Blogging Karma

Along with the conversation about designer duds verses 'knock-offs' that seems to have taken over the blog world, a common theme seems to be that when it comes to the cheaper versions of designer inspired clothing, the quality you receive is just never the same. I have even heard a few bloggers mention that they have had some shirts from stores such as Forever 21 that fell apart after one wash. I'm not sure if it's my picky attitude toward fabrics, but I've never had poor luck with the quality of clothing for Forever 21. Until this shirt anyways. This shirt is nothing that I would normally pick out for myself, but it is everything that I would want to wear. Bold Floral pattern combined with some killer puffy sleeves and I am there. This shirt just screams 'Kayla', and so I picked it up off of the clearance rack and brought it home to live with my other wonderful items. I wore it once to work but after a long day, I never got around to picture taking and this shirt found it's way to the laundry bin before it made it's way back into an outfit. I put this shirt on for the second time and was immediately disappointed. It seems in one wash, the puffy sleeves have drooped and the fabric has begun to pill. Instead of making the bold power woman statement I thought this shirt would in my office, I spent most of the day paranoid about the excess fabric that hung around my shoulders.

Amazingly enough, I think by days end I preferred the droopy fabric to the original puffy shoulders. The droopy fabric still give the effect of the full shoulders without giving my co-workers flashbacks to Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink. (You know the dress I'm talking about, and you know you would like to find a version for yourselves) So the excess fabric I could learn to live with, but what I will not be able to live with is the stretch of the stomach of the shirt. Suddenly this shirt came out of the wash approximately 2 times bigger in my mid section. The fabric now falls as if I had spent all morning with my shirt pulled over my knees. At first, I assumed it was the greedy dryer elves. You know, the ones who are always steeling just one sock? I figured that the tubby of the dryer elves lives in my dryer, and he probably borrowed my top for the monthly dryer elves meeting. I normally wouldn't mind except this time he returned my shirt incredibly stretched out, and no-one likes when things are returned in a state different from which they were borrowed.

Now I'm on the fence. The little elf on one shoulder is telling me that despite the excess shoulder fabric, and the stretching in the stomach winter is a coming and this is still a great pattern. Layered under a fabulous jean jacket no-one would notice the flaws. My other little elf ( probably the same one who is living in my dryer) is telling me to wash the shirt just one more time and than donate it away ( probably so he can steal it and keep it in his personal stash of sock related items). For now I will hang the shirt up in my closet, and there it there to live while I think. I guess blogging karma came and got me. Never doubt you're fellow bloggers. Even from the other side of the country their opinions can still be proven right.

Shirt: Forever 21 $5

Black Trouser Pants: Banana Republic via Goodwill $5

Red Suede Shoes: Collin Stuart via Goodwill $4.50

Necklace: Made from another necklace, which I got as a Hand-Me-Down from my mother $0