NYC Quick Trip Part 2: Banana Republic Petite reviews

**Update: Get extra 40% off sale items in-stores and online (use BRSTARS). Each item reviewed in this post was on sale in-store. If you placed an order yesterday w/ the 20% off, I'd suggest calling to get a price adjustment!**

Banana Republic Annie Print Dress;  Papaya King "side on top" dog
Ferragamo bow shoes from Wendy (current version here), Nordies Rack faux-pearls

Half a block down from Shake Shack and H&M, I ran into some hot dog goodness and more shopping. I am a sucker for hot dogs whether they're at Ikea, 7-11, or baseball games (literally the only thing enticing me to attend)...and somehow I have never had one in NYC. Upon entering Papaya King, I must've stared at the menu with mouth agape for a good 5 minutes. They had every topping I could ever ask for. I also wanted a side of chilli cheese-topped curly fries but feared it was too much food...then realized someone already solved that dilemma for me by inventing the "side on top."

After "relishing" my affordable meal, I poked my head into Banana Republic. I wanted to try on new arrivals, specifically this adorable striped T-shirt dress (not yet online in petites but the measurements are already listed) and vibrant red-orange ponte dress. Did not find either, but was intrigued by this black and white faux-wrap dress. BR stores with petite offerings carry down to 00P, but not XXSP (why not? beats me) - so this was an online return. 

On the rack, it doesn't look like much, but I actually really liked it on. With the sleeves pushed up, the dress had nice shape from the front, looked classy with pearls, and I even appreciated the demure below-the-knee length on me. I think it would look even better on someone with more curves up top who can fill it out more. I seriously contemplated getting it, until I saw the side view...

Oh, the faint outline of a dreaded "S" curve! This is a dress that I would've wanted to wear to work, and I wouldn't feel comfortable doing so with my butt cheeks subtly visible from the side. I wonder if this is something that skirt shapewear would fix?

Sleeveless knit ponte dress in 00P, on negligible sale in-stores for $99

The second thing I tried on was this white ponte dress. I have been searching high and low for a white pencil-shaped dress for a long time, and may have ended my search too early with a BR Factory cotton dress. I do not recommend cotton for anyone who doesn't love to iron. I wish I went with a knit material, but this dress wasn't perfect for me either and almost twice the price.

It is cut for someone who is either slightly taller than me or has a longer torso, because the wide waistband hit too low on my waist. This might be fixed by taking up the shoulder straps, but the armholes may then be too tight. I would also need to taper the skirt a little because it looks more rectangular on me than pencil-shaped.

Silk blouse in 00P, can't find online but similar Coco silk tank and Safari silk tanks in petite

The last thing I tried on was this silk shell, on sale in-store for about $35-40 (?). I was looking for silk alternatives to my beloved H&M polyester shell, for those who have asked for one. As you can see, this one is very sheer and you will see skin color show through without an undertank. The fit was fine for a casual-cut tank, but was strangely long on me for a petite blouse.

I left the store empty-handed, but caved and purchased this beautiful necklace from Ann Taylor that I've been coveting for a while. It's more than what I'd like to spend on costume jewelry, but it's such an elegant statement piece and has nice weight to it. It's currently sold out online, but I saw plenty restocked in-stores for 40% off at $59.99 (might go down more).
For dinner I was craving comfort food, and what better dish to satisfy that than chicken soup with hand-made noodles? I met up with a friend at Arirang in Koreatown, chosen specifically after reading about their noodles. The soup was piping hot and the noodles were nice and springy, but the broth itself didn't wow me and got starchier with each minute passed. Still, a pleasant warm-your-belly kind of meal, and I'd recommend sharing a bowl with a friend because they are generously sized.