course, this isn't to say that the Topshop flagship was BAD.  It's an affordable brand in a place where almost everything else is very expensive, compared with even New York.  And if you're interested in funkier clothes, then this is definitely the place to go.  If you're more conservative, like me, then you'll need to look very carefully for pieces that spice up the classics just ENOUGH. :)  

A Bit of Shopping....



Or maybe not really.  On my first day in London, I decided to explore the stores on Oxford Street.  These places are, for the most part, affordable, and filled with familiar names like Marks and Spencer, H&M, Gap and of course, TopShop.  But before I get to TopShop (which will be another day), let me tell you about Next.  On the website, the store's clothing looked good.  There was a reasonable selection of petite sizes, which weren't that bad looking. Imagine my disappointment when I got to the store, which is a flagship, to my understanding.  The petite section consisted of a tiny corner on the women's floor (ground/street level) and most of the selection was denim or ugly floral tops.  The regular sizes were much better, though I've decided that it's a place I may revisit at another time.  There are several stores across the city and the country.  In addition to women's and men's fashions, they also sell kidswear and some stores, also home.  Maybe we can say that it's J.Crew crossed with Crate and Barrel? 

Other stores nearby (i.e. within a 15-20 minute walk) include an Apple store (a huge flagship) as well as Zara Home, which is a Zara-branded Pottery Barn type store.  These stores don't exist outside of Europe. 

Next time:  More on the TopShop flagship!

Going to London!

My husband and I will be heading to London for our honeymoon (we're going to Paris, too).  London has a few petite-friendly stores (at least petite in height - many places start at a UK size 6P, which is more or less a really big 0P/small 2P) other than Top Shop (which I will definitely check out, of course) and will post about them on this blog.  Also, look for restaurant write ups and other things over at DelectablyChic!