October 14th, 2011

Mission Possible: Stylish Rainjackets

Posted by Laurel

It was not long ago that we made an ironic finding…neither of us owned a bonafide, true-blue raincoat. Where’s the irony? Well, for starters, both of us were born and raised in the Vancouver suburbs. A raincoat could and should be considered a staple in any West Coast women’s closet! Truth be told, I’ve always balked at the sloppy, unstructured AND noisy (you know what i’m talking about…like a clown making animal balloons at a 3 year old’s bday party…) jackets that I’ve seen.

So, the hunt was on to find a raincoat that we could love. With one non-negotiable: it had to have a hood. I mean, really…how practical is a raincoat that fails at its very purpose: to keep you dry!

Success! Here’s our finds and some suggestions for those of you who see more wet than you’d like.

Pam's raincoat "steal" purchased just outside of Las Vegas at Neiman's Last Call Outlet

What sold Pam on this coat: lightweight material ~ the dark khaki/bayleaf color pretty much goes with anything~ the waist is defined for a slimming silhouette~ love the ruffle detail in the front~ and last, but not least: the hood is concealed but it’s there!!

What she paid: $113 (the retail price was $325 !). You can purchase almost the identical jacket at http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod95760036&ecid=NMALRFeedJ84DHJLQkR4&ci_src=14110925&ci_sku=T27B9&CS_003=5630585

Unfortunately it’s not on sale…it’s definitely a splurge at $375.

Laurel's Red Heritage Raincoat, purchased from Anthropologie. www.anthroplogie.com

What sold Laurel on this coat: People smile at me when I wear it! True! Red=HAPPY! ~ Soundless, soft and subtly structured fabric ~ waterproof, not just water resistant ~ It’s in the details: lined with great fabric, vents and longer back to keep your tosh dry!

What Laurel paid: $288 — now on sale for $201.60

Encore trench from jcrew.com $194

One of our dear friends, Andrea, joined in the challenge and purchased the above trench from J Crew! She is loving it and looks like a million bucks in it!

We’ve also found some great deals! Check out Bluefly’s Michael Kors $79 hooded trench http://www.bluefly.com/MICHAEL-Michael-Kors-british-khaki-cotton-blend-hooded-trench/SEARCH/311204201/detail.fly It’s a great deal, regularly priced at $200.

I’ve spotted a great trench by Joe Fresh as well…located at the Canadian Superstore for you locals!!

Rain coat from Joe Fresh, $69. Comes in gray, black and white.

The hood is detachable.

It IS possible to look stylish in the rain:)

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October 13th, 2011

Feelin the love…

Posted by Laurel

Feelin’ the love would be an understatement! We are so grateful that we have friends/family who have embraced us and our moniker of “the Sugarplum Sisters”. All of your comments are so appreciated. The feedback is incredibly important to us and we value all the encouragement, the likes AND the dislikes. We want this site to be fun as well as beneficial to you all.

So, the question of the hour is… where’d the name come from? Love to take credit but we can’t. Who inspired us?? Our brother, Mark. He has often talked about different things that he could do in his life that would be his little “sugarplums”. The fun things, the risky things, the little “off the beaten path” stuff… When Pam and I started dreaming this website up, we threw out the name in gest…and it stuck! So, there you have it! Sugarplums are the fun, quirky, sought out treats that we are offering you!

We have also got some great feedback on things that people are interested in us blogging about. Love it! Keep em coming. Just know that if you give Pam a challenge…she won’t let it go til she has an answer for you!

Some have asked what is in store. We’ve got tons in the hopper. Here are some we’re working on:

~our favorite fall nail color lineup

~ beautiful papergoods

~ how to choose your wood floor

~Dressing your “tween”

~our blog launch party

~best fall rainjackets

We’re also completing our takes on our favorite places to travel to: Chicago, New York, Huntington Beach, Dallas, and Thailand to name a few

Pillows on the bed are from Tonic Living. Shades, price upon request!

Look for guest bloggers weighing in on their favorites as well!

We’ll leave you with a picture from Pam’s newly constructed Master Bedroom…check out the pillows… you like? (and you get to see my swanky new shades..what can I say?) They are from one of our favorite fabric sites, Tonic Living.

Look for our blog coming up featuring this great site..and a special discount they’ll be offering our readers. Thanks one and all xo

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October 9th, 2011

Men Want to Look Stylin’ in the Rain Too!

Posted by Pam

After hearing about our post on stylish rain jackets for women, my husband, Jason, asked if I could find him the perfect rain coat. I told you he’s one of the best male shoppers out there! I am always up for a challenge, so one recent trip to Vancouver we set out to find him the perfect jacket. His requirements? It had to have a hood (we do live in BC!), he had to be able to wear it to work and he had to be able to wear a button down shirt and sweater under it.

Here are a few options we found…

Lululemon has a great black coat called the West Coast Jacket (aptly named) for $228. It features a concealed hood, heavier fabric, fitted style and it’s fully waterproof.

Front of Lululemon's West Coast Jacket

Back of Lululemon jacket

Availability is limited on this jacket and it is not available online. Call you closest Lululemon store to check for availability as it’s been a very popular jacket.

French Connection has a waxed cotton jacket in ink blue for $228. It’s a little dressier, in a lighter fabric and the fit is a bit roomier.

French Connection's Waxed Army Jacket

The back of the jacket from French Connection

This jacket can be purchased online at FrenchConnection.com

For a shorter style, Jason considered this jacket from Jack and Jones. We found it at Plenty in Vancouver. But, we determined that it was bit casual for work, but it’s a great option for a more relaxed look.

Jack and Jones Black Robin Jacket $190

One last consideration was The Jack and Jones Anders Long Jacket.

A longer khaki coloured coat by Jack and Jones for $170

And the winner is…..The French Connection jacket. Jason liked that he could wear a sweater under the jacket and the colour was such a dark blue that it can read as black. All of the jackets above are great options. Now Jason and I can look stylin’ together in the rain!

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