Oh, TriDeltaSallie, you must be my sister. Everything you say is dead-on.
I'm so mad at Talbot's....I'm wearing 3- and 4- and 5-year-old clothing because their selection and quality is so poor now.
I did just purchase a top for, with delivery, almost $60. I'm keeping it (because there's nothing else), but the material is very, very thin polyester (not silk, which it would have been a few years ago)...the cap sleeves aren't even cut and sewn in separately...it's made so cheaply it should only cost about $15.
Never mind why designers think ruffles down your bosom and stomach are slimming.