It's Old Navy Dress-TASTIC!!!

It's Old Navy Dress-TASTIC!!! 

(p.s. writing this off and on  in the process of editing and adding... more later. SO SO SOOOOO TIRED. need bed. Will finish later- promise!)

 

So...

      Something that those who know me well know well---> When it comes to clothing myself I am ALL about dresses and dressing up on a regular basis. If ever I have an actual event to dress for it's simply an excuse for me to be even MORE dressed up than usual. Now if you don't know me well, you may think that in this I exaggerate- but trust me I kid you not. I wear dresses nearly All. The. Time. What pant and pant-ular type things I do own usually end up shoved to the back of my closet for the rare occasion when a dressier style is impractical. Then again- if you know me- you're probably PFFT-ing right now and muttering to yourself that I am also often impractical when it comes to personal clothing choices even when I should opt for function first. Fashion ALWAYS above and over being sensible and all that. That being said- because my closet is mostly comprised of dressier items I am pretty picky when it comes to a dress's fit, overall value and design. Which is why when A few weeks ago I was chosen to be a part of this seasons Old Navy Style Council Dress Share through Crowdtap! (What's she talking about? What crowd? Style Council-Whatta? Click here join and find out!) I was both EXCTATIC and wary... Curious while apprehensive as to what I would discover about Old Navy dresses upon an in-depth inspection.
     What makes me fall in love with a dress? It's all in the little details. I know that most people won't notice them upon first glance- or maybe at all. But I do think that things like better/cuter/ designed plackets, collars, sleeves or lack thereof, buttons, lace, an area of extra pleating or ruching, great fabric and fall... All add up to create a more eye catching and pleasing aesthetic. So when I look for a dress- I look for all of the little- but still HIGHLY important -details to make an appearance. I won't buy just any dress or one simply because it fits. The more boutique/ready to wear runway a dress feels and looks on the rack and on me- the better! Since dresses are the IT staple in my wardrobe I want each and every one to be absolutely perfect- too much to ask? I hoped that this share would prove Old Navy another option from whence to pluck the occasional highly affordable- yet still super stylish choice.
     I wasted no time in searching out what dress choices I may like for me and one lucky friend to test out for free (That's right, FREE!) from OldNavyDresses. I won't lie- I was pretty frustrated- because my FAVE choices were only available at OldNavy.com and not in stores... I realize that the exclusivity factor might be the point- but to me it's just a bit of a not so nice tease. Look here are some AWESOME choices- but they won't be included in your share. I tried not to let this be too much of a downer for me- because- HEY! Free dresses! Still pretty dang awesome! Just sayin OldNavy...

A few of the candidates...

Don't Mess With The Dress-TASTIC OldNavy! by violetteviridian featuring old navy dresses

     As I said before- one lucky friend would be joining me in this ON Style Council share. For this one I chose Candace. Before the date of the share to get started I sent links to all the dresses I wanted Candace to try out to her via email. And we discussed their pros and cons over IM. Candace hasn't worn or owned a dress in YEARS. So obviously she was the first one to come to mind when I received the go ahead on this Style Council opportunity. Here she is above in her ultimate choice the Old Navy the V-Neck Sweater Dress in Navy Stripe.

     We planned to hit up OldNavy early and then shop the rest of the evening. Aaaaand as usual we ended up running late- so we didn't get as much other shopping done as we'd hoped. Why? Because every time we go to OldNavy together we end up spending HOURS in the store. ON's like a swirling vortex of colour, cheesy/hip music and sales, Sales, SALES!!! We couldn't seem to help ourselves and left with a mountain of stuff including our free- YAY! FREE! \(^-^)/ dresses. Pictured below are our carts about an hour into our shop-TASTIC event!

     As to be expected on a weekend during this time of year in the US our Old Navy store was MANIACAL. So we made use of the quick change rooms that are parsed throughout the store. Along for the ride on this share- my bestie Stephanie. Here she is peeeaking out...

     My partner in crime and I made dear Candi try on everything in her size and even some that weren't hehe... Below Candi looks a tad unsure in her almost choice the Crepe Shift in Blue Print... Which we both agreed would look better if it were better fitted. Or if she had a belt on. Or if the sleeves and hem were shorter. Or SOMETHING. I tried them on too and to be honest the way these were cut is just plain weird for those with a more shall we say... realistic shape. I think you'd have to be an apple bod to make them fit correctly. Big on top littler in the middle and littler still on the bottom. (Barbie?) Or simply a straight up string. See how oversized the thing is on top for Candi? And Candi is NOT flat chested. We won't be sharing how I looked in this one... because WOW was that ever circus worthy. Even when I sized down... maybe especially when I sized down- I looked ridiculous. I have a small chest and and hourglass like shape. I was either swallowed whole by the dress or looked as though I wore a balloon/billowing pirate top while my middle was being constricted by Chinese handcuffs.

     When we went the store wasn't super stocked with dresses yet and as a result a couple of my initial online choices were not in stock. Admittedly they were few to begin with. I had planned to pick the one that looked the best on me and add to it by way of belts, jewelry, shoes and bags. Like I said- I am EXTREMELY choosy when it comes to dresses. I have a tendency towards the flare end of the spectrum in my outside of the house mode of style. Give me lace! Chiffon! Pleats! Ruching!  CA-RAY-ZAY patterns! Dramatic cuts and dynamite fabric! A million little buttons, or sequins or studs and so on. In a dress I am looking for something a little more- MORE. Would Old Navy necessarily have at least one or two that fit this notion- it was possible right?

Will talk about/post pic of my ultimate choice here when I have time! (^-^)

     After this share I am certain that Old Navy carries some great choices for the more casual dress wearer or for someone who knows how to accessorize to the hilt! Candi found several options that she would be comfortable in/adding to her (all too dress light IMHO (^,^) ) wardrobe. So if you are inclined at all/desire to be more frequent in donning the casual dress or know how/want to turn the simple into the extra-FAB- Old Navy and OldNavy.com are a great 'New Dress' place to start.

Let Your Fun Shine- Be An Old Navy Beach Bum!

        

          Old Navy Beach Bum Party Invite by violetteviridian featuring a canvas beach tote

               

Updating... now so if it seems disjointed it's
because I keep adding
and changing stuff- it promises to be a longish one- so please keep
 checking back for completion...  

It goes a little somethin' like this...
Congrats- Since you're an Old Navy Fashionista who loves glamming up for the beach you've been selected for a chance to participate in 

Old Navy's Beach Bum Event!

I can't tell you how excited I was to get this share from Old Navy

via 

Crowdtap! 

For an explanation on how Crowdtap works go here! 

And to sign up click here!

Steph, Jess & Amy in front of the flip flip wall @OldNavy

A regular Old Navy beach accessory free for all! I wasted no time
inviting three great friends of mine Jess, Amy and of course Steph
(can't do anything like this without my besty!) Crowdtap gave tappers a
couple links to jump off with on what we could expect to have to choose
from - So I sent those on to Jess, Amy and Steph along with a couple
weekly updates on what was new and what choices I thought best
reflected their personalities in Old Navy's new beach line. We were to
get any beach towel, bag, sunglasses and flip flops of our choice!
Awesome right!?! I have quite a wardrobe of flip flops- many of which
hail from Old Navy. (In recent months Old Navy has updated their shape and 
style to be thinner strapped and have a sleeker footbed- if you haven't tried them 
on for size lately you should do so soon!) One more pair of my choice for
free was definitely alright with me!And with all the styles that there
were to choose from on this link- Old Navy Flippers! which Old Navy
provided us to look through I had quite a bit of difficulty picking a fave
pair. The flip flop part of this share as well as the sunglasses part of this
share was to turn out somewhat badly and not in a 'good bad' kind of
way I am afraid (._.) more on that in a bit... Steph swears by ON totes
and buys them regularly...
As evidenced below

But before this share I hadn't really given OldNavy's bags much thought
towards actually purchasing. This was to be the first time I tested out a
beach bag and towel from Old Navy- So I was curious to see how they
stood up to the competition in terms of style and quality as were my
friends Jess and Amy. After testing mine out several times running to
the beach I can say that the ones I chose have held up nicely. I put quite
a bit of weight in my purses /bags so their construction is pretty important!
I have tried the sunglasses from Old Navy recently and I love them.
FYI- Old Navy sunnies make a regular appearance in my day to day ever
since I bought these a couple months ago. OldNavy has a MASSIVELY
better selection in stores than they do online. In my opinion this is just
more of an incentive to drop on in- but should you like to take a gander at
what they offer online go here.

Soooo... on to the PARTY! 

Steph, Amy, Jess and I arrived at Old Navy after battling rush hour
traffic late afternoon on a Tuesday. (This is how we say Tuesday around
these parts... haha) And immediately started piling up our carts with all
kinds of OldNavy merch to try and to buy as well as test out for free!
(Yay! Free!)

Much to my disappointment the selection of swimwear in store left a LOT 

to be desired. I am not sure if this is because of where I live and/or there 

was a run on Old Navy Swim. Maybe our store never really had a 

selection to begin with. Who knows- In any case I was bummed- because 

online it's an entirely different story. For those of you aren't familiar with 

Old Navy's Swimsuit Line- you really should check it out! Because holy 

mole is it extensive! 

Once we had OVERLOADED our carts- we finally made our way back 

to the dressing rooms to shimmy into our finds. After donning our first 

Old Navy Beachesque looks and hitting up the accessories- we elected to 

sashay about the store and take a few pics...

Above is Amy in the much loved and anticipated Old Navy Halter 

Monokini- which she was lucky to get- 'Cause guess what? They are out 

of stock online- and in many stores- Which should tell Old Navy 

something right? I kept saying this was THE IT PICK on the CT 

discussion boards. Liiiiiisteeeeeeen to me Old Navy! Order more- and 

make more in this style- it's a hit! Amy donned Old Navy's oh so comfy 

Jersey Maxi Skirt, a trio of ON's cocoa & gold beaded bracelets and a 

very pretty pair of sheer chocolate gold swirl accented sunnies to play off 

of the rings of her swimsuit and her golden hair.

Looking ready to set sail in her classic Old 'Navy' and White ensemble- 

Playful Jess "adopts" one of the Modelkins kids as her own. Jess on 

Old Navy's Fold Over Beach Linen Blend Pant in Bright White, 

"These pants are RIDICULOUSLY comfortable. Totally breezy."

Not to be outdone with the modelkins- Amy gives newly dubbed dogelkin "Scupper" some much needed attention. 

I snap a quick pic of myself in OldNavy's Chiffon Tie Front Maxi Dress

 in Anjou Pear and ON's shoulder duster multi hued feather earrings 

(available in stores only) as we head back over to the accessories...

Amy, moi and Jess as we try out some more sunnies! 

Steph definitely got some laughs as an OldNavy Pirate... 

Aaaaargh matey! 

"I swear! I just picked them up and the lens fell out! 

I didn't Do it!"

 haha.

After messing about with photo taking and more shopping we headed 

back to the dressing rooms to try on a few more items...

Amy is ready for a picnic on the beach in Old Navy's
Printed Twill Shorts in Bright Night, Skirted Halter Bikini in 
Red Top Gingham, Split neck Button Front Top in Bright White,
Straw Cowboy hat
(only in stores) & Rafia Multi Blue Stripe Beach Tote
(also only in stores).

Amy says, "I didn't think I would like these sailboat shorts...
but now that I have them on...
Do you think I'd look good in the orange version too?"

Feeling comfortable and looking great in Old Navy's Drawstring 
Tube Jersey Maxi Dress in Blue & Red Stripe-
Jess falls in love
with Old Navy dresses and ponders more dress choices.
Note her Old Navy Floral Cross-Body Tote in Navy

Some of our Old Navy Beach Bum Party haul! Picked up some
more along the way.
Can't leave an Old Navy Share without buying more!

Remember the flip flop/sunglasses/zebra towel fisaco I mentioned earlier? Thoroughly thrilled with all of our Old Navy choices- and wishing that
Old Navy was open later (We closed them down! haha!) we headed off to checkout. Just as I was thinking about how happy I was to have had a
part in re-introducing Jess to the wonderful shopping experience that is
OldNavy-the trouble began. First It was the flip flops. Even though the
coupon said ANY flip flop and EVEN THOUGH Old Navy had linked
us Tappers to the page with the flippers my crew ended up picking...
See the pick below- if you go to the link Old Navy provided you'll note
that all of our choices are on the page!

The coupon did not work. I explained that I was shown our choices
via OLD NAVY and that the coupon said we could have them!
The staff refused to budge. We were told to go back and pick up
plain/solid colour flip flops only. The faces of my friends were a
mixture of crestfallen edging toward mad. Madder still when we were
informed that the very flip flops we were getting were going to be on
sale the coming weekend for only 1$ a pair.
Amy muttered, "It's like they're all waving their hands at us
and saying- 'We need to unload some old stock so this is what
you get, run along now.'."
Don't get me wrong free is free- and I still LOVE Old Navy Flippers-
even the revamped classic kind- but come on!
We were supposed to be trying out NEW Old Navy Beach Looks-
not OLD Old Navy Beach Looks!
And then- came the sunglasses. Of which we were told we could
have none. Because- and get this- "We only sell Beeline in women's
sunglasses.You can have the men's if you like, though." At this point I
was more than a little upset. I had been told and shown one thing by
OldNavy Corporate on Crowdtap. I had happily and excitedly shared it
with my ALL of my friends not just those I had invited. Now I was
being told something all together different by a completely unworkable
staff. No sunglasses and no flip flop choice? What was next? No bag?
Thankfully the bags went through okay.
PHEW!
Up came the Beach Towel... Which none of us were really thrilled
with anyway- because the prints available were all FAR too kid/teen like.
Not to mention the fact that they are extremely THIN and TOO small
widthwise. Steph- who models hers for me right now jokes, "Look at this
thing! I can't shower on the beach after a swim and walk out in this!
It barely covers me from boobies to bum!". Steph's, Amy's and my towel
choices were all deemed to pass coupon inspection. Then came Jess's.
No go. !WHAT! Okay at this point we were all ROYALLY hot under
the collar- Though I do say none more so than me- as I had a fine sheen
of embarrassment to go along with my mad since I was the one hosting
the get together. I asked to see the manager (who I'd already met when
we came in to show/give the letter from Old Navy/Crowdtap that let's
them know we're with CT and that therewill be a tonnage of photo
taking) Turned out she was standing right behind us the whole time and
hadn't offered to help once! She came around the counter and
begrudgingly gave us the sunglasses and zebra towel by overriding the
system. But not the flip flops we had originally chosen. (> ~<)

We left the store with our haul in tow- but not entirely happy.
Checkout seemed to have cast a pall over our shopping fun.
Jess suggested we go have a drink or two and some dinner to settle
our upset a bit. By the time we had finished our meal and drinks
we had indeed calmed down. Reflecting that while we were still
ticked about the flip flops at least we'd had a good time and
walked away with most of what we wanted from OldNavy!

I can't say that I won't be going back to Old Navy- I love it too much! 

The deals, the cute clothes- the flippers! I won't be leaving it behind- 

but I worry that Jess may be a bit too put out to go back and I so 

wanted Old Navy to leave a good impression on her. After reading 

so many replies on CT discussion boards I am thinking that this was 

all a big mistake by the rushed printing process of our Old Navy Share

Pamphlets. 

In any case- I don't blame Old Navy Corporate or CT for the flub.

I am sure with all the feedback- Old Navy and CT will find a way to

prevent future share coupon issues.
I have talked with my friends after the share- and they tell me- even
though they didn't get exactly what they wanted flip flop wise they do
still love their new Old Navy Beach gear!!!

After The Share...

A few days later... Steph faces the sun in Old Navy's Terry 

Zip Hoodie in cobalt 

and the same sunglasses Amy picked as we get ready for the beach!

 Her packed Old Navy Tote- One among others that she purchased 

along 

with her free one as well...

My Old Navy Boho Beach Tote, Classic Flippers in Warm Fire Red & Rhinestone Embellished Black Sunnies (available in store only)

Me in my new Old Navy sunglasses at beach night! 

Carrying one of the new totes I 

purchased along with the free one given by Old Navy...

America's Next Top Woolite Fashionista! (Woolite introduces Extra Dark Care!)

Click here for a free sample of Woolite Extra Dark Care

Though both very active members of Crowdtap, it is very, very rare that the two of us (Steph and I) are chosen for the same Sample and Share or Hosted Party opportunities- So imagine our total and utter SURPRISE! when in the beginning of June it came to our attention that we were both selected to host a Woolite Extra Dark Care Hosted Party!! 

We should say, our surprise and slight PANIC. 

TWO WEEKS to plan TWO PARTIES?! 

TWENTY SAMPLES to deliver?! 

*Frantic hand motions here*

We should note right now that we are writing this together, Stephanie doing the typing

because she's much faster ;) hehe, but both contributing nonetheless.

During the couple of weeks leading up to our event to get people excited and familiarized with the Woolite brand, we promoted the "Love Live Your Jeans" Woolite Sweepstakes and encouraged all of our friends, family and neighbours to like Woolite on Facebook and enter the sweepstakes. Fair made a Polyvore to promote Woolite Extra Dark Care and Original Woolite on Pinterest and other social media sites.

Source: violetteviridian.polyvore.com via Fair on Pinterest

It didn't take long before we decided to perhaps bend the rules a little...though we're not

sure there ARE any, per se...and host ONE GRAND FETE together. We got right to the

planning and before we knew it our America's Next Top Woolite Fashionista party was well underway. 

On the Food/Drink Menu:
Grilled chicken sandwiches, gluten free pizza, gluten free chocolate cake w/raspberry filling and italian buttercream, general snack fare- like Chips/M&M's/Cheetos Etc., Sun Seared Strawberry Paradise Granita's, soda, lemonade, juice, and iced tea. Recipes for GF cake, pizza and granita will be posted on My Fair Cooookie! (^-^) shortly.

On the Activities Menu: 

* A fashion and Woolite inspired Quibblo Quiz Fair spent many an hour creating! Please see below for my results, and you can link right to the quiz as well! It's fun and accurate! Take it and FB/Tweet your results! :) - The two most popular results amongst our party guests were Suburban Casual and Forever Trendy. (This quiz is still a work in progress though, Fair wants to make the quiz even more inclusive! So if you like it, check back in just a couple of weeks and see if your style is the same or maybe a little different, possibly even more accurate!)

* Trivia, sent to us courtesy of Woolite and Crowdtap! - Aside from the quiz this was the most enjoyed activity at the party, and came down to a Sudden Death Draw where they picked Woolite W's from a cup- The one selecting the Black W winning Swag Bag #1. Yay Brandey! You can tell by her smile that she was THRILLED! The swag bags (which were a blast to compile) included a 50 oz bottle of Woolite Extra Dark Care, a pair of mid-range designer sunglasses, a summery scarf, a gift card for $5 off their next Extra Dark Fashion Purchase, an ELF Summer Smokey Eye Kit, and the July copy of ELLE magazine all piled into the branded Woolite dark denim tote bags!

Brandie an extreme couponer says, 
"Oh my GOSH!, So excited to try this on my work clothes and my fiance's work pants! 
And a coupon- AWESOME!

 
* Laundry Tips Challenge! - Each guest was given turns with a Woolite white board and asked to write down their very best and most unique laundry tip! The winner of this won contest Swag Bag #2. Yay Peg! Whoooo just so happens to be Brandey's grandma! Which amused everyone. Her winning tip?

 
* Old/New Clothing Show and Tell - Each guest was asked to bring an old and tattered item of clothing and to wear one of their favorite, most well cared for DARK items of clothing. This was originally for a different activity (more below), however, as they were unwilling to participate we adapted this into a sort of Show and Tell piece. Brandey's husband's Harley shirt was impressively worn out! Hard to believe it was ever solid black! Same goes for Amy's painting shirt, which also used to be black, that she somehow got BBQ sauce on the back! During the discussion we talked about Woolite Extra Dark Care. On how it promises to keep your darks dark as well as in good condition for a much longer period of time than regular detergents. We also related the fact that Woolite is the only detergent that our family uses on our clothing unless bleach is necessary. (ie: dish towels, greasy garage and yard work clothing etc) And while Woolite might cost more than other detergents, you save money in the end by not having to replace harsh detergent damaged items of clothing so frequently.  


Kandis echos our sentiments to thrifter Julie, "Hon, it's much more gentle on your clothes. You don't need harsh detergent for clean clothes. Woolite fit's the bill and makes clothes last longer. You save in the end."


Janice (Julies mom), "You really should. I've used Woolite since you were little. It really does work well to preserve your clothes!"


Julie, "I guess I will give it a try. A special treatment for my nicer clothes."

Amy, "I am excited to try Dark Woolite on mine and my husbands Comic-Con Costumes

 because I think it will preserve their colour a lot better and be cheaper than dry cleaning."

 

Rikki explains why she's happy to try Woolite Extra Dark to Shanna who said, 

"Not washing your jeans for six months! Seriously?"

Rikki, "Well, I don't know- I just got these capris and I have only washed them a couple of times and they are already lighter."

And then there were the things that we wanted to do. We had a huge table of accessories compiled for what we had hoped would be THE MAIN EVENT.

The whole reason the party was dubbed AMERICA'S NEXT TOP WOOLITE FASHIONISTA.

Our Vision:

As we mentioned above, each guest was asked to bring an old (tattered) and new item of dark clothing.


The idea was to have a silly photoshoot of each guest in their old and tattered garb
Walking down a makeshift runway in our foyer- The other guests, our Woolite Judging Panel, each taking a Woolite White Board and giving them a score for how tattered and scarred their item is.


Next up they would've taken to the array of accessories we had laid out on our pool table, and styled their dark fashion looks to the hilt, then taken to the runway once again for another photoshoot! Again our Woolite Judging Panel, scoring their stylized looks! The averaged-highest scoring contestant was going to be 'crowned' our America's Next Top Woolite Fashionista!


However, 75% of them (11 of the 14 guests who came) refuuuused to do anything and
they only wanted their kids (of which there were three) to partake in the clothing portion of the evening. It was like they were too cool for school. You cannot imagine how disappointed we were. We thought it would be a whole lot of fun, and different, and just...overall hilarious! Amusing and enjoyable :)

So... Post-party, we felt the need to get creative once more and turned to our friends in

other locations- Sending off Woolite Care Packages to good friends in Ohio and Alberta, they have promised to be honorary Wooliteers and host a mini version of what we originally had in mind and report back to us. The left over samples we've mailed out to friends all over the US and Canada as well. We thought this would be a great, because it spreads the Woolite brand even farther than to our immediate circle here, and, in general, keeps the Woolite Extra Dark Care buzz going! So please stay tuned to Quixotic Paperdoll & La Belle Parapluie (also quite possibly Blonde Ambition) for more Wooliteer Fashionista Party Updates and fun!

 

 

 Honorary Wooliteer Fashionista's Catherine, Steph K & Adrianne.
Giving us a sneak peek at their Woolite Black = Ladies Night Out Fashion shoot
(More photos to come! Keep checking back!)

And then, upon further inspection of the Party Booklet before we sat down to write our blog... we noted that we somehow missed that they kinda wanted a Jean-gle! 
And were reminded that there were prizes for an all around spectacular party! Hahahaha....o.m.g. We have no idea how we missed this. WELL. Let me, Stephanie, tell you. WE ARE IN THIS TO WIN. CAUSE WE SAT UP FOR HOURS CREATING A JEAN-GLE to the tune of that, oh-so ridiculously catchy and popular, "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen. Nobody judge my singing, or that you can barely hear Fair because I sing so loud. haha. Hopefully the lyrics will win everyone over! 


Woolite I just met you...

What's Your Fierce Fashion Personality? Brought to you By Wooliteer's Steph & Fair!

Fashion ANIMAL Here, there, EVERYWHERE. Just like the Muppet- your energy is at times boundless! Your sense of style knows no limits! You wonder why anyone would ever want to stick with one genre of fashion. A living rainbow- you embody every walk of style & you crave fashion like you desire to go on breathing. You don't care that you have items languishing in your closet with the tags still on them. Or that your clothing addiction is slowly & surly taking over every nook & cranny of every room in your home. You SWEAR you'll use them ALL somehow someday! Items that might be in your wardrobe: All colours, pattern/print & textures imaginable! At least 3 outfits planned for every type of occasion- at the drop of a hat. From rack to runway designer & everything inbetween. Shoes- OMIGOD the SHOES! You could open a store with the sheer number that populate your closet! Advice: Go through your wardrobe every once & awhile. Give away/sell what you can bear to part with. Make space for the new!

Facebook quizzes, quiz apps & blog quizzes by

We'd like to thank Woolite and Crowdtap for the opportunity to host such a unique event!