Alright, ladies! I spent Thursday afternoon shopping and trying on pieces, so here are their reviews! I’ll be going back to Nordstrom on Monday to take a closer look at workwear and activewear as well as some other casual pieces that I missed this time around and want to look into. If there are more things you’d like me to review, let me know and I’ll see what I can find in store.
BTW, many of these items are also available in petite sizes.
For reference, I’m 5’6″ with a shorter torso. I’m normally S/M or 6/8 and size 9 in shoes, sometimes 8.5.
Let’s start with shoes!
This wasn’t in my original roundup–I guess I missed it the first time around but loved it in store. I really liked how this shoe looks. It has a nice low profile ankle, which is very helpful if you want to show a little ankle while wearing skinny jeans. I also love the low heel, smooth leather with just a tiny bit of texture, and the buckle on the other side that isn’t shown here. The top was felt pliable, not super stuff but more like it would mold to your feet a little over time.
For the footbed, I wouldn’t say it was
comfortable the way my Clarks Booties (
HERE) have cushion, but it wasn’t
uncomfortable. Does that make sense? I think I would add an insole to give them more cushion if I purchased these, and then they’d be great. I think they’re worth looking into if you want a standard, low heel, neutral ankle boot. They come in 4 colors, including this grey leather as well as a lighter mushroom color, which is what I’d go for if they’d had it in store. I’ll be ordering that color to walk around in more and see exactly how comfortable or uncomfortable they really are.
These shoes were decently comfortable and easy to walk in, at least in the footbed department. The top is also nice and pliable for more comfort, plus the lower heel is always a plus. The part that didn’t work for me was the heel. I think I have narrow heels because my feet often slip out of shoes and I need to put heel grips in my shoes. My heels slipped out of these whenever I walked. But if that’s not a problem for you this shoe will probably be awesome. I REALLY wanted these to work out because I would have loved them in the Khaki Suede color
HERE!
These weren’t in my first roundup either, but I was pleasantly surprised by them! Despite the wedge, I found these quite comfortable and very easy to walk in. That is…for the 1 minute I walked around in store. The top is also soft like the other two pairs. Overall I was surprised by how much I liked these. They also come in a grey leather and maroon. I ultimately did not purchase these though because I needed to exercise some discipline during this sale, haha! I decided that I already had a pair of black booties and didn’t feel the need to add another. SAD THOUGH because I really liked these!
(Also, didn’t know Caslon made such good shoes! I already liked their jeans, but I had no idea about the shoes.)
Ones I ordered to try:
This perforated bootie
HERE looks like it should be super comfy. And I’ll be ordering the Franco Sarto pair above in a lighter color. I don’t have lighter colored booties in my collection, so I have to stay focused on those! Sorry, wedge bootie. 🙁
I saw several pairs of maroon jeans, but these were the least expensive I think. Maroon jeans are a staple for me during fall and winter. (See how I’ve worn mine
HERE.) These are Caslon, which apparently is killing it in my book during this sale.
Anyway, this angle is not super flattering, but I liked how these fit. They’re slightly long on me–on the left (my right leg) I rolled up the ankle to compare how it’d look hemmed. The material is slightly on the thinner side, but not in a problematic way in my opinion. Just not the super thick denim material. It is also NOT that stretchy, so I’d like to wear them for longer to see if they stretch out or conform better to my body. I think if you don’t have a lot of cures that jeans need to maneuver, the lack of stretch will not be a problem for you.
The next pair one price jump up that I saw was NYDJ (
HERE), then a Madewell pair
HERE, and the old tried and true Paige denim
HERE.
These are the same cut in different colors. SUPER stretchy and soft and thick material. These are both too large for me, but size 6 was unavailable. Overall, these jeans are good quality. I can’t speak to if they stretch out over time, but a sales associate said they did, so you wanted to make sure to size down. For me, the rise has too much material and it bunches up. I often have this problem with jeans thanks to a poor spine angling my pelvis from having scoliosis, but some pants make it more extreme and these are some of them.
If you don’t ever have this problem, then try these jeans! Soft, stretchy, and thick! Olive jeans
HERE. Grey jeans
HERE.
One grey pair I’d like to try are these Wit & Wisdom, which my sales associate said was not sold in our store anymore and had to be purchased online. Wit & Wisdom is the same brand as my yoga-pants-like bootcut jeans, and they both have the “ab-solution” technology which is what makes them so soft. Find the grey ones
HERE. Normal blue denim
HERE.
These are straight leg, but my larger thighs and hips probably don’t make them seem as straight as they should be, hehe. These are the same brand as the olive and grey pairs above, but they are not quite as thick or stretchy. However, they still are stretchy–just not as much as the ones above because those things are exceptionally stretchy. They do feel sturdy and secure. On the left I’m wearing 6 and on the right is 8. Good pair if you don’t want skinny jeans.
Let’s start out by saying that none of these worked for me, BUT I’m confident they’d be fine if you don’t have larger thighs like me. These are all from the junior’s section also, which is usually never a good idea for my hips and thighs! The first two are under $40.
I think these would be an okay option if you’re looking for less expensive olive skinnies. I wasn’t super impressed with the quality. The button and zipper felt a little stiff to me, and the jeans themselves weren’t that stretchy. But…honestly, I think I’ve just been spoiled with stretchy jeans lately. These probably compare to jeans from Target, which I have been fine with in the past. The waist did not fit me, so if I were to purchase this pair I would probably need to size up for my thighs and take in the seat. But there’s that problem with having weird folds and material at the crotch area, so for many reason this was a no go for me.
I feel like these aren’t even worth discussing. The major plus is that they are under $40, but even if your thighs are smaller than mine and these would probably fit better, I honestly feel like you could find jeans in a similar price point that feel way better. Like, the stretchy kind. Go for soft, stretchy jeans, friends, and never look back!
I wanted to love these, but first of all they weren’t flattering on me. Secondly, I felt SCARED walking around with that much distressing. I swore they’d rip more given that they are skinny jeans and when you bend a knee or something there’s not as much give, only rips. I will say that they are very soft. The boyfriend cut of this same distressing has been very popular, and I think since they have a more relaxed fit the ripping + movement wouldn’t be as big of an issue. The boyfriend cut is not on sale but is
HERE if you’re interested.
Tee – size M
I really need a Medium Petite for my short torso. These tees are on the longer side at 26″. The material is thicker than other plain t-shirts, and I really like the U-neckline. Someone on Instagram asked if I’d prefer these to Madewell, and it really depends. These don’t drape as well as the Madewell tees, and I think they are slightly longer. But they are thicker and come in some prints and patterns that aren’t available in the Madewell tee–like this stripe pattern.
This would go great under a utility jacket, one of the Caslon knit blazers, or the maroon cardigan (all reviewed below). This comes in 16 colors with a few prints.
Open Front Cardigan – size S
This is cute and pretty comfy! I didn’t include this in my first roundup either, rather I showed a slightly more expensive maroon cardigan
HERE. This is cozy and comes in 7 great colors, including a tan that is similar to my grandpa cardigan that many of you ask about (seen
HERE).
Someone on Instagram asked if this was itchy. I didn’t notice anything until she asked, so once I went looking for itch I felt a tiny bit of it. Another person who’s owned this for a while said it’s super soft and cozy, so I’m thinking (hoping) it’ll get softer upon washing.
Secondly, another person on Instagram said the slightly more expensive Leith cardigan that I linked to in my first post (
HERE) was amazing. I’ll look for that on Monday when I go back to the store. But, I’m pretty content with this cardigan!
Knit Blazer – size S
I’ve talked before about blazers that feel like sweatshirts but are cut like blazers–this is it. Exactly it, actually. I have this one in grey/white stripe from the NSale 2-3 years ago. You feel like you’re wearing a sweatshirt but look SO much more polished! (Read about it HERE.)
Be warned, they are on the thinner side. It hasn’t actually been problematic, but I was just surprised at first because I thought they’d be thick for some reason. I still feel like they’re worth having in your wardrobe if you want a very, VERY comfortable way of looking polished everyday. This comes in 5 colors, and honestly it’s hard to choose because they’d all be useful.
Red Plaid Shirt – S
After I posted tips to shop the Nordstrom Sale (HERE) many of you said you were looking for a red/navy plaid shirt like the one I showed. This is a good alternative to mine. (And it’s also Caslon. Just like the knit blazer, the wedge booties, and the maroon jeans. Like I said, they’re killing it this sale!)
It is a medium thickness. Mine is very thin, though a totally different brand, but this one feels much sturdier. It half-tucks nicely and drapes fairly well for a laid back, relaxed look. You could also layer it under sweaters or jackets very easily.
Utility Jacket – size S
I said this on Instagram already, but if you’re looking for a utility jacket, THIS IS A GOOD ONE. A drawstring waist is really important to be able to define an oversized type of jacket to perfectly flatter your curves. The pockets are awesome, and it has a couple that have a button closure to keep things even more secure.
This jacket is a little thin, but incrediblyyyyyy soft. People often ask if I can really wear a utility jacket all day while moving around, and my answer is YES if the jacket is soft. Some utility jackets are thick and I can see why you’d get annoyed wearing them all day. The one I own is soft and easy to move in, but this one is even softer.
One thing I find strange is the drawstring at the rear. I don’t know why that’s there. It doesn’t bother me physically–like I don’t feel it. But I just find it weird…? Not a huge deal though. I was kind of wondering if the drawstring could be removed altogether too. Anyway, the sleeves are also fairly long, so I would cuff them up once for length but also it would give the sleeve a tighter look overall.
Also comes in black.
People have asked what you can wear this with. My answer is almost ANYTHING–shown HERE.
Draped Utility Jacket – size S
I wanted to love this, but I didn’t. It’s probably even thinner than the one above. But more importantly, it’s incredibly large. MAYBE I needed to size down to XS? I’ll see if I can find one on Monday, but the thinness alone made me feel like it serve the purpose I want it to in my closet. If you are looking for a super duper thin layer that is different than a cardigan, then this could work for that. But if you want a thin layer that would still provide at least a little warmth, I don’t think this would do.
This comes in several colors, including olive which I also tried. I loved how this tee draped and that it was different than a standard white tee. I’ve hard no luck with standard white tees–even the Madewell one that I love in grey and olive didn’t work out.
This one is super duper thin, which is the main reason I didn’t get it. I just worried that after a wash or two it’d rip a hole. It also kinda showed every lump and bump I had. Sigh! It’s so cute otherwise!
That’s it for the first round of reviews! Remember, workwear and activewear will be up on the blog next week. I don’t think workwear will sell out that quickly. However, activewear might.
So here’s what I’m checking out: Zella leggings. I tried some of these on but needed different sizes and need to check which, if any, are see-through. I’ll preview the soon-to-come full review by saying THEY ARE AMAZING. I’m a Medium. They are soooo soft and breathable, but thick. At sale price they compare to Target and Old Navy, being the same or just sliiiightly more expensive. But they are SO MUCH BETTER. Old Navy workout leggings tend to feel scratchy to me and like my legs can’t breathe. I always try them but never buy them. Target Champion leggings have been good for me, but the Zella leggings are way, way better. Check out all Zella leggings HERE.
Remember to let me know if there’s a top or pair of pants or shoes you want a review for! I’ll look for it on Monday.
Another note: lots of you said you wanted nursing friendly items, which I can compile for you. I’m thinking an entire post needs to be dedicated to that though–not just pieces related to the Nordstrom sale. Seems like a huge need!
