Winter!! Canada Goose Parkas - Kensington vs. Trillium ($750!)

Hey Ladies!

It's that time of year again and this time I'm not missing out on a navy Canada Goose jacket!!! I'm ordering probably within the next few weeks and was hoping for your experiences with the parka.

I am unsure if I should go for the Trillium (https://www.quarkshoes.com/can.....ka-redwood) vs. a Kensington (https://www.quarkshoes.com/can.....a-graphite)?

Sorry, I realize neither of those are navy :p 

I would love to hear your stories about the parkas before I plunk down $800.

ETA - Any opinions on colour? I see two new colours released for 2014-2015 that I love. My heart had been set on the navy, but the ex has it in navy. I love navy and don't mind it too much, except when I think of the navy jacket, I do think of him a little - his was navy and he used to zip me up in it and tell me to keep warm, so it's a happy memory.

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Boden Fall Preview 2014

AHHH! I WANT TO BUY IT ALL!!!!

Okay, aside from the fact I cannot possibly buy it all, I found that there are some trends that I simply adore I cannot find on this side of the "pond" - and I think I'm willing to pay the duties and shipping for them too!

There simply is not an equivalent to this style that I love here. I've tried the J. Crew and the BR and left usually empty handed and generally frustrated. 

Things I love:

  • Bold patterns in neutral colours that are easy to mix and match
  • Navy, plum purple and other jewel toned colours
  • Machine washable
  • Fully lined dresses
  • Knee-length (or longer!)
  • Actual measurements 
  • Quirky patterns (bird trench!)
  • Natural fabrics

I'm glad there are still days in No Buy July so I can sort out my priorities and see what I can order. Boden is still pretty pricey even on sale; although their summer stuff is marked down quite a bit! I need to sleep on it to make sure I get the best "bang" for my buck!

Maybe I should fly to the UK with an empty suitcase? :)

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Day 14 of No Buy July ... //Life Lessons

I'm going to be on call Day 15 of No Buy July, hence this post is a day early.

I used to UNDERESTIMATE Rate of Return - I can't believe it's been half a month since I've bought anything to really add to my wardrobe, and it's finally given a chance for all the store credits and things to start to catch up with my return rate! I didn't know I quite returned that many things, but I've started to accumulate a bunch of store gift cards and credits that I think I'm going to start thinking about how to use. My H&M credit is going to expire soon, and I'm definitely going to use that up!! I know that I bought a lot of things, but didn't know how many of them were going back in the store, and if net I'd be spending more or less. I am using also YNAB to help track things, and it's nice to see a working total of every month's budget.

I used to UNDERESTMATE the amount of Extra Fees I accumulate - as a Canadian, paying duties was just natural to me. I didn't know how MUCH duties I was paying until now. The only thing I am paying out is duties, and with YNAB, I can see up to ONE THIRD of my total budget goes towards duties. Yes; one third. It's insane!!! I need to think of how I am going to tackle this in the future! Once only 20% of my purchases got dinged from ModCloth now consistently it's been 100%. I think they target the ModCloth boxes and I am so annoyed that I have to pay about $26 on every $60 I purchase. This is too high for me and I'm not willing to pay this extra markup. 

I have OTHER HOBBIES too! - I am spending more time (and energy) on doing other things aside from pursuing the next biggest and brightest thing in my wardrobe. I spend time with paper crafts and organizing my planner, as well as making detailed charts and notes about my patients and their progress. My preceptor thinks I'm a bit over-the-top, but really it's because I want to use all of my coloured pens!!! I have also revived my fountain pen and found a few friends who share my love of Noodler's Inks and my Lamy pink pen!

I want to wear the same things Over and Over again and have to stop myself - I found myself checking YLF's WIW's to see when I wore something last! I want to wear more of my closet, but right now the Cotton Collection is getting a workout because of the temperatures! I think I really like pockets! And not-fit-and-flares are not the enemy!

I find OTHER ways of expressing myself - Whether that be experimenting with how I part my hair, or do my daily makeup, it's a good time in honing my style in those often neglected areas. I am also spending some time researching about what type of glasses I should order for myself, too!

That's enough musings for now ... has anyone else learned anything during their first 15 days?

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PSA: ModCloth's 50% off Sale Just Started!

I didn't go crazy this year!!! I think I ordered something like 15 dresses last year! Yay! I took my time and hem and hawed over a lot of things to make sure they were PPP before they went into my cart :)

A lot of them I had been wanting for awhile, so that was nice ... but, shipping is going to be the bane of my existence. I broke my purchases down into 3 shipments to make duties hopefully a little easier. I'm pretty excited about the tops as I'm hoping to make myself wear more separates, and I've been wanting the sound wave dress for awhile (they call it a macaroon dress, but it looks like sound waves to me!) 

Some of my past purchases are now 50% off instead of the 30% that I got them for, so I'm a little grumpy about that ... but I guess I'll live with it, especially the ones that are now out of my size! 

Did anyone find any treasures? 

Also, don't forget eBates can give you 2% off if you go through their website.

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Shopping @ Largest Mall in Canada!

My sister and I headed to the largest mall in Canada today to do some shopping! She wanted to hit up some of the summer sales and who am I to say  no? Besides, they often get the good stuff in that the other smaller malls don't! 

We got there super early to beat the crowds, and in true Canadian fashion, had our tea and pastries at Tim Hortons across the road. 

At Anthropologie, I had a few returns which resulted in a store credit. Apparently they have a "new store policy" in which returns cannot be paid in cash if I used PayPal. This must be fairly new as I have never had any problems with this before! But it's okay, the sales racks were out ... I found two new tops and a hoodie for cheap. The tops were of their "trapeze" style which I'm sure looks good on very few people, but the material was very nice (80% cotton with some stretch and other magic), so I bought them with intent to do a bit of a hack job. There was also a dress marked Size 12 in a black straight style with a hem to neck zipper, which I thought there was NO WAY this is a size 12, even though the tag on the dress and the paper tag told me they were. Well, whatever size 12 they were, it was more of a UK12, because it fit me nicely and I got it for a song (haha, couldn't find the link though for Finds!)

We have a newly renovated "lifestyle" H&M - which I suppose means that the store is now HUGE and they also have a "home" section. They have all the H&M stuff I found online that I couldn't find at my local shop! They had skirts of a reasonable length! And fabrication! AND POCKETS. POCKETS. I also picked up a bright magenta dress because I loved the colour, and it's definitely within my comfort zones for colour, but something I don't have in my wardrobe right now.

I did miss out on the matching top with the skirt, as shown in picture 1. The sales lady INSISTED that they had it in store, but despite having multiple people look for it, it doesn't exist. It sure doesn't exist at my local store either, so I may be out of luck for this :( Too bad we don't have online shopping in Canada!

For lunch, we had sushi and vietnamese spring rolls! And by the time the crowds had come, we were done our shopping and on the way home. :) 

It took me about 2 hrs to "Untrapeeze" the tops, but I think they're much more versatile now. About 30 minutes of that was trying to trouble shoot my sewing machine because it kept on "birds nest-ing" the bottom thread; had to completely take things apart and clean it up; and now it works fine. 

And that concludes the brilliant adventures of me and my sister. And my shopping budget for July is dead. HAHA.

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Quality Check - Gap vs. Zara? Trench Coat!

So, a navy or a red trench coat was on my "to get" things this year list and I think I have two contenders. I have ordered both and they're on their merry little way to my house in the post right now ...

... but I thought I'd check in with the wide knowledge of YLF to see if anyone has had long-term experience with either coat? The prices are essentially the same to me, so that's not really a factor...

*** Cost Analysis for Numbers Peoples ***

Gap Classic Trench - $139, now $99; additional 30% off and I got an additional 7% back from eBates ~ $70 or so

  • Love the flippy collar and the pocket flap details; can't tell if the linings are pretty or not, but I suppose that's not one of the key reasons why I'm buying a jacket.

Zara Flowing Trench Coat - $99, now $79; no additional discounts.

  • Oh, the lining is so pretty, and it looks so flowing on the model. I'm not sure if I like the coat or I like the way it looks on the model. Look how awesome I am in my coat I am a Zara model.... (giggle!)
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Zara Sale!!!//A little crazy...

Oooooh, boy. Zara sale. 

So, I came in under my Zara sale budget, but I think I picked up a few versatile things and I am supposing that if they don't work out, there's always free returns!! Yay, Zara! My little Canadian-girl heart pitter-patters at the thought of free returns!

1 (5), 2, and 4 have been things I've been stalking for the sale, so no surprise there. I'm hoping that the top (2) will be able to work with both the skirts; and I don't have a navy midi yet (3), which was on my shopping list. The dress (5) will be a replacement for my Eliza J one once the pills go out of control (soon, probably).

Trench coat (6) is a bit of a wild-card. I really like the animal-print cuffs, and I wanted something I could wear on the days when it's mucky and I don't want to wear the Burberry. Also, it is navy. I love my navy!

And a blouse with sleeves? That isn't low cut? That is under $20? I bought it in ALL of the colours (7/8/9) to try on. I hope it will be able to work over and tucked into skirts, but if not, they can easily be returned.

Oh, my pocketbook is ruing the day that Zara sale goes on ;) ... I resisted the pink coat though, even though it looks soooo cute!!!!

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Which Watch? [ETA: Thanks for Playing! Decided on the WildCard!]

I was hoping to add a few accessories to shake things up a little bit; and was hoping for some YLF wisdom as to what to acquire next as a watch?

Which one? #1 or #2? 

Watch #1 - Found this one on a Repli-Kate site after I was looking for frocks with sleeves, but this is a watch they suggested as an inspired look of Kate's Cartier. I won't be buying any Cartiers on my budget anytime soon, but I like the clean lines and the blue handles.

Watch #2 - I went into the Fossil store to look for this one today, but they didn't have any in stock (of course, it's Canada) - and so I'd have to order it from the US of A. I like the red second hand; it looks pretty special! The dial is a pretty size and I also like that it has a date feature. I don't usually use the date, but can be handy.

[ETA: Thanks to Echo's suggestion, I did check out the Bulova watches and managed to snag the Fairlawn for a song. MSRP was around $650, and I didn't think it would fit into my budget, but with some coupons and other codes, found it online from a reputable dealer for $123. - Pic #3. Love it to pieces. Ah, the magic of YLF. Love it!]

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Not Fit & Flare ... But Worth A Try? [ETA: No stock!]

Oh, Zara...

I have so much love for this dress! There are so many things about it that are just darling - the little inset sleeves, the high neckline, the long enough length, and the adorable pattern ... I can imagine it on its own with nude pumps, or my Clarks wedge sandals and a straw bag and a floppy hat ... or with a belt (I'm feeding my addiction, Anna!) and a cardigan in the winter with tights and some boots ... and with a navy blazer... *drool*

BUT it is definitely a tricky dress to wear, I'd imagine ... just looking at the pictures makes me want to suck my gut in. 

I have been working out in the last 7 months, and despite this, I still have a little round around my belly... I don't know if I'm going to be setting myself up for failure by trying a dress like this?

I suppose I can always return it if it doesn't work out; but does the collective wise YLF wisdom think it's worth a shot?

ETA: No luck. They won't be getting this dress in, or the stripy one, or the red skirt. That's 0/3 Zara. 

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Striped Dresses: Kate Spade vs. Zara vs. Eliza J

When I was down in California with my peeps this summer, I came upon a beautiful dress at the Kate Spade outlet (#5 at an outlet price of almost $300)!

At the time I had already purchased the Eliza J version (1/2) with a bright pink stripe (which I think is neon and fabulous!) but it does limit what I can wear with it. Not too many things go well with neon pink ... (mustard definitely doesn't, but grey and navy look lovely).

I am contemplating the Zara version of the dress (3/4), which is slightly longer than the Eliza J version (about 1.5") which is the same length as the Kate Spade. I definitely can make use of the slightly longer length.

Is it worth while to replicate the stripe dress if I already have the Eliza J version for additional versatility (not limited by neon pink?) - Also for consideration, my Eliza J has some pills and will probably be only good for another season or two.

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