Black Crane long quilt dress in “forest” | sold out, lots of Black Crane on sale
Dieppa Restrepo penny loafers | several years old, Dieppa Restrepo on sale at The Outnet
Admonish tote bag | mine is black with black hardware
It’s been such a beautiful week here, so I was really excited to wear some of my favorite warmer weather pieces, like this Black Crane dress (more pictures of it on me here). The last time I wore it though, I thought it was a bit smaller than I’d like. Luckily, I still have my black one in medium, so I can wear that, although I wish there was a size in between; a small & a half.
But that’s the thing: sometimes you don’t know you don’t “love” something until you’ve worn it a few times. And if you don’t have another size, etc., to compare it with, you may not know at all. I love this dress, and it fits well, but as I wear it, I realize it would be easier to walk in if it was a little larger (it narrows towards the bottom), and I prefer the longer length of the medium.
Also, I might have finally come to terms with my Black Crane obsession. It’s not for me; I love it more in theory than I do in my wardrobe. I think I’ll take a break for a while from collecting more Black Crane.
Live and learn. Happy Wednesday!!
Rundholz and Hope were two labels I kept on trying but then realize that they were just not for me. In fact I am about to sell my last Hope piece (the Louise sweater in black) on ebay. I don’t own any Rundholz pieces anymore but I bought a lot over the years because of their unique cuts and high quality materials and construction. As for Hope, the construction and material is just too cheap for the price. The quality is just a step up from Zara but still expensive when on sale. The cuts for their pants are great but the quality is really not good. In fact I have Zara pants that have outlasted the Hope ones.
I wish black crane was more accessible in Europe as I always salivate over their pieces but they have no represenation here via online. Oh well, there’s always more brands to discover.
I was introduced to Black Crane by you, Grechen! I have this same quilt dress in the black and wear it often. I understand what you mean though about it being a little narrow in the bottom. I don’t understand though why you don’t think it’s for you (?) This is the only piece from BC that I own so maybe I need to check out what else they have.
i’ve just had more black crane pieces i’ve gotten rid of than kept, you know? like i like them, at first, or in theory, and then i realize they’re just not my style. i WANT them to be, but they just don’t always feel like me when i wear them, or try to wear them. now, i just have this dress, (or the black one, honestly) that I love, and will keep, and the open square shirt, which i also like, but it’s just so big on me. i think i’m too short for black crane? almost everything just seems to engulf me, which i appreciate sometimes, and other times, don’t…
i love black crane, for the style, and the price point – it’s very accessible in my opinion, and so unique, if it doesn’t always work for me. sorry it’s not more readily available in europe, but as you said, there are probably plenty of other wonderful brands to discover!
i’ve not tried rundholz, but i do only have one HOPE item, the news trousers, which i love love love. I bought them on sale for about $100, which i think is completely reasonable for them. i’ve had them for more than 2 years and they seem to be holding up nicely, but i wonder if they’re worth much more than $100…they style is definitely unique (at the time it was anyway, now everyone is doing drop-crotch pants) i do like that i can machine wash them and hang them to dry though. which is nice for a pair of trousers.
I know what you mean about not discovering something isn’t for you until you’ve worn it. And the worst part is, you can’t return it at that point. I do that a LOT because where I live, there are a lot of high end shops that I can’t afford so I shop online (I know…cost per wear, pay more/buy less…work in progress here!). And online shopping means no “try it before you buy it”! There are certain things I’ve sworn-off buying, like jeans and shoes, because they just seem to require a try-on, unless it’s a brand and style I’ve worn before. But even then…
I’m glad I read this before I added it to my comment below! I think you’re right, Grechen, about Black Crane being oversized and better on someone tall (even tho it’s often modeled on shorter models). It’s kind of an “Avant grade Eileen Fisher” which is what Eileen Fisher sort of was. Haha! 😉 I like it because it really works on me, where a lot of higher fashion brands end at size 10, my size 12/14 body can wear Black Crane.
Maybe you could have a tailor cut slits up the sides so it’s not so narrow? I always think about what a tailor could do with certain pieces that are not ideal. I totally relate to this “you don’t know until you’ve worn it a few times” thing. I recently had that experience with one of the Everlane sweatshirts, the basic crewneck in the marled black color. I love the sweatshirt, but I wish I had gotten it in a Small now instead of XS. When I first tried it on, I though it was great, but then I washed it and now it feels too snug. I don’t think it shrunk, I think just that washing things sometimes changes the feel in some way and then you change your mind. Anyway, I also recently bought a pair of shoes that I LOVE, but I now feel like I got the wrong size and can’t return them. I just budget to some extent for mistakes, while trying to minimize them as much as I can. And of course I end up being able to resell a fair amount of stuff too which helps!
WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT???
still, i don’t think of tailoring as an option sometimes. more than i used to, but i forget how useful it can be. the only problem with that would be for resale…not that i always think in those terms, but i do like to be able to pass things on that i’m finished with eventually, and if it’s been altered to that extent, it wouldn’t be as appealing.
and generally, i just prefer the length of the size medium, so i’m not sure adding slits up the side would “fix” the dress for me totally…it would still be a little shorter than i’d like.