Surprise! NAS.

I wasn't planning to do any NAS shopping, but two things caught my eye. I didn't actually get either package until after the sale ended so I'd almost forgotten about it.

To my surprise, both are really great. I don't know if I'll keep either, mostly for money reasons, but here they are.

1. Halogen wool-blend moto jacket, XS, $120. I think the oversized fit matches my style? I sort of love it.

Last year I had an oversized wool boucle bomber from H&M that, sadly, I left on an airplane (caution: do not put coats in the overhead bin!). It left a real wardrobe hole for a warm jacket that fits over tops with large sleeves. I do have a lot of jackets, though.

My one hesitation is that it's wool/viscose, not pure wool, and some wool blends pill badly. This one looks quite durable, though? And, unlike many synthetic blends, it doesn't make me sweat instantly. I think I'll wear it around the house a bit to test that concern, because I have a few otherwise lovely jackets that failed for that reason.

2. Nordstrom Signature wool plaid blazer, 4. I was expecting this to have a less modern shape, from the online photos, so I'm pleasantly surprised. The fit is great through the shoulders and torso. 

I posted last week about my plaid blazer quest. This one might be 'the one' but I think I'll order the Massimo Dutti option to compare. And, as the season progresses, I see more and more wool blazers appearing. I'm a little sad that this one is regular plaid, not a glen plaid with houndstooth...

At $300, it's a real splurge, and I already have three very nice black blazers that I rarely wear. If I'd found this last year while shopping for interviews, I'd have spent the money, but now it's not clear that I should. Sometimes a quest takes on a life of its own, and I have to consider whether I'll really use this. I have a lot of professional clothing I never wear, but once I start teaching, perhaps that'll change.

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My NAS win: those Converse wedges

I was out of the country for the beginnings of the NAS, so I wasn't really following along. But a few of your posts caught my eye, so I made a small wish list and went to Nordstrom on my way to work today.

The things I wanted to check out (in Finds below):
Topshop black denim shirt
Dr Marten Emmeline boots
Eileen Fisher long vest
Converse shroud wedges

The boots are nice but I'm not in love. They'd need a lot of breaking in (like classic Docs). The store didn't have the Topshop shirt in my ideal size, but I don't think it would fit regardless. My shoulders are too broad to get the right drape on the shoulder.

The EF vest is AMAZING. I'm not a petite, but in EF sometimes those are the right size, and sure enough the petite version fit me perfectly except a little short in the torso. It's lovely and so me... but I can't justify spending that much on a 3rd piece I wouldn't wear often. I wish I had photos because you'd all probably say I should buy it.

And then the Converse, which I came home with. The web site said they were sold out everywhere in 6.5, so I was thrilled to see that the floor model was my size! I snapped them up before someone else could. But I can't decide about keeping them.

Pros: They are wicked cool. They fit very comfortably. They are quite inexpensive for the wow factor.

Cons: I don't wear heels in general. I don't know if my feet are up to it these days (but they did feel quite comfortable). I've never been sold on the hoof-like black wedge look, and wedge sneakers have been around long enough that they might be on their way out, and these are exactly the sort of fun gimmicky item that might look very dated in a while. Also, because of my instep, I can't zip them up all the way, but I actually prefer the layered look that creates.

But they're SO COOL. I really don't know. I'll go home and style them.

To complicate it, I found that Converse makes a flat version too: 
http://www.converse.com/regula.....C_050.html
but somehow they just don't have nearly the same impact.

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