This month I posted recommendations from Old Navy (
HERE), a list of Spring Wardrobe staples for tops (HERE), and fun tops for building your spring wardrobe (
HERE). I finally tried some of those items, so here are my reviews for them!
For sizing reference, I’m 5’6″ with a short torso. Usually S/M or 6/8 in clothing and 8.5-9 in shoes.
Let’s start with Old Navy!
You probably don’t know this since I hardly wear them, but I’m a sucker for shirt dresses. Prior to blogging over 6 years ago, I had several shirt dresses…that I hardly ever wore! The problem was that the ones I had were too professional looking, and I never, ever needed to wear them.
But, shirt dresses like this one are different! Whereas my past ones were too structured, this one is more flowy and feels more casual. I can imagine it with sandals, white low profile sneakers, or open toe heels or wedges and a colorful bracelet or statement earrings.
This dress is pretty long, so I ordered it in PETITE for it to hit my knees. Also, besides the skirt length being too long in Medium Regular, the drawstring waist was also too low for me in regular sizing, so all around petite was better for me.
There are short slits on the side that you can’t see that well in my pictures, and the front bottom of the dress also opens a tiny bit. It has pockets, and to me, that never gets old. Haha! The waistband is elastic with a drawstring and is adjustable. It also comes in black and can be found
HERE in regular, tall, and petite sizing.
Please note, this material tends to shrink a bit in the wash. I soaked it in water and noticed it shrink 1-2 inches, but it still grazes the top of my knees. The chest area and sleeves feel *sliiightly* more fitted, but not enough for me to size up. It may be different for someone with a larger chest, or if pre-wash it is already perfectly fitted on you.
I’m usually skeptical of peplum tees because they often make me look like I have a tummy, yet I still try them knowing not all peplum is the same. This one was actually not terrible! (Is that a high bar or what? Haha.) But honestly, I didn’t analyze the fit too much because the material wasn’t great–at least in white. It has this kind of burnout look, kinda the way heather grey looks but in white. I can’t put a finger on it, but something about the neckline, fit, and the material makes the top half of this tee look like an undershirt. It’s also a little see through. (I had a nude cami on.) However, I think all of those gripes might be taken care of in black, and possibly coral! I do like the lace detail on the hem. Too bad this one didn’t work out!
I have 4 pairs of these rockstar jeans now! (Distressed, olive, maroon, and coral.) This coral is somewhat faded–more faded in person than they look on my computer screen. I sized way down as usual with this cut and they are stretchy and soft enough that it worked out! As usual, they looked TOO tight on me at first, but loosened up after a few hours and didn’t stretch beyond that after. Shown above is near the beginning of wear, starting to loosen up.
I was debating between this pair and the coral pair above, and the coral pair won. The coral pair is a full-length pair while this pink pair only comes in ankle-length. I actually really like this color, and it’s very “in” right now. Also, this pair is stretchy and very, very soft. However, I didn’t love the ankle length on me. Because of how they bunched on me, they constantly looked like they needed to be pulled down and adjusted.
Black Joggers – size S
I’ve wanted joggers for a while because Benson wears them everyday and looks sooo comfy in them, and sometimes I don’t want to wear leggings (my usual comfy clothes bottom). But often tapered joggers don’t look good with my wide hips. THESE ARE WINNERSSSSSSSSSS! I’m so happy I found some that fit!
They are on the thin side, which you could either be sad about if you wanted cozier joggers or you could be happy about if you want lighter ones for spring. They have pockets, a wide waistband with a drawstring, and a medium rise. I don’t know how well they’ll hold up given that they are on the thin side, but given how joggers that are flattering on me seem elusive, I’ll ride these out for as long as they’ll let me!
They’re almost sold out but may come back in stock, so keep checking. Find them HERE.
These are not just a different color than the ones above, but they are a different pants altogether. I actually tried these before I tried the black pair, and liked these a lot in medium. But, through a conversation I had with someone on Instagram, I got curious about sizing and later ordered a small to compare because I looooved the black pair in small. Turns out I don’t love the grey pair in small.
I think the rise on the grey pair vs. black pair are slightly different, with the black pair’s being a little higher. While I love how the legs fit in the small in grey, the crotch area is too tight and rides up–and that’s without me even doing any sort of movement.
(The way I found the black pair was that I went in-store to find the grey in small but couldn’t. I found the black pair instead and tried them on, but remembered that the grey pair didn’t have a black option online–only navy. I got confused, looked online, and saw that they were actually different pants. So, I ordered grey in small online.)
While the grey pair in medium is pretty good, I love the black pair more. HOWEVER, unfortunately I’ve already worn it around the house and threw away the tag, so I can’t return them. I’m keeping both the black and grey pairs!
These were entirely sold out just a couple days ago, but are fully back in stock now. Find them
HERE!
I tried another pair of nude pointy toe flats from Nordstrom that were over double the price of these, but honestly, the two are somewhat comparable. I mean, the Nordstrom pair is better than these, but not at all by double the price. I’m still debating about these. I have to walk around the house in them to see if they rub my toes or heels uncomfortably, but upon initial feel they are flexible, unlike many cheaper flats that are quite stiff. Though don’t get me wrong, they still feel like cheap flats from Old Navy, but I wanted to put them on your radar to try in case they sell out soon.
Alright, onto Nordstrom reviews!
This hot Nordstrom item is ON SALE at 40% off, making it a little over $41! I don’t need to replace mine, but I tried this for any of you who are looking. I’m wearing a small here, and if I could find it in store I would have tried the XS since this was pretty roomy on me. Overall, it’s fairly comfortable, though not super duper duper soft like some other utility jackets from Nordstrom I’ve tried. However, this is probably more durable. I like the elastic waist that cinches and creates definition. I wish the sleeves had elastic, but they can be rolled. The large snap button pockets are GREAT, and I use the ones on my utility jacket all the time. That’s why this piece is SO GOOD for moms–you always need pockets to hold stuff, whether to hold the kids or to hold the stuff they hand you.
Find this left in several sizes HERE.
I showed this twist front tee in the fun tops post (
HERE) and wanted to give it a shot. It’s a lot of bunched fabric, but I still liked it! It’s more flattering than I thought it’d be from the side, too! I need to give it some more time and wear it around the house to see how it’ll be with lots of movement. I don’t love how long it is in the back, so I need to play with it and see if I can adjust it in a way that stays.
I love how it’s a normal tee with a twist. No pun intended! This grey is a bluish grey, which is not what I’m looking for. I ordered the white to try, and the black is quite tempting! It comes in white, black, peach, blush grey, and a deep red. See them all
HERE.
This tee is extremely soft, but pretty thin. On me it didn’t float away from my body as much as it clung to and hugged my curves, and how thin it is made it worse. I tried sizing up on the right, which I think is a better fit from the front, but from the side it looks too large. No go for me, but seems to be fine on the less curvy models on the product page. Comes in 4 colors
HERE.
Moving on to Target!
Grey Crew Neck Tee – size M
While I LOVE my heather grey Madewell v-neck tee (THIS), I also want a grey crew neck tee so I can wear it with statement necklaces. I was pleasantly surprised by this one! I like the rolled cuffs and how the sleeves aren’t super formfitting on my arms. I also like that it’s more like a dark heather grey, meaning there is some visual interest. The curved hem surprisingly works for me whereas usually I’m not a fan.
I was ready to rip the tag off this thing, UNTIL I saw a lighter one from Old Navy with a color that is more similar to my Madewell one (HERE). It’s more plain, without a curved hem or rolled sleeves, but I want to at least try it first! It also comes in white, so I might give that a shot too. But, if you’re looking for a darker grey tee, head to Target and check this one out! Also comes in black HERE.
Utility Vest – size S
I don’t need to replace my utility vest, but boy was this tempting. It’s very, very soft and lightweight, which also helped it hang nicely on me. It also has a drawstring waist so you can adjust it to make it more flattering. It also has 4 pockets, which is awesome. One unique feature that I think is really cute is that it has a button closure instead of a zipper. Overall, very cute, and super affordable.
If you head into Target looking for it, don’t mistake it for
THIS other utility vest. I’ve heard from several people that it’s a little thicker, but also stiffer. I think it’s also a great option, but if you’re looking for the soft one, find the one with the button closure.
I’ve got PLENTY more things to review, but that’s all for today! What are you shopping for currently? I’ll keep my eye out when I’m browsing for other things!
SaveSaveSaveSave
SaveSave
