J.Crew New Arrivals – September 2016 Style Guide Part 2

Hi! As promised, I’m back with part two of my September 2016 J.Crew try-on session last week. You can see part one in this post.

First up, the Colorblock Stripe Ponte Dress. I cannot walk by a striped dress and not try it on.

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Necklace: J.Crew Enamel Locket Necklace

This dress runs big. I think it looks better in the photo than it felt on me in the dressing room – I felt like it was just a tad too tight and short for my comfort. This is a medium and is definitely hugging my curves. I didn’t try the large, but the sleeves are bigger than the body in this dress and while I would have appreciated the room in the hip/length in a large, the arms would have been huge and odd looking since they’re 3/4 length. I would size down in this one. As you can see, length is above my knees but it’s a cute toss on and go weekend dress. It was a substantial weight too, not too thin or super thick, it reminded me of the maritime dress from a few years ago.

Next up is the Rhodes Blazer in Wild Flamingo. I ordered this online when it was showing low stock and my store was practically wiped out of it as well.

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This is my first time trying the Rhodes Blazer and I would say it runs TTS to a bit large. I think the cut is flattering but I had to double check that this was actually wool. As I noted with the Rhodes pants, this is a woven wool – it’s not what I expected at all. I’m used to my (non super 120s) wool blazers to be a little softer and the woven material was really throwing me off. It’s a warm jacket and the saturated pink is beautiful. However, I do have the pink Schoolboy blazer (and a pink wool hacking jacket…and a wool pink Bella jacket) from a few years ago so I’m not sure another of these blazers is totally necessary. Let’s just say I was on the bright pink blazer bandwagon well before J.Crew determined there are 226 shades of pink. I’m still kicking myself for not grabbing the peppermint pink blazer from last year. I digress. The gold buttons aren’t a deal breaker for me but I would prefer them in a more muted tone. I’m a 10/12 in blazers depending on the blazer and this is a 12.  Here’s a closeup of the buttons and you can see the woven nature of the wool. I do adore how it’s styled in the catalog with a black/white striped tee and dark jeans and I’ll be copying that look this fall regardless of if I keep this blazer. As I said before, I love how the style guide this season is refreshing some ways to wear classics.

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Ok, enough of pink, onward to the Tippi Sweater in Argyle in Black/Ivory. This also comes in cabernet/geranium (read: burgundy and pink) as well as elm/aqua (brown/aqua blue and what looks like a peachy color).

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Pants: J.Crew Teddie Pant/ Loafers: Charlie Tassel Loafer in Snakeskin / Necklace: J.Crew Enamel Locket Necklace

I’m wearing a medium which is the smaller of my two sizes but I feel is the better size in the new style of Tippis. The wool is on the lighter end and seems to be less substantial than the regular Tippi sweaters. I have a few old school J.Crew argyle sweaters that I’ve found on eBay over the years so this isn’t a must have for me but it’s cute. The only reason I might go up to a large in this would be to prevent the pulling across my chest which is my main complaint when wearing argyle like this. It’s just what happens when you have a chest!

Next up, the Margot Top in Silk Foulard. I’m wearing a size 12 in this blouse and would consider it true to size.

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The color is out of my general wheelhouse (blue/brown) but I love a good foulard print and J.Crew always nails it. I like that the ruffles aren’t over the top and while I don’t wear a ton of brown, I would wear this under a navy suit. The silk was substantial weight, and the colors are a little more saturated than they show in these photos. I also tried it with the Campbell Blazer in Houndstooth (shown below) and it looked good paired with that.

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I’m wearing a 10 in the blazer and I thought it seemed flimsier than most of their wool blazers and the wool is on the scratchier side but it is lined. It was lacking the structure I’d like in a blazer. It felt wimpy to me if that makes any sense. The houndstooth is navy and white.

Last up are a few of the leopard items, starting with the Shift Dress in Leopard. This dress also comes in petite and tall. I’m wearing a 12 which is my usual J.Crew dress size.20160818_193648

Oh, I don’t even know where to start with this dress. First, the material. It’s shiny and heavy and weird. I love a good leopard print and this dress would have been so much cuter in a nice wool. The front chest area is also stitched in a v-pattern which doesn’t really add anything to the look of the dress. It fit like most shift dresses fit me – tight in the hips. Shift dresses are a style I shy away from and this dress will probably look good on people who look good in shift dresses. They’re not my thing. I do think paired with a black turtleneck and tights and booties it would be really cute for winter, but gah. The fabric. It reads cheap to me. The tie-waist skirt is the same material and given items with a thick waist tie don’t do much for my figure, I passed on trying on the skirt. I guess we can’t win them all, but J.Crew, this would have been so much better in wool.

And lastly, the Lightweight wool Jackie Shell in Leopard. I tried a large in this since that’s what size I wear in the cotton Jackie shells (but still find to be slightly short). The wool shell was a little longer but ooh look at those big arm holes. Yikes.

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For some reason, I didn’t grab the matching Jackie cardigan in Leopard to try on but I’m usually a large in the Jackie sweaters. Arm holes aside, I like the print on these, and they are a nice lightweight wool. I haven’t bought any of the wool Jackie cardigans because I can do without the gold buttons, but on this leopard print, they pretty much blend in to the wool. If you can size down in the shell, that would probably solve the arm hole issue but I think the smaller size wouldn’t work with my bust.

There you have it, the second half of my September catalog try-ons and I feel like I still have to get back to the store for one more round of perusing the store. As I said before, I foresee some closet cleaning come fall so I can focus on what I’ll be looking to fill in come fall/winter. Any of these your favorites? Not so much? Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!!

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J.Crew New Arrivals – September 2016 Style Guide Part 1

Hello! As promised, I’m back with some of the new J.Crew fall arrivals. Fall is always my favorite clothing season and while I’m not rushing the rest of this summer, I was excited to get my fall J.Crew style guide and find there was plenty to love in the new catalog. This is probably one of my favorite rollouts in a while (and not only because it features a fantastic shade of flamingo pink). I found there was a lot to love in the way of neutrals and I enjoyed seeing styling that I can implement using my current closet items. I feel a post-summer closet purge coming on and I’m definitely trying to be a little more deliberate about what I’m adding to my closet this fall to make sure that it’s money well spent. But..in the mean time, let’s try on some clothes! I am splitting this in to two posts because I had more photos than I realized.

First up, the Ruffle Front Chiffon Top in Vibrant Paisley and the Double Pleated Skirt in Vivid Paisley. I’m wearing a 12 in both so I would say they are true to size. I had to go back and make sure I had the print names right…vibrant…vivid, what’s the difference? They look the same to me! Typo, perhaps?

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Necklace: J.Crew Enamel Locket Necklace / Shoes: J.Crew Elsie Suede Pumps

I have to say, I didn’t hate this. In J.Crew speak, this “hookup” of two items in the same print had an odd appeal to me. Looking at the photos there’s a bit of a retro vibe to this and the pendant necklace is adding to that look. I liked the skirt a lot more than I thought I would. Sometimes the lighter weight skirts highlight my hips and problem areas. The blouse was also very nice and I appreciated the very subtle ruffles, they were not anything that added to my chest area. The blouse comes in a navy polka dot version as well. The skirt length was reasonable for work and I think it would look nice with a neutral or burgundy top. Here’s a closeup of the print:

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I tried it with the Tippi Sweater with Ruffles in fuschia blossom (shown below.) but it was a bit too much pink for me.  The neutral shoes are a must with this much pink!

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I’m wearing a medium in the Tippi sweater and have found this next generation of Tippi sweaters runs generous as I’m a medium or large in tops.

Next up are the Rhodes pant in Italian wool in wild flamingo.

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I’m often a 14 in suiting pants (which end up gaping at the waist) and these are a size 12. They just fit and you can see where they’re pulling a bit in the leg. I wouldn’t have worn these with a tucked in top so the 14s might be worth a try but I’m a little worried they’d be too big. The wool on these is woven and I’ve seen several comparisons to the wool café capris of a few years ago which I would agree with – but these have a thicker weave fabric. I’m not personally sold on the fit for me though so these were a pass for now. I do really like the thicker cuff on the bottom.

Next up, the Edie Top in Shirting Stripe. I was on the fence on this top but couldn’t stop thinking about it and had to see it for myself. It runs true to size, I’m wearing a 12.

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Pants: J.Crew Teddie Pant/ Loafers: Charlie Tassel Loafer in Snakeskin

I took it off and put it back on so the sleeves are scrunched up and I didn’t notice until later. I am back and forth in my opinion of this top. The ruffle needs a little fluffing and I tried it on with the pink pants too but I liked the black pairing much better. You can see the pairing with the pink pants on my Instagram page here.  I love the shirting stripe and this made me want a basic top in the same stripe! This enamel necklace is growing on me too. The loafers are true to size as are the Teddie pants.

I also tried the Ruffle Top in Shirting Stripe to see if I liked this better than the Edie top. This is a size 10 so it runs a bit large. This is cute, it has an open back but I found these ruffles to be even more cutesy than the other top.

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Here’s the Edie Top in Shirting Stripe paired with the Regent Blazer in Warm Camel. This is a size 10 which is the smaller of my two blazer sizes and the size of most of my older Schoolboy blazers.

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I have been wanting a solid camel blazer as the one I had from Factory wasn’t quite the right shade of camel for me. I have a few of the heavier wool Regents from last year and I really like this lighter wool solid version and I can’t believe this is the first time I’m trying it on as I like the fit even better than the heavier wool ones I own. The natural state of this blazer is a popped collar but this current style guide shows it with the collar turned down which you can do with it as well. This is at the top of my wishlist right now and I am loving some of the looks in this month’s style guide featuring a camel blazer and more neutral pairings.

Lastly for this post is the Monday dress in Fiery Sunset. This is a size 12 and as you can see, Spanx would be needed. The lighter color highlights any imperfections but the cut of the dress is beautiful, it’s a work-appropriate length and while the sleeves are a bit much for me, you could throw on a blazer and be good to go.

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So, that’s it for now…I’ll do another post with the rest of my try-ons. How about you, what are you loving from this rollout? Any favorites from this post? Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!

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Summer Neutrals

Hi! Long time no post…a sunny, beautiful summer has meant not so much blogging! While I am looking forward to fall, I am trying not to rush these beautiful summer days. I am looking forward to fun new fall clothes at J.Crew! As I was looking through my Instagram feed earlier this week, I realized that I’ve kept to a fairly neutral palette these last few weeks. I have definitely hit that point in the summer where I’m all about the ease of an outfit and dresses seem to be on constant rotation. It has been steamy in my neck of the woods but I also have to dress for the unpredictable air conditioning of my office (read: layers!) This is a little bit of a copy and paste action, but I thought I’d share some of my neutral summer work looks from the past few weeks. They’re easy pairings and some good go-to combinations when you’re stuck on what to wear in the morning.

 

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Dress: J.Crew / Cardigan: Tory Burch / Necklace: J.Crew / Shoes: J.Crew (old), similar here / Watch: Michael Kors

This J.Crew Factory dress has lukewarm reviews online but I grabbed it for less than $30 (there’s still a full size run online). I took my regular size 12 and I did have it altered to let the hem out to get me another 1.5″ or so in the length. Paired with a navy cotton blazer and gold flats, it is work appropriate. I would also pair it with the J.Crew Corsica Wedges (which I am still waiting to go on sale!)

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Dress: J.Crew Factory / Blazer: J.Crew / Shoes: J.Crew (old), similar here

These Tory Burch cardigans are on constant rotation for me all year – even on sale, they’re a bit pricy, but I have been able to grab these on sale and my price per wear on them is so low at this point, they’ve been worth the money. They run a tad on the small size so the larger of my two sizes (Large) works for me in these. I took my usual size in the striped dress (12).

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Dress: J.Crew / Cardigan: Tory Burch / Sandals: Ann Taylor (old, similar here) / Necklace: J.Crew (old, similar here) / Watch: Michael Kors

Another place I’ve had a lot of luck with dresses this summer is Banana Republic. Their sales have been pretty solid – running 40/50% off sale on a regular basis and I like their easy online returns. I picked this dress up on store and was thrilled with how flattering it is – I took a 12 and no need for Spanx – what more do you want?!

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Dress: Banana Republic / Blazer: J.Crew / Shoes: J.Crew / Necklace: J.Crew (old, linked to similar style)

Next up, one of my go to weekend styles – with my new favorite Adidas sneakers and a striped dress (one of many in my closet!) I sized down a full size in the sneakers from my usual size and I took a large in this dress.

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Dress: J.Crew / Sneakers: Adidas (via Nordstrom) / Purse: J.Crew

So, there you have it, some of my recent summer work outfits and a weekend outfit as well. When in doubt – stick with neutrals! Stay tuned for early fall J.Crew arrivals – hoping to get to the store next week and try on new goodies! Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting.

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