Zara's 2012 Semi-Annual Sale

I have to say, shopping online can be a little dangerous if you're not careful. I spent tons on Zara.com, on items I didn't really need (but looked so very need-worthy online). When I was in the store, I was too lazy to dig through the racks plus the dressing room lines were loooong, so I opted to shop online instead. Then, a few days after ordering, I saw that every.single.item I purchased had gone down in price. I would have jumped for joy, but Zara doesn't offer price adjustments. CS recommended that I return and re-buy everything...so I did. sigh. Here's my review of the items I purchased:

First up is the Short Yoke Trench coat. The fit was too boxy for my shape, and it was more of a light tan color than beige. Plus, the sleeve had a distinctive blood stain on it. Yup, you read that correctly. Grossed out, I practically threw it back in the box.

Next, Zara's tweed-esque blazers.

After seeing pictures like this and this, I was sold on the blazers and bought 4 different styles/colors. 

1. The Zara Fantasy Fabric blazer in white was cute, but a lot thinner than I expected. $79.99 on sale when I bought it. It was a great price, but I wasn't in love with it and didn't envision myself wearing a white blazer too often.
2. The Zara Fantasy Fabric blazer in aqua and also in cream were oddly shaped, and ran one size larger than my normal size. 
3. The Zara blazer with zips was only $29.99 so I was thrilled when my order processed before it sold out online. But when I received the package, I was greeted by a shedding, pilling pile of horribly stretchy material. The blazer had shed on everything else in the box, and was continuously snowing aqua fabric as I tried it on. Like the trench, I practically threw this one back in the box too.

Here's a close-up of the fabric:

Next I ordered the v-neck cardigan in a cocoa color. The material was lightweight yet durable, and I loved the color. But I discovered a huge snag on the inside of one of the sleeves so back it went.

I also purchased this adorable peplum dress in 2 colors: pink and mint. Unlike the other purchases, I liked the color, style, fabric and the price. But I couldn't get the darned thing to zip. It was sold out in other sizes online so I had to let this one go.

Lastly, I purchased the Fantasy Pleated Skirt in green and the Fantasy Mini Skirt in pink. Despite the name differences, both skirts were the same length and width. I liked the woven, tweed-like texture but I didn't need both. Since the pink blended in with my lighter skin tone, I opted to keep the green.

Tons of trial and error, but I came out with one lovely skirt.