The Changing Room

Hits and misses at Massimo Dutti, Mango & Zara

Happy Tuesday! A few days ago, I had an early morning appointment at the crack of dawn. Afterwards, I decided to use the extra time in my day wisely and do the only thing worth doing: going shopping. I love looking around the shops when they’ve just opened and they’re empty. I usually don’t try things on either, but seeing as it was quiet and I had the time, I thought, why not? So, let me show you some of the goodies and also misses I came across.

For size and height reference, I’m 5ft and usually wear a UK 6 or 8 P.S. Every time I feel like I’m too short, I just remind myself that I’m the same height as the Olsen twins and if they can be undeniably chic, then it means I can be chic too, so it’s fine.

01

Waistcoat: Let’s start with some of my favourites. Out of all the high street stores, Massimo Dutti is my go-to for quality — this waistcoat is a great example. Being 100% linen, I like that it’s good for summer and has a more textured feel than cotton. It definitely gets marks for quality and fit. Here, I’m just wearing it with what I went in with (jeans + black heels), which is good for a casual look, but it would also work well with a long flared skirt and ballet flats. It’s a yes from me.

02

Top: I love a fun top. But could you call this a going-out top? The fabric felt very lightweight and the check print is playful, which is perhaps too casual for the evening. I think it would be best suited to everyday outfits like this one or worn in work settings. It would go great with suit trousers or a pencil skirt!

03

Dress: The final Massimo Dutti piece I tried was this suede dress. They had plenty of gorgeous suede jackets/coats (and I need them all), but this suede dress caught my eye. You can instantly tell it’s a quality piece. The only reason I think it didn’t feel quite right on me was the length. You can see from the model that it’s meant to be a mini, but on me it was nearly to the knee. If you’re a little taller, I think it would fit a lot better. Also, I would have liked to see it with loafers or Mary Jane’s rather than these heels. That’s always the dilemma with trying things on, you’re never wearing the right stuff!

04

Denim waistcoat: Moving on to Zara where I found this denim vest, it reminded me of this Magda Butrym vest that I saw and loved. I also tried it on with these trousers. I thought I’d really like it, but for some reason, I didn’t. I already have a denim vest with straight buttons and a round neckline in a darker shade, so I thought I’d like this one too. Even though the denim was very soft and it had a nice fit, I think it was the asymmetrical design that didn’t look as good on me as I thought it would. Also, can we please laugh at the ridiculousness of these trousers? They were massive. I mean, I like a baggy trouser, but these were a bit much. They would barely stay up and kept falling down, even though they were a UK 6. Does anyone else find the sizing in Zara to be inconsistent?!

05

Grey trousers: Love the look of these double waistband trousers and they had a nice lightweight feel. I just tried it on with the grey tee I was already wearing. I think it would look great with a matching grey blazer or leather jacket.

06

Waistcoat: This waistcoat initially caught my eye for its colour and fit, but to be honest, I can’t say I’d be so sure about the quality. The popper buttons also weren’t totally concealed, you could sort of see them compared to the image online, which I think affects the overall look. If the buttons were more flush then the item would look more expensive and clean-cut. I wanted to love it but it was a no from me.

07

Next, I headed over to Mango. This is a store I don’t really go into as much, usually because it’s smaller and doesn’t have as much choice, but thought I might as well take a look. I like a pop of red every now and again and also love a polo, so this item caught my eye. It was made from a nice stretchy material, sort of knitted but not cosy. Couldn’t find this polo online to link!

08

Waistcoat: Have you noticed a recurring theme with me and waistcoats? Waistcoats and polo tops seem to be my thing at the moment. This one had a slimmer fit than the Massimo Dutti one, and it wasn’t linen. I like it, especially because it’s navy and think it would be cute to wear this spring.

Other finds I spotted in Massimo Dutti

These Mary-Jane's are a good dupe for The Row's Boheme flats

Recent purchases

Let’s talk about what made it out of the dressing room/cart and into the wardrobe.

This jacket and this tank top. The jacket is super lightweight, like a technical jacket. I got it in size L as I didn’t want such a cropped fit and I like the oversized look. The tank is thick and good quality too!

Til next time,

Sophie xx

---