Dressing Room Diaries: From The Desert

The stores here in the desert stock clothes that fit their local clientele’s taste, which means less business attire and casual everything. The best shopping in the Palm Springs area is on El Paseo in Palm Desert so I stopped by last week to do dressing room diaries.

If you’re new here, DRD is when I go into stores and try on new merchandise so you can see how it looks on a woman over 25 who wears a size larger than 2. For reference, I’m 5’4″, weigh 147+ pounds and have an inverted triangle shape. My shoulders are wide, my hips are straight, I have a long torso, long arms with shorter legs. The lighting is often dark which makes the photo’s grainy but you’ll get the idea of how things look.

Jennifer Connolly wearing scallop neck tee and striped pants from Talbots
SCALLOP TEEHAMPSHIRE STRIPED PANTS

This scalloped neck tee is available in several gorgeous colors plus this crisp white, I love the elbow-length sleeves which help us look taller. It’s in a super soft Pima cotton. As with most things from Talbots, it’s available in misses, petite, plus and plus petite. I’m wearing a medium in regular (missus). These are the Hampshire striped pants in 8 petite. They also come in curvy fit here, and plus here. They’re an awesome fitting pant with a high waistband, straight legs and spandex for comfort. The black and white stripe is perfect for spring and all summer long.

Jennifer Connolly from A Well Styled life wearing Talbots trench coat
DOUBLE BREASTED TRENCH COAT

I topped that look with this classic trench. I can’t resist Talbots’ trench coats! They fit perfectly and are beautifully made. This one has a very Casablanca-ish feel which I’d own in a heartbeat if this color had a slightly cooler tone. I’m wearing a medium petite. It’s available in misses, petite, plus and plus petite in PS-XL.

denim jacket and chinos from Talbots
CLASSIC DENIM JACKETSCALLOPED TEERELAXED CHINOS

This classic denim jacket is as fabulous as the other 3 I own (ahem). The shaping keeps it from being boxy and the spandex keeps it comfy. It comes in aqua, daisy, white and gray. They’re available in misses, petite, plus, and plus petite. I’m wearing a petite medium. The sleeves are a touch short for my long arms but since I always fold up my denim jacket cuffs, it’s perfect.Talbots denim jacket and chinos on Jennifer Connolly of A Well Styled Life

These relaxed chinos are available in 8 colors, missus, petite, plus, and plus petite. I’m wearing an 8 petite The relaxed shape is not a great fit for my straight hips so they’re baggy in the seat. This style is a better shape for a curvier gal. My straight hips would look better in these stretch chino’s that have a slim fit.

cropped pants and dot sweater from Talbots
PIMA COTTON SHAKER STITCH SWEATER WIDE LEG CROP CHINOS

This cotton sweater is available in blue or white with tiny dots. I’m wearing a medium petite. This sleeve is a personal favorite because raglan sleeves visually narrow broad shoulders. The cropped chinos are a fun shape. I’m wearing an 8 petite in navy which is a bit snug so I know I’ve indulged in 2 or 3Ā  too many date shakes this trip. They also come in a soft green and ecru.

GINGHAM SHIRT CROPPED JEANS

This gingham shirt and cropped jeans are a fresh, fun, and casual look for spring. I love tying button shirts at the waist to lengthen the look of my legs. It’s even more important with cropped pants. Notice how much taller I look with the shirt tied at my waist. This is the true color of the blue one. These crop jeans are in the Comet wash. I’m wearing an 8 petite which I still think is too long for me so I would shorten 1 1/2″-2″ to where my leg begins to narrow.

I’m heading back to El Paseo today to do more shopping and people watching. I love to observe how women put themselves together, don’t you?

Thanks for reading ladies and remember to wear what makes you feel confident.

 

26 Comments

  1. Julie Traxler says:

    I love your posts! I have recently learned about you. Love you trying on things that I might love.

  2. Mollie M. says:

    All the clothes today look great on you Jennifer! I love the blue sweater on you especially. I also have wider shoulders than my hips, therefore some pants donā€™t quite fit me the way I like. My weight is 130 lbs. and 5ft. 31/2 inches tall, but I have long legs at age 83, looking younger for my age.
    Having narrow hips is a problem too. The trench coat is so attractive on you also.

  3. I LOVE that trench. The chinos are fabulous too. It’s nice to see some pieces that will welcome nicer weather. You look lovely as always. Xx

  4. WOW! You hit the jackpot today! I absolutely love everything today. I would wear it all as well. Thanks for a fabulous fashion show. I need to run out and get some of these items for myself.

  5. Linda Lennon says:

    El Paseo is a shopping Mecca! I visit that Talbots once a month, at least, and all the sales associates are friendly and helpful. Love living here in the desert!

  6. The black and white striped pants look amazing. I might pair them with a black summer weight sweater. I donā€™t think thereā€™s a jean jacket that you donā€™t just ā€œrockā€ in! They all look so nice on you. Did you get new glasses? I love the look of these.
    Thanks again for a fun post.

  7. Barbara Lembo says:

    Jennifer – your link for the Hampshire striped pants goes only to the scallop tee. I can find the pants in the Talbots website, however you may want to fix it.

  8. Thank you for this. I am almost the same body type as you, but I am a bit shorter and a bit lighter.
    This has been very helpful. I have a lot of clothes, so I am busy shopping my closet., your capsule wardrobe article was very helpful. I wrote down one for winter and one for spring. I love watching how women style their clothes. I took lots of pictures of mannequins while we were away vacation in Israel. Now I Can style clothes I already own, to look like the mannequins.

  9. What fun you’re having! I was only in Palm Springs once, and I loved it there. No matter the color, the trench coat looked great on you. I really liked the striped pants too. I always look forward to your DRD days and Talbots is one of my favorite stores. Thanks for all you do!

  10. Heading for Palm Desert and El Paseo from the PNW on Sunday. Canā€™t wait to see the sun!
    Do you have a favorite place to stay or do you have your motor home?

  11. Those striped pants are perfect. I’m so happy to see waistbands at the waist, straight leg, loafers, my fav way to dress. I like the scallops on the white top too. That sweater is such a pretty shade of blue. Wish I could wear fitted sweaters. Too busty.

  12. If you’re still in Palm Springs, you MUST go to the Cabazon Outlets off of the 10. Omg!

  13. Cathy Cunningham says:

    Love the trench coat,

  14. Lynda Davis says:

    Talbots has really upped their game in the last couple of years. Finding much more that I like. And I like their sizing as Iā€™m about same height and weight as you but rectangular shaped.

    1. Theyā€™ve got amazing quality which really appeals to me.

  15. Love all theses outfits

  16. The striped pants look fantastic as do the black wide leg cropped pants. Thank you for trying on the clothes:) Have a great time:)

  17. Great DRD today! I really liked your selections, and the aqua denim jacket looks terrific on you. The color looks so springy.

    I love watching how women put themselves together. It’s like a dos and don’ts tutorial every day!

  18. Have you thought about modeling for Talbots? You wear their style well. Jennifer, is there anything you can do to remove all the annoying (or at least some] pop -ups and banners on your site? I view your blog on a Mac iPad.

    1. I do love their things. Did you read my post on the cost of running my blog? The ads are annoying but are how I help defray those costs. Sorry.

  19. “I love to observe how women put themselves together….” or not in so many cases………

  20. Love that trench coat!

  21. As always, thanks, Jennifer. I love your DRD days, and Talbots is one of my favorite stores. These outfits seem to fit your style to a T. Did you try on that blue trench coat that you featured one other time? I still think you should buy it!

    1. I got their pink trench last year so I couldnā€™t justify another one so soon.

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