The Mister recently took me to Chicago to celebrate my birthday and a "labor day weekend show". While in Chicago we stayed at one of my favorite hotels there and did some great, yet limited, shopping. I may share some of my shopping stories later but for now we will focus on where I had the most "luck".
After working in retail most of my professional life, customer service is really number 1 for me. If the service is poor I won't stick around to shop. If the service is great, I will give almost any store a try. Do you know what I mean? There are stores that just aren't right for me whether it be my age or size or whatever but, of the stores I choose to shop it's the service that determines if I stay long enough to look around. We visited one of my favorites first. I was in the mood for some new shoes and this store is known not only for shoes, but also for it's service. I was looking for a particular brand and style. I had to approach a sales associate which is not typical of this store. When I inquired about the shoe in question she pointed to "where they would be if we had them". Guess what I did next...well I typically would have exited. But, I tried one more time....this time I got a different denial "nope, that doesn't sound familiar". I replied that I had seen them on their website, after her shoulders shrugged, I left.
We traveled on. The next stop was Loft. Loft is a store I either have a ton of luck at or can't even find a scarf. This time was awesome and it started the minute I walked in the door and was greeted. The service was fantastic which caused me to try stuff on (key to making a purchase). I was treated with respect, and had fun and some laughs while there. It was a great experience overall. I bought some great pieces for fall and never would have bought as much had it not been for the sales associate. I thanked her personally before I left the store as she did not take care of my purchases, someone else did. Folks in retail always hear the bad but don't hear the good often enough :)
So on to the shopping and what I got (or as the folks say...my haul). What caught my eye initially was a pair of cropped pants in the window that looked stunning....really. I immediately walked in, asked for that pant and chose them to try. Here is what I bought:
A few things about each piece...
1) The back button sweater. The color is a lovely shade of gray, which for me is a great neutral. The sweater is lightweight enough I won't sweat to death in it but truly says cooler weather. It will be to layer or wear alone. It will be great dressed up with pearls and a skirt or casual with a pair of distressed jeans.
2) I don't remember the official name but this is a long sleeve tee "ramped up with style" It's again gray (okay it's my new obsession). It's long enough to wear with a lot of different bottoms. Again, this piece can be worn alone or layered. It can also be dressed up a bit with the scarf seen in the haul :)
3) You guys this skirt! It's a great knit material. It's got fantastic detailing with the buttons in the front. The minute I put it on I had tons of ideas swirling in my head for what I could do with this single piece. Dressed with tights, a turtleneck and my chunky Mary Janes. Tights and high boots and a sweater. Sheer hoisery, dressy Mary Janes or my SJP Carrie heels and dressy sweater or silk blouse, Long sleeve tshirt and booties and tights, or as pictured with a denim shirt and tights and brown boots....on and on.
4) The scarf...the picture does not do the colors justice. There is a vibrant persimmon type shade in this scarf paired with the shades of wine in this. It's beautiful. It can be worn simply with a sweater, jean jacket or would look great with a camel blazer.
5) The star ...the black pants. I have already worn these. The material is wonderful. It's washable (yay) and soooo comfortable. The cropped length is great year round with so many shoe choices. (Including those shoes I was searching for at the fancy store). I can't say enough good things about these pants. Worn with a denim shirt and loafers for fall or paired with a beautiful silk blouse for New Year's Eve...both will work. Win!
The best part of the whole deal...ALMOST all of it was 40% and I earned the infamous Loft Cash to spend later. Go ahead, get out there and shop. Shop wisely - get versatile pieces you can wear lots of different ways and more than one year. Have fun! Reward great service with a sincere thank you! Have fun! As always, if you need advice or tips don't hesitate to contact me.
