Winter Dress Coat

I am almost always in a North Face Denali jacket (local retail is my first choice, of course), but they're just too casual for all occasions, outfits, or mood ... plus, they're not really long either.

But alas, they are a NCSU college girl staple - see the following slideshow for proof a la Hillsborough Hike 2007 with the Black North Face Mafia better known as my Pi Phi sisters & Co.


So for all of the other occasions, I have a black pea coat that I've worn for a few years. I've recently come to realize though, that even though it's made by a "petites" brand, it really swallows me up. The shoulders are too big, there is no slim through the waste, and to me... that just doesn't scream "well put together look".

So I'm on the hunt!

I usually start with just a basic "look" search. No budget, nothing. Just a look.

Banana Republic

BR lucked out with a very well-timed email!

Banana Republic Wool-Blend Pea Coat

The Wool-Blend Pea Coat in Heater Grey retails for $180.00

Banana Republic Duffle Coat

The Modern Toggle Coat in Charcoal Heather Grey retails for $198.00
















I then move to budget and finding something that fits my most important demands at a price point that I can afford with an often "Champagne Taste on a Miller High Life Budget" (as Renee calls it - because after all... Miller High Life is the Champagne of Beers!)

Target

That's when those geniuses at Target sent me a weekly flyer that had some nice in-store only sales going on.

Target Mossimmo Pea Coat

Mossimo Pea Coat in several colors (purple, red, black, brown, and green) retails for $30.00 (on sale)







Now THAT looks like a good deal! At that price, I could even get a few colors (including red of course for NCSU football games). They also look to be a slimmer fit. Of course, since these are in-store only sales, I'd have to hope my local store(s) had my color and sizes, but at least I could try the jacket on before buying.

Old Navy

The BF and I then happened to walk into Old Navy last weekend looking for a white sweater for his Halloween costume (Fred from the Scooby Doo/Mystery Inc. gang).

They have a great selection, with lots of price points, but I suspect the large selection online is only carried in varying stores... I really don't remember seeing THAT many jackets there. I did try on the Tab Waist Jacket in red (I think it was the tab waist jacket).

Old Navy Tab Waist Jacket

Old Navy Tab Waist Jacket in red retails for $98.50

Old Navy Funnel-Neck Coats

Old Navy Funnel-Neck coats come in pink and black and retail for $89.50











I swear I also tried on something in a winter white at Old Navy, but can't remember which jacket it was.

Hmmm... decisions, decisions, decisions.

I May Camp Out...

...to ensure I get my size (small) and colors of choice. I'm sure I've posted about these tanks before and I'm downright surprised I'm not wearing one right now.

SUCH a good deal, thanks to @ShopItToMe for sharing!

"Old Navy is offering $2 tanktops on this Saturday June 20th only! (Limit 5 per person) Apparently the $1 flip flops of the past must have been a hit, and they are moving on.

I can say that I own these too, and they are indeed the most versatile tops around. Can wear them to work out, sleep in, or with jeans or casual pants on the weekend, or even with a flouncy skirt.

A great steal!"

Scouted: February 28th, 2009

Quite a few of the bloggin' girls that I follow have found some very shareworthy must-haves recently.

Let's jump right in!


"Mass Customization"
Mass customization is one of the first concepts I learned about in my textile degree as it's been all the rage in the industry for quite sometime. As consumers, we all want to fit in, but at the same time be unique.Beaufort Belle has quite the "mass customization" find from LL Bean:



Well now you can truly customize it. Check out CUSTOM TOTE BAG at LL Bean.
Perfection for Just Pennies
Lauren from Adventures of a Southern Newlywed just posted this Old Navy find. I must have one in each color. A perfect fitting trench just makes one look so pulled together! In addition to Lauren's finds, I found these online for $17.25 - $24.75.
I was out of town last week for work. The area I visited didn't have many shopping options, but there was a new shopping center there. The Old Navy had a ton of stuff on sale. I bought this red belted trench rain coat for $24. There were tons of cute things at Old Navy right now. I was very pleasantly surprised.




Cupperwear
Our seriously Southern friends at the Carolina Cup are keeping up their blogging with some fabulously cuppery trends.

Dressed to Impress

Hat FanFrom Lilly Dresses to the best in elaborate hats, be sure to check in regularly with the 'Cup and subscribe via Google Reader!

Bring on your scouted favorites!

(Images: All from original brands' site. Linked to respective homepage or product page.)

I Can Explain this "Recession"

Recession? No, not so much. Bad merchandising? There it is!

Ok, while this totally isn't 100% to blame for the retail slowdown, I would like to point out that I was tryyyyyying to spend some money today. "Trying" being the key word.

I wanted a warm-ish or at least some sort of long-sleeve dress that was more cocktail than formal for today's gala. Here's how shopping went:Marshall's
-nada in the dresses and petites
-hella nada in the 2's

Old Navy
(thought FOR SURE this would be a one-stop shop because they usually have a great selection of professional wear that can dressed up for fun)
-FAIL!Finally settled on the following (sort-of) 1/2 sleeve length dress just because it worked. I frickin' HATE shopping like that.



The reason I say sort-of in reference to this dress is because a: the one I picked out was actually black and b: it was gathered with a belt at the waist. MUCH cuter. (Oh - and I have good enough sense not to go anywhere in public when it's 40 degrees in open-toe sandals. JUST SAYING....) Tights and boots for this girl!

Plus, the dress I got is crazy thick (the deciding factor) and not "lightweight" as described online.

So there ya go, had any of my convenient Cary, NC retailers stocked some seasonally-appropriate staples, maybe we'd be seeing less of a 5.8% decrease in the retail sector.

At least this weekend's bad luck wasn't wide-spread... some of my bloggin' friends had quite a few blog-worthy shopping successes:Lisa S. straight up CLEANED UP with some great winter staples

Biscuits are Never Boring took "warehouse fun" to a new level and saved some huge cash on some great Lilly items!On a positive note, the BF looked very snazzy for today's event. I hope to have pictures this week from the awesome photog who graciously took pictures in between bidding to share.

And a double positive note, the gala was a HUGE success and a lot of fun - for an AMAZING cause!

PS - Did you know that lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of women and men in the US, taking more lives than breast, prostate, and colon cancers combined? I didn't either. Pass it on. There is very little research and funding in this area which we know contributes to it's less than 15% survival rate within one year of diagnosis.

Deal of the Week: Old Navy Built-In Tanks

Took a quick browse through Old Navy last weekend and the only things I walked out with were two of these great tanks/camisoles:
Women's Shelf-Bra Camis
$12.50 each, buy two or more - $9.00 eachI actually scooped up a black and white for only $5.00 each. NICE!

These are just the type of camis you can never have too many hanging in the closet (or in my case, in the cami drawer). The neckline is very flattering and I purchased two x-smalls and the length STILL goes past my belt (I love a shirt that doesn't ride up and covers belly button still after a few washes!). Good stuff right there.

The same discount isn't available currently online, but $5.00 built-in camis are worth stalking your local ON for. I'll probably by one of each color next time I see this deal again!

Another Returned Favorite...

I recently posted about how I was excited there was finally a reason to return to the Gap and I can't believe I forgot to include Old Navy, too.

Adrianne and I stopped in back in the Spring for the first time in years looking for some "big girl career clothes" (ie: not "big" as in plus size, but "big" as in grown up) and were amazed at how not only in professional wear but in everyday wear they had just "gotten it SO right on the first try".

As I commented on Little Southern Sister's post about the "new" Old Navy:I too have just returned to Old Navy in the last 6 months or so and have been SO impressed at how well they've returned to "just getting it right". LOVE it again (and my bank account LOVES that).Here are some favorites:
(Absolutely live in these long tanks and have them in every color.)


(Got a variation of this earlier in the summer with cap sleeves and deeper neck line... perfect bar dress.)


(Essential blazers for $39.50? I'll take one in each color!)Have you returned yet?