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.

Any Lollia Fans Out There?

I can't stand dirty hands and apparently, it's finally taking a toll as the back of my hands are straight up DRY lately. Adrianne and I have been chatting about how this seems to be a particularly dry winter - I've personally never had to beef up the moisturizer for my face until this year.

Anyways, back to the Lollia reference. I've yet to jump on the bandwagon, but apparently, this is something I've sorely missed out upon as Mandy's been telling me about it for ages. To prove her love for this product, it's her featured giveaway this week.
Just leave a comment directly on the picture on facebook and "Become a Fan" of Swagger Gifts' facebook page to be entered to win. If one of my readers wins, please let me know so I can invite you to come back and guest blog here about it :-)

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.

Tights!

I have recently gotten back into tights in a big way. My favorite thing about them (and you'll see this in the comments on the blog post I'm about to share) is that they make it a lot easier to keep the full wardrobe in heavy rotation even during this chilly weather!

The IndieNC blog did a great feature yesterday - Trend: Tights - with some great examples of my personal theory on tights (keep reading below). Many thanks to Mandy for sharing that blog with me!

I found a great two pack of Betsey Johnson tights on sale at Marshall's for approximately $9.00 (or something to that extent) a few weeks ago and have gotten so many compliments on the solid gray and black argyle choices. For those of you unfamiliar with Betsey Johnson's wild style, take a look, you'll quickly see that Marshall's provided me with a STEAL on those tights.

The reason I can totally do Betsey Johnson accessories is because I pair them with a solid color dress, top, coat, etc. You get the picture... not overwhelmingly "wild child", but enough to be fun.

I'll have to be sure to take pictures next time I wear them and follow up.

Scarf Weather

Continuing this trend of cold weather favorites... one of my sorority sisters, Whitney, has clued me into a local (sort of, by way of Asheville, NC) handmade artist: alena hennessey.

I'm SO in love with this scarf, especially the way it's shown being worn and with the plain white t, and double loving it's price!
flora on charcoal scarf
$28.00

wrap yourself over and over with this super soft, versatile, and extra long scarf. measures 93" long x 16" wide. made of perfectly combed cotton jersey.Any other fans? Be sure to check out the rest of Alena's site!

PS - Ooh, this tunic, too!

Winter Weather Accessories Report from Cary Magazine

What's not to love about a print magazine that's jumping right in to the social media and viral video world? (Especially when they're sharing such fabulous and easy to achieve style tips?!)

Check out this month's Shopping Fix from Cary Magazine and be sure to sign up for their email newsletter (don't worry - they don't bombard you 17 times a week like a bunch of retail friends have been lately).Fashion Flash: Winter Weather Wear
from Cary Magazine

Fashion Flash: Winter Weather Wear from S&A Cherokee on Vimeo..PS - Internet bragging rights to the local readers who can figure out where it is that they recognize Heather Green's voice from!

PS #2 - Get the buying scoop and more info (plus comments) on this video and all the great finds at http://www.theshoppingfix.com/2008/11/06/fashion-flash-winter-weather-wear/.