Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Madewell Review: Texting with My Mother


Mom was slow to warm up to texting ("Just call me!"), but when I pointed out that I can't call her from work but I can text, she embraced it like a 14-year-old cheerleader and we text almost every day, sometimes all day long. Often our discussions turn to fashion. Here is a conversation from last week.


Me: Hi. Madewell just rolled out this shirt this morning:





Silk. It's loud but I think I love it. Or maybe I just love the print and the shirt would look stupid on me. What do you think?

Mom: Very interesting. Pretty. If paired with white or navy (I think it's navy?) it would be great.

Me: I think it's black. I'd wear it with black pencil skirts/jackets/cardis for work and black skinny jeans + ballet flats on the weekends. Is it TOO MUCH for my personality?

Mom: No. It's very femme.

Me: That's what I mean, haha. Is it too Laura Ashley? I'm hoping more for Dorothy Draper/Carleton Varney. Or maybe I should just buy a scarf :p




Dorothy Draper/Carleton Varney, Fazenda Lily



Laura Ashley, Wiseley Floral

Mom: It's more Dorothy Draper than Laura Ashley. I really don't like what they have done to The Greenbrier, though. Dorothy Draper on crack!

Me: That's because of the casino. Nouveau riche gamblers don't speak "subtle". I imagine that Carleton Varney was given the the order to combine Dorothy Draper w/ Vegas, so this was actually a pretty good outcome. Could be worse.



Mom: Ya think? Look at it.

Me: It could *always* be worse.


Worse.

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Well, I knew that the Rose Print blouse was one that I'd have to try on to know for sure if I would love it or hate it, so I used Madewell's free ship over $100 promo and it arrived in the mail today.


I'll be darned - I love it (note presence of nosy dog at lower left). I'm not sure why I love it, but it might have something to do with the fact that I'm a child of the 80's and, now that I live 90 minutes away from Atlanta, this blouse is the closest I've ever been to becoming one of the cast of Designing Women:





I ordered the Medium, which is my usual size for Madewell's silk Boy Shirts (I also have the Horseplay Silk Boy Shirt, naturally). The print is LOUD, and I'm usually not drawn to loud prints. Once when I was ironing my shirts during study abroad in London, my flatmate said, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I've never seen so many plain black tee shirts in my life."


The blouse has a beautiful, fluid drape. Knotted at the waist with the sleeves rolled up, it helps to lessen the impact of ALL THOSE ROSES. I love it with my faded black skinnies, but I can definitely see it with white shorts or cropped trousers and espadrilles in the summer.


It looks great under a tailored black blazer (note presence of nosy dog in lower right corner). I feel like I should wait until Spring to wear such a punchy floral to work, but I have a huge urge to wear it tomorrow! That's how I know I really love something; I can't wait to wear it someplace. If you ever see me at the grocery store and I look a bit overdressed, you can be sure that whatever I'm wearing is brand new. Obviously I need to work on the whole "instant gratification" thing.

Or...maybe I should wait a day or two before I decide to keep it, just until I'm sure that I'm not just feeling the emotional high that comes with buying new clothes.

What do you think? Too much? Too much in a good way?

20 comments:

  1. I was looking at this blouse too! Thank you for showing it, is the fabric at all see-through? I think it's great on you, love it with black, using white or one of the colors in the print makes it summery.

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    1. Nope, not see-through. It's honestly a very versatile blouse!

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  2. This is hilarious, Whitney. You know I like loud, and I love roses, and I said no to this blouse. But I love how you're wearing it and dammit, think I must have it.

    Definitely in a good way.

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    1. Thank you! Nobody is more surprised than me about how much I love it; aside from my attraction to red things, I'm usually much more subdued when it comes to fashion. I think I can pull it off because of the black ground on the print.

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  3. Ooooouuu good to know! I really want the scarf in that same print - its lovely!

    Tasia

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    1. The scarf also has polar bears on it, which is adorable.

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  4. Thanks for the review....love the blouse. It is in my shopping cart and has been since it debuted. I was hoping to make it to the City to try it out, but no such luck. Wonderful that it isn't lined. There is going to be a lot of floral for Spring - you are indeed a trendsetter now :-)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, JulieStyles! I dunno about me being a trendsetter - it's like that scene from "The Devil Wears Prada" when one of the editors mentions that she wants to highlight florals for the March issue and Miranda Priestly witheringly responds: "Florals. For Spring. Groundbreaking." Haha ;) I love that movie, it's much better than the book version.

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  5. OOOOOO, thanks SO much for reviewing this blouse! I've been eyeing this one! It looks great on you!

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  6. So funny.

    When I saw the 1st pic I didn't like it. Then you worked it, trying & then w/the blazer. Well done. I think it's a good piece to have, esp if you don't have any prints.

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    1. Thanks, Gigi! It's definitely a blouse that needs to be "styled" to get the best look.

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  7. Your mum can text? Mine thinks the TV remote has the power to release the H bomb.

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    1. LOL! My mom likes technology, it's my dad who gets freaked out by it. He yells at me for using a debit card because "people" can track my purchases. I said "What do I care who knows that I bought a macchiato at Starbucks before I went to Publix? I am neither rich enough nor important enough for anyone to be interested in what I do."

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    2. Tell your dad they are tracking us with cameras and heat sensors when we walk thru stores. We cannot escape Big Brother ;)

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    3. Don't tempt me, it's too much fun to see how far I can push his paranoia!

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  8. Thanks for all of your comments! I wanted to let everyone know that, in the end, I decided to return the blouse. Even though I love it, I realized that I was attempting to talk myself into keeping it, and that was enough to convince me that it is just not the best investment for my wardrobe. Maybe I will look around for a more subtle floral, something a bit more "me". Or maybe I'll just buy another scarf ;)

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  9. I actually tried this on the last time I went to the store and was defintely intrigued by it. I love the print but wasn't sure if it was too much or not or if it would be versatile. I can see why you love it, but completely understand why you returned it.
    I saw the dress version and that one looks really cute!

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  10. I love the commentary between you and your mom! Ha and I do love the top but I can see why the return also!

    <3Chelsea Elizabeth

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  11. hi. I was searching for this blouse and found your blog.
    I am wondering if size M is longer than S?? I have S but want bigger/longer... Do you mind if I ask how tall you are?? I like the length on you!

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