One Jacket, Three Outfits - Featuring the Textured Collarless Jacket from Banana Republic

Chinese New Year is about purchasing new clothes, so I splurged and bought the Textured Collarless Jacket from Banana Republic about two weeks ago.  Below are three pictures of the jacket worn in different ways.  Which one looks best?

The Black Dress:

Dress:  Very old Banana Republic, XSP

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman, size 5

The Ankle Pant:

Pants: Theory (OLD), size 00

Cowl Neck Top: LOFT (OLD), XXSP

Camisole: Smart Set , XS

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman, size 5

Denim:

Jeans: Banana Republic, size 24P (from Fall 2010 collection)

Scarf:  Banana Republic (from Fall 2010 collection)

Boots: Donald J. Pliner



It's Finally HERE!!! The Famous Tweed Dress from BR Factory Store

I purchased the famous tweed dress first seen at Extra Petite from Annie (Really Petite) a few weeks ago and it has finally arrived!  Thank you so much for getting it for me.  Very much appreciated.  Anyway, I had hoped that it would come in time for PFC #5, but alas, it came just after.  It's probably better for a separate post anyway.  :-) 

Because I'm not a "tall petite" (i.e. above 5'3"), I knew that the dress was going to be at most right at knee level.  In this case, it is right below.  Because of the length, I probably won't wear flats with the dress as I want to look proportionate.  I suppose I could get the dress hemmed so I could wear flats OR heels, but I don't know, so help me decide!

So without further adieu, here are the pictures (I know, I know, they're a little fuzzy...I think it's time for me to get a new camera!)

Shoes: Anyi Lu

Bag: 442 McAdam

Here's another picture:

From the side:



For some reason, it looks longer if I'm standing in a very different pose:



So what do you think?  Any alterations needed?  Feedback would be great!

Flower Pin Accessories at H&M

I really needed something to spice up some of my outfits and for the life of me, I wasn't able to find anything good.  So imagine my surprise when I saw these flower pins at a recent trip to H&M!  I bought two, one orange and another in leopard print, both I think would improve the look of any plain outfit - whether formal or casual. 



At my visit to H&M, I found four different pins:  Black, white, orange and leopard print (last two pictured above).  They are $4.95 in Canada.



In the picture above, I am wearing the orange flower.  The dress is vintage Banana Republic (well, from circa 2004, anyway...it's also a little big.  The 2010/2011 version is probably this), with a belt from H&M (XS) and shoes from Stuart Weitzman (got these at an outlet store, so the exact shoes aren't available anymore.  Similar can be found here)

Spring is all about orange...but what about the rest of winter?

More Banana Republic...

I was at Banana Republic this weekend and their spring clothes were already out.  There is quite a bit of pretty spring colours, including orange/salmon to be seen (I was not surprised by this, since I saw quite a bit of that colour at LG Fashion Week in October).  It's a good change from the drabby dark colours of winter, though it would be a while before I can wear any of it, since the weather has been very cold as of late.

More Banana Republic...

Annie Faux Wrap Dress (petite)

Of course, you can bring some spring in to your winter wardrobe by spicing up your mostly dark-coloured winter wardrobe (like the dress above) with something colourful (which reminds me:  If you haven't signed up for Petite Fashion Challenge #5, click here!)...


Suggested items:

More Banana Republic...

Vertical ruffle cardigan (available in petites)

More Ann Taylor...

Solid Merino V-Neck Cardigan (available in petite)

And if you want to be a little more sophisticated.....

More Hermes...

Hermes cognac silk missions square scarf

Ahhhhh....scarves.  So few young women wear them these days!  Personally, I like long flowy scarves in bold colours as they really do pop when paired with dark colours!

More Bebe...

Triple tier stretch belt

Something like this gold Bebe belt can also bring some shine into basic black or navy.

And who can forget shoes?  If you're a conservative shoe-wearer, why not be a little more daring and wear something other than black, charcoal or dark brown in the winter?

More Aldo...

Chilvers (from Aldo)

I think these shoes can look AMAZING with a darker-coloured dress and dark tights and maybe some sort of flowy scarf!  By the way, I suggest that these shoes stay in the office or indoors if you live in a snowy part of the world.  They are not meant to be worn in the snow!

Petite Fashion Challenge #4: The Holiday Party

The Petite Fashion Challenge (host is Curls and Pearls) for this month is to come up with a holiday party outfit. I dug around my closet and found:

Little black dress from Banana Republic, size 0P (I think this is from 2009 - interesting fact:  I tried it on in a 00P and it was really, really tight.  The salesguy thought I looked fine, but it was just too night clubby for me)

Scarf:  Hand-painted scarf by Dora D'angelo (discussed in the DelectablyChic! gift guide)

Clutch:  House of Hsueh (also discussed in the DelectablyChic! gift guide)

Shoes:  Anyi Lu pumps (circa 2008), size 5

Here's a picture of me in the same outfit, sitting:

I will be hosting the next Petite Fashion Challenge.  Watch this site for more details!!

This has been a:

Note:  A post on DelectablyChic! about Petite Fashion Challenges went up this morning.

When Petites Aren't Available Online...

Alterations Needed recently wrote about a Banana Republic cardigan she tried on at a store.  The colour she wanted, navy blue, was available in petites at the store, but the size was a little too big for her.  She therefore decided to go home and purchase the sweater online.  However, that did not happen as blue was not available in petite sizes.  Turns out that they didn't make blue for online sales in petites.  This happened to me recently as well.  I saw the embellished sweater jacket (above) in an XSP and tried it on.  It was a little bit big on me, so I decided to wait and see if it was available in XXSP on the US site.  Went home, logged on to my computer and lo and behold, it wasn't even available in petites AT ALL.  HUH?  I thought online stores were supposed to have more choices.  Guess I was wrong. 

Banana Purchase - Petite Sloan fit velvet flared pant (00P) and Petite Lettuce Edge V-Neck (XSP)



After seeing skinny after skinny at Toronto's LG Fashion Week, I told myself that I wasn't going to purchase any more skinny pants.  So far, I've kept to that rule and a few days ago, bought a pair of flared pants from Banana Republic.  Now, as we petites all know, Banana sizing can be inconsistent, and a 00P can fit really big at times.  This time, the pants - a velvet flared pant in the Sloan fit - were only a little too big - they are sitting right above the hips on me, when they're supposed to be "below the waist" (which I take as being slightly above where they're now).   However, they still fit quite nicely otherwise.  And though I am wearing heels in the pictures, someone who is around 5'2" can probably get away with wearing flats with these pants as well.  As for the sweater, I'm wearing an XSP . I could fit into an XXSP, but it would be a tighter fit, and probably won't look good with these pants.

Sweater:  Lettuce V-Neck (Banana Republic, size XSP in Emerald Green)

Camisole: Smartset, XS

Pants:  Petite Sloan fit velvet flared pants (Banana Republic, 00P)

Shoes:  Chie Mihara, size 5

Spring/Summer 2011 at Banana Republic...



Banana Republic held its Spring/Summer 2011 show with live streaming of their show via Facebook today.  The collection looks promising, with florals, neutrals and whites. While the actual ensembles worn by the models might not be all that petite-friendly, there are plenty of pieces which could work for us shorties when combined with others.  My favourite pieces are the florals, and though the skinny pants might work on us, it is becoming a tired look.

Banana Republic will be rebroadcasting the show on their Facebook page soon.

(apologies for the nastiness of the pic.  I actually took a picture w/ a camera rather than a print screen...oops!)

September 2010 Poll Results

Last month, Shorty Stories asked readers:

Would you prefer that an international online store have a full range of sizes or shopping that is shipping and duty-free?

Our results were not surprising at all:

70% said that stores should offer full ranges of sizes as well as free shipping/duty-free

15% thought that the online store should offer a full range - they don't understand why the online store would offer fewer choices!

10% don't shop online, so they chose neither

5% said that they prefer international online stores be shipping an duty-free (over a full range of sizes)

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

This has been a:



 Hosted by Alterations Needed



Canadian and want to buy petites at Banana Republic online?

It looks like the US site has now activated shipping to Canada.  Of course, unlike bananarepublic.ca, you'll have to pay duty.  For example, the faux wrap dress on Banana Republic's Canadian site is selling for $124, while the US site is selling it for $104.64.  However, since there is no duty or shipping on th Canadian site, the total cost for a bananarepublic.ca purchase is $140 (or $149.16 if you want it quicker) if you're buying from Ontario (13% tax here).  If you purchase from the US site, the total cost is $165.44.

I hope the Canadian site will eventually add petite/extended sizes.  After all, there's more than a $25 difference.  I guess if you're really desparate for certain items or sizes, you might just bite the bullet and buy from the US site....

Recent Buys from Banana Republic

A few weeks ago, I went to Banana Republic's After 5 event.  While there, I made some purchases, including the sweater and pants in the picture below:

Merino Sweater (XSP), Overdyed denim four pocket legging (24P) and scarf (cannot find on web) from Banana Republic

Camisole from Smartset

Shoes: Bernardo (purchased at Ron White)

Sunglasses: Prada (bought a long, long, long time ago)

The one complaint I read about the pants online was that it was too long.  I don't think it is.  The pants are meant to roush a little bit (as seen in the image on the site), so a little longer isn't too bad.

Here's another picture (please excuse the mess and the fact that the camera is hiding my face.  I don't have a proper tripod and it is difficult to get full body standing shots):

Petites back at Anthropologie's Canadian Site

Remember the post about petites having disappeared on the Canadian Anthropologie site?  Well, guess what?  It's back! And in other petite news, I spoke with a sales person at Banana Republic today about the new e-commerce site.  The guy told me that the site is brand new and therefore they're still testing things out.  That's why they don't have full inventory (in addition, they built a distribution centre in Canada so that we won't have to pay duty.  If we purchased from the international site using the third party delivery service, we'd be paying much more for our clothes.  However, the international site (used by countries like China, Australia, Switzerland and most of Latin America) would allow us to buy the full inventory and more (i.e. stuff from Piperlime and Athleta)

Gap Canada now has E-Commerce.....

but petite sizes are nowhere to be found.  Makes ZERO SENSE that Banana Republic stores have petites while the ONLINE SHOP does not.....In fact, I sent an email to the website asking them why.  I thought the whole point of online shopping was to purchase items you can't get at a brick and mortar.  I guess XXSP will not happen.....at least not right now.  At least 00P is available in the store near me (again, for now).

Banana Republic Fall/Holiday 2010 Collection

Note: The entire show is over 10 minutes long!! Out of what's already available, I know that the leggings (well, most of them, anyway) are available in petite as are some of the cardigans. However, I'd like to know what YOU think of the collection!

Banana Republic's After 5 Event

This past Tuesday, I attended Banana Republic's After 5 Style event at the Bloor Street store in Toronto. This was a spontaneous decision as I just happened to walk by the store and saw a guy with a guitar. I had actually thought that the event was private, but was glad that it was not.

The After 5 event was held at many (all?) stores across the globe to promote the fall line. Shoppers got to try the collection and have their picture taken by a professional photographer (a store rep was at the door asking people whether they were interested in being in the shoot - those who were had to sign a release form as their picture might be posted in the store's window). Usually at these events, photographers would only take three or four pictures at most, but not here. Perhaps I was there early - around 5:30 pm, when people were just getting out of the office, but the photographer must have taken at least 50 or 60. It took them at least two or three minutes to scroll through my entire shoot. Not only did I wear the outfit I had originally tried on (leggings, long cardigan and scarf) but a sales associate/stylist also added a leather jacket (probably one that was at least a size too big for me) and some bling. As a result, half the pictures taken consisted of my original outfit and the other half with the jacket and jewellery. The event was loads of fun and hopefully, the picture will actually end up outside the store.

In addition to the photographer, there were also nibblies for shoppers and purchases over $100 were given a 25% discount. My final purchase consisted of the sweater, leggings and also a pair of jeans.

Banana Republic & International Delivery; CynthiaC's CRAZY WEDDING WEEK

Though Banana Republic has started delivering outside the US, their site still notes "coming soon" for Canada and the UK.  Last I heard, it was supposed to start delivering to Canada in August, but we are getting close towards the end of the month and it still hasn't started.  Though I'm glad that they're going to be delivering, I'm not sure how often I will be purchasing online.  Banana, unlike J.Crew, is using a third party service for international deliveries, which means that there probably won't be any free offers.  But on the bright side, it means I'll be able to get XXS. 

I'm going to try to post more pieces this week, but I am getting married on Saturday.  This means that this entire week will be ABSOLUTELY CRAZY!!!!!

Banana Republic Knotted chains double-layer top

(sorry, so blurry)

I don't know why the website doesn't list petite sizes because I bought mine in a petite XS.  What do you think?  I am wearing a pair of Banana cropped pants and a camisole from Smartset under the T-shirt.  Shoes were bought on sale last year at Town Shoes.  They're size 5, but still a little big.

Banana Republic's Logan Fit: A BIG FAT NO!

Apologies for the really blurry pic...

I knew they had a loser fit, but didn't expect it to be like THAT!  This is a NO BUY if you are really small framed.  The pants I tried on were a 00P and it was DEFINITELY not fit for my frame.  I think I'd need a 000P or even 0000P.  Unfortunately, they don't exist.  I'd stick with the classic Martin fit, thank you very much!

Petite Ultimate Dark Wash Skinny Jeans from Banana Republic

This skinny jean an amazing fit on people with smaller frames.  The denim is very light weight, which means that it can be wear it in the summer.  It's also a smaller fit than other Banana Republic jeans I've tried- a 24P actually fits like 24Ps in other brands - I have another pair of Banana skinnies which seem to slip down a lot - it was slightly big.  Another good thing about these pants is that it's ankle length - great for those of us who are super-dooper petite or want to wear flats.  It is $89.50 US or $110 in Canada.