Throw back to 2nd grade

Down memory lane....second grade was my favorite class (er....maybe 4th grade too)! Of course I'm always one of the shortest in class. They made short kids stand in front. Can you guess which kid was me? My photo has faded, but I picked a purple-yellow flower dress, pink shoes, and plastic lavender glasses for picture day! Here's to Ms. Martino's class of 1989!

Red bag!

I'm on a roll with red items lately. This time, it's a red bag! Originally, I was intrigued by a yellow bag in this style, but lo and behold, the popular yellow ones were out of stock, leaving behind only red ones. I have never ever considered a red bag. I debated about this for weeks! Was it for me? A sign came when my favorite style bloggers posted their red bags: Bravoe Runway's Gucci and Wendy's Lookbook's Banana Republic. I took Bessie's advice "If you want a handbag with a pop of colour that will stand the test of time, get it in RED!"

So here I am with the red bag! I took a bunch of photos of different outfit themes to make sure red is truly versatile. 

 Not bad with neutral tan, blue, and blacks!

Then to push the boundaries, I tried to style it with more funky colors:

 I'm surprised it worked with my orange coat (probably due to the analogous theory of the color wheel). 

The red with green is a bit trickier. Red with green by itself is so elfin Christmas-y! But I found that if I added more colors to my green shirt as in my cream-purple-yellow scarf, it is more passable. 

I'm now a believer in the versatile red bag.

Another nice thing about this particular tote-bag is that it's packable! 

(Which is perfect for my 2012 goal of a better travel bag).  

It is currently sold at Travelsmith on sale $66

(way more affordable than this Ralph Lauren one that I had saved in my dream wishlist.)

By packable, I guess it means I can fold it in half:

 How much stuff can I fit in it?

 I was able to fit them all!

Here's how it looks zipped up full of things. I probably can add a few more small items to it.

 The four outside pockets are secured with a magnetic closure, but I would probably not put valuables in them. I think the open side pockets are good for stashing candy, granola bars, tissues, or hand-sanitizer.

 This bag is all soft full-grain leather, except for the red trim where the cell-phone holder is (which feels more like a vinyl piece). Ooh, the fabric lining reminds me of Khatu's recent fashionable outfit post here.

 I thought this bag was just PERFECT until this happened:

 In effort to rub a sticker/glue mark off the bag with some furniture polish wipe, I noticed that some red dye transferred on my moist sheet. I wonder if this means I cannot use this bag with light-colored clothing or in the rain for fear the color will drip or stain my clothing. Does anyone have dye-bleeding issues with their vibrant colored leather bags?

J. Crew Double-cloth Metro coat review

J. Crew is having a 30% final sale right now, and I noticed there's still quite a lot of the Double-cloth Metro Coat in size 0 Petite left. Thus, I thought I'd post a review in case anyone is hemming and hawing over the size 0P....especially since the sale is final (no returns).

My current height: 5'1", bust: 30", waist: 26", hips: 33.5"

Here's how the J. Crew Double-cloth Metro coat size 0P (in hthr caramel) fits:

This is the regular Metro coat (without Thinsulate), and it fits well overall. The only fit problem that I can think of is that the sleeves can be a bit tight if one wears lots of layers underneath. I feel comfortable with only 2 layers underneath (a short-sleeve tee and a mid-weight long-sleeve sweater...although I think I can add a vest or tank underneath, since the torso is roomy enough).

Another possible complaint is that if you like to put your hands in your pockets, this might not be the coat for you. The high placement of the pockets with the flaps makes it quite awkward to do so. For those who live in freezing cold climates, gloves are a must with this coat.

Another thing I'm not too fond of are these metal hooks at the neck. I'm not sure what they are there for, since I don't think they add any warmth when hooking up further at the neck. It's actually annoying to feel the cold metal hooks when it brushes against my neck area, or have hair/scarf snag on it. 

Yet I still love this coat for the good quality, petite-fit, and the unique double-cloth wool material. I actually bought this Metro coat as a gift for someone special, since I'm already satisfied with last year's orange Double-cloth Lady Day coat size 0P. If you currently own last year's Lady Day coat in size 0P, you will definitely fit this Metro Coat size 0P. I found they are almost the same measurements. The Metro coat has maybe slightly shorter sleeves. Hopefully these pictures show you how they compare (I placed my orange Lady Day coat right on top of the Metro):

I find the Metro coat a bit roomier in the torso compared to my Lady Day coat. The roominess could be because I have the Lady Day with Thinsulate (which has a bit extra puffiness in the torso area). Now if you are debating on Thinsulate or no Thinsulate, I really can't tell the difference. I do feel like my Lady Day Thinsulate coat fabric is a tiny bit puffier in the torso/length area, but my regular Metro coat felt just as warm (with  ~45 degrees F climate). Weirdly, I actually think my Metro coat feels heavier than my Thinsulate Lady Day coat. So if you ask me, I would pick the non-thinsulate for the cheaper price (and gives same warmth level).

Some more pictures of me last year in my Lady Day Thinsulate 0p coat for comparison of the style with the above (also featured this coat in this post). 

FYI: laying flat and buttoned, my lady day coat measures: 14.75" across shoulder seam to seam, 17" chest width pit to pit, 14.5" waist width, 33.5" total coat length, and 21.75" outerseam sleeve length.

Below are more helpful reviews of J.Crew coat sizing/color comparisons:

All About Fashion Stuff - Metro coat in size 00p review

Extra Petite - noted 00p is similar to 0p

Fast Food & Fast Fashion

Sew Petite Gal
Sydney's Fashion Diary - 2015 versions

James Tissot

I'm an old soul and love Victorian paintings. One of my favorite artist of the era is James Tissot. I'm currently reading more about him from this book: James Tissot Victorian Life/Modern Love

This book has amazing prints of his paintings. I'm in awe of the fashion he illuminated in his artwork. And there's a theme going on here that I'm hooked on!

Holyday, c.1877

The Widower, 1877

 The Thames, c.1876

The Last Evening, 1873

The Captain's Daughter, 1873

Did you guess what got me? It's the buffalo-check print! Who would have thought the checkered pattern was popular since back then! Makes me wonder who invented the buffalo plaid/check and how long ago? It's always exciting to discover fashion that stands the test of time. I've been wanting something checkered ever since Khatu posted her amazingly versatile red Forever21 checkered shirt. I was thinking of purchasing that exact shirt, but based on the sizing available online, I think it might be too big on me. Thus, I searched around for other similar items:
 

Ralph Lauren Faron Shawl Cardigans (Girls) - sale $31.99

 

Ralph Lauren Buffalo Check Ruffle Scarf - sale $19.99

ASOS Brush Check Scarf - sale $14.32

I haven't decided which items to order yet. 

What are your picks? Do you love buffalo check?

My purple room

I was cleaning out my old Anthropologie catalogs, and the October 2010 issue page 37 caught my eye!

Sophie Quilt by Fred Shand 093461 ($398-$498)

I always wanted a quilt-style comforter just like that for my dream bedroom! Country yet modern. But $300+ for a set like that? Oh no! Maybe someday, but for now, I settle for Walmart. I'm happy I found this purple comforter set that fits my budget and style! Only $44.88!

Walmart Hometrends Banded Floral Bedding Set 

(I bought mine in-store, but it's also sold online)

Welcome to my new purple bedroom! It's still quite bare. I only have a lamp bought at the local thrift store, simple bed-frame that my dad built for me, a full-size bed, and these adorable wire-teacups I found at Ross to decorate the shelving above my bed (I don't know why I still have the tags on them though). 

Ahh, purple makes me happy! However, I hope to incorporate some pop of orange and yellow to my room in the future! 

Where do you buy your bedding?