The sales continue: Ann Taylor Friends & Family picks

Ann Taylor sweater skirt, LOFT utility blouse, Halogen Marlie heels (similar)
Sale season is officially in full swing, and I'm back today with a few fitting room snapshots from officewear fave AT (take 40% off with FRIENDS40). I tried on a few sweater dresses that didn't work out, however was pleasantly surprised by this flared sweater skirt. The waist of an xxs petite fit perfectly which doesn't usually happen with this brand, plus can accommodate a small range of sizes because it's a stretchy knit. The sweater material here is medium to thick in weight, with the waistband being a little thicker and more durable in feel. The material up close is a dark navy sweater with two sizes of dots, reminiscent of an abstract animal print.

Next up is this crochet lace dress brought back from the legacy AT archives. I own this dress in two colors from many years ago and they are both undoubtedly amongst my favorite pieces. I wanted to see and try it on in person, since you never know how quality and fit changes over the years!

Ann Taylor scalloped lace dress, leather woven chain belt
The crochet lace feels slightly thinner than past years' but is still a good sturdy weight and made of 100% cotton. It is also still double-lined with an invisible side zipper. The cut of the dress is almost exactly the same as the initial version, roomy through the torso and hits at my knees (a more recent version ran an inch shorter). You can see a few reviews online complaining about the boxier fit. Good news is the double lining allows for easy alterations - I did them myself years ago (see photos of the stitching) and thought it was one of the easier at-home projects.
The trick is to go underneath the first layer of lining only, and shape the waist by taking in the two (or 4, if necessary) darts. No zipper alterations were necessary for this beginner-level job. Please note the dress is shown as a mini-length on the model, but the petite 00 hits me at a more work-appropriate length.

Below is another sweater skirt I tried on - I wanted to show it so shoppers don't confuse it with the navy dots version in pic #1. Even though the product names sound similar, the black skirt material is thinner in comparison and there isn't really a thicker area for the "waistband." The fit felt even smaller than the navy dots and was pretty snug on me at the waist (~24"). Although the fit of this was good, I found the navy one to be of notably better quality and more exciting in design.

AT sweater flounce skirt, trying sz xxs petite
Next up is this feminine lace blouse in a peach pink color. This piece caught my eye online immediately and the quality of the lace didn't disappoint in person. The trim is a faux leather material, and please note there is no lining or attached undertank so you need to wear a nude bra or camisole. Fit was slim and sleeves were about an inch too long, typical of most petite shirts on me. This seemed to be a popular one as only two sizes were left at my local store. I thought it was really pretty but not sure when/how I'd wear it, except maybe tucked into fuller party skirts. Anyone who got this top - please share your styling ideas!

Ann Taylor winter lace top in xxs petite

Here was another pretty blouse with small jewel clusters. The material is described as "crepe" online which can sometimes be flimsy and iffy...the material of this shirt though has good woven weight and is a medium weight crepe. I wanted to point out that the length of the shirt felt shorter than others I was trying on, so the petites may not be for anyone over 5'1" or 5'2" ish.

Ann taylor jewel cluster shirt, size xxs petite

And here was a tweed jacket from the sale section (trying on 00 petite over a thicker sweater)...I already have a LOFT one in a really similar color scheme, but wanted to share this for anyone interested. It's a nice neutral piece for both work and weekend wear, has a matching skirt, and I saw lots of positive reviews online.
AT tweed moto jacket

I thought this dress was gooorgeous in this season's advertisements, but it likely needs alterations on a petite frame. A shift style dress is intended to be boxier, but needs to be offset by a shorter mini length, and should have a slight triangular shape from the armholes down to the hem versus be completely rectangular. On the plus side, the material was dressy and a medium to thicker weight, the dress was fully lined, and the jewels did not look cheap in my opinion.

AT jeweled dress in 00 petite (left as-is, right with hem folded up)

Whew! And that's it for today. I haven't had the luxury of shopping too often with work, but took full advantage while on a mini vacation! I left with the shrunken-fit cropped sweater reviewed previously (FYI, it's marked down lower in-stores than online) and the Chanel-esque chain belt tried on with the black crochet dress above (punched 2 extra holes in the XS). I had been debating over the cropped sweater for a while, and kept on putting together outfits that could just use a shorter cable sweater. I am working on a project with AT later this month for which I picked the navy sweater skirt to feature, so will share more photos of that piece as well.

PS - other sales going on this weekend only: 1) take 25% off everything at Kate Spade with code BEMERRY with free ship & returns to the U.S. ** Update: Piperlime is offering 30% off their KS items through 11/18!** I haven't looked at their selection in a while and it's tough narrowing down holiday gift options for KS bag-loving friends! Any recommendations of bags from there would be awesome. 2) Take 25% off dresses and jewelry at Anthropologie, prices as marked. Tons of items in petite sizing, including this fun dotted "Rokin" dress with good reviews. A few readers have mentioned that if you call after placing an order, customer service may waive the shipping cost for petite sizing items as a courtesy, since that selection is online-only.