Helmut Lang blazer
Le Chateau sweater (c/o) (similar)
Aritzia skirt (similar)
Aldo boots
BRAVE belt (c/o) (similar)
Celine sunglasses
Strut Jewelry ring (c/o)
Location: Wisconsin Avenue NW – Washington, DC
When it comes to trying on clothes, my attitude is unbearably lazy. Since the advent of online shopping, I have rarely set foot in a brick and mortar store. On the occasions when I actually do, I hem and haw about whether I am willing to actually take a trip to the fitting room – even if I’m found clothes I absolutely love. Years spent in retail made me acutely aware of the deliberately uncomfortable atmosphere of fitting rooms, which are designed as much to discourage theft as to aid in a shopping experience. I know my size. My proportions are relatively in line with sample size proportions – albeit on a much smaller scale, since I’m 5’2″, not 5’10”. That means most clothes sort of just, well, fit. So I don’t bother with fitting rooms. If I get something home and hate it, I’ll return it later.
The problem is that this attitude often extends to trying on outfits at home. I got the idea for this look from something I spied on Pinterest, and packed it into my suitcase for Washington DC. Most people would have paused between those two steps to actually try on the outfit, making sure it looked the same in reality as it did in their imagination. Not me.
I should know better. My unwillingness to try clothes on means I suffer frequent wardrobe malfunctions. When I actually put this outfit on, on our last morning in DC, I discovered that the blazer didn’t close as tightly as I had hoped. And that the belt was too loose to fasten as high as I envisioned. In my imagination, everything was sleek and fitted. In reality, fabric bunched as I moved and the belt rotated while I walked. The look of the outfit was close enough to what I wanted. But the fit was another matter.
Last year, I promised myself I wouldn’t play dress-up for outfit photos anymore. If I couldn’t wear an outfit comfortably for an entire day, I wouldn’t photograph it. I broke that promise the morning we took these photos, because, despite the wardrobe malfunctions, I loved how this outfit looked – so we took the photos, anyway. And then promptly returned to the hotel so I could change. Mea culpa.
I learned my lesson – again. Before departing for Vancouver, where I have spent this week, I tried on every outfit I planned to pack. It was miserable hour of layering and unlayering clothes in front of my mirror. I really do hate trying things out. But ultimately, it was worth it. So far, I haven’t suffered a wardrobe malfunction all week.
As silly as this all sounds, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person who does these things. Anyone else loathe trying on clothes?
Hello,
Oh, lovely !
Sarah, http://www.sarahmodeee.fr
I would have never known that this outfit did not feel as it looks…
I have no problems with trying things on. In fact I prefer brick and mortar to on line shopping. At 5’1 and with short arms I need to try things on.
I also hate trying things on and had a very similar experience travelling about 8 years ago wherein I packed a whole outfit not yet worn or tried on and it just did not land at all and I felt very uncomfortable. So, like you, now I try it all on before I pack it. I guess I at least learned something, right?
Courtney ~ Sartorial Sidelines
I love this black and white style totally! I like your skirt .-*
Melanie / http://www.goldzeitblog.de
Happy weekend Cee. Excited I’ll be seeing you in a few hours. Yay Nordstroms and wine!! 😉 As for wardrobe malfunctions? Right there with you babe. I’ve definitely worn my fair share of outfits that look great in a photo, but for one reason or another, just don’t work on a comfort/something is bunching/not hanging right when I walk. Having said that though, this outfit is SO gorgeous and hopefully you’ll be able to re-create because I really do love it!! xo
http://www.girlandcloset.com
I am not a fan of trying on clothes either. I usually just look at it and hope for the best as I approach the tills to pay.
That does mean I’ve come home only to find that a lot of what I’ve bought doesn’t fit too well, which is always a shame.
I hate trying on clothes too! For me, it’s a time thing more than anything else. (It feels like a waste of it.) I have to say, I do love you in this outfit – even if you did take it off right after the photos!
No, I do this all the time. I hate it when outfits I imagine in my head don’t look that way in reality. I also hate it when belts decide to mirage around my waist – skirts too! Sometimes I’ll look down and discover the zipper which was meant to be in the back has rotated all the way around to the front. Why is it that some outfits look perfect until you start to move?
I won’t fault you for taking photos and changing, this outfit really is lovely and deserving of being blogged, and just because it wasn’t a wear all day outfit doesn’t’ mean it wasn’t a very good breakfast outfit.
Trying on outfits before packing might be the reason I hate packing. Figuring out the exact components of one single outfit is hard, trying to do it for numerous outfits, without even knowing the exact weather or activity of the day feels near impossible. Hence, habitual over packing.
http://iamchiconthecheap.com
I almost order everything online and somehow things fit. I did lose a couple of pant sizes this year, so I had to send some things back and get a new size. LOL But I’m with you Cee! What a great outfit Cee! It looks so good on you.
http://www.averysweetblog.com/