Seattle Anthropologie Tag Sale Score

I had amazing luck yesterday at the Anthropologie in Seattle. It was the kind of magical tag sale find that never, ever happens to me. I'm not much of a markdown shopper and usually find that only the items I've already passed on show up in markdown, or I find something and later regret the purchase even at the reduced price. I really don't get too excited about rushing out to the tag sale because they are just a lot of hard work digging for the treasure finds and I'm very much a focused shopper. I know what I like and what I want before I get to the store so once I get there it's a matter of finding it and trying it on for fit. Well I've now had that awesome tag sale find that has turned me into a markdown shopper!! More on that in a minute.

Yesterday was my first time checking out the downtown Seattle Anthro since my destination is usually the University Village. I really wanted to check out the downtown store soley (ha ha!) for the shoe department. I happened to see the Lemon Stick Wedges (ordered online, should have waited!) and I loved them. I tried them on and they were just as soft and comfortable as I expected. Now I just need to wait for mine to arrive amidst the Canada Post strike. Boo! Hopefully a week from Monday but likely it will take longer then that. I must say, I really, really love the downtown Anthro. It's so beautifully displayed and spacious with quite a large selection. I didn't find anything there on markdown that I had to have  despite there being a plentiful sales rack but I did pick up the To The Flea Market Crops which I was surprised to love. I wasn't so sure about the print on these based on the website photos. Everything else about them were exactly what I've been looking for for summer crops. In person the print was much less obvious and a fun play on camo print colors of brown and tan, but with a feminine print instead. The fit was relaxed but not baggy on me (I'm pretty curvy) and the size 10 I grabbed was the right size. The length hit me right about the knees and because of the cinched up sides I don't get that weird look that sometimes bermudas give me because of my athletic thighs.

Off we went to the University Village which is my favourite destination when going to Seattle. It's the perfect outdoors mall for summer weather with a terrific playground for preschoolers and younger toddlers. We like to let the toddlers play and tire them out before setting out for the long drive home, it's a much more pleasant drive with the two of them sleeping.

I went in to the anthropologie and it was quite busy with a long fitting room lineup so I already knew I would have to make decisions without trying things on first. I made 3 slow meandering loops of the store and found a few things I liked but nothing I desperately needed. I scanned the many sales racks for familiar items that had previously caught my eye (with a specific pie in the sky item in mind) and saw nothing. I decided I was happy enough with my Flea Market Crops and exited the store to find my husband and daughters waiting outside. Just then my husband had to take a phone call so I went back into the store and like a magnet I was drawn to a sales room. And there I saw the Unicorn holding a four leaf clover. The Tippi Dress had just been placed there by a SA. I snatched it up!! I took out the hanger and peeked at the size. Size 8!!! This could work. I found a mirror nearby and hastily tried the dress on on top of my clothes and it fit beautifully. As I made my way to the check out I noticed 3 women staring at the dress and following me in anticipation of my setting it down. As I stood in line the girl behind me exclaimed how cute the dress was. I asked the cashier if they had any more of the Tippi Dress hiding somewhere and she said no, they just got that one in a few minutes ago from an online return and they all thought it was so cute.

Now that I'm at home and have had a chance to really try it on I definitely think it's a keeper. The dress fits well except that I wish it was a tad bit longer. My bigger hips make the dress sit above my knees a few inches and the drop waist sits half way over my hips but cannot be pulled down any lower to give me a bit of length. I would have loved to try on the size 10 just for a bit of added length but that would have made the top bigger and it really fit perfectly except for the length. Nothing a few pounds of weight  loss can't fix. The print is so adorable and whimsical and slightly macabre. It's meant as a homage to Tippi Hedren from the The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock. The scale of the print is really ingenious as well as the placement of the birds in pretty swirly movement. Although the print is bottom heavy, the movement of the birds draws your eyes upwards in nice balance. There is a really nice balance between positive and negative space so that the print does not overwhelm or look to busy. It reads as a cohesive piece between the dress and the print and so you wear the dress, it does not wear you. This is my fear when wearing bold prints like this but it's really very pretty.  I plan on wearing this dress tunic style over leggings and in the warmer months I'll wear it as a dress with strappy black sandals.

To The Flea Market Crops $68

Tippi Dress $139.95..was $268