Since moving to DC, I’ve been so curious to check out my new Nordstrom because let’s face it, the majority of my wardrobe is from there. And as luck would have it, the Tysons location actually carries plus sizes in store! That might not sound like a big deal, but if you’ve been paying attention, you know most Nordstrom stores have pulled plus from their in-store racks entirely, leaving it online-only. Major disappointment if you’re a big girl who likes to shop IRL. So walking in and actually seeing a sizable section of racks dedicated to plus size? Genuinely exciting!!! And honestly kind of rare these days.
20+ Pieces, Zero Misses: My Best Nordstrom Try-On Yet
I obviously tried on a ton from the plus selection, but I didn’t stop there. I also grabbed a bunch of pieces from brands that don’t carry extended sizing in general, the ones I already know fit me well in an XL. Reformation, Rails, Wit & Wisdom, Eileen Fisher, Ralph Lauren, Rag & Bone, LESET, Elwood, AllSaints. Basically, I gave myself full run of the store, plus and straight-size alike.
striped cardigan | red cardigan | navy shirt dress | navy pants | v-neck sweater
It ended up being a lot of cozy knits, sweaters, and fall pieces, which, shocker, is my whole personality every fall. I tried on over 20 things between both sections, and you know what…
Zero misses.
Not one piece I had to put back because it didn’t fit right. That almost never happens, especially not across that many brands and that many pieces in one trip. So, buckle up babe, because we’ve got a lot to cover. Let’s get into what made this Nordstrom run so good.
1 | Leset James Merino Wool Crewneck Cardigan
Okay, when everything is so good, it’s kind of hard to pick a place to start, so let’s start with the piece that surprised me most…this freaking gorgeous cardigan! And yes, if you know me well, you know I don’t like cardigans, but this one stopped me in my tracks.
It is a bit of an investment, but is truly the softest wool I’ve ever felt and it’s paper thin too, which if you tend to run hot like me, is worth every penny!
2 | Caslon Pull On Twill Pants
sweater (xl) | pants (3x) | sandals
I was more excited about the tops and sweaters I tried than bottoms, but the pair that caught my eye were these sporty track pants. What I liked is that while they had slight sporty vibes, the material felt more like a work pant and these could easily be styled for the office or for casual weekend shenanigans too.
sweater (xl) | pants (3x) | sandals
3 | Ralph Lauren Cabled Cotton Cricket Sweater
sweater (xl) | pants (20) | sandals
I feel like Ralph Lauren has been quietly making a comeback over the past few years, and given that Nordstrom had an entire display of their fall collection front and center, I think they’d agree too. This 100% cotton preppy cropped sweater gave me all the nostalgic vibes of the 2000s and made me feel like I should be starting fall semester of college. I personally love anything cropped, and while this was a thicker sweater, it didn’t feel like I would overheat in it. I loved it with my linen pants and am so curious how it would look with jeans or activewear.
4 | Rag & Bone Marin Striped Cropped Cotton Shirt
I bought this cropped button-up in a different color during the Nordstrom Sale, and loved it so much that I had to try it on in another color. The fit is impeccable and works so well for my shorter 5’2″ frame, and the scalloped hem gives my hips more room too. I love that it’s long enough to wear with high waisted pants, but short enough that a little skin would peek with a mid or low rise jean.
top (xl)
5 | Reformation Kylen Wrap Knit Top
I loved this Reformation wrap knit top so much. Especially because it gives me all the ballet core vibes everyone was obsessed with last year. The wrap silhouette with the tie belt just does something for my shape without even trying. The fit was honestly perfect, fitted in the right places and a little flirty and feminine, just how I like it.
6 | Elwood Core Zip Hoodie & Core Sweat Shorts
zip-up hoodie (m) | shorts (xl)
Whenever I shop at Nordstrom I always make a pitstop in the mens section. Specifically, to look at what’s new from Elwood, and boy oh boy am I glad I did because their new colors they just dropped were so damn good. I was immediately drawn to these tomato red sweat shorts and matching zip-up hoodie set, and have determined that red is 1000 percent my color!
7 | Elwood Core Straight Leg Sweatpants
zip-up hoodie (m) | sweatpants (xxl)
Okay these Elwood sweatpants fit me so well, and I especially loved that they weren’t cinched or wide leg, they were just right for me! These were too good not to take home with me, and I loved the baby blue color too! ps. I really loved how the xxl fit me in the pants compared to the xl sweat shorts, and I will be ordering the shorts version in the xxl too!
8 | Dôen Emmaretta Floral Pleated Cotton Voile Maxi Dress
dress (xl)
Over the past few months I’ve seen a lot of chatter about Doen from all the TikTok girlies and had to give it a try for myself. I loved the way this floral maxi dress looked on the hanger, and while it did fit me well, it’s just not for me. She’s cute, she’s a fun little floral pattern, and she’d be perfect for someone else who likes this style.
9 | Rag & Bone The Knit Tie Waist Sleeveless Maxi Dress
This rag & bone striped maxi dress is basic on paper — stripes, sleeveless, a tie belt — but on my ultra curvy body it was full on vavavoom. The tie belt gives you a waist, the buttons down the front mean you can play with how much skin you show, and the length just skims above my ankles in the best way. This is exactly what I want to be wearing into late summer and early fall.
10 | Eileen Fisher Classic Collar Organic Cotton Shirtdress & Ankle Wide Leg Pants
shirt dress (2x) | pants (2x) | sandals
Technically speaking, these two pieces are not a perfect set. But I’ve seen some people wear a button dress with wide leg pants as a set and wanted to see how these wide leg pants and shirtdress played together. And I was surprised at how much I loved it! Both pieces are very lightweight and breezy and made of 100% organic cotton. I love that I could wear them together, or easily style them separately too.
11 | Wit & Wisdom Dolman Bubble Sleeve Top & Skyrise Pleated Palazzo Pants
Finding fun patterns in plus size is quite rare, and when I saw this zebra bubble sleeve top and matching palazzo pants I knew I needed to try it! I loved the print so much and think it’s one of those sets that while may feel a little extra, is just the right kind of dopamine dressing I want. Not to mention both work well on their own.
12 | Rails Delora Striped Wool & Cashmere Blend Sweater
I really want to love the striped trend that everyone’s obsessed with right now, but tell me why every time I try it, I feel like I need to be on an episode of Blues Clues?! I still felt a little Blue’s Cluesy in this striped sweater, but I really loved so many elements of it. The color way, the cute scalloped detailing on the neckline and sleeve and the slightly cropped vibe. I think I’d have loved it even more one size up as this was the size L. This sweater is available up to an XXL which is great if you want a roomier more oversized fit.
13 | Eileen Fisher Chambray Shift Dress
I found this pretty Eileen Fisher shift dress from Nordstrom’s plus size section and selected it on a whim. It’s not the type of dress I would typically gravitate towards, but holy heck did I really love it! My qualm with these kinds of dresses are that they never look how they do on the models: oversized yet still a bit structured. And this one actually looks how a shift dress is supposed to look! Such a major win for me, and now I get why people love them so much.
14 | Madewell Button Front Cotton Crewneck Cardigan
cardigan (xl)
Back again, with more stripes and I think something about the neutral tone color combination of this cardigan is working for me. I’m a big fan of the vertical ribbed detailing juxtaposed to the horizontal stripes of the cardigan as well as the chunky oversized buttons. I just think it’s a really good basic that’s great for the office and would look good with denim too!
cardigan (xl) | pants (20) | sandals
15 | Polo Ralph Lauren Arctic Fleece Sweatshirt
sweater (xl)
My big takeaway from this try on is that I’m really into the preppy nostalgic pieces right now, and since I’m now an east coast girl, I think I’ll be leaning pretty hard into that style this fall! Honestly very excited about it, and this sweater is just that… nostalgic, preppy, east coast vibes.
16 | AllSaints Leslie Side Ruched Top
Confession: this one I somehow managed to put on backwards. The zipper is supposed to sit in back, but I didn’t realize that until after the fact when I looked at the model photos on Nordstrom’s website. When I tried it on the “correct” way, it just didn’t work on me, but backwards? Something magical happened.
The waist cinching was perfection, the oversized dolman sleeves gave just the right amount of drama, and the fabric had this silky movement to it that felt so good. Easily one of my favorite pieces I tried.
17 | Eileen Fisher Bateau Neck Stripe Sweater
This Eileen Fisher striped sweater was one of my favorites I tried, but TBH the 2X didn’t work and I think I could’ve sized down. Eileen Fisher plus pieces, especially their tops and sweaters, tend to run really long on me, and at 5’2″ with a short torso, that extra length just wasn’t doing what I wanted it to do. A bunch of people in the reviews mention it runs large too, so size down for sure. I’m going to order the xl and see how that fits instead. But sizing aside, this piece is just gorgeous, and given how much I’ve struggled with stripes lately, this is one I can actually get behind.
18 | Staud Winston Merino Wool Sweater
Last but not least, this merino wool sweater from Staud. What makes it so interesting is that the scarf is designed to be a part of the sweater and has built in loops to ensure it stays in place. The scarf is removable, which is great if you want to wear the two elements separately. While there was so much I loved about this sweater, it was itchy on my ultra sensitive skin, so from a fabric standpoint it was a no, but design wise… I loved it.
Overall, my shopping experience at Nordstrom was truly top tier, and I will absolutely be back again soon! Now I need to know from you — what are you dying to try this fall? What trends are you most excited about? Because I always want to try new things, so send me your recs.
XX – Kat @thekatrinanichole on YouTube
Red cardigan looks so cute and I love how it looked with your hair up like that!
awe thanks so much! You will have to let me know if you order the cardigan too!
I also came here to say you are slaying that red cardigan. It’s out of my price range, but I hope you got it!
I just saw a similar cardigan on Quince and ordered it… so I’ll let you know if it’s just as good!
Loved your voice throughout this review.