Yes, it’s another fall shopping post! So soon after my last one? But when I saw that Ann Taylor was having a 40% sitewide sale, and that their website was full of work-friendly items in petite sizes… and then when I saw how many of them were in one of my favourite purple colours? Well, it was hard to resist.

And yes, I admit it, I’m addicted to purple. But it’s more than that. Colours go in and out of style in cycles. Sometimes that means I’ll spend years waiting for my most flattering colours to be back in stores, all while trying to avoid all of those colours that wash me out or make me look sickly. As it happens, some of my favourite colours — deep rich purples, reds, navy blues, teals, rich dark greens — are showing up in stores this fall.

This, combined with the fact that my company has put a hybrid RTO policy in place so I really needed a few wardrobe updates for work, convinced me to pull the trigger on a shopping cart full of items. And yes, a large majority of them are purple. Don’t judge.

So this week, I drove myself down to my PO box at the US border to try on my haul. It’s worth noting that Ann Taylor will ship to Canada through partner Borderfree. But most of the sales and promotions aren’t available on international orders, taxes and duties are high, and return shipping is a pain. It was much cheaper and easier to just have everything shipped to the border. This way, I was able to immediately return the stuff that didn’t fit, and only pay the taxes and duties on the items I chose to take home with me. (For more cross-border shopping tips for Canadians, see my post here.)

How did I do? Read on:

First, the item I just had to have: This cropped purple blazer, which is so on trend right now with sailor-inspired clothing rocking all the runways for fall:

Blazer: The Petite Fitted Blazer in Plum Rose, size 4P, $139 USD (reduced from $189)

Yes, it’s another purple blazer. No, I don’t strictly need it. But it just looked so polished and insta-professional, and it’s been years since I’ve purchased a new work wardrobe statement item. So I succumbed to temptation.

Here it is on me:

Yaaaaas! I fell in love with this blazer the minute I put it on. The fabric is soft, rich, and comfortable. The fit, in my usual size of 4P, is almost perfect. Even the gold buttons, which are something I normally would eschew, given my penchant for silver accessories, look good. I knew instantly that this blazer would go into regular rotation across three seasons, and I just had to bring it home with me.

Next, I picked up this petite red cropped cable knit sweater. It appeared maybe slightly boxy in the photos, and also had a rather high crew neck, both of which I tend to avoid. But I ordered it in hopes that it would be lightweight and flattering enough to serve as a fresh piece for fall:

Sweater: Petite Cable Sweater in Deep Auburn, size SP, $58.80 USD (reduced from $98)

Here it is on me:

In person, this has a heavier, thicker texture than it appeared on the website. It’s a polyester-viscose blend that unfortunately feels like it will be sweaty and not particularly breathable. Usually I prefer natural fabrics like cotton or wool for sweaters. I also usually prefer thinner and more lightweight pieces that layer better.

But, on the plus side, it isn’t boxy at all; in fact, it’s quite fitted. The fit is pretty decent, with me having to only roll the sleeves a little. And I can see this colour being useful during the Christmas season. I decided that, despite the fabric, this one was worth keeping.

Next, I bought this cute ruffled polka dot blouse in this gorgeous purple colour:

Blouse: Petite Ruffle Button Blouse, plum rose, size SP, $53.70 USD (reduced from $89.50)

In person, here’s what it looked like:

So, um, it’s very shiny, and not in a luxurious silk either, but in cheap 100% polyester. The puffy sleeves and ruffling details are much more prominent in person. Not to mention, in my usual size of Petite Small, this is quite big and baggy on me. I probably should’ve sized down to the extra-small.

Despite this, it’s not actually half bad. Tucked in, it actually works a bit better. (Or, it hopefully will, once I iron out the creases):

I think I like this enough to hang onto it. Maybe I’m just being swayed by the colour. But I can see enough use for it as part of a fall work wardrobe to make this piece worthwhile. I might try to exchange it for a smaller size, though.

Continuing the theme of this lovely purple colour, I decided I needed a button-down shirt in it, too. So I picked up this one:

Shirt: Petite Multi Button Shirt, plum rose, size SP, $53.70 USD (reduced from $89.50)

Here it is on me:

I actually love this. The fabric is lightweight and feels comfortable. The fit in my usual size of Petite Small is pretty good, possibly with just having to roll the sleeves a tiny bit. The faux collar and loop button details give it some uniqueness. Needless to say, the colour is great. And it’s the type of shirt that can be dressed up or down, can be worn tucked or untucked, and pairs well with just about anything.

Unfortunately, the quality of this piece is a bit disappointing. It’s 100% polyester, which is too bad because I remember when Ann Taylor was known for its quality fabrics. And it arrived with that weird smell that is notorious with made-in-China cheap fabrics. They claim this shirt is machine-washable, so maybe the smell can be dealt with by running it through the wash. And I do like how it looks, so I’ll probably hang onto it. But I do wish it was better made.

Still loving all this gorgeous plum purple, I grabbed this raglan sweater on a whim:

Sweater: Petite Raglan Button Crew Neck Sweater, plum rose, size SP, $58.50 USD (reduced from $98)

Unfortunately, this one didn’t work at all on me:

The colour is good, and the fit is pretty decent. And, unlike a lot of AT pieces these days, this one is actually 44% cotton. But high necklines don’t work on me in general, and this is no exception. And the raglan button details on the shoulders were doing me no favours. I forgot to heed my own advice about necklines for petite pears with narrow shoulders and wider hips. I considered it a lesson reinforced and promptly sent it back.

Another piece that didn’t quite work in person as well as I’d hoped it would was this mixed-media purple sweater with a faux white blouse collar and tails:

Sweater: Petite Collared Mixed Media Sweater, plum rose, size SP, $71.40 USD (reduced from $119)

I’ve actually had success with these two-in-one blouse/sweater pieces before. I find they can be a convenient way to add the crisp look of a sweater over a shirt, without all the bulk and creasing that comes from actually layering them.

However, not in this case. Here it is on me:

What wasn’t clear from the website, but was immediately clear as soon as I put this on, is that this piece is boxy, poorly constructed, and has awkward proportions. The sweater piece is a lot more cropped than it looks in the photos, hanging out awkwardly around my midsection. The blouse underneath is long and baggy. And the whole thing adds multiple horizontal lines that cut me in pieces and just makes me look wide and awkward.

Tucking in the blouse section is slightly better, but only slightly. The boxy cropped sweater still sits weirdly, and the tucked in part of the blouse just adds volume to my waist.

Overall, this top just doesn’t work on my petite, pear-shaped frame. I instantly put it in the returns pile.

Next, I’ll review the three pairs of pants I purchased:

Now, I’ve been happily wearing my skinny pants and jeans like the stubborn GenX/millennial cusper I am, ignoring all the oversized, baggy, and wide-leg trends of the past few years. I just find that, being both short and pear-shaped, widening the leg area gives too much visual emphasis to my lower half, and isn’t particularly flattering.

However, for work, I figured I could use a couple of pairs of pants that aren’t jeans. So I decided to gamble on these navy blue high-waisted wide leg pants. They didn’t look all that wide in the photo, so I figured I’d give them a try:

Pants: The Petite Wide-Leg Pant, night sky, size 4P, $77.40 USD (reduced from $129)

On me, the high waist was a real problem. I need to write a whole separate rant post about the high waisted pant trend. My torso is essentially nonexistent, so they come up to basically my boobs:

The waist gaped unflatteringly in my usual size of 4P. And, far from making me look longer or leaner, the wide high leg style only made me look shorter and wider than I am. I also didn’t like the polyester -viscose fabric, which is unlined and looked cheap and not very breathable. I decided to send these back. I’ll have to keep looking for a good pair of navy pants, preferably in a midrise and a better quality fabric.

I also picked up two different pairs of black pants, since I wasn’t sure which style might fit best. First, these Jayne midrise trouser pants in a classic fit:

Pants: The Petite Jayne Trouser Pant, black, size 4P, $65.40 USD (reduced from $109)

Here they are on me:

The fit on these is actually pretty good. It’s hard to photograph pants accurately in a dressing room. But the length is perfect for a trouser pant, just a little long with flats but perfect with low heels. The waist, in my usual size of 4P, sits a little higher than midrise on my short torso, but not ridiculously so, and it only gapes a little bit. Despite being a straight cut, they don’t pull too much at my hips.

It’s unfortunate that these are made of a polyester/rayon blend, rather than a natural fabric like wool. And I do wish there was a little less waist gap. But these will do pretty nicely, I think. I’ll probably keep them.

The other style I tried, for comparison, was the Sophia Straight Pant, which is also a midrise style, but has a narrower leg and a slightly shorter inseam than the Jayne pants:

These pants are available in both regular and curvy fit. I decided to try the curvy fit, which, according to AT’s size chart, is 0.5″ smaller at the waist and 1.5″ larger at the hip than the equivalent size in classic fit. Since I’m pear shaped, I frequently have issues with pants being too tight at the hips, so I wanted to see if the curvy fit would solve that problem.

Here  they are on me:

The fit of these is actually probably technically the best of the three pairs I tried. The curvy fit helps to reduce that gaping at the waist, while providing enough room at the hip area. The length on these is good. The rise isn’t too high. They’re mostly okay, even.

However, there were two big problems with these pants. One is the fabric, which is a heavy, thick polyester-rayon blend that just feels cheap and not very nice. The other, more practically, is that the straight leg on these pants isn’t different enough from my black skinny pants that I already own to justify their existence. For my money, I’d much prefer to pick up another pair of my holy grail BR Petite Sloan Pants, which are 53% cotton and much better quality. I just don’t need these pants, so back they went.

Haul summary:

Not great, not bad. A bit of a mixed bag, to tell the truth.

On the plus side, I headed home with a few new staple work items, including a basic pair of black trouser pants, two blouses, a bright cheerful sweater, and, of course, that purple blazer. Seriously, I’d say this haul was worth it for the blazer alone! I really love all this purple, and I appreciate the extensive selection of petite items that Ann Taylor has in stock.

The downsides? Well, Ann Taylor’s quality has clearly gone way downhill lately. I haven’t shopped there since pre-COVID, though I did pop into LOFT recently, but I remember them having high quality pieces at premium prices. Well, their prices are still premium, even with the sales. But the fabrics of many of these items are made from cheap synthetics, the fits are boxy and oversized, and some of the items arrived creased or smelling badly. They were okay, but I expected better. .

The verdict? I picked up a few items that will tide me over. But, given the option, I’d prefer to focus on brands with better quality items in natural fabrics.