Sizing rage

This is just a post to rant about sizing consistency. I already get annoyed at the rampant inconsistency in women's sizing - especially the arbitrary numbers which mean NOTHING and can make you feel crappy if you have to "size up". Why don't we just have the actual measurements like men's jeans do? So much easier.

Bad enough you get different fits across different brands, but what if it's the same brand? It happens, unfortunately for me. I bought a skirt a few weeks ago off of trademe, from Cue, and it was listed as size 8, which I know I fit in Cue sizing, and the waist measurement was exactly mine. I was stupid and didn't get a hip measurement as well (small waist and larger hips and bum make shopping a chore sometimes) but it was only $15.

I received it and tried it on and it did indeed fit me perfectly around the waist, but my bum was another story. So bloody tight. I just managed to do up the zipper! And I could forget about sitting down - for a 100% polyester skirt it does not stretch at all, and emphasised bulges to the point of being unsightly. Overall, far too tight and uncomfortable. It COULD fit if maybe I toned up my general bum and thigh area but I'm not really holding out for that.

Then I bought a white shirt, size 8, from Cue, which I tried on in the store and for some reason at the time I thought it fit fine. I put it on layby because it was $130 and finally paid the rest of it off this week, take it home and... oh. Anticlimax. Love the style, the material (although as you can see in pics it creases like nobody's business) but it doesn't fit right. Feels and looks a little bit like a tent. But because it was layby I can't return it for a size 6. Gah!! I think I will maybe get some darts put in the back to bring it in more. Also it's a bit see-through but it doesn't help I'm wearing a black bra in the pictures. Need to purchase a flesh coloured bra and/or camisole.

So two items supposed to be the same size, and both fit badly. Why! In Cue's defence, the shirt is from their latest collection and the skirt is older, so some variation can be understood.... sort of. I'm still annoyed, but mostly at myself for making silly decisions. I've at least learnt my lesson about buying clothes online - don't unless you can return them! And choose secondhand clothes wisely and always, always, always get measurements (especially for my bum).

Here, have some pictures of my mistakes, paired together, which from a distance and in pictures look alright but trust me that that skirt is a hot mess. Sigh. On the other hand, inspiration to start exercising again? Although it hasn't been inspiring so far... just depressing.

How I would like this shirt to fit - pulled in a few centimetres at the back..

An actual OOTD and DIY Aspirations

I really fail at this posting regularly. However, I managed to write and send off letters to all friends who requested them when I asked via Facebook if anyone wanted a letter, as well as one to my Grandparents, so that is one goal achieved at least!

Here is an actual outfit, although it is recreated because I forgot to take a pic on the day, but received loads of compliments on at work! The jewel-dress-thing has actually been sitting around in my wardrobe for about 4 years begging for the right shoes to go with it, which I think personally are pointy toed stilettoes in either blue/red/gold yellow. However, these shoes arrived in the mail the night before ($8 off Trademe!!) and I thought they would go and still be sensible for work, and my 3/4 pants were finally fixed! They even sewed up a loose belt tab - definitely going back to them again.

 Jewel Dress: Pebble; Top: Max; Pants: Whistle in Farmers; Shoes: Isabella Anselmi for Overland

Now I come to another item that has been hanging around in my wardrobe not being worn much and waiting for some TLC. I am always on the search for the perfect trench coat, and I randomly picked this one by Australian brand Cue up for free from a secondhand store. It was rather dirtynall over and makeup stained around the collar and not much better after a dry clean, however I kept it with the idea I would dye it a different colour (charcoal grey or caramel but caramel might not hide the stains) and fix it up a bit. Mainly because I know Cue is mostly a good quality brand - I have another of their coats that is still going strong after about 7 years (good thing I haven't changed much since I was 13!) and, well, I really wanted a trench coat and it was free, so why not.

But it has been sitting around for almost a year now and I have begun to contemplate just chucking or donating it, until I came across this blog post by Khatu wearing a sleeveless trench. But why, you say? Just imagine the possibilities! I have been admiring the look of Cupcake and Cashmere's leather-sleeved trench, and that would be easily attainable if I chopped of this trench's sleeves. It is no great loss to me considering I got the thing for free; however I would rather prefer it to be caramel than charcoal grey which I don't even know for sure is possible and also where the heck do you get things dyed these days? Because I don't trust myself to do it.

So I am torn between spending a little bit of money on this free trench that may or may not turn out how I want or if it is better spent elsewhere getting a good quality one that's not so wrecked. Also this trench isn't double breasted and I would prefer a double breasted. So... I don't know!

Decisions! They are hard.

Waiheke Purchases

I went to Waiheke Island about two weeks ago which is a nice, fairly large, moderately populated island about half an hour on a ferry from Auckland city and since I have just figured out how posting pictures on this thing works, I'm going to post some pictures!

I bought a retro bag for NZ$15 at the market and the turquoise bracelet from a stand in the main town for NZ$18 and was very happy with both purchases. The bracelet I like to pair with my all-black outfits to bring a bit of colour and it looks good on me. Waiting for an opportunity to use my handbag... Since I don't really have much of a life at the moment I have not yet. I do have a dinner on Thursday next week which could call for it however!

Most of the weekend was spent driving around the island, eating my weight in delicous food and tasting delicious wine. I didn't drink too much, just a glass at lunch and dinner. I enjoy the taste of wine over the making-me-drunk part, although on occasion that's nice too. It was sunny and hot both days on the island.

Sunet on the way back on the ferry.

Shopping Spree. With photos!

So yeah I have been meaning to post in here... and sort of got swamped with work. I usually only have two and a half hours between getting home and going to bed and I generally spend those eating, reading emails and blogs, writing and chilling out on the internet. But I have realised if I get up early in the morning I can probably have time to take crappy mirror pictures of outfits? I can borrow my sister's camera but she's never up as early as me and also I feel kind of embarrassed to ask. I need a tripod and a camera remote.

So. Went shopping with my friend today! Spent about NZ$140 total which is way less than I planned for so I feel rather pleased I exercised a little bit of self control; and by control I mean.... Lay-by. Lay-by is my friend. I put a white shirt from Cue on lay-by, which fit my criteria for a classic white shirt, which is actually a damn unicorn in most Women's clothing stores. I didn't want frills or capped sleeves or pockets or whatever. It is only 3/4 sleeve but I that length looks good on me. Still on the lookout for a plain long sleeved white shirt, but figure I can get one at Nicholas Jermyn for a reasonable price.

Anyway! I also got some bargain secondhand pants today after a visit to Recycle Boutique (why have I never been to the Auckland one before?! It's like the secondhand shop to end all secondhand shops). Originally from Max, who like to price their pants around the $100, these were straight-legged and in excellent condition, in my size AND the right length (considering my height this is a miracle) for only NZ$28!

Shirt - Glassons
Singlet - Glassons
Pants - Max
Shoes - Tony Bianco

I rolled them up in the picture because I am absolutely obsessed with cropped pants at the moment. I think they look cute on me, and it's such an easy style to fake i.e. I just roll up my jeans or pants and voila! Plus I think the cropped look looks better with flats; because I can't really wear heels to work (I just like to dream about it hence the showcasing of them in pictures) as most of the time I'm running around delivering/picking stuff up and my feet get very very sore if I'm in heels. Although I don't own any low height heels right now so that might change.

I also bought the Glassons top today, it is a lot brighter and more orange than in those crappy cellphone camera pictures. Can you tell I'm new at this?

I also went to Country Road to try on these pants for NZ$150. Straight legged but again I rolled them up for cropped look. I want non-black pants so I don't look too monotonous when I wear my black tops, and I considered these cream/beige coloured ones because I didn't really like the other colours they had.

 (Stupid expression in this one - friend didn't really know how to work the crappy cellphone camera lol)

 Top: Glassons

Scarf: Glassons

Pants: Country Road

Shoes: Tony Bianco

(I promise I actually own things from places apart from these two)

Oh yeah and the bumps on my bum are a combination of crinkly pockets and bad underwear choice... oops!

My friend said they looked really good on me. I had to size down to a 6, but I think Country Road has US sizing so it probably was an NZ8. They were expensive though. I really quite like them, and can imagine them going with several items in my wardrobe but... They're beige. I'm not great with light coloured clothing. I had an off white ball dress and managed to stain it with Meatball sauce. I have a white summer dress that gets one wear before going in the Napisan soak again because I always spill stuff on it. My job involves a lot of handling dirty mail and boxes. I'd constantly be paranoid about getting something on them.

They are lovely. If only they were in charcoal grey! There was black but I already have two pairs of black pants (although fly is broken on one which I hope to fix). For Country Road, NZ$150 is actually quite reasonable, but in this case, I think I will have to give these pants a miss.

First Post, lacking in photos

So first blog post. I totally meant to do this earlier this week but work got in the way. Just started my new job working at a library! I am very excited. It involves lots of running around and collecting and delivering people's mail. Eventually I hope to know the job well enough to help implement some new procedures and write them up for future people and stuff, but more on that later.

I guess I should start out saying what this blog is for? I've started it with the intention of cataloguing my outfits I wear each day, in the hopes it will inspire me to make the effort each day to look good, and this in turn will make me feel good. It's a little bit of a self-esteem project for me, plus I have been inspired by all the awesome fashion blogs out there and wanted to emanate them, in a way. I often feel the need to catalogue my daily outfits but I felt Facebook wasn't really the place... Didn't want to bombard my friends and it feels a bit vain? But that's just me.

Yeah so. I don't actually have any outfits from the last week to post because I didn't have time! I forgot how tiring working full time is, especially when one is out of the house at 7am and doesn't get back until 7-7.30pm each day. Two hours commuting... yay. Need to work on my time management a bit more. I figured I would get started on this posting thing, so I can get into the habit though. I do have one photo that shows SOME of the outfit I wore to my first day of work; I might put it up later.

As for work: I'm enjoying it. It's a lot of running around so unfortunately that means no heels (I tried; my feet died) or pencil skirts (might revisit those). Mostly it's sorting, recording, delivering and receiving mail. In charge of book deliveries so a lot of heavy lifting, but I work with two other people and the guy takes care of most of that since that was his job as a temp before he became permanent. Everyone is so friendly and lovely, and the library is faaar bigger than I imagined! So many people's names to remember; and yet they all remember mine! Probably because I visit each department about three/four times a day. It's good though. An hour lunch break feels so luxurious (and frankly, a little bit long!). I'm looking forward to getting used to it, and hopefully learning new things.

 Glad to have paid employment. So looking forward to my first pay, since I have a lot of things to get fixed, a haircut etc and my account is in overdraft.