Dressing Room Diaries in Ann Taylor
Happy Thursday. ladies. No trip home for Vanessa is complete without a visit to Ann Taylor. They have great blouses and skirts she wears for work, so yesterday we ambled on over. I started my retail career at Ann Taylor many, many years ago and have a fondness for their classic, modern, feminine clothes. Letās get to the try-on session at Ann Taylor.
If youāre new here, welcome. Dressing room diaries are when I go into a store and try on new merchandise so you can see how it looks on a woman over 25. For reference,Ā I am 5ā4ā³ and weigh around 136 lbs. I have an inverted triangle body shape with broad shoulders and straight hips. I have a long torso, long arms, and very few curves. I often wear one size larger on top than the bottom.
As always, you can click the red text for more info and to shop the item.
This sweater is huge on me (regular in XL) but I love the soft yarn and color so much I just had to try it on. It makes me wish I had a reason to hang out in a ski chalet:) Seriously though, this sweater is very warm and cozy, perfect for chilly days. I picture it with cream cords or jeans and ivory booties like this. It comes in regular and petite, I’m wearing a regular XL and needed the small, or medium in petite.
These jeans are a nice dark wash, skinny fit with a high rise. They come in regular and curvy, in regular and petite length. I’m wearing an 8 petite.
This tunic sweater comes in 5 colors, XXS-XXL. I am wearing the petite medium found here. Tunics are one of those items I usually do get in petite unless I plan to wear them with leggings, then I opt for more coverage in the regular. This comes in 5 colors in regular and two colors in petite.
This mixed cable sweater comes in 3 colors, XXS-XXL, and 2 colors in petite here.Ā I’m wearing the sweater in petite small. These mixed media tank tops have been a staple in my wardrobe for many years. They’re woven on the front and knit on the back so they dress up or down easily. I am wearing a medium in petite which I prefer so the armhole is not too deep.
These stretch pants have a high-rise and slim leg so would be a great alternative to leggings. They come in 3 colors, sized regular and petite, 00-12. They have a zipper at the bottom inside of the bottom leg. I am wearing an 8 petite.
I’ve added 2 sweater dresses to my wardrobe this winter and am finding them cozy and fabulous. This one above is available in regular and petite, sizes XXS-XXL. I’m wearing a regular medium and like the way it fits, but I ordered the petite to compare. I also ordered this dress and this dress because they feel like classic items I will pull out winter after winter. I see this one with some chocolate-colored tights and ankle boots for casual days or they would also take you to work. I’ve been wearing my current ones with leggings but have ordered some tights to wear with flat booties.
These houndstooth pants have a nice high-rise, with a slim leg that’s slightly cropped. I am wearing the 6 in regular so they are full length on me. They come in sizes regular, curvy and petite, in 00-16. They’re a really nice shade of green that coordinates perfectly with this ribbed V-neck sweater. The sweater comes in 6 colors in regular and petite. I am wearing regular in small in North Sea Blue.
This mock neck sweater is fabulous and came home with me in two colors. I’ve been in the market for cashmere tee shirts, but not finding what I want, think this style is a very close dupe, plus it’s machine washable! Warm and perfect for indoors that I can layer things over. It comes in 7 colors, regular and petite, XXS-XXL. I am wearing the small in regular.
Tapered jeans have been popping up over the last few months and offer a nice alternative to skinny or straight. These jeans are lean through the hip and thigh, with a slim tapered leg. They are described as mid-rise but were plenty high on me with a 10 1/2″ front rise. They’re available in sizes 00-18, I am wearing a 6 so they run a bit large. I really like the flattering fit of these jeans.
This sweater comes in 3 colors, XXS- XXL, I am wearing a small in regular. The petite sweater is here. It’s a machine washable blend that’s cozy, warm, soft, and not the least bit itchy.
Have you tried sweater dresses this winter? I am sort of burned out on blue jeans so find them a nice alternative.
Thanks for reading ladies and remember to wear what makes you feel confident.
I love your dressing room diary posts! It would have been fun (for us) if you had the time and she was agreeable to see you and Vanessa in the same outfits (in your own size of course). Thanks for posting!
What a beautiful sweater the first one is – it looks so cozy, and the colour is very pretty! Wish we had Ann Taylor here in Canada.
Love the Fare Isle sweater. It looks awesome (even big) on you. That color is beautiful. Also love the mixed cable sweater set and the royal blue mixed cable sweater.
As far as dresses go, l am not comfortable at all in them. Skirts and tops are more me.
Thanks for the beautiful modeling job.
Happy 2022 and good by 2021 š·
That Fair Isle sweater would be perfect for me. It’s my size and color — usually it’s hard to find the right one.
I particularly like the slimmer straight cut bottoms as not personally ready for flares quite yet. Also appreciate the ‘cut’ of the necklines shown (V/Crew/Mock Turtle) as recently find many are more along boat-line revealing far too much bare shoulder for most body types IMHO not to mention having to adjust bra straps or the top itself, prompting the need for an underlay etc.
Also before closing want to wish you and yours plus your readers A HEALTHY, HAPPY and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR. -Brenda-
Happiest New Year to you too, Brenda
Lovely picks today, Jennifer. You look great in that Fair-Isle Sweater — the soft color looks so nice on you. I hope you are able to get it in your size!
I also like the sweater dress. The style really flatters your figure.
They are my very favorite colors:) Thanks, Beth
I really like the teal colors on you! Our Ann Taylor stores went out here which is such a shame because they carry such nice business/casual clothing. Thanks for modeling!
They have a lot of teals this season.
Love the variation of blues. They are dark enough yet colorful. I like that you can create a lovely monochromatic look too. Definitely an alternative to black. Thank you!
Hi,
I enjoy seeing your posts. They save me a lot of time looking in stores!
However, I think that you often choose garments for yourself that accentuate your inverted V shape. Today you had patterned houndstooth pants, which are great for balancing your wider upper half. On the other hand, the Fair Isle sweater (yes, I see itźs too big) has a widening pattern on top, emphasizing your wider shoulders. There is the same issue with textured tops and smooth bottoms, light colored tops and dark bottoms, loose tops and tight bottoms, etc. All of these call attention to your particular shape rather than giving an impression of a balanced figure. Try doing the opposite!
My dressing room diaries are a service I provide for my readers and as such, I try on and style many garments that are not flattering for my body shape or coloring. I am well aware of what does and does not flatter my shape š
I appreciate that you model styles other than the ones that flatter your particular figure. There are other blogs that feature only the colors and styles that flatter those particular bloggers. I have stopped reading those blogs.
Loved the tapered jeans. They give so much nicer look than the scrunched up look so common with tighter fitting legs.
I am curious what brand of tights you ordered to wear with your sweater dress. I am short-waisted with only a minimally defined waist, and when I wear tights under a dress that skims the body, I have a very unattractive bulge where my hip meets my waist where the narrow waistband constricts. (This was even a problem for me when I was very thin!) I have some tights by a brand “Not-too-Tights” that have a wider waistband, but they only come in black and I want brown or navy to go with some of my dresses. Any suggestions?
Love the blue sweater dress you said you have on order. I have looked at the aqua faire isle online and been tempted. You look particularly lovely in the blue and aqua shades.
I wear the “a new day” brand of tights from Target. They are very soft and stretchy and waistband that is great. I have them in black and brown.
I do too! Great price point as well
Thank you!
I’ve looked at these but wondered about the thickness since they have 20D (thinnest) to 80D (thickest at my store) Which do you prefer?
I like the houndstooth pants and sweater. I usually wear blacks and grays but need to add some color. This would be perfect.
Itās nice and dark, but colorful too:)
I like the look of a sweater dress but I am small chested and need a belted version or something to break it up and give it definition rather than an Aline or button up style.
Love the shape and flow of the sweater dress on you. I also love the V-neck and the buttons down the front. I have often wanted to buy one but I find they are too clingy and show too many of my ācurvesā. I would definitely order this one if it came in another color – the beige tends to wash me out. I will keep looking. Thank you for the suggestion.
Love the ski sweaterš¤
The fair isle sweater looks so gorgeous on you. Perhaps it could be tucked away for visits to Canada!