I’m in awe of all you bloggers that post such quality posts day after day, especially since I’m just now getting to my tries in the fitting room from three weekends ago!

I dodged into the Ann Taylor Factory and Banana Republic Outlet stores in hopes I could find the navy chiffon ruffle (of which I did!), malady and I decided to try a few other items on while I was at the store to see if anything would fit.

Ann Taylor Factory

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Ann Taylor chiffon patterned top, in XXSP (on left) and XSP (on right)

These shirts (I’m not sure what I would call these) somewhat caught my eye on the mannequin busts in the store. However, being set next to the chiffon ruffle shells, they seemed somewhat plain and less pretty. But I liked how it looked on the mannequin and how it was somewhat more casual with the interesting pattern in the front. I grabbed the blue in XXSP and the purple in XSP to try out the colors and the fit.

As you can tell, the XXSP was too form fitting, and the XSP fit so much better. I thought it looked much better on than just folded there in the store, so I ended up getting this in three colors as well (the purple, dark blue and off-white).

Ann Taylor Factory Navy Chiffon Ruffle Shell in XSP & 1/4 length sleeve long cardigan in XXSP (teal and coral)

I’ve often found Ann Taylor and LOFT sizing to be strange (especially when it comes to dresses), and I found this to be the case with these long 1/4 arm length long cardigans. The XSP was just huge, as though I was swimming in them, and the XXSP fit much much better. They’re perfect for the upcoming spring and summer weather here in San Diego and in nice bright colours too. I’m not sure about the quality though, given they’re so thin. I’ve worn them a couple of times already, so I hope it can keep its shape and size once I’ve thrown them into the washer.

Ann Taylor Factory, Twisted Blouse in Teal XSP
This twist teal blouse shirt, though gorgeous on the hanger, was just a FAIL on me. The sleeves were too long, and the length was too shirt. I did not like where the twist hit me either. I don’t really need such a gorgeous top either since it would be out of place at my office. I do like sheeny shiny things though.

Ann Taylor Factory Petal Chiffon, XS
And just for grins, I decided to try on the petal chiffon top in XS. It was the smallest size available in the store, and there weren’t any petite sizes left. Needless to say, it fit as I expected – very loose. It looked horrible over my bootcut jeans, because every bump on my jeans showed.

Banana Republic Outlet

Also, after the flurry of purchases of the famed Banana Republic Outlet tweed dress I first saw on Jean, I knew I was late to the game, but I thought I’d browse through the racks to see if I could find it. I found the sizing tags to be strange. Do Banana Republic petite size tags always include the “p” on the end? I didn’t look too carefully, but I did grab the 00p for Aubrey (which fits her wonderfully, might I add – in which my response is a “YAY!”), and noticed as I was trying these dresses on that they were all “0”, without a p. So why were they in the petite section? Hence, my confusion.

Banana Republic Outlet Black Sheath Dress 0, $29.99
The black sheath dress seen on Jean (for some reason I can’t find the link!) and the one I grabbed for Aubrey was much too small for me in 00p, which I had predicted, and so I tried on the 0, both in the black and a pretty fuschia color. Unfortunately, it is too long on me, even though I loved the fuschia color. Considering I don’t need to really dress up for work, and the fit wasn’t the greatest, I decided to leave these behind as they weren’t worth it to me to have it hemmed.

Banana Republic Outlet Navy Gold Button Shoulder Dress, 0
I also tried this other dress that really isn’t my style, but I thought I’d give it a go to see what it would look on me. This was a quick “no way” before I threw it off of me. I’m not sure what possessed me to try it on the first place. I think the dress makes me look about five years old.

Banana Republic Outlet, Grey Sheen Sheath Dress 0, $29
Because I was disappointed that no tweed sheath dress was to be found, I decided to try on the similar dress that ReallyPetite blogged about last month. The fit was really quite nice, except for the length, but because the material was more shiny and the dress slightly more formal, I don’t think I would get much use out of it, and not worth it at $99 since I would still need to get it hemmed.

I did grab a Banana Republic casual khaki type skirt that was on sale for $24.99, deciding to give skirts a go this year, thanks to Jean and her array of cute skirts she has modeled for us on her blog. Oddly, I didn’t take a picture of me in it, maybe next time ! I’m really not a skirt or a dress person, but I’m forcing myself to branch out this year, and I think I’m going to need a little help from the rest of you on how to put a skirt together, because I truly am clueless most of the time when it comes to more girly items. I’m still more of a jeans and a t-shirt gal (of which I’m wearing today! :))

And a side note, I’m not sure why a bird is chirping ever so loudly outside my home at 11:45pm!