Bus-ting Out The Plea-ts

Sorry for the unexpected blog break. I try to stay consistent, but sometimes life takes over. I absolutely had to clean my house. I mean had to. As in: set aside hours to get it holiday finished. Which is so mundane, but true. And then we went to the Rose Bowl Flea Market on Sunday (recap tomorrow). It was a busy and fun weekend. I hope you had a beautiful weekend and feel refreshed for this week! I know I do!

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Okay. I hope I am “busting out the pleats” and not “busting out of the pleats.” One word makes a huge difference.

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Thankfully this dress is very forgiving. In fact, I have decided this shall be my dress I wear any time I want to really make a meal out of a night.

Not on Thanksgiving. Surprisingly, I never really eat a lot on Thanksgiving. I like my turkey breast. Dry. Not dry, but devoid of gravy. A smidgen of mashed potatoes. Also devoid of gravy. And one roll.

That is it.

All that I eat on the biggest eating day of the year.

I was a very picky eater as a child and on this day of traditions I have never been able to break from the food rules I set in place as a three year old. I take traditions very seriously.

Oh. And one slice of chocolate pie. Hold the whipped cream.

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Maybe I am leaving out the bottle of wine.

It doesn’t count.

It’s liquid.

And my three year old self would not understand.

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So, this is my eating out for a nice dinner dress. I have never been an order a salad girl. I’ll take the baked potato, steak and the dessert please. And, no you may not have a bite. I didn’t wear this dress for nothin.

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The swing shape coupled with the pleats is as easy as it gets. I can see this dress looking good on a multitude of body types. You just have to embrace it for what it is.

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A swing dress.

It is supposed to swing.

Away from the body.

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I like the gold buttons on the back and the sleeves. It is a sweet little detail. I paired the dress with my Anthropologie Fanned Feather Necklace I purchased on Black Friday from Anthropologie during their sale (now sold out online, but similar earrings are still available).

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I really like black paired with brown and the gold on the necklace matches the gold on the buttons of the dress.

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I ordered my dress on Black Friday directly from the designer, Dear Creatures, for 40% off their price making it a fantastic price. Anthropologie also carries it and calls it Pleated Millie Dress. It is now sold out in black at Dear Creatures. However, I have seen it keep popping back at Anthropologie. I own it in baby blue, too, but it is just not as good. I definitely recommend the black version.

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I love this dress. As I have stated, the dress is forgiving.

I am not.

I am writing this in bed next to a snoring husband who fell asleep in the middle of the zombie movie we were watching together.

In the middle.

Of. a zombie. Movie.

In the middle.

Of. the. night.

He’ll be pleating for my forgiveness in the morning.

And you know what?

I might have room left in my heart. And in this dress… to give it to him.

Maybe.

In exchange for pie…

And I’m only craving humble.

P.S. Now closed: Please do not forget to enter My Giveaway. It ends at 9:00 p.m. PST tomorrow night. : ). Even if you do not enter, the comments have been making me happy cry all week. I love reading the comments. It has brought me indescribable amounts of joy this week. If you are feeling down or want to feel inspired, I recommend reading them. And thank you if you contributed to those comments this week. My heart overflows for you.

Fanned Flora Dress

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I rarely will pay full price for anything.

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But when I saw Anthropologie’s Fanned Flora Dress all logic went out the window.

I fell hard.

In love.

With this dress.

It is called The Fanned Flora Dress from Anthropologie.

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Granted I did have an amazing 25% off coupon that I used for it, but it was still more than I usually spend… And it looks like Anthropologie is currently having a promotion featuring 25% off dresses right now (I also love this different sleeveless dress for less than $30 right now. Although the reviews about laundering it scares me), so you would get the same deal! Yay!

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It was worth it.

This dress is ah-mazing.

Sorry about the wrinkles. I wore this all day before we took pictures, and it happens. Oh, well. Tis the way it is. Here is the picture of the back of the dress with the zipper some people have had a problem with. I did not have a problem with my zipper or the zippers on the other two I tried on. It might be a problem on a certain batch. I recommend trying this on in the store to check the zipper, size (I sized down to a small), and pattern (which is completely different on each dress).

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I have never, ever, ever gotten as many compliments on an item of clothing as I did this dress. An elderly man stopped me in the parking lot to tell me that my dress was just beautiful. “It looks like a watercolor painting.”

That is exactly the reason I purchased this dress. It looks like a piece of art.

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Of course, I immediately did the thing I feared the most. I got food on my dress. See that spot?! I need to figure out how to get it out. It is mayo. This girl is a slob cannot resist tuna salad. It is a problem.

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I tried on three different dresses to find the pattern I preferred (my original review of this dress can be found here). Each dress has a different pattern placement. I like how my arms on this one match up with the sides. I also prefer the wide space of blue at the neckline. The pattern at the neck is not as flattering.

I also want to note that in the picture of this dress on Anthropologie’s page, the model is wearing a necklace with the dress. I really think that is a mistake. It takes away from the gorgeous pattern and breaks up the flattering blue. Oh, this braid? Why that’s completely different. That’s organic. Come to think of it, so are the wrinkles… On the dress.

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I strongly believe this color will look good on every skin tone. I think the swing shape will look good on a variety of body types.

Do you like swing dresses? In the window of the store, they had this dress belted, but I do prefer the swing shape to structure… On the dress.

*I shared this on The Pleated Poppy and Reasons To Dress.

Anthropologie Fall Reviews

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I went to an Anthropologie Holiday Workshop the other day. It was a lot of fun. I plan on combining the two workshops I am going to into one post this year. I have so many posts on backlog that I have to cram everything in. This is what I wore that day (other post with this dress can be found here).

I decided to cram some reviews in at the same time I did the workshop. I also decided to keep the word “cram” twice in two paragraphs. I like that word. I imagine it being said with a twang and anything said with a twang is better. Except for the actual word, “twang.” There is no helping that one. How did this post get so off track? This post contains so many pictures. I apologize for the length of this post, but I did not want to exclude anything or make two posts.

Without further ado, the reviews:

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I saw this knit chemise hanging on the hanger with its grey twin. I have enough grey (please remind me of this post the next time I whine about not having enough grey. It is bound to happen. And, of course, I will deny it). So I decided to try on the wine color.

I thought it was a dress.

But now I am not so sure. Did I inadvertently try on another top without pants? This seems to be a too common occurrence. I tried on the small. It fit fine. I have enough of these types of pieces in my closet, so I passed on it. But I would recommend it (with leggings or skinny jeans if you are 5’4″ and taller, and if you are shorter than 5’4″, I think you will be able to get away with tights. I am 5’6″. I am wearing tights. I do not recommend doing that) if you are looking for an easy layering thermal piece in your closet. I also think the different color at the cuff is a cute touch.

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I saw The Sherbet Handknit Vest and I was intrigued by the loops. I am not a fuzzy sweater type of gal. I remember when my daughter was two, my sister bought her a bright blue fuzzy sweater. She. Would. Not. Take. It. Off. That was the end of me having any influence in her wardrobe.

She must be rubbing off on me. I like this vest, but I do not have enough colors to match this vest in my closet to purchase it.

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This coat. This Mesilla Jacquard Coat is everything (bear with me. This seems to be my phrase of the month). But it is.

The texture. The material. The pattern. The hood. I love it.

You know what would be helpful? If I could remember what size I tried on. I believe it was M/L, but I could be wrong. I know I tried the vest above and this coat in two different sizes. One was an XS/S and one was a M/L. And never shall I know which is which.

I am sorry about my lack of information, naked thighs and bad hair. If I see it in the next store I am in, I will try it on and correct the size issue. I can make no promises on the status of thighs and hair at that time.

If I did not all ready have a similar sweater in almost this exact pattern and color, this would be at the top of my wishlist. But I do (one from long ago and I cannot find its name). I highly recommend this coat. It is gorgeous.

The last picture is me realizing my hair looks ridiculous and my dress might not be a dress afterall. It is good times in the dressing room with me.

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I had lusted after The Risen Sun Sweater Dress online. And I mean lusted. Okay. Maybe I don’t mean lusted. That might be too strong of a word (and image), but I could not wait to see it in real life. My store had two in stock. This is a size small. I am sad to say it is not my favorite. I am not a huge fan of the open weave sweater material. It was a lot of fabric on me. The pattern is fun. But this was just not a love for me. I took it off of my wishlist.

I have seen a lot of girls rock this dress on Instagram so I think this will be an individualized dress decision. Best to try it on to see if it works for your body type.

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This Iguazu Pencil Skirt was another item that had made it to my wishlist when I spotted it online. I wanted it so badly to work. But, alas, it was too long for me and my saddlebags showed much too much. This skirt will be fantastic on the right body shape. I am wearing a size medium. Another item that was removed from my wishlist. Darn.

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I did not have anything to try on with this adorable bunny shirt, called sweetly enough, Hop Along Top, except for the skirt above. I love this shirt. I am wearing a size six. I have very large arms so this type of sleeve is usually a pass for me. It was not the most flattering but it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I love the pattern. Who can resist adorable bunnies? I will watch this one for a sale.

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This skirt. This skirt is everything (I did warn you). It has llamas and cheetahs cats or dogs? I cannot figure out the last animal but I do think they are two animals that go so oddly well together.

I also could not figure out the sizing in this skirt. I tried on the medium and the large. I ended up going with the medium. The sweet gals at this Anthropologie generously gave the participants of the holiday workshop 25% off purchase cards. I know! Those girls are everything. I used mine for a few things. This skirt was one of them.

I like to be as confusing as possible. I am wearing two different sweaters in the photos above. The sweater I am wearing in the first picture is the same as the one in the third. It is called The Icehouse Pullover. I added it to my wishlist. I do not have enough grey… sweaters. I need this one. I really liked the fit. I took a medium. The middle picture is The Novelty Pullover on sale (also seen in The Iguazu Pencil Skirt photo). I tried on a medium and it was fine. That one was too busy for me.

What do you think about the headband/turban? I ended up purchasing it and giving it to my daughter. I may or may not borrow it. I am not sure if I look silly in it. More silly than a woman in her late thirties wearing a skirt with prideful llamas and resting cheecatdogs.

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I loved The Tiled Amethyst Dress when I first tried it on. I am wearing a small in the picture. Even afterwards I was thinking about it. As I waited for the paint to dry (how often do you get to use that phrase in its correct form?) on the project I was working on for the workshop, I scanned through these pictures. And I noticed this v in the front of the pattern for the first time. This really bothers me. For this reason this dress did not make it to my wishlist.

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I have a confession. When I bought this jacket (post wearing it here), I also purchased this sweater. It is called The Downy Cocoon Cardi. I wanted to see which one I liked better. I knew I would return one. Hands down the jacket won. Arms all in. The jacket. This is an XS/S. The material is gorgeous. But it is very delicate and I found it to be too bulky on my frame. This was removed from my wishlist. I did have the sweet woman checking me out take a picture of it as I was returning it so I could show the fit. I am weird.

The girls there loved this sweater, so I suggest trying this one on to see if it will work for you. I think it can be great on the right person.

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Let’s just get to it. Everything. Yep. Anthropologie’s Fanned Flora Dress was the other item of clothing I purchased with my 25% off. The dress that I actually bought I did not get a picture of. (I tried on three). I was in a hurry. The first two pictures (same dress) are a small (and the size I purchased) and the bottom one is a medium. This is something that I highly recommend going to the store and trying on in person. Every single dress had a different pattern placement. I much prefer the pattern not next to the face (as is shown in the small. The medium has the busy pattern on the neckline. I do not think that placement is as flattering). The dress I purchased is a mixture of these two. It has a plain top but the shoulder and middle on down are full of pattern.

This dress has such pretty colors. The blue is vibrant. I think it would look good belted, too (my store had the mannequin dressed that way). I prefer the loose swing dress look.

Have you tried on anything good lately? Anything in your wishlist worth sharing? Have you ever tried on a top and thought it was a dress or vice versa? Did you share those pictures on the internet?

*this post contains affiliate links. Clicking on a link will result in a small commission for the research of the mating habits of cheecatdogs this blog.

These pictures were edited using VSCO’s C1 filter on level 3.