Recent Purchases Hits and Misses – Banana Republic Edition

Suiting is tough for a curvy gal. All that structure isn't made for bellies, boobs, and bums. However, Banana Republic seems to get it better than others and I've had more luck there than other retailers. The quality is also quite good for the price. They also often have great promotions like 40% off.

I shared that I bought a pink pantsuit from Banana Republic recently, but have yet to feature it on the blog. Life has been... busy to say the least so yesterday morning I tried it on along with a recent order I made with Banana Republic.

I only have two store credit cards and one is a Banana Republic Visa. With the Banana Republic card, you can use it anywhere like a regular credit card, but you acquire points. Of course, you earn more points when you shop at Banana, Gap, Old Navy, and Athleta (the only time I use this card). You then get a code for store credit that you can use when shopping with your store card. Also, these retailers often have discounts only for cardholders. I'm not a big fan of credit cards especially when it comes to fashion; let's be real you don't REALLY need that new dress. But if you can manage your credit and like Banana Republic and the Gap family of stores, it can pay off.

So anyway, this order was nicely priced because I had $100 in rewards and they had 40% off suiting and dresses (which includes jumpsuits). Too bad when you make returns you don't get back those points... anyway, enough with it Allie let's see the clothes!

Let's get things straight, this is NOT red. It's orange. I don't know what Banana was smoking to call this red. The reviews state this, and it's why I ordered it. I love orange, and I loved the idea of an orange jumpsuit for spring and summer to wear to weddings, date nights, blogger events. The crepe fabric looked to be a seasonless one, so it could worth through most of the year. And well, it's orange and it has pockets so it needs to be in my life, right?

Wrong. This jumpsuit has so much potential! From the waist down, it fits really nicely. The fabric is a pebbled crepe, which can dress up quite nicely for an evening affair, go to work with a blazer, or even dress down with gold sandals and a wood bangle bracelet. But the top... oh the top of this jumpsuit is such a tragedy. The ruffle/placket thingie on the top is really odd and doesn't lie nicely. The wrap front has no closure and I don't think would lie closed on any body shape or size. And no, you can't tack or safety pin it closed because the way it's constructed it will be super obvious. The top turns this jumpsuit from being elegant and fun to something pulled from the back of Carol Brady's closet. And then the zipper under the arm in theory is a great idea, but it was a challenge to try to get this thing on and off since there's no stretch. It's truly a shame because it is so close to being a really gorgeous piece. Miss.

How could I resist a hot pink pantsuit? My 14 jackets are a hair snug, so I went up with a 16 and it was the right choice. The sleeves are a hair long on this blazer, but I am going to a tailor in a week to have them shortened. I wore the blazer once, but rolled the sleeves (wore with a striped tee and jeans). It's hard to tell online, but the lining is the same color as the jacket. I have yet to wear the two together as a suit.

The pants I went with regular instead of petite to have more of a traditional length since they said they were ankle pants and ankle pants sometimes look weird on me. I've worn the pants on the blog already in this post; I've worn them three times and you're seeing them after three wears, stretched out from hours at a desk, and life in general. I didn't untack the pockets; I plan on having the tailor remove the pockets and sew them up so it's a cleaner line.

This is a nice suit - lightweight wool that is relatively seasonless, lined pants, well crafted, classic but not boring. It's currently on sale too! It's so nice I bought another suit...

I have a navy pinstripe suit, but it's more of a stretchy crepey fabric. I liked the idea of a wool suit with a modern silhouette. I decided to go this time with the petite version of the pants because when I met with a stylist she recommended shortening my pink pants and I thought this may save tailoring costs.

Banana Republic's petites are a true petite; these pants fit completely different from the 14 regulars. They are lower rise, more narrow in the leg, and all over smaller. I don't mind the length, but the rest of the pant is too small for me. My height may be petite, but my curves are not! The navy is a light navy, there's no way you'll confuse them for black in the early morning when getting dressed.

This blazer is not the same fit as the pink blazer. This one is longer, looser, and more relaxed of a style. This is when I wish a 16 petite was available. Come on retailers, supposedly the average American woman is my height and my clothing size, why are there so few petite offerings over a 10 or 12?

While this suit is really nice, neither piece fit me. If the jacket was shorter or came in petites, I'd consider exchanging to the right sizes and get them tailored. But on my short curvy frame, this jacket is too long to justify it. I hate to call this suit a miss because it's really nice, just on a different figure.

So many times I want to glam up a black dress with some sparkle and realize I don't have what I need. I have two sparkly stretch cuff bracelets I snagged on clearance at Ann Taylor many moons ago, but they're very bold and specific. I wished for a more feminine sparkly bracelet in my arsenal and saw this one on sale. I've had good luck with Banana's costume jewelry in the past and thought this may be a good bet.

It is. It's really pretty - a hint of vintage, a hint of girly, a hint of classic, a hint of trendy. Plenty of sparkle, but it looks like quality. The bracelet is adjustable and it was easy to put on one-handed. It may be too big for those with really small wrists, but for me I found it quite nice! Win!

There's a lot of cute things at Banana Republic right now, but this is all I ordered because I've spent my budget on the rewardStyle conference. If you've bought any things at Banana, whether they are hits or misses, share them in the comments below!