From the Fitting Room: 2012 H&M Conscious Collection

My heart totally sank when I arrived at my local H&M this morning. There was not a single piece from the Conscious Glamour Collection. I asked a sales rep and they said they it was still unclear if they were going to get any of the pieces and if they did, they had no idea when it would be. Major bummer. I guess I will have to call and check on a daily basis because now that I can't have them, I'm even more obsessed. As per usual.

While in the store I did try on and purchase several pieces from the regular Conscious Collection. Most of the pieces were just ok, but the ones featured below I really liked and are very budget friendly.

Coral Pink Lace Top, XS (fits true to size), $14.95: I tried on all four colors (cream, yellow, mint and coral) that this top came in. The coral was hands down the winner. It fits a little on the loose side, especially in the arm holes, but for the price I thought it was a great spring/summer top. Verdict: purchased

Coral Pink Lace Skirt, Size 2 (fits like a 00p), $14.95: This was one of the items I had my eye on before I even went into the store. It didn't disappoint. The lace is really beautiful in person as is the color. This skirt fit me really well in the waist and hips and was the perfect length. Verdict: purchased

Pink Lace Dress, Size 2 (fits like a 00p), $29.95: If I didn't really love the way this dress looked (when I finally managed to get it on) there is no way I would have ever bought it. It took me almost 15 minutes to get it on and even then I had to give up and ask a sales associate to help me. There are not only two zippers, but also 3 buttons (photos below) to secure. And if someone with my crazy long arms can't do it, I don't know how anyone can. Once I got in on though, I just loved it and hopefully with some practice I will be able to put in on by myself! Verdict: Purchased.

These photos of the side back zipper and interior buttons don't tell the full story. I would bet money that this dress was designed by a man. No woman would make it this difficult to get a garment on.

UPDATE: I have received several requests for a back shot of the dress on. To my surprise and delight I discovered  pockets while doing the additional photo shoot. I don't know how I could have missed it the first time, but you can't even imagine how excited I was.

Sunday Best: Revisited

Last year at this time I wrote of my search for the perfect magenta peep toe wedges. It's one year later. I still have no magenta peep toe wedges. Coming to terms with the fact that I may never find any, I decided to revisit this outfit and see if I could add some interest in another way. I knew I still wanted to incorporate another color and this time I wanted to add another pattern as well. I wasn't sure if the leopard wedges would work, but I sort of love it. I may like this look even better than I would pink peeps!

Striped Merino Wool Blazer - Ann Taylor Loft (seen here)

Cotton Green Dress - Boutique in Chicago (seen here)

Skinny Belt - H&M

Cut to the Chase Necklace - Kate Spade (seen here)

Erin Dot Tights - Banana Republic

Kylie Wedge Pumps - Payless

Sunday Best

It's early spring and that means layers are all around us. Most of March was crazy warm, but last week seasonal temperatures finally hit the area. If I wanted to stay warm on my walk to work, but not get too hot later in the day, I had to layer up. Topping a dress and boots with a cardigan and wool blazer make for the perfect outfit for a cool spring day.

Bib Dress - Banana Republic

Cardigan - Banana Republic

Check Wool Blazer - J.Crew

Belt - H&M

Socks - Target

Boots - Ann Taylor Loft

Love: H&M Conscious Glamour Collection

It's been a while since I have been inspired enough by an H&M Conscious Collection release to write a post about it. That all changed with one look at their new Conscious Glamour Collection. The runway-inspired frocks feature sustainable fabrics such as hemp, organic cotton, and recycled polyester. Bold colors and interesting cuts makes for one of H&M's best releases to date. The collection is set to hit about 100 stores worldwide on April 12. I so can't wait!

My Wishlist

Click here to view the entire collection

Sunday Best

I love the unexpected. When it comes to my style, I usually aim to achieve an unexpected look with color. This week I went for a mix of ultra feminine and tough. I stumbled upon this necklace at a random store while on a weekend getaway. With a price tag of $2.99 it was a major steal. I knew I would be able to pair it with some edgier pieces like a motorcycle jacket, but I wanted to try to mix it up with a more girlie outfit. A flowy dress, colorful cardigan and bow wedge booties did the trick. With the weather being so beautiful, I also had to break out my favorite coat from last season.

Merino Cardigan - Banana Republic
Dress - H&M
Collar Necklace - Random Store
Tights - Forever 21
Blowfish Blyth Booties - Piperlime (available here)

Studio Mona Coat - Kate Spade (seen here)

Blowfish Blyth Bootie - Piperlime (available here)

From the Fitting Room: Marni for H&M Madness

I arrived at the Marni launch this morning a couple minutes before 8 am and was given a blue wristband, which means I was in group 3 and would be able to start shopping at 8:45. There were about 70 people in line ahead of me and I heard that some people had even camped out overnight! No matter how much I love fashion, I can't imagine there is anything I would want badly enough to stand in line overnight for. H&M has the whole shopping for collaborations thing down to a science. They gave each group 15 minutes to shop and each person was allowed to buy 2 of each piece. They have also amended their return policy to 10 days for Marni items in hopes of preventing resale on ebay.

On to the clothing. I pretty much got to try on everything I wanted, with the exception of the long polka dot coat I was coveting. All in all, I would say the quality of the pieces was pretty high, my only complaint is that many items ran very large, especially the dresses and tops. For the price point, I also would have liked the coats, jackets and skirts to have been lined.

Blue Polka Dot Pencil Skirt, Size 2 (fits like a 00) $59.95: I love the color, print and style of this skirt. It fit true to size for H&M as well. Verdict: Purchased, but will probably take the hem up (for reference, I am 5'3" and it hit right in the middle of my knees). I tried this on with the women's tee in an XS and it was too boxy for my taste.

Ruffle Zip Cardigan, Size 2 (fits like an XXS) $69.95: I really liked the fit and style of this cardigan. It was supersoft too and seemed to be pretty sturdy, but at the end I decided it was too long and not worth the price. Verdict: Passed.

Polka Dot Top, Size 2 (fits very large) $69.95: I don't even know what to say about this top. Not only did it fit huge, I just can't imagine how it could be flattering even if it did fit. The boxy fit and weird drop waist made it a definite no-go for me. Verdict: Passed.

Polka Dot Dress, Size 2 (another generous cut) $79.95: I loved this dress on the hanger and in all the promos I had seen, but in person it was a big old mess. Not only was I swimming in it, but it was also slightly see through (hard to see in the picture). For this price, I expect a higher quality garment. Verdict: Passed.

Polka Dot Graphic Pencil Skirt, Size 4 (fits like a regular 0) $59.95: The smallest size they had left was a 4. I really loved the print and silky feel of this skirt, but I didn't think it was worth altering. Verdict: Passed.

Blue Polka Dot Jacket, Size 2 (fits like a 00p) $99.95: Besides the long black polka dot coat, this was the one piece I was really dying for. It didn't disappoint. The cut, style, color and print are gorgeous in real life. And I was totally psyched that the length was perfect for my short torso! And surprisingly I really love the skirt and jacket together. As I mentioned earlier, I will probably take the skirt hem up though. Verdict: Purchased.

They also gave out these super cute bags and nice cotton garment bags with purchase. Success!

UPDATE: I forgot to mention the Black Polka Dot Pants I tried on in a size 2 (seen here in slide 2). These looked so horrible that I couldn't even bring myself to take a picture. They were baggy in all the wrong places (crotch, waist and thighs) and looked nothing like they did in the promos. The fabric also felt a bit stiff. Major disappointment.

Sunday Best

My love of winter shorts continues. This time I paired a brown herringbone version with Spring's hottest hue: cool, icy mint green. A yellow tee, bright purple tights and knee-high boots round out the ensemble.

Dream Tie-Neck Cardigan - J.Crew

Yellow Tee - H&M

Matelot Herringbone Shorts - Forever 21

Purple Tights - Target

Boots - Ann Taylor Loft

Amrita Singh Cocktail Ring - HauteLook

Parker Leather Wrap - Gorjana

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