Recounting my favorite purchases has been really fun because several of you have commented, e-mailed, and DM’ed to make sure your favorites are included. It’s really great to see how many of you have bought something you saw on this blog and loved it enough to tell your friends. So here are a few of the items the readers insisted make the cut.
The LL Bean Classic Utility Jacket is the ultimate casual layering piece. It comes in six colors; I own three of them. This jacket has many positives, so let’s go over a few.
First off, the waist is adjustable so you can wear it straight or fitted. Second, the collar styling gives you the popped collar look without having to do a thing. And third, the material is substantial. You can really feel the quality.
The jacket comes in misses, petite and plus. Score one for inclusive sizing.
When we moved to Helena, I needed to furnish at WFH office for Kyle. I didn’t want to spend a ton, so I ordered this desk chair from Amazon. He loved it so much, that when he got back to Spokane a few weeks ahead of our furniture, he ordered another one and I took the original. I also heard from two readers who bought one on my recommendation and both love them.
The lumbar support is really good for an under-$200 chair. The high back is nice. And the material is durable.
These Colorfulkoala leggings are the only ones I buy now. The pockets were a revelation (no more tying a jacket around my waist so I could carry my wallet and phone). The material fits snugly, is incredibly durable, and washes like a dream. My first pair were heavily worn for a year and still look good. And unlike the Lululemon 7/8 length which is still too long, these ones don’t have to be tailored.
I also love their joggers. So many joggers look like parachute pants when I wear them. These ones don’t. The material is also really soft. As one reader put it, “I could not have dressed myself during the pandemic without them.”
When a reader saw that our favorite serum, Ole Henriksen Night Transformation Gel, was on sale, she pinged me immediately. And while I’m grateful to save a bit of money, I am concerned this means they’re cancelling it. So I bought six and put them in the refrigerator for safe keeping. That should get me through the next 18-months.
{this post contains affiliate links that may generate commission for the author}
Curious which three colors of the utility jacket you have. Would you consider a post or two with suggestions on how to style non-olive utility jackets? Thanks!
I would also be interested in such a post.
Same! The olive has been sold out in some sizes for months and I’ve been kicking myself for not buying. I have so many navy jackets…
I would be interested too. On your recommendation i got one – but in navy because i already have an olive coat from another brand.
I have the utility jacket in gray and love it. It’s a great neutral that I often pair with jeans and a pop or two of color in my tops/jewelry/shoes.
I don’t consider myself easily “influenced, ” but over the years, I’ve purchased everything from this post, thanks to Abra, except the office chair. My combo skin loves the serum and the leggings and utility jacket are essential to my WFH wardrobe. I can’t recommend the three more! Thanks for sharing quality products at reasonable prices that have become my mainstays.
I bought the utility jacket and leggings on your recommendation and give both my full-throated endorsement! They are weekly staples!
I really enjoy the leggings. The material is quality and provides good compression.
I must have gotten fakes from Amazon because my experience with these leggings was totally different. Material was all over the place (sometimes shiny, sometimes matte despite ordering the exact same pair every time) and compression was nonexistent. They also pill like crazy and don’t wash well, at all.
On the bright side, now that I know this is the best lulu dupe on the market, I will happily pay $100 for the real deal 🙂
I’ve never had any of these problems. I have seven or eight pair.
So did I before I threw them all away!
You threw them away instead of returning them?
I’m sorry you had a bad experience, but I’ve never received a pair that wasn’t up to snuff.
I’m guessing Mary threw them away (instead of returning) because she’d already worn and washed them. I remember reading (can’t remember if it was comments on a previous post or elsewhere), that others received leggings of dubious quality when ordering from Amazon, so sounds like the solution is to buy them directly from colorfulkoala’s site!
I ordered some that said “buttery” and it was a super slick material that didn’t stay in place on my body type. However I got another pair that was perfect. There’s subtle differences in how they are posted on amazon and it’s different fabrics.
Now that I figured out the difference, my main complaint is they don’t come in tall 🙁
I order multiples of the same item all at once it wasn’t a matter of labeling in my experience.
Oh wow! That chair looks exactly like a Laura Davidson chair I was looking at for half the cost. I’ll have to go for this cheaper version first.