Review: Banana Republic Tall Classic Trench

Remember that deal I posted a while back? Well, since I'm feeling less gimpy today I decided to do my long-overdue review for the Banana Republic Tall Classic Trench in XS. I'll be comparing it to the Massimo Dutti trench I bought in Barcelona, which I wrote about here and seen here. To gain more perspective about how this fits on my body, my measurements are listed here.

At first glance: 

Even though I got the smallest size possible (XS), I find that the sizes at BR still fit quite large- vanity sizing fail. It fits quite roomy on me, definitely with enough leeway to wear a large sweater and blazer underneath. But one thing is for sure, the sleeve length is more than suitable even for my long arms, and the waist-belt (for once!) was right at my waist. The shoulders are a PERFECT fit, and the coat hits at a conservative length, just above my knee.

Deal Alert! Banana Republic Women's TALL Trench Coat only $89

If you're tall and skinny like me, then you also dread jacket shopping because the sleeves are never long enough, the shoulders always bust the seams, and the waist is abnormally high.

FEAR NO MORE.

Banana Republic has a genius TALL line tailored for longer limbed ladies and gents, featuring roomier shoulders, lower arm holes, longer body lengths, and longer sleeves.

Right now, there's a TALL Classic Trench in XSMALL and SMALL on sale for $119 down from $198!! Plus, use BRBOOST for an additional 25% off! This makes the trench only $89 :)

I opted for the XS, going for the Tall measurements on the BR website (top) compared to mine (bottom):
Bust: 33"; Natural Waist: 26"; Hip: 36"; Sleeve Length: 33.5"
Bust: 32"; Natural Waist: 24.5"; Hip: 35"; Sleeve Length: 33.5"

Banana Republic Women's TALL Classic Trench $198 down to $89 (here)

Lace LBD and Denim Preview

I went to a friend's birthday dinner last night~ I decided to break my new lace little black dress out for a spin!

I got this at Foreign Exchange at the Citadel Outlets in LA this summer on a side trip of off Disneyland. Because I'm on the smaller side, I just LOVE that it's made out of stretchy material because the fit is just hip-hugging heaven! It's also not too short - which is a common problem on me because I'm tall - so I'm very glad that it comes just a few inches above the knee. The back of the dress is a flattering V-shape into the hidden zipper. To top it off, it's entirely lined which is an instant plus in my books.

At $35, this was a good buy for a great fit :)

Foreign Exchange Lace Black/Nude dress in S

Finding the Perfect Trench Coat

Living in rainy Vancouver, the MUST-have coat of every season is the Classic Trench.
Of course, everyone would love to get a Burberry one, since they practically made the trench coat famous, but at over $1000 per jacket, it's just not economically feasible.

The one I have is by Massimo Dutti, a Spanish company. I picked it up when I was in Barcelona this summer for 120 €, which turned out to be $165 CAD at the time. A pretty good price for a quality coat.

How do you know if your purchase is worth the money? These are some of my personal tips on finding that perfect trench coat.