Notes from the Dressing Room-Pattern Up at Madewell

After all of this holiday shopping it was time to pay the piper aka Nordstrom, so I had to take a little trip to the mall. It felt great not to walk around feeling crushed by the crowds and to not have to hunt for a parking space. While I was there, I peeked in a few other stores and Madewell made the cut. Lots of new arrivals in store and I tried on a few. Here are some reviews:

Starry Sweater in Heather Grey, $88.00, available here

This wasn't initially a piece that sparked my interest when I viewed it online, but given my recent propensity for patterns and especially patterns on sweaters, I thought why the heck not and try it on. My overall impressions are that it's cute, it felt comfortable and it was soft although not ultra soft as it is just a regular cotton sweater. I tried this on in my normal alpha size (L) and there was a bit of room towards the bottom. I don't think I would size down though as the arms might be tighter and it would leave less room in the bust area. This sweater has a low v-neck with a hint of cleavage showing, but not enough to be totally indecent. A simple cami or tank underneath would take care of that for more modesty. Overall, it is a really cute sweater, but when I just looked at the pics I uploaded, I noticed that the stars on the top front part are in a spot I'm not sure I want people's eye gravitating towards, lol. Like it, but not for $88.00.

Silk Rose Print Boyshirt, $118.00, available here

Button-down shirts aren't usually my friend, but this print was interesting. Plus, it reminded me of something I might have owned in high school. I can't say if that is necessarily a good thing because my style certainly has come a long way since then. Anyway, this silky top has some great things going for it. First, no button gaping!!! That's always an exciting thing for me because that's usually why I don't bother with button-downs. Although the fit is loose (it is a boyshirt after all), there is still some shape to it with the curved seam at the waistline. I feel like the print is borderline too overwhelming, but I could throw it on under a blazer and call it a day. There are hints of lavender and light green in this top, so I think it could work well with lots of different colored bottoms. Fit is tts to slightly big, if you are in between or have a smaller bust, you might be able to get away with sizing down should you want a more fitted look. Nice blouse and nice fit, but the pattern is something you either like or don't like.

Monochrome Shiftdress in Melodic Purple, $138.00, available here

That bit of purple peaking out from the flower blouse above is this pretty colored a-line dress. Purple is usually one of those colors I make a beeline for if I see it on a rack in the store; combined with the shape of this dress, I had to check it out at least. I love the color, I like that the shape isn't fitted but not totally shapeless, the non-sleeve makes this perfectly versatile for all seasons (throw a silky blouse over or underneath, a sweater, cardi or blazer to make it work for fall/winter). Oh, and it has a little slit pocket on the sides. Such a cute dress, although it is borderline on the too short side for me, plus I need to get on the Michelle Obama arm regimen before I bare mine in this dress. Thumbs up on this lady here. Fit is tts and it also comes in black.

Printed Linen Tee, $59.50, available here

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I love a Madewell tee. They never fail to entice me with a pretty color, comfy fit or interesting wash/pattern. I spotted this top and instantly thought it looked like confetti. Confetti equals party which equals fun, so I was totally on board. I didn't realize it at the time, but this is a linen tee which explains why it didn't feel very soft. It wasn't scratchy, but definitely not the feel of good ole' cotton. The fit is about tts, it isn't clingy in my regular tee size (L), but not baggy either. It has bracelet sleeves which are not my favorite, but it seems to work for this top. I'm not sure why they decided to make a linen tee during a winter roll out, but this would be great for layering now and wearing by itself when the weather is much warmer. I loved all of the colors in this top so much that I was prepared to take it to the register and buy it, but then I looked at the price tag. I had a price in mind that I would be willing to pay and $60 was not it. So sadly it went back on the rack, but I've got my eye on this one because I can see myself wearing it. Let's hope the fashion gods are good to me and bring the price down.

 Skinny Skinny Pants in Switchdot, $125.00, available here

These are definitely interesting. They look like jeans, but they are listed as pants, plus they don't feel like regular jeans and have a texture to them. I like the pattern on these pants, dots and lines that I are designed to make me look taller than I am, I'll take it! Most of the denim (or pants for that matter) with a pattern on it these days have the pattern printed onto it, but you can actually feel the dots in these pants. Now, these aren't super comfy and soft like denim, but they have the stretch of denim which makes them fit well. However, this cotton material reminded me of a dish towel. The cotton is thin and like a dish towel, you can feel the weave of the cotton. Like I said before, these are interesting, I don't know if I've ever tried on something like these. I decided to size up because I'm in between sixes on the bottom and I think that was a good call. The waistband fit without gaping or digging in and I didn't feel like the legs were too tight. The length came down to my ankle and didn't seem like high-waters, so that was a plus (because that is usually the case with anything ankle length at J.Crew). And it came right underneath my belly button, so the waist was in a great spot to hold everything in where it is supposed to be. I give these a thumbs up.

Have you been to the mall since all of the holiday madness? Any new arrivals that have caught your eye?