Closet Purge Continues

I've decided to sell my never used brand new dark green Mayle Jeanne bag. Pictures to follow--the chain strap is still covered in the protective tissue. $250 including shipping. As soon as I have pictures I will post it here and on the new blog.

Tocca--Effectively Lyell

Monica and I visited the new Tocca boutique on Saturday to check out the new Lyell collection. Most of the pieces from the lookbook were in--save a few sweaters, skirts and other items that are arriving this week.

Basically, this is Lyell--Emma's vision is not diluted. Alas, the sizing is Lyell too. While it goes up to size 10, in some pieces that 10 translates into a large 6 at best--as with anything with a narrow, fitted or pencil skirt. I had one size 10 dress on--or rather, partially on as it wouldn't even go below my waist. The simple shft dresses were a tad narrow on my hips in a 10, the blouses likewise were too fitted and a 10 didn't do up on my back. Even the coats were somewhat of a narrow fit around the back. I could get away with the coats, the black lace dress fit, as did the gathered blouses, but if you are even a true 8, sizing here could be very tricky indeed. It was my biggest complaint and is totally unnecessary--I even joked to the very nice shop girls that I was almost sized out of the store.

Prices and quality-wise, it was a little cheaper than Lyell--coats were $500-700, dresses $400-700, blouses a shade under $300 (except the lace which was twice the price), knits seem to be around $300-600 although it was tough to tell as several were not yet in. Pants around $325, shorts around $250.
Quality was good but not as fine as Lyell--the details were there but linings were acetate and the fabrics were not quite as fine as I'd like--some of the tweeds were notably scratchy. But overall very nice.

My main problem was really the small fit. There also doesn't look like there will be much stock, at least at first. I suspect they want to test the demand--to see if there is any shortage, to build buzz and test the market. There will be some limited online stock and limited number of items sold elsewhere but the full line will only be available in the store. Overall, it was lovely but nothing we haven't seen from Emma before, although it was a great distillation of a maturing aesthetic with some lovely delicate prints (the acorn was adorable) and some better colors. I hope they sort out the sizing as anybody who is tall and not a tiny, tiny frame will be sized out of some items which is perhaps not the best thing to do in this market.

Tiny girl-sized versions of the stock--plus a few other adorable outfits--were another great surprise. Very reasonably priced, these made me yearn even more for a little girl, even though there were perhaps too many browns for most 5 year old's tastes.

Nice store, airy, and lovely sales girls too.

New Blog

Community Closet Sale is now up and running. No content yet but if you want to be added to the blog, please leave me a comment.

I'm thinking something very much like Law of General Economy. Basically, no fast fashion (H&M, Forever 21, Zara but J Crew, Madewell, Anthro are all fine), no price gouging--this is a place for those items that don't work for you and are in great shape and may be ideal for someone else at a reasonable price, of course. Here's the url. I hope to post some of my items soon--as soon as my crazy work schedule permits.

Caroline's Mayle for Sale

Caroline is also having a bit of a closet clearance and has the following Mayle for sale. If you are interested contact her at csinderst[at]gmail[dot]com.

This is a great dress--I have it in an 8--but it runs a little narrow in the hips. This one is a size 4. Caroline never wore it because it was so small. This one is tough to find, particularly in the full color paradiso print.

This is also a size 4 and again runs small (it's quite rare and certainly is a dress I would have bought had they made it in the size 10 I would have needed). Again, Caroline never wore this as it was too small. SOLD

Somewhat worn in, Caroline did not specify size but I suspect a 6. This is worn in and has some pilling. $75 or best offer.

Jeanne purse in rare Tiffany blue, made solely for Ten Little Indians final sale. Excellent condition.

Please contact Caroline for all details, including prices, other photos, etc.

Mayle for Sale

As our clothing rails are literally bending under the weight of my clothes, I'm going through items that I own but do not wear often enough to justify keeping. Some of these I'll be posting on ebay soon, but before I do that, I wanted to list them here in case anybody was interested.

1. Holiday 2007 cardigan--shown center in this image. Ivory and gold. Never worn--immaculate condition, no pilling. Size L but runs small--best for a medium or would even work on a S. I love it but it is just a little too small for me. SOLD

2. Fabienne vest in gray, size M, Fall 2008. Never worn--it wasn't me and I won't wear it so it's best to put it out in the world for someone who wants it. SOLD

3. Sonya dress in sky blue--size 8. I love it and it is extremely rare. If it doesn't sell, I'll just keep it, but if you are interested, this one is amazing. Worn four times and in mint condition. It's the fabulous blue/silver gray dress with puff sleeves, black and white buttons with red thread, and a square neck.

4. Coco clogs (?)--the new clogs from the pop up. Size 41, fits a 40 (runs small) worn once but they just aren't me.

5. purple ikat print dress--the short version of the one that Kirsten Dunst wore. Size 8 or 10 (forget which but runs small and fits like an 8). Worn once for an afternoon. SOLD.

6. Mayle Senna jacket, size 8. Never worn so I'm going to part with it.

7. Guinevre jacket (the jacket in the Elvira cotton). Lovely but again I've not worn it. Size 8 but runs a touch small so would also work for a 6. Image above is from the flickr pool, not my jacket.

8. Mayle Rosetta cardigan, size L. Never worn, in the tan colorway in this image.

Others to follow, along with photos. Email me if interested--moya[dot]luckett[at]gmail[dot]com.

J Crew Teddy Dress

Recently, I've been trying to buy only a few items, investing in what I need (winter shoes are on that list) or items that are so special and so wearable that they will revitalize what I have and last for a long time. On those counts, the J Crew Teddy dress was near the top of my fall shopping list. It looked warm, had bracelet length sleeves and could be dressed up or down.

I was obviously not alone. Fellow bloggers Marti and Joyce both singled this item out as a must have and it sold out very quickly online. I've noticed that J Crew takes a while to get new items in store (even in New York, they can be up online for a month or more before making it into what are supposedly flagship stores). I would rather buy in person for a number of reasons, notably fit, but also because bodies differ in their angles and lines, making the flow of a garment change from person to person--I'm also not a 18 year old model who has had top stylists tweak the fit of an item first, then photoshop their pictures. The Teddy dress was also in a wool crepe--and I have an allergy to lanolin so a lot of wool items are totally out for me.

Finally, I heard that the Teddy dress was in stock in Manhattan and looked at it on Thursday after acupuncture. What a disappointment. It looks boxy and a little matronly not young and slightly 1960s retro (in a good, mod way). The neckline is trimmed with the same fabric and has a raw edge which just looks a little cheap. The color isn't saturated and looks very slightly faded and, most importantly perhaps, the fabric feels rough--so much so that the unlined arms would make me break out into a well known rash (one I've successfully avoided for years by refusing to wear woolen sweaters).

I'm not disappointed though. I feel I dodged a bullet and my money is safe. I'm going to try and invest in a few of the Lyell pieces but even if that doesn't happen, I feel I'm the winner.

It also reminds me, yet again, to be skeptical of J Crew's styling. Sure they do have some nice long sleeved t-shirts and sweaters, and I've got a couple of decent skirts from them, but the stock in stores is never quite as chic or interesting as the catalogues suggest--remaining boxy and a little bit too safe.

More Lyell

These pieces have Emma's signature all over them and, if I had unlimited resources, I'd get them all. Her coats--as always--are irresistible.

This cardigan looks lovely (and probably is expensive) but I love good knits.

A perfect schoolgirl dress--something I always covet. Alas, it may not be large enough--I always have problems with Emma's sizing and have no idea if the Tocca line will be cut the same way.

Just lovely. And those purple shoes are wonderful (does Tocca make shoes)?

Love it.

Close to perfection (but it looks like a mash up of my beloved Lyell and JM peacoats so there's definitely a trend here).

So Lyell Returns

I just got an email that wasn't a huge surprise. The last time I spoke to Emma, she mentioned that she would be back when her baby girl had grown a little. She's designing a collection for Tocca and if this image is anything to go by, it will be promising (I just hope the immaculate finishing and manufacturing standards Lyell was known for continues in this venture).

I've been increasingly reluctant to part with my Lyell as it just looks both fresher and more classic with each season. While I am not going to spend wildly, I'm very interested to see this collection and maybe judiciously select more key pieces for my fall wardrobe--not just for 2011 but for the years ahead.

Best In Show

There's a new book I have to get when it comes out: Best In Show: Knit Your Own Cat. It's released in October and the Guardian has a preview today. I thought I'd share a couple of these adorable photos to brighten up this Friday.

Back to School

Which is the reason for my sluggish blogging. I'm hoping to get the book proposal (for #2) off this week and then hopefully I can resume a little more regular blogging. Lots of things to talk about but so little time.

Possible new blog?

I've been searching through my closet this last few weeks--both to avoid shopping and to see what I really have buried deep in there. Some treasures have been put into semi-regular rotation while I think others can have a new life when paired with other layers, worn under/over sweaters/cardigans and the like.

But others are immaculate, pretty and plain wrong for me. There are dresses I bought when I was a small size 6 that were slightly narrow then. I've barely worn them and know it is unlikely they'll fit me any time in the next few years. Others were just a mistake--great dresses that isn't made for my body type.

I wish I had a chance to list them on the General Economy blog but the waiting list is so long. I'm contemplating setting up a similar blog for those items that are great for someone else, but not for me, or some of you. If there is interest, I may go ahead--with help from friends, I hope.

Grunt Work

Sometimes writing doesn't come easily, that I know. On those days, you either have to just plough on and hope that getting something done is better than nothing or just give up and play in the sun. I'd do the latter but we're now at that time where I can't. Free days are effectively few and far between so today, I took the morning off. Right now, I'm trying to write the very last chapter description for the book proposal and it's just slow work. I've spent hours today to write maybe two pages. But that's two pages I'd otherwise not have. I've fallen victim to the power of the chocolate chip cookie too, but sometimes it's better to indulge, feel guilty and then get back to writing, right?

And August passed and I didn't buy any dresses, shoes, sandals or striped t-shirts. A victory of some kind for sure--although those two anthro nighties, a cheap ($25) Madwell shirt, and the last of the J. Crew sale purchases means this was still not a pristine month. I am doing better, however. Now I have to withstand the Labor Day sales.