Warm weather, where art thou?

I entered a contest and will find out next week if I made it to the top three. If that happens, by some stroke of luck, I would love to have the votes of you readers and friends. The voting window is short, from 3-6pm, so I will let you guys know if I make it : )

Ping formally requested more casual outfits, so here are some pics from my contest entry. None of these pieces have seen daylight yet (and won't for 3+ more months) because of dreary New England weather:

Top: Forever 21 Woven Striped Shirt sz S (similar)

Shorts: H&M Belted Trouser Shorts sz 2

Necklace: Temple St. Claire for Target (other TSC for Target)

Shoes: Target Tawny Wedges sz 5.5
Polish: Revlon Vixen (love love)

The F21 woven shirt is from this post. I put this in the washer & dryer and ... wowza, wish I took before photos. Size S was super duper loose on me before, and must've shrunk down at least 2 sizes.

Twitter friends may already know I'm in love with these "UPS brown" high-waisted shorts from H&M. My bf gave a rare thumbs-up and dubbed them my "boy scout shorts." They are a fitted, knit trouser material, and look crisp and tailored. Sz 2 fits snugly on me. They are a recent find and retail for $34.95. Style # 083070 from the "everyday" department.

I decided to keep these brown Tawny Wedges because they are fun and comfortable. However, readers beware...my qualms with the thin wedge heels have proven to be legitimate. Lilly - you poor thing.

Forever 21 Petite-Friendly Items Review

If it appears that I've been shopping a lot lately...that is correct. I'm having the winter "blahs" and am craving warm weather and cheap, fun items. Yesterday I popped into Boston's new 4-story Forever 21. Two hours later, I left the store $73 poorer but had 6 new pieces to keep me happy for the time being.

1. Watercolor Floral Peplum Skirt - $15.80, Size S

To me, H&M reigns far supreme in the realm of cheap and trendy fashion, because they actually carry more than three size options! F21 garments usually come in just S/M/L, and S is hit or miss on me. This skirt is big on me, but I love the color and ladylike shape. I would definitely not pay to get this taken in, but thankfully Kileen mentioned that it should shrink in a hot wash & dry because the material is mostly cotton.

Zipper back closure:

2. Lissette Woven Shorts w/ Belt - $17.80 - Size XS

In the summertime I love oversized tops and short shorts. One way to make short shorts appear less skanky (and hopefully more chic) is to have them be higher-waisted. Thus the viewer sees more material than if the shorts were low-rise. I found these in XS in-store, but I see online only has S. I love the lightweight chambray material, the pleats, the cuffs, and especially the striped belt that I'll be wearing with lots of other outfits.

 In person, the striped belt is a navy and khaki color.

3. Woven striped top - sz S ($19.80) and 4. Charcoal legging pants - sz XS ($15.80)

This top is a new, new arrival, and I was dismayed by the higher price. However, the material is a woven fabric instead of a tee-shirt like cotton material, so it felt nicer, and I can see it holding up better than F21's cheaper tops. I will wear this tucked into higher-waisted pants, skirts, and shorts.

I love skinny bottoms so I'm very excited to add these high-waisted (seems to be a trend in this post!) ones to my wardrobe. I can't find the pants online, but here's the shorts version which I actually love very much.

5. Heritage1981 Pleated skirt - sz S ($10.90) and 6. Brown/gold ring - sz 6 ($2.80)

This skirt comes in several colors in XS online, but the smallest I found in store was S. An XS would be perfect for someone my size. This is a super simple pull-on skirt, but I was drawn to the pleat details and two side pockets. It looks a LOT better with a belt over the waistband. I foresee a lot of wear with bright/print tops and neutral shoes this summer.

Just another (very) cheap vintage-y looking ring to add to my F21 collection:

Now for two "misses." I wanted to get these French Terry Pants in XS ($15.80) but they were SO snug I could barely get them up my legs. I liked the soft material, the functional back pockets, and they made the bum look good...but sz XS is recommended only for teeny tiny ladies. This yellow linen skirt in S ($13.80) is a nice way to brighten up a wardrobe, however it was too big and not worth alterations.

Although I spent a small fortune on clothes that I may or may not want to see again in two seasons, I'm happy with my acquisitions and can't wait for warmer weather. I'll leave you guys with some pairing ideas for Spring:

Readers - Which items did you like? Please share any good recent finds from F21!

Forever 21 and Gap Petites Review

Hello readers, I hope you guys had a wonderful weekend! I woke up lazily this morning, browsed my phone while still in bed, and was completely floored to see my friend DSK Steph's "welcome" post. After reading her words as well as the ridiculously kind comments from some of our mutual readers, I think I have a perma smile glued on my face. I am so blessed to have so many of you as friends - both fellow bloggers and readers alike. Many of the earrings I showed in a previous post are back in stock on Steph's site, at very affordable prices too, so visit her blog if you are interested.

On a separate note, I tested out my flip cam in hopes of doing reviews while items shown are still in stores...

Video Review

YouTube screen capture system...won't you take mercy on me?

Items shown:

1. Forever 21 Zippered Slinky Knit Dress, sz S, $14.50 (buy here in 3 colors)

2. Heritage 81 Cable tights sz S, $6.80 (buy here in 4 colors)

3. Forever 21 ring in sz 6 (can't find online, but there were lots in-store)

4. Forever 21 olive teardrop earrings, $4.80 (buy here in 3 colors)

5. Gap cowl neck sweater sz XS Petite (buy here - XSP is back in stock in charcoal!)

 Faux-Shearling Booties: H&M sz 36  Belt: Ann Taylor Patent Belt sz S  Cardi: LOFT sz XXSP

Along with the Gap cowl neck sweater I also ordered two more pairs of Gap legging jeans, in their faded medium wash and classic "rinse" wash. I cut this part from the video review because it was too long. In short, faded medium = too faded and whiskered. Classic rinse is actually a nice dark blue (thanks Pam/wallbounce for the tip!), however the material on both are paper thin and stiffer than my original "faded dark" pair. After much debate I'm returning both, so buyer beware that material and sizing can be inconsistent on those jeans from wash to wash.

And just wanted to show how the Gap cowl neck sweater fit on me in XS regular (for ref I am ~5 ft, 90 lbs). I am wearing XSP in the video. Hopefully the vid w/ flip cam is easier on the eyes/ears than previous ones. Thank you guys for watching!

Saturday Shopping Roundup - Petite Friendly Finds

***Reminder: Giveaway ends Wednesday, March 31st! Details here**

Went Spring casualwear shopping at the mall this weekend and found several petite-friendly options. I avoided my typical pit stops (Ann Taylor, H&M, BR and Theory) in an effort to diversify my wardrobe. Here are a few items that I did not end up getting, but they fit pretty well so I wanted to share with fellow petite shoppers:

1. Zara Woman navy striped grosgrain skirt with elastic waist, sz XS ($39)
I've never shopped in the Zara Women section because their smallest size is a US 4 - one size up from H&M's 2. I remember trying on a pair of pants and a jacket in 34 and they were humongous. This time, however, I found several skirts in size XS that fit great! This one was decently made and fully lined (work-appropriate too), but I ended up passing on it for another blue and white skirt.

2. Zara TRF (juniors line) chiffon skirt dress in sz Small ($39)
I almost didn't even bother trying on this dress because it did not come in XS, but the sales associate told me that the TRF juniors line runs small. Was very surprised at how snugly this fit. The bf really liked it, but I couldn't think of any occasion where I would wear this.

3. Forever 21 Zip Linen Dress in sz Small (sold here)
Ah, F21. How I dread that store. I like how they have online shopping, however you really can't trust what you see in the photos. I ordered several items that looked decent online that turned out to be quite shoddy in person. 

This dress in a size Small was very snug, due to the ruched middle. Forgive the shoes...I am sure this would look much nicer with the proper heels. I was a fan of the lightweight linen fabric and side pockets, but not so much of the emerald color against my skin tone.

4. Forever 21 Linen Skirt w/ Ribbon Tie in size Small (sold here)
Linen again! This skirt in sz Small was so tiny that I could barely zip it up. It has a slightly ruched waist underneath the grosgrain ribbon tie, and two side pockets.

5. Forever21 (Heritage 1981) vintage print knot back dress in sz Small ($19.99)
Can't find this online anymore, but they had tons of this dress in store. Again, forgive the shoes here - I thought this would look great on a warm casual day with strappy cognac colored sandals. This was my favorite out of all the F21 items tried on, but I ended up getting something else in a very similar print.