Take two.

"Everybody deserves a second chance in this world. That's basically all I ask."

-Shannen Doherty

If there's one person I trust in this world, it's Brenda Walsh.  And even though I alluded to the fact that I was going to give it another go in my last post, B-Walsh's words of wisdom really sealed the deal for me.  

So I gots me another Fix.  And let me go ahead and say...it was WAY better this time around.  I'd heard from a lot of ladies that the 2nd box is always better because you're able to give really detailed feedback.  When you "check out" online after you receive your box, there's an opportunity (whether you keep the item or not) to give detailed reviews of each piece and for the Fix overall. 

Me, being the wordy bird that I am, took full advantage and even sent a link to my last blog post.   When I got this box, the note from my stylist Hayley even mentioned that she'd checked out my Pinterest board and read my blog post.  

 

What can I say?  She gets me.

I could tell she really had done some amount of research on me because this box was SIGNIFICANTLY better than last time and very in line with what I'd requested.  I didn't end up keeping it all, but the potential was there.  So let's get down to brass tacks.  (P.S.  Is anyone else LURVING that brass is making a major comeback in interiors?)

VIOLET ARROW CUTOUT BANGLE $28

It's cute, don't get me wrong.

I very much liked the idea of this bangle.  I mentioned that I'd like to have an accessory in this Fix and I got it.  I love the arrow pattern and I like the gold.  It wasn't too girly and really quite cute.  But I've got a couple issues with it.  One, the quality is a little iffy.  It seemed to be bent in a few places and knowing how un-graceful I am, I would probably jack this thing up good within a few wearings.  Second, the more I looked at it, the more it reminded me of a pipe clamp.  

Tres chic.

While I would normally get down with something offbeat like that, the third straw for me was the price.  At $28, I would have never picked that up in a store.  And generally, with stores like H&M, Francesca's and the like, I'm never dropping much more than $20 for costume jewelry.  So it gets sent back.  But I totally get why Hayley sent it to me and so she gets 10 cool points for it.

MAYSON HOUNDSTOOTH FAUX WRAP DRESS $34

Yeeesh.  This one was the bust of the box.  Not good.  First of all, I do not understand this pattern.  As Nick put it, "It's like you're trying to be a Bama fan, but you're not going full Bama. Roll Tide."

For those unfamiliar with the reference, just bing Alabama Football houndstooth.  Or Bear Bryant.  Whichevs.

It also fit weird.  It kind of made me look like I had a third droopy breast hiding between my actual breasts.  And I may not know much about fashion, but I'm relatively certain that's not a hot look.

The one redeeming factor was the cost.  At $34, I would definitely have bought a cute wrap dress.  But this was not that dress.  And I had a come-to-Jesus moment as I tried to consider if I kept all 5 items, what I would do with this dress since I would have essentially gotten it for free (b/c you get a 25% discount off the entire order if you keep it all.)  Luckily, I chose not to keep the bangle either so it all worked out fine.  But I was pretty stressed out about how to regift this fug.  Crisis averted.


YUSUF EMBELLISHED SHOULDER STRIPED TOP $58

I love the style cards but those little strappy shoes show up way too often and I'm not headed to any junior proms anytime soon.

There are a number of descriptors I could throw around for this top but I'm going to go with, "fierce."  I made it pretty clear in my last post that I was a bit of a stripes hater so I was a little surprised to find this one in the box.  But the embellished shoulders and shoulder pads make me forget about the stripes and any reminder of the dreaded striped maternity wear.  And yes, you read that right...there are shoulder pads in this sucka.

I think it's clear: I don't play.

When I put it on for Nick I said "isn't it so edgy and bad ass?"  His reply was "I like it.  It looks really good.  It is in no way edgy or bad ass."

Agree to disagree, Husbo.  I guess I just thought the metallic accents made me feel like I could go into battle.  A fashion battle. 

Don't be fooled by the face, y'all.

Needless to say, this was a big ol' keep.


ALEXANDER AZTEC KNIT DRAPE FRONT CARDIGAN $68

I'm not sure I can put into words just how much I love this sweater.  I'd been looking for an Aztec print to work into my wardrobe for a while and even though I never explicitly said so, I was hoping my stylist would read my mind.

Kudos, Hayley.  Well done.

Besides the fact that it's amazingly warm and cozy soft, I love the way it looks.  And I'm aware that this may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I don't drink tea unless it's sweet and from Bojangles so...I think you see what I mean.

To me, it's the perfect blend of Hollywood chic meets Dumb & Dumber.

This plus...

...this equals...

Lloyd Couture.

Nick didn't understand the math and couldn't see how it was a good thing.  I tried to explain that it's the perfect balance I try to hit with all my outfits. 

For real though, I've gotten a lot of compliments on it already (I wore it the next day to work) and I'm pretty sure they weren't blowing smoke up my bum.  So big thumbs up here.  Keeper!

Taking photos is so awkward.

ZELDA FRONT POCKET PLAID BLOUSE $28

Alright, here's where the interactive portion of the blog comes in to play.  I'm torn on this guy. 

A fun game to play is to guess what noise I'm making with this face.

The fit, shape and quality of this shirt are great.  The price is even better.  And I like plaid.  My husband likes plaid.  (Which is an understatement as he give Al Borland a run for his money when it comes to flannels and the like.)  But this plaid?  I dunno you guys.  It's got such an autumnal feel and I'm much more of a winter.  (Don't worry, I'm judging myself for using that type of terminology.)  So I'm on the fence here.  I've got two clear winners in the box...but do I keep the third?  Let me know what you think.  I'm interested.

Does my adorable baby sway your decision?

So that's it.  In short, this box was substantially better than the last, I made a new BFF with my stylist, and I've got a rockin' new sweater to wear to the Dumb & Dumber 2 Premiere.  That's success if I've ever heard it.

Try it for yourself!  And use this link so I can keep up this horrible habit.  Really, won't you sleep better at night knowing you're helping the world bring back shoulder pads, one gal at a time?