Grudgingly Giving Credit Where Credit's Due

So, I pretty much absolutely hate Anthropologie. Before you get in a huff, let me explain myself -- I think they charge entirely too much for pieces that really do not merit it, and on top of that, try to see some VERY hideous things.

Take, for example, these denim gauchos.

Let that sink in. DENIM. GAUCHOS. Yuck.

Then there are these throwbacks from the Colonial Period:

What in the hell? It's like Daniel Boone crossed with Thomas Jefferson. Readers, when an article of clothing is inspired by two different "Men of the American Frontier," please just say no.

Now, I see where they were trying to go with this, but somewhere they lost the comfy, "boho" inspiration (I'll get into this whole "boho" thing some other time) and moved into Crazy Cat Lady territory:


Thankfully, it's not all this bad. For instance, there's this quirky giraffe dress:

It's beautiful, but you'd definitely have to try it on in the store and see how that large print looks on you. Oh, p.s. it's also $498, so you better really like it.

My two absolute favorites are this top (on sale for $64, down from $128) and this skirt ($118):

What makes these two worth buying are the details: the clever interwoven ties and ruching on the top, the realistic, almost-photographic quality of the flowers on the skirt and how they fall in an unpredictable pattern (there's also one on the back).

There's also this smock top ($58) and this clever take on a wrap shirt ($48):

All in all, my advice is this: If you're going to buy from Anthropologie, just make sure you don't waste your money on (a) ugly or (b) overpriced pieces.