I know what you’re thinking. Florals for spring? Ground breaking. Floral patterns tie in my love for fashion and gardening and I can’t get enough of them. When Sezane (can you tell I’m a bit obsessed) had their spring mini capsule release on Sunday this is one of the items I snatched up. I also bought the matching pants but for some sad reason they ran about two sizes smaller than my typical Sezane size. Oh well, it wasn’t meant to be. The next few sizes up were already sold out. I have been shopping with Sezane now for over a year and the quality and service of the brand has continued to impress me. The materials are always great, 100% silk, linen, cotton etc and the fit is about 80% of the time consistent. If you have to return something it comes with a prepaid shipping label and refunds are usually completed in about a week. To say Sezane has won me over is an understatement. My other floral dresses for spring are from Sezane as well.
When it comes to floral prints I always seem to gravitate towards the larger scale prints. They’re full of drama and usually have bold colors. With smaller scale prints the boldness of the colors tends to get muted by the design. I paired this top with a skirt from Anthropologie that I bought years and years ago on my birthday. I’m not kidding when I say this skirt is probably almost 10 years old.
I can honestly say I have not bought a piece of clothing from Anthropologie in months. Which is really sad because I used to buy from them at least once a month. If you follow me on Instagram, we had this discussion the other day about J.Crew. How the prices haven’t changed but the sales have increased while the fabric quality has decreased. The same song can be sung for Anthropologie. The $158 dress used to be 100% silk, now it’s a poly blend and on sale with an extra 25% off every other day.
My friend Ashley and I went in to the local Anthropologie a week or so ago and finally found pieces that were really cute but we left knowing that in a week or so there would be a coupon or a markdown. I remember when the sale at Anthropologie was twice a year and it was huge. Markdowns happened on Mondays but were gone fast. There were amazing insider blogs that tracked the sales and caught wind of what was going to be marked down on Sunday nights…. It sounds obsessive but it was really fun.
I think that is why I’m so obsessed with Sezane lately. The pieces are high quality, limited release and rarely, if ever, go on sale. I’ve been trying to be more conscious about what I buy lately. I’m tired of all the loungewear looks, I’m ready to get dressed up! I will buy something at J.crew or Anthro if the price is right for the make of the material but I’ve been trying to find pieces that will live in my closet longer and not fall apart after a few washes. I’m not against “fast fashion” clearly, but if I’m going to bring a piece into my closet, it better get used to living there a while. After my quarantine closet clean out.. I vowed not to accumulate that much barely worn items again. However adding key pieces back into my wardrobe has been difficult because the items are just not there right now.
A few brands that I have found to be great quality, albeit not at an H & M price point but it’s cost vs. worth.
Don’t get me wrong I still pick up pieces here and there at places like J.Crew, I’m just a bit more selective and miss the quality and designs of what they used to be.
Have you noticed any significant changes from your favorite brands? What are some of your recent favorites?
I love that you’re always straight up about clothing quality. A lot of the places I used to shop now seem to offer cheap synthetic blends for top dollar. I know better and always check those labels to see what it’s made of. I’ve been shopping at TJ Maxx for years and years. I don’t often find bottoms there, but I find a lot of the tops and dresses they source are high quality fabrics for normal prices. I sometimes still buy from gap and banana republic, but I’m still really picky about what materials I’ll spend my money on. Only wool, cotton, linen, leather for me!
It makes me so sad! It’s getting harder and harder to find and honestly, I find a lot of new and smaller brands on etsy and instagram. I don’t mind the synthetic stuff as long as it’s priced accordingly and the fit is good. Even that though, is getting hard to find.