I went to Vermont, and I tried on clothes

So we went to VT this past weekend. We came for the Norwich Inn's Brewer's Weekend (super fun! Stay tuned for that post), and Clint stayed for a few days for work. But what did I do? I went shopping ;)

There is a nice little store in Manchester, VT, among all the outlets, called The 5 Seasons. It's a resort-y store, filled with Lilly, Vineyard Vines and other brands I'm less familiar with. It's an outlet. It's all past seasons of Lilly. And everything is at least 50% off.

But really, I think the best part is that it's past seasons Lilly- stuff you wanted but waited too long to get. Here's your chance!

To be honest, I'm on a shopping hiatus. No more clothes for me for a while, I hit my monthly limit (actually, if I were good, it'd be my 2-month limit) on January 3rd. But "going shopping" doesn't mean "buying", if you've been reading my blog you know it means going to a store and trying on every single thing in my size. And this shopping trip did not disappoint!

So here we go. Let's talk dresses and sizes and fit. In what order? Why, chronological. I have to follow my notes.
First of all, here's what you see when you walk upstairs (downstairs is all Judith Connelly or something, Jack Rogers shoes and Lilly stationary. I wanted the Lilly clothes)
drool. Am I right?

In no way does this properly convey the number of items I had in my dressing room. For one, the manager came up with all the other size 12 dresses she could find *after* this picture was taken, and I also had a 2nd round of tops and bottoms.

Now let's get to work.

Bowen, size 10. I'd need a 12 (it looks ok, but it's not actually zipped up all the way), but I didn't sufficiently love this. I'll stick with Sienna.
Kathleen, size L. I tried this on because I see it every so often on clearance. And... blah. Also, it doesn't look tight, but I couldn't actually bend over, it was weird.

Delia, size 10. Finally, I find one to try on! It's cute, I totally see why everyone's in love with Delia. EDIT: this is actually a Stephanie. So, either the tag was mislabeled (and I didn't read the tag on the navy one) or I was hallucinating..... either is possible, there were some erroneous tags.
But here's Delia in a 12, which actually fits.
Harper, L. I've never been a fan of Harper, I think it looks like a sack. It's a lovely dress, just... sack-like. I like it *more* than before since trying it on... but I won't actually get one.
EDIT: it's been brought to my attention that Harpers are in number sizes. And I vaguely remember the fabric tag saying 10, but the paper tag said L. Again, hallucinating or mislabeled tag! Sorry for the errors!
Lee Shift (Jubilee), 10. Too small, which surprised me- I'm a 10 in every other Jubilee dress I've ever tried on. But it's the buttons, I don't do well with button-down fronts. I don't love the high neck anwyay.
Sandra, 12. The manager brought this in to me, and it's very cute! I probably wouldn't have tried it on otherwise. I don't think it *quite* works on me, the ruffle is just TOO big and I don't need to draw attention to my shoulders. But the body of it was well cut. This is also one you can't get on yourself- there's a corset thing in the dress, and it's just impossible to hook without help.
Kiki, size 12. I continue to not love the shaping of the Kiki. Way to cut my body in half awkwardly, thanks! But hopefully this picture will convince my mom to stop telling me to buy this dress (she loves the print)
Charity shift, 12. Sorry for the terrible photo! I tried to check that each photo came out, but I guess I missed this one. Oh well, didn't love the dress that much anyway, it's very expensive compared to the other shifts. It has a very cool back though, the white collar goes around and runs down to a lower, straight back. Not low enough to need special undergarments, but not high like you might expect.
FAVORITE: Maci, size 12. I came so close to buying it. I hope I don't regret not getting it... I think they're even still holding it for me "just in case". But it was still $89 even after all their discounts, and... shopping hiatus!! But I might just give them a call next month and see if it's still around! I don't think Maci is the most flattering thing ever on me, but it's just so cute! And unlike anything else I have with that faux-wrap deal. I would probably buy it just to copy it. Love, love, love.
Hayden, L. One of the few I actually hated. SUPER low cut. I'm glad for the poor lighting because it hides how low-cut this is. I had to take several pictures before I had one I wasn't too embarrassed to share- that's not a good sign! I don't know if maybe I needed XL, but I think for the year this is from most things I needed M, so I can't imagine it's the size. Unless it's mismarked, of course.
Adrianna, L. aka sack. It'd be a cute cover up and I love the print, but as a dress? Not so much. This one was only $54, though.
FAVORITE OF FAVORITES: Fiesta, 10. omg it was so hard to leave this there. But $112! not happening! So sad. It was also tight in the shoulders, so I worry I need a 12- or worse, am between sizes. But I can take in a 12 a bit, if the shoulders fit. Oh and I would have matched my nook cover in this dress!
Wilma, 12. I probably shouldn't even share this photo, that's how much I disliked this one. But I can't do halters like this. If it was a V-neck with regular straps on the same waist/skirt, I'd love it. This 12 just barely fit, so it runs a little small.
Franco, 12. EW. I had about 4 inches of gap between the zipper halves. At that rate I'd need like an 18. Hate the Franco for making me feel fat.
Skylar, 10. This one fit but I don't love the skirt. I'm holding the zipper because it kept catching on the pocket and I decided I didn't care enough about fighting with it. Snap pic, move on!
Fitch, 10. Like! I need a 12 though, it was a hair small. I thought this might be too boxy but it had a good shape. Fitch it on my list!

Another favorite!! (not all-caps-favorite, but favorite). Ivy, size 10- and I need a 12. I also adore this print. I probably wouldn't have been able to resist taking this home if it'd fit. Simple, but nice shape, and one shoulder has a cute little tie- not to mention the cute trim on the hem!
Every so often, my dress-up "shopping" days allow me to cross something off my list. Namely, the tradewind capris. I have another photo that shows off the pants (size 10, apparently I need a 12) better, but I refuse to share it. They looked *bad*. This Heather tank (L) is bad, too. Bad, bad, bad.
Another bad photo, but it shows off bad clothes so it doesn't matter. Lenna top, 10, and Bermuda shorts, 12. I have 2 pairs of these bermudas, and apparently I do really need a 10. I need a 12 in Lenna but I didn't like the tie anyway, it was awkwardly placed.
Cissy, L. It's a Cissy. They're popular, but they just don't quite work on me.
Casey V neck top, XL. Yeah I really need an L- good to know! the V is extremely low, also good to know. I most likely will not be buying a Casey.
Roe top, 12. Fit perfectly. This is another I keep seeing online and going "ohhhh". It's definitely cute, although how old is too old for one-shoulder tops?
Susan, XL. Ick. And I don't think it's just because it was a size too large. it's like a waisted muumuu. Dresses like this make me wonder what they were thinking... awesome print though!
Worth shift, 8. Can you believe that I'd never before tried on a Worth? What a crime! Well, a Worth 10 is now on my list- not at the top, like Fiesta or Maci, but solidly in the middle. What a classic dress! And the mixtape print is super cute.
Whew! That was a lot of clothes. 2 hours of shopping. You have now seen every single thing I tried on (except for the Vineyard Vines dress that was super duper small- apparently I'm a 12 or 14 in VV.) So the big question.... what did I buy?!

I had to be frugal- times are tough for the unemployed! I got a cooler tote and matching cups in Do the Wave as a birthday gift for someone, a Limeade Floaters cooler tote for myself, wrapping paper and file folders for crafting, a coffee cup for someone on fb who's been looking for one, and a VV tote for a friend who was hoping I might find one at a decent price.

(but then I went to Kate Spade and bought myself a bag for 67% off...)

But if you're in VT, check this store out. The manager was really sweet and helpful, and while I don't love the prices (I think outlets should be more than 50% off), if you're desperate for a certain dress, they may have it and 50% is 50%. They have a clearance rack, which, in the past I've found great stuff on, but today it was mostly polos and pants, either ones I already have or not in my size. Stationary is all 20% off, and during this visit was Spring 2011's stuff.

Dresses to note- in case you're ISO something:
Pandamonium Worths, size 4
Jubilee Fitch Shifts, various sizes, 8 and smaller.
Bathing suits in pretty much every size in from this past summer and a few from the previous summer (limeade floaters, hotty pink bloomers)