The Look: A Petite Suit – Separated

Everyone needs at least one three piece suit right?

Well, I don’t need to wear suits so I only have one three piece suit and it’s from Banana Republic in 00P (pants are 0P). (I’m over BR, but it doesn’t mean I’ll eliminate all BR items from my closet.)  I bought it 3-4 years ago when I was starting to job hunt and I picked it up for $150 on sale in Boston when I was visiting a friend. At the time, it fit pretty well and I thought it looked nice. But when I brought it home, my mom thought it looked too matronly when I wore it as a suit.

Even now, I don’t think I can pull off this particular look. I was never a fan of the pantsuit, but even the skirt suit seems odd when I see myself in it. Perhaps when I turn 30, I can wear this outfit, but for now, it’s a little too “old” for me.

I’ve been back to BR multiple times, but I just haven’t found a suit that looked and fit so well that would warrant another purchase. But I am on the lookout for a cute blazer.

Instead of wearing these items together, I wear them separately and it works out fine. Even though the pants and the skirt are in 0P and 00P respectively, they are now too loose for me to wear, so I had them taken in by 2-3 inches at the waist. I guess my body is becoming more womanly with a slimmer waist and more defined hips and not because I’ve lost weight (well, maybe I kept off 5 lbs the last few years…but that doesn’t count).

Here are a couple of outfits I’d wear with these suit pieces. I tried to keep the clothes as similar as possible so you can see how it’s styled.

Outfit Details: Martin + Osa cardigan – XS, Anthropologie Pearly Glow Tank – XS, Banana Republic pants – 0P (waist taken in), Forever 21 necklace, Aldo pumps

Outfit Details: Banana Republic blazer – 00P, Anthropologie tank – XS, Theory Ibbey Pant – 00P, Forever 21 necklace, Payless pumps

Outfit Details: American Eagle cardigan – XS, Anthropologie tank – XS, Banana Republic skirt – 00p (waist taken in), Jcrew skinny belt – S, Forever 21 necklace, Aldo pumps

Advertisements

The Wrap Shirt

I have this wrap shirt, but I don’t wear it that often because I’m not sure how to style it.

It has that military detailing which makes it challenging to layer since it has so much going on. Two details on a shirt is more than enough for a petite…three is pushing it. Needless to say, if I was taller, all these details wouldn’t make this shirt look so busy.

Anyways, I have two basic outfits that go with this top, but I need some fresh ideas.

The first outfit is pretty boring I must say. I might add a small pendant necklace, but other than that…maybe some colorful pumps? I tried a chunky necklace or a longer chain one, but it doesn’t go.

How can it look more interesting?

Outfit Details: Banana Republic Military Wrap Shirt – XSP, Theory Kissan Pant – 00p, H&M bracelets, Payless pumps

What about the second outfit?

Review: Theory Ibbey Pant

Just like finding a great pair of jeans, a great pair of trousers is just as difficult to find.

I wanted a pair of slim fitting pants in suiting material that was of good quality and fit me perfectly. I had marginal success with Banana Republic but I didn’t buy the pair because it didn’t make me feel special. They fit decently, but they were kind of…eh.

Thus, I wandered into Theory and tried on a few pairs of pants. It seemed like AlterationsNeeded and PetiteAsianGirl from ExtraPetite had success with jackets and skirts, but what about pants?

I tested out two pairs of pants in size 00 since last time I tried on size 0 pants, they practically fell off me.

At first glance, the Cerdwin K pant had good potential since they were considered “drainpipe” leg elongators. However, in size 00, the pant felt loose overall and had a gap in the waist area. It looked unflattering on my frame. Plus, in the Cupid fabric, the material composition was 71% viscose, 23% polyamide, and 6% elastane which meant that it had a stretchy, knit-like quality that felt a bit strange. I had to pass on this style.