Monday, November 2, 2015

review: loft tie waist cardigan, leggings, and more

A couple of weeks ago, Loft had one of their infamous 50% off sales, which made it the perfect time to order a few things I've had my eye on. The temperatures have slowly been dropping (although it's supposed to be 70 again this week??), so I wanted to try a few colder weather items. 

tie-waist-cardigan
First up is their tie waist cardigan. Online, it looks adorable - just the right amount of casual while still looking cute and put together. Turns out, the internet lied. I'm wearing a large here, my usual size, and it's wayyyyy too big on me. I could probably fit two of my arms in those sleeves! In addition to the arm problem, the waist tie sat right on my hips - not flattering at all. And even if it fit well, it is SO itchy that I wouldn't have kept it anyway. I'll be honest, I was most disappointed that this didn't work on me because I really fell in love with it based on the online picture. For reference, I'm wearing a large.

denim-leggings-in-vivid-dark-indigo-wash
Next up is a pair of Loft's denim leggings. On the left I am wearing a 30 and on the right a 31(I'm kind of between these two sizes in pants). These are as beautiful blue in real life as they are online, and if I was looking for a pair of skinny jeans, I would have probably kept the 31s as I felt the 30s were just too tight in the thighs. The reason I'm not keeping them is because they aren't exactly what I am looking for. The fabric on these are a bit thicker than most jeggings out there - that makes them great skinny jeans, but not jeggings. I want a pair that is stretchy and comfortable, and most importantly, doesn't give me baggy knees when worn with boots (one of my pet peeves!). I felt these were just too thick, not stretchy enough, and gave me those baggy knees that would bother me when worn with boots. Like I said, as skinny jeans to be worn with flats, they would be great! But not what I'm looking for right now to add to my closet. As far as fit, I would say these fit pretty true to size, and if you are between sizes, I suggest going with your larger size for comfort.

tie-v-neck-blouse
I have two tie blouses from Loft, and love them - they are wonderful for just throwing on with dress pants on days you don't want to really put more effort into getting dressed. I've had my eye on the emerald version for months now just because I loved the color. I don't know if they changed something about the style, or if it's just meant to look like this, but I did not like this shirt at all. First of all, the shirt was oddly baggy, and the fabric clingy. I'm wearing my normal size large, and it just fit me all wrong. The worst part though is the tie part - you can see how it's not sewn all the way to the bottom of the v-neck, which leaves that sad looking bow at the end with about an inch of nothing between. It was so strange! The reviews are mixed on line - half love it, half dislike it, and unfortunately, I'm in that half too.

dotted-pocket-blouse
I also own one of the pocket blouses, and it's also one of those throw on and go shirts, so when I saw they had what I thought was a polka dot version, I was all in. I'm wearing a large, and find it fits true-ish too size. It's a bit loose, but comfortable. My issue is probably also my own fault - I didn't look that closely at the picture online, and didn't realize that the polka dots were actually little flowers, and that they were all connected by red lines. I just didn't love that pattern, and knew I just wouldn't wear it as much as if it were just polka dotted. They seem to keep this style of shirt around though, so maybe they will make it just the way I want it in the future (please, Loft?).

Last up is what Loft refers to as the fauxmere sweater - it's supposed to feel like cashmere without the price. Sounds good to me! For some reason, I thought ordering a blush colored sweater would be a good idea - turns out I like it on other people, just not really on myself. I'm wearing a large here, and while it fit fine in the waist, it was oddly too large in the arms. I have fairly larger arms/shoulders, so I have to walk the line between something being too tight and too loose because too much in either direction and it just makes me look larger than I am. This is one of those instances where the baggy arms just make me look bigger overall. It was also a bit too sheer - you can see my black camisole through the light pink. I would be interested in trying this a size down and in their pretty emerald though!

You guys know I'm a true Loft fan, so while this order didn't work out, I can't help but look through their new arrivals because there are so many cute new items. Below are a few of my picks - my absolute favorite is their scalloped and lace dress. I have no where to wear such a pretty dress but I want it. Isn't it the prettiest? Something a bit more practical is their version of a fairisle sweater - this just screams Thanksgiving dinner to me :)

 

P. S. My sister nominated me for the she is hyphenated contest and it would mean the world to me if you could click to vote for me here: http://ellentracy.com/contest/2248