so in the midst of the twins’ stomach flu (i promise i’ll stop talking about it, but it left such a lasting impact on me, lol), the holidays, and new year’s, i was remiss in sharing my recent purchases for the month of december. to be honest, i didn’t really buy that much (shocking, i know) over the course of the last month of the year but i have made up for lost time with a few “treat myself” moments over the last two weeks. time seems to be blending together anyway, so i figured it made sense to just combine december and part of january’s recent purchases so here we are!
the homeruns:
madewell (re)sourched cotton collared sweatshirt (xs) || in an attempt at continuing to cultivate a closet that is mom-friendly (see also: machine washable), i’ve pivoted from collecting sweaters and turned my sights on sweatshirts instead. i find most sweaters to be a) filled with wool (itchy!) and b) quite precious when it comes to care (who has time for dry-clean only?!) while sweatshirts are usually made from cotton and can be easily thrown into the washer on a regular or delicate cycle. to maintain my feminine style, i usually look for sweatshirts that have a frilly detail -like a puffed sleeve, a ruffle, or in this case, a scalloped collar. i snagged this sweatshirt during a recent madewell sale in the most gorgeous olive green. i also ordered the mauve, but was recently informed that it sold out before it could be shipped to me. i took it as a sign that i didn’t actually need both colors. look at that self-control! anyway, i wore it on christmas day (see outfit above) and it was perfect in cultivating that festive vibe. warning: it does run oversized so i sized down to an x-small, and it’s still a bit baggy in the bodice. nothing that a little front-tuck can’t fix!
h&m ribbed pants (small –purchased in blue) + ribbed top (small –purchased in blue & taupe) || broken record alert, but (stands on her soapbox) h&m makes the BEST matching sets in the biz. for their quality and price point, they are just too good not to scoop up and put into your winter loungewear rotation. i have been waiting for this set to come back in stock and when it did i immediately added it to my cart. now normally i’m not really a blue type of gal, but i wasn’t sure if the taupe was ever coming back in stock, so i figured i’d branch out of my normal neutral color scheme and embrace the azure shade. as expected, the set is delightful and fits true to size. the pants are a straighter silhouette (vs. a jogger that tapers at the ankle) and the top is slightly cropped but not so much so that i’m britney spears circa 2001 (those abs!). i did order the top in taupe in hopes that its matching pants come back in stock ASAP, so i’m crossing my fingers that happens before the 60-day return policy is up!
target victoria pom slide slippers (10) || so i had this pair of slippers i bought for the hospital after the twins were born (turns out i just wore the socks they provided because a) they were comfy and b) i didn’t want to ruin said slippers with, um, my postpartum, let’s call it “stuff”) and i’ve worn them (and washed them) a zillion times over the past 1 1/2 years and while they were comfy, part of me couldn’t get past the fact that they were meant to be hospital slippers so when i saw these cute little pom pom babies on target’s website, i took it as the sign i needed to upgrade my house footwear. like with all mule-style shoes, i ordered a 1/2 size up (honestly i think after pregnancy, i should just accept the fact that i’m a size 10 and not my pre-twins 9.5) and they fit perfectly. they’re so warm and cozy and the pom pom just sparks joy every time i wear them. in addition to beige, they also come in grey!
j.crew puff-sleeve textured organza top (small) || i fell in love with this top after spotting it on my style crush, geri hirsch but was taken aback when i got my eyes on its outrageous price tag (HOW much for a shirt?!). but then j.crew does what it always does and put it on sale. and then on sale again. eventually it was something like 70%+ off?! so i figured with our anniversary coming up (FIVE whole years on the 21st), it would be the perfect “date night” top to commemorate such a momentous occasion. also maybe if i have more “let’s get my parents to babysit and treat ourselves to a proper night out” tops in my closet, perhaps it’ll get us to you know, actually go out more often. ANYWAY, this top is beautiful and the puff sleeves speak my love language fluently. i’ll most likely wear it with jeans (duh) but it’s fancy enough to be paired with a skirt or dressier trousers as well. if i still worked in a corporate environment, there’s no doubt that this top would be on heavy rotation. i’m so glad it worked out, because it was final sale! but you know, i like to live life on the edge (no i don’t).
the misses:
h&m quilted coat (xs) || if you needed a good laugh, you should have seen my instagram stories when this coat arrived a few weeks back. talk about michelin man! i could tell the fit was oversized based on the model on the website, but i had no idea just how oversized it would be when it arrived. i was actually quite bummed this one didn’t work out because it had so much potential. i love a quilted detail and prefer collarless jackets to those with collars, plus it was a beautiful beige that would have paired well with everything in my closet, but i simply could not get over the fit. or lack there of. ironically enough when i went to return it, the salespeople were ALL about it. so i suppose one gal’s marshmallow is another man or woman’s ideal winter coat.
old navy slouchy sherpa zip jacket (small) || with over 200+ five star reviews, i would have guessed this sherpa jacket would have been a homerun. and listen, it was about [ ] close to being a winner. however, there were a few elements that fell short -one of them being the waistband. it’s a bomber jacket style so i expected a tighter fit at the waist (i hate when jackets are too billowy and allow wind to whoosh up the back), however it was quite loose. i understand “slouchy” is in its name, but it was just a tad bit too big for my liking. i could have possibly amended this problem by sizing down, but at the end of the day, it just wasn’t what i was expecting. at around $45 (lower if you can snag it during one of old navy’s nearly daily sales), it would be a great throw-it-on-and-go piece of lightweight outerwear to sport to and from your favorite workout class or coffee date. i just might consider sizing down if you’re looking for a more proper fit.
clarev drop shoulder cotton sweatshirt dress (small) || okay, let me first say that this is WAY more than i’d normally ever spend on a dress (or any article of clothing for that matter -excluding maybe shoes?), but i was feeling so defeated after 10 days of parenting sick children that i convinced myself that i deserved this ridiculously expensive frock. clarev is one of those brands i admire so much but that sits just outside of my comfortable price range. i love their bags (i actually own a couple from a sample sale i attended years ago), but knew nothing of the quality of their clothing so i used this purchase as an opportunity to test it out. i will say, the craftsmanship of the dress was excellent. i still don’t know if it warrants its steep price tag but if i had loved the silhouette, it would have been a piece i could have kept in my closet forever. though the sleeves were a bit overwhelming, i actually loved their volume and the inside was nice and cozy like your favorite sweatshirt. at 5’7″, i was a bit concerned with the length, but i found it to be modest despite being a mini style. it’s meant to fit oversized so i went with my regular size but ultimately found the silhouette a bit too “puffy” (as my husband noted) for my frame. as always, we have to LOVE things in this household if they plan on earning a spot in my closet so while the dress had many positives, ultimately, it fell short of expectations. thankfully the clarev customer care was wonderful and helped me return the dress without any fuss.
and what has yet to arrive:
h&m cotton jersey pants (small) + cotton jersey top (small) || yes, i ordered another matching set because i truly cannot be stopped. as i mentioned above, i just love the quality (and price point!) of h&m loungewear so along with the ribbed sets, i also threw this jersey top & bottoms into my online cart before checkout. i can’t quite tell what color they are from the website so i’ll be anxious to see it in person when it arrives!
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