Lastly, some bottoms and a dress. I saw a sneak peek at the New Arrivals over the weekend. They are sticking with minimal dark colors for Fall. The site should have them on the 24th.

~ Coated Gray Skinny Ankle Jean, Size 30 ~

The size 30 fit bunchy up top but were pretty skinny down the leg. There felt like quite a bit of Spandex in this as it was very stretchy. The coating is pretty heavy, compared to my J Crew Toothpick Jean in Coated Denim from last year. The coating felt tacky, like not quite wet paint to me. The color is a nice dark gray though I’m not sure if that was the original color of the jean or that the coating was a dark gray. 
~ Size 28 ~ 
I couldn’t find a size 29 to try but you can see that now the jean looks more like a legging. Again, I think it’s due to the coating. These were really tight and skinny at the calf and ankle.  I think one of the pairs even stuck together because it had a small patch of the coating removed. I would rather get the Toothpick Jean in Gray Dove if I really wanted a dark gray pair of jeans.
These looked very interesting online and apparently very popular. I was able to get a pair on a pop-back, and unfortunately, without a promo to apply, as these were excluded. The size 29 fit very well and weren’t as tight down the calf and ankle like the jeans above. Again, the coating felt very tacky. These ran pretty long and I cuffed them under for now.
To me, you can see on the side where maybe not enough coating was applied. I can almost see the original color of the pant coming through. 
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Here is the color of the original pant, a Brown Rust. I was hoping the pant would have been the same dark brown as the coating. Also, the front pockets are not functional…completely sown shut. I did return these as they don’t fit my current wardrobe but I do like them very much. They are very nice for Fall and I can see why they are so popular. 

Hello, pretty dress! This dress fit like a glove. It made me wish I had worn my Spanx to slim that little pooch in front. Due to the low v-neck, this dress is probably not appropriate for work. But definitely a wedding or fancy date night. Loved it!

See you tomorrow for Shoes-day!

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Banana Republic has 40% off for today only, BRNEW. I see a promo like this at least once a week.

~ Faux-Leather Trim Blazer, Size 8 ~

I loved this blazer. I thought the long length looked very flattering. The single-button could have come a little higher on me though. The material is a Poly-blend, and felt a little bit like a Ponte Knit; a very structured ponte. In pictures it really looks like this blazer fit but it actually runs small. I definitely would need a size 10, which would bring the single-button even lower and the arms longer. I was so sad to pass on this blazer. 

The little faux-leather touches at the collar and pockets are nice.
A little shoulder pad, pink to make it feminine I supposed. Another detail on the interior is pink trim but no lining.
~ Boiled Wool Moto Jacket, Size 10 ~

This jacket was also pretty popular in store. There were three sizes left and this was the closest to my size. It’s very big in the size 10 making me think I would size to a 6 for a more fit and structured look. The boiled wool has a nice feel to it as well. 
The interior is lined in gray with pink trim. 
~ Quilted Vest, Preppy Navy, Small ~
I really liked this vest, even over the J Crew Excursion Vest. It’s not a puffer so it’s great for early Fall but not for carrying into colder Winters. There are hand-pockets as well as the ones on the chest. 

The Small was a little tight on me when zipped. I would get the Medium for a better overall fit and to layer over a sweater.

The Small fit like the J Crew Excursion Vest. This print is a nice dupe of the Herringbone Vest currently at the Factory. I don’t like that it buttons instead of zips up. 

My last set of BR reviews are tonight. Have a Great afternoon!

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I’ve never really known for Banan Republic to have a lot of graphic tee so I was pleasantly surprised to see these in-store.  I sized to a Small in these as they looked very drapey and that was a good call to make. Only the La Di Da Tee is online in black and white. The others have either sold out online or were in-store only. They are all made of a super soft cotton and really comfortable on.

~ Brunch Tee, Small ~

~ La Di Da Graphic Tee, Black, Small ~

~ Out of Office Tee, White, Small ~
I brought home the last two tees. They’ll be great under the Schoolboy Blazer in Black.
Husband and I are secluded to the house this weekend due to main highway closures outside our subdivision. Just going to the grocery store 5 minutes away would probably take an hour due to all the traffic being moved to the access road. We went to the grocery store on Wednesday and just plan on hanging out at home all weekend. My plan is to go through my closet to give it another purge so be on the lookout for either AudreyBella’s Closet to update or my ebay listings Saturday/Sunday. 
Have a Great Day! 

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Banana Republic has really done well, IMO, with the Fall Collection. The #NewBR is very minimal looking with black, white, gray, navy and burgundy colors throughout the Collection. You can see some of these colors in the tops below.

~ Silk V-Neck Top, Gray, Medium ~

The gray is really nice on this blouse. The silk gives it a little bit of a sheen but I love that it is 100% silk. You never know with retailers. This will be wonderful to layer with Navy and Burgundy. 

~ Ivory Faux Leather Top, size 6  ~

I grabbed this to have something to try on with some jeans and unexpectedly liked this. Banana Republic seems to do a very good job of faux-leather. The size 6 fit perfectly as well. The length hit just at the hips for me. 

Though this says Ivory the front was more of a White compared to the knit back, which was Ivory.  

~ Embossed Top, Cocoon, Medium ~
This wasn’t a solid plain white knit blouse. Though it’s hard to see this is made to look embossed and feel that way as well. The Small was tight across the chest and the Medium fit pretty well. This would be a nice layering top under a blazer if you need a basic for work. This also comes in Black.
~ Riviera Blouse, White (comes in Black and also in Colorblock), Medium ~
This style also comes in a dress. I believe it’s due to the collarless collar and rolled button-sleeves. Though Polyester, I did like the feel of this on. The Medium was the best fit through the shoulders and arms though a little long. 
~ Draped Jersey Top, Medium Heather Gray, Small ~
This was another one of my favorites from the tops. I chose to bring home the Silk V-Neck Top over this. I had to fiddle with the neckline and collar a bit so that it wasn’t bunchy. The wrap covers everything so no need for a cami underneath. The wrap gathering at the side helps camouflage the middle as well. 
The sleeves were a little snug but since this fit pretty well in the Small I would not size to a Medium. I seem to take a 6/Small in Banana Republic Tops instead of my normal 8/Medium J Crew Tops. Therefore, I would say this is TTS. 
With the Ruched Gray Jersey Skirt it almost looks like a colorblock dress…a comfortable colorblock dress. 
I have to tell you how much I really love the Ruched Gray Jersey Skirt. I’ve worn it twice since bringing it home. It feels so very comfortable to wear. I wish it came in something other than black, like Navy or Burgundy or even a Heather Brown or Taupe. I’d buy every single color. 
Have a Great Day!

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You can always count on Banana Republic to run a good promo every week. They are putting more of their new arrivals as BR Picks which are normally excluded from promos but I have found that maybe once a month they are included as well. I had time on my hands, empty nest does that, and Banana had a tiered promo at that time. Spend a certain amount and get an set amount off.

~ Ruched Gray Jersey Skirt, also in Black, size Medium ~

I loved this skirt as soon as I put it on. I could have walked out wearing it. Unless your office is very casual I would stick to wearing this on the weekend. It’s a great little skirt to throw on with a cute casual top and some flats or booties and still be very comfortable for the day. This is a little stretchy and the Medium fit me well. I brought this home with me. 

~ Perforated Faux-Leather Pencil Skirt, size 6 ~

I loved this skirt as well. This is very form-fitting in the size 6 but there was not a size 8 to try on. If I needed this, I would have bought this size and Spanx-ed it. I thought this was real leather as it felt similar to the leather skirts I tried on below. Only when I looked at the price did I realize this was faux-leather. 
~ Leather Fit-and-Flare Skirt, Black (also Burgundy), size 8 ~
This was a little snug in the fitted area of the skirt but otherwise felt TTS. The leather was luxe and gorgeous, even in the black. This is available in Burgundy online and I’m sure it is even more beautiful in that color. I’d still stick with the size 8 in this skirt. 

Another great leather skirt that BR did very well. The pleats start a little lower on the waist so I don’t feel they make the hips look any wider. The pleats are all the way around. It looks like this is sold out online but I know I’ve seen this in a couple of my stores. I wish BR would keep the link available even if an items sells out since there is a “store search” feature. 

Here are a few more of my skirt pics from Banana Republic, including a beautiful Burgundy Midi Skirt (tall ladies!).

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