the hunt

Anticipatory Set: I took the day off from Athenista yesterday as I was busy celebrating my little nugget's very FIRST birthday!  I seriously cannot wrap my mind around that.  WOW.

I've already told you that I have way too many clothes and that one of my goals for this blog is to remedy that by 'shopping' and exploring my closet.  And while that's still true, it is also true that I have a few holes in my wardrobe.  It's easy to go out and try to fill that gap with things that 'look professional' or that are especially thrifty in price but I never come out totally satisfied.  (Maybe that's why I ended up with so many dang clothes.)

Objective(s) Addressed: Work wear/Professional wardrobe; Returns and exchanges

Materials and Sources:

• Nordstrom
• Ruche
• Anthropologie

Input: My professional wear, especially when it comes to trouser-blouse combinations, is a little lacking.  I have lots of great dresses and a few great skirts but they don't flow with my trousers and tops.  Over the break I made a return at Nordstrom and picked up a top on big time sale (and left with more $ than I came with, can't beat that) that not only filled a gap in my professional wear but also satisfied a little bit of wardrobe lust.

Surely by now I've talked about my love for all things Anthropologie.  Their pieces are everything I love and want in a wardrobe.  If I could only buy clothing or accessories (or home goods, for that matter) in one place for the rest of my life (or most of it), it would have to be Anthropologie.  You can go American classic, Euro chic, country casual, bohemian, artsy fartsy... I could go on... all in one place.  I love it!  And even though I'm sure everybody and their mama has the same thing, the clothes they carry just seem like they're one-of-a-kind.  Kind of like how your barista lets you think you're the only person taking their latte with soy, no foam and just half a pack of raw sugar in the bottom. 

Anyway... I just always find myself lusting after one thing or another on their site, in the catalog or wishing I could style up my wardrobe like their outfit pages online.  When I see detailing on anything that is reminiscent of the things I love on their site, I have to do a double take.  One of the shops (online, anyway) that reminds me a little of that style is Ruche.  Great stuff over there!  And even, from time to time, Nordstrom carries tops or dresses in the style that I love.  So when I saw this blouse on super sale at Nordstrom (I actually got it for $15.90, not the $30 something on the site), I took it.  I was worried about its maternity-esque potential but there was nothing to fret over, it's quite flattering.  The palette of my few dress pants is mostly gray-ish or tweed, so I went with a basic black though they do carry it in grey and a brighter blue.

It looks a lot like this blouse from Ruche.

...which also has the same feel as one that I can't find now but lusted for at Anthropologie.  Here is one with a similar shape and material. 

Final Notes: Even though this isn't a deal I hunted for, it proves that even if you have your sights set high on a piece or a style that seems unattainable due to cost, availability or locale, if you are patient, 'the hunt' will serve you well.