Introduction to Zara

When I was picking the kids up from daycare one day, I saw another mom wearing an adorable blazer.  I asked her where she got it, and before I knew it I was trying on her blazer, at daycare.  Our toddlers thought we were crazy, but we were having fun.  :)

It turned out her blazer was from Zara.  I checked their website and they were sold out of that blazer, but I found a few other items which looked promising.  One worked and two did not, but that meant I visited the store to return, and I ended up finding a couple more items which worked. 

Zara is super popular among fashion folk (high/lo dressing, fashion bloggers, etc.) so it was cool to finally check it out.

My overall take on Zara:

• It has really great fashion-forward pieces at very reasonable prices.  There is a ton of variety.  It's a great place to go for accent pieces to add variety or update your wardrobe.  
• Quality is reasonable but a bit mixed (my new leather jacket is super soft, but the zipper is hard to work, and the t-shirt I bought is a bit thin but looks good). 
• The sizing is *not* vanity sizing, which can feel odd in this day and age.  I was mostly a Medium or size 4 or 6 there.  Yup.  (If you have a hard time finding clothes small enough for you - go to Zara!)
• You have to go to the store and try a bunch of stuff on.  They cut their clothing differently than I'm used to - the shoulders feel more narrow in the front, but not in the back.  It's an odd cut.  On me, it works for blazers and t-s, but not for more structured tops like button-downs - the shoulders were too tight and pulled oddly.  But I have broad shoulders for my size.  If you tend to find that shoulders are too broad for you when tops fit you correctly through the body, give Zara a try. 

This outfit also includes a new belt from my old reliable Ralph Lauren.  I just love the quality of their belts. And I love their spring and fall sales.

(Top: super old Ann Taylor top, belt: Lauren Ralph Lauren, jacket: Zara, pants: reiss, shoes: bakers)