It's sweater season!

I have a new found appreciation for wool sweaters since I got serious with knitting.  When I was researching on wool for making diaper cover for my baby, I learned that wool can absorb almost one-third of its own weight in water, therefore you do not need to put a plastic cover over an overnight cloth diaper even for overnight use.  What does this mean for adults?  Your wool sweater is going to soak up your sweat, making it great for hiking.  The warmth that wool offers is also unparalleled compare to cotton and synthetic fibres.  Of course, not all wool is created equal.  Some people found wool to be itchy on the skin.  Shetland wool, for example, is especially itchy compare to Merino wool.  In fact, the itchiness of wool is what kept me from wearing wool sweaters in the past.  Now that I have more knowledge on wool and an open mind towards wool sweater, I would like to share with you some of my great sweater finds this season.  Best of all, these places all offer Canadian shipping so you can do your shopping at the comfort of your own home!

Icebreaker Oasis Long Sleeve Half Zip Hood

Icebreaker Merino

This is the brand that started my wool sweater addiction.  My husband introduced me to their sweaters and there is no turning back.  A lot of their products are made from 100% Merino wool, but they are not itchy and are machine washable.  They also come in a variety of weights so you can wear Icebreaker all year round.  It is impossible to recommend you just one item from Icebreaker because there are so many great options.  For example, the Oasis Long Sleeve Half Zip Hood is a great piece to in cold weather whereas the Tech Light Short Sleeve Scoop is a wonderful spring / fall piece.

Icebreaker Merino is available in Atmosphere as well as some other retail outlets.  But for a more complete selection, I recommend checking out their stores as well as their web site.  Online orders of $49 or more  ship for free!  Don't forget to check out the Last Call section on their web site for some great deals.  I really like the Allure Dress.

Roots Cabin Cardigan

Roots

Maybe you are not sure if you would like to keep a sweater on all day since you will be going between indoor and outdoor.  How about a classic looking cardigan that you can put on and take off whenever you liked?  This Roots Cabin Cardigan caught my eyes when I was shopping for mitts for my sister-in-law.  This is a wool blend with 40% wool, 15% cotton, and the reminder in synthetic fibres.  The Cabin Rink Cardigan offers a more modern and sleek silhouette in the same great colour combination.  Roots also offer a cute range of hats, scarfs, and gloves.

Gap Fair Isle Sweater

Gap

I have to admit, I was skeptical when I read the fabric composition of the Fair Isle sweater from Gap: 20% Mohair and 13% wool could equate to a lot of itchiness.  And I could see the fussy Mohair when I checked out the sweater in store.  However, the sweater is actually relatively comfortable to wear compare to a hand knitted 00% Shetland wool sweater that was gifted to me.  I wore a camisole under the sweater, and I did not find the arms to be irritating.  If you are especially sensitive to wool, you can wear a collar shirt underneath to minimize the itchiness around the neckline.  My only disappointment of the sweater (for all my knitting readers out there) is that it is not a true yoke sweater, construction-wise; the yoke was not knit in one piece.  The Marled mixed-pattern pullover sweater has a slimmer fit then the Fair Isle sweater (the Fair Isle sweater is quite bulky in comparison) and it does not contain any Mohair!

J Crew Collection Cashmere Saddle Sweater

J Crew

J Crew has become my go-to place for office attire, but they also offer some pretty luxurious sweaters: you can find Merino and Cashmere sweaters in many colors at J Crew. This Collection Cashmere Saddle Sweater is an example of a luxury material meet candy colour garment that J Crew is great at delivering.  I also found a Harley of Scotland Nor'easterly Sweater in the J Crew website.  Having own an Shetland wool sweater, I can guarantee you that this sweater is extra warm.  The J Crew web site offers prices in Canadian dollars.  Shipping is $12 flat rate to anywhere in Canada, and you get the guarantee landed cost on check out so you will not be hit by surprise fees when you receive your package. The discount in store is usually different than that on the web site so it is worth checking out their store if there is one in your town.

Hope you enjoy sweater season as much as I do!  Happy shopping!

Shopping the Victoria's Secret Semi Annual Sale

Everyone loves some good lingerie and even more so when they are on sale!  The Victoria's Secret semi annual sale is on right now.  I thought I would share my experience and tips of shopping the semi annual sale in Canada with you.

I have been going to the semi annual sales for many years now.  I took a break for a few years when I was not traveling to the States very often and Victoria's Secret did not have a store in Vancouver yet.  When I had to travel to the States for the sale, I was able to buy lingerie at a great deal but was having trouble to find some really good finds.  Now that there are Victoria's Secret store in Vancouver and I have been to a few semi annual sales locally, I was able to perfect my shopping strategies.  And here they are:

1. Do your research before hand

The semi annual sale starts on line first.  While there are some really good deals for shoppers in the States, they are not really that great of a deal for Canadians if you were to factor in exchange rate, shipping and custom costs.  Therefore, I do not shop the semi annual sale online.  However, you can get a very good idea on the items you can expect to find in store when the sale starts (which is usually a week or so after the online sale started).  If you have a favourite style that you wanted to purchase but did not want to pay full retail, you can see if it is included in the sale.  Also, get your bra fitting done before the sale if you have not had one in a while.  You want to walk into the sale and know exactly what size you are looking for!

2. Online VS In Store

Although I do not shop the semi annual sale online, I do notice that panties are a lot easier to find online than in store. (I will explain this further later in the post.)  If you would like a specific matching bra and underwear sets, shopping the sale online is probably the best way to go.

During the semi annual sale, items are sorted by size into bins in store by the sale associates.  You can imagine that these bins are not going to stay sorted and well organized for very long with all the treasure hunters digging through them.  Therefore, the best time to shop the sale is first thing in the morning when the store opens.  If you go later in the day, it is not a bad idea to look into the bins neighbouring your size since items could be misplaces into them.

3. Shop early for matching sets

Matching sets are hard to find in store during the sale, but it is not impossible.  The key is to hit the sale as early as possible (i.e. first day of the sale, as soon as the store opens).  I received an email from Victoria's Secret notifying me that stores would open doors at 7 AM to Angel Card holders, which is an hour earlier than everyone else.  I called the Robson store to inquire since the store normally opens at 10 AM but I should be able to get in a 8 AM according to the email even though I am not a card holder.  It turned out that the Angel Card holder early bird arrangement is for the States only.  The Robson store will open their doors at 7 AM to everyone on the first day of sale.  While I cannot remember if this is the case for every semi annual sale (this is the first year I was able to go early in the morning), it is good information to have since you can potentially shop the sale before you go to work.

Very Sexy Front-Tie Balconet Bra and Cheekini Panty in silk & lace with matching robe

I went to the Robson store at 10 AM on the first day of the sale, and I was able to find two matching bra and panties sets.

4. Look for Designer Collection and limited edition items

Designer Collection label

While lingerie has a very practical every day function, I also love the romance of beautiful "special occasion" lingerie.  Victoria's Secret has a Designer Collection which carries items that has a lot more luxury details but are priced quite a bit higher compare to their regular lingerie.  I also noticed that some of these items are incorporated into their existing line up (such as Very Sexy Luxe and Dream Angels Luxe) instead of being a separate Designer Collection line.  They can be easily identified by a black Victoria's Secret Design Collection label on a pink card.  For example, this is a Very Sexy Luxe set marked with the Designer Collection label.  It is made of silk and lace which is not a fabric combination used in regular Victoria's Secret lingerie.  These Designer Collection items, which are often priced closed to or over $100 regularly, often go for half price during the sale.  It is a great way to add some interesting pieces to your lingerie wardrobe at some amazing prices.

A Dream Angel set featured in the VS 2014 Fashion Show

Other awesome pieces to look for are the limited edition items such as the ones for Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Victoria's Secret fashion show.  There are some really beautiful designs from these collections and Victoria's Secret do not make them again once they are sold out.  I would often try on these items when they are being sold at regular prices to see which ones I liked, and then I would look out for them during the sale.  Some of these items are marked with special tags, some of them are not.  So it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with them before you walk into the sale.

5. Shop multiple stores

It is hard to say what you are going to find in the sale from each store.  If you have the time, it is definitely worth going to multiple stores for the most selection of items.  There were two bras that I liked but could not find the matching panties from the Robson store.  I purchased the bras anyway and was able to find the matching panties from the Richmond Centre store.  Since Victoria's Secret has a very generous return policy (90 days return with receipt), you can always return the purchase if you could not find the matching bra or panties later if you could not find them in the sale.

6. The best deals come towards the end of the sale

If you think the sale prices are good, wait until the sale is almost over!  Items are further marked down (often an extra 40% off the sale price) forwards the end of the sale.  While selection might not be as good as the beginning of the sale, there are usually still some really good finds if you are willing to dig through the bins and go to multiple stores.  For myself, I aim to shop for matching sets at the beginning of the sale, and then I shop opportunistically towards the end for hidden gems that are in the not-so-full-anymore sale bins.

I hope you found my post helpful. Happy shopping!