The Fab Life

Hello! I’m still here, posting regularly on Instagram and unfortunately less frequently here. After a few crazy J.Crew sales, I was feeling pretty shopped out as January finished up and then they had to go and really put things on sale, practically giving the store away with $9.99 and $19.99 clearance sales. But my friend and stylist at J.Crew tempted me back in to see the spring new arrivals for February 2019 and while my store didn’t get a lot of the gingham offerings that we’re seeing across the website, I still found some goodies to try and a few things that made their way home with me.

First up, the Long-Sleeve Ruffle Top in Eyelet and Vintage Straight Jeans in Rip Repair Wash.

Shoes: J.Crew (old) similar here

This top comes in a pretty orchid color as well as navy but knowing me, I’ll be looking for some white tops to wear during spring and early summer so I went with white. I’m wearing a small and this definitely runs big. At first I thought it was sort of meh but it looks way better tucked in and I really liked it with these jeans and I’ll be also trying with my lighter wash jeans which is how the top is styled on the website. I usually admire these eyelet tops on others and often feel like I can’t quite pull it off but I liked the more subtle style of this and I like that most of the front is solid with just the lighter weight neck and sleeves. I hope I get a lot of wear out of this since it came home with me. I am wearing my usual size 29 in the jeans which fit perfectly. I’m a big fan of the vintage straight jeans and they’re a nice change from skinny jeans.

Hello! As we approach the end of the year and head in to winter, I am long overdue for a try-on post! There hasn’t been enough in store the last few months to draw me in but as we approach holiday time, I have been finding more to love in the recent collections. Fall and winter are usually J.Crew’s best seasons and while it’s been a long time since I’ve wanted every single item that’s been released, I’m still able to find clothing to add to my closet. The items in this latest try-on session are from a few recent rollouts and we can look forward to the rest of the holiday items being released the week of Thanksgiving. So let’s get to it!

First up, the Tie-Neck Button-Up Shirt in Leopard Print and Pleated Leopard Midi Skirt.

I’m still kicking myself for purchasing other items and not this combination. In all fairness, I did purchase the leopard pencil skirt and I am trying (although not always succeeding) at being more discerning about my purchases. I’m still utilizing Rent the Runway so I am really trying to purchase items that will be repeat wears and that was my line of reasoning yet I’m still thinking about this! Both items are polyester which isn’t necessarily a deal breaker for me but I still think I can wait for a better deal. There. Moving on. I’m wearing an 8 in the skirt and a small in the blouse (trending more in size 6 territory in tops these days) and have been more on the 8 size of things in skirts. This blouse would get a ton of weekend wear for me and the skirt is beautiful on it’s own too.

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Hello! I had planned on not posting again until the next rollout at the end of the month or to write a post about my Rent the Runway Unlimited experience, but sometimes things don’t go as planned and you make a last minute trip to the store to check out some of the mid-month new arrivals. I did succeed in leaving the store without buying anything, but I do have a few items on my wishlist.

First up, the Cotton Skirt in Liberty® Floral Symphony and the Cotton Jackie Cardigan with Eyelet Lace

I’m wearing a medium in the cardigan and a size 6 in the skirt, both of which were good. I may have been able to size down in the skirt, but the 6 was plenty comfortable. The cardigan is pretty but not completely my style and I would have preferred it to be more of at true mint color than this dusty blue mint shade. This also comes in black and I can’t seem to find this color on the website anymore so it’s either sold out already or they’ve pulled it off the site for the current promotion. The skirt is pretty but I would have rather had a pencil skirt in the print. I also expected the print to be a bit more saturated than it was, as most other Liberty prints are. The skirt is a pull on and there is no zipper.

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Hello! It has been too long – somehow it’s been a few months since I’ve posted last. January had me busy with some traveling and plenty of post-holiday shopping (hello 50% off sale at J.Crew that lasted ALL month). I’ve been feeling a little shopped out lately as I often do this time of year. Don’t worry, I usually recover in time to be all over spring purchases. But I am trying to be more mindful about purchases and taking time to actually wear the clothes in my closet. The January/February rollouts are often the less exciting ones at most retailers as they’re trying to preview spring clothes and we’re still working our way through winter clothes as winter is showing no signs of budging. However, I had some returns to make this past weekend so I stopped in to my store and tried on some of the new arrivals at J.Crew.

First up, the Wrap Dress in 365 Crepe.

This is a big love for me. I thought it looked just ok on the model, if not a little sloppy the way the dress is flopping open in the website photo. But, as you can see, no flopping action here and there is a little button inside the dress to keep everything together. It is a true wrap dress so it’s a bit of a chore to get in/out of it, get tied up correctly and all that fun stuff. I don’t have the right bra on but it would be less busty with the right undergarments and I would probably employ some double sided tape to make sure there were no wardrobe malfunctions. I’m wearing a size 6 which is my regular dress size and I’m 5’8″ and this was above my knee and as you can see the sleeves are bracelet if not 3/4 length. I could possible do a tall in this and I may still try that out for sleeve length but the length of the dress itself doesn’t bother me. This reminded me of a DVF dress I rented recently from my Rent the Runway Unlimited subscription (more on that in another post soon I promise!) and while not as heavy as that dress, I can definitely see being able to wear this all year, hence the name! This also comes in a dark green, which my store did not have but I was happy with the black.

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Hello! Somehow it is already time for holiday season rollouts. I have a bit of a weakness for these rollouts – sequins, sparkles, velvet, plaid, I want it all. And there’s never enough time to wear it all. Which is what I am trying to keep in mind this year as I decide what to add in to the holiday rotation. This year’s holiday style guide was smaller than in year’s past and the new strategy at J.Crew seems to be doing smaller rollouts every few weeks. I was admittedly a little underwhelmed with the first rollout but stopped in to check it out in person and was pleased to see that a lot of the plaid will be coming in the next few weeks.

First up, the Lady Jacket in Sequin Tweed which I am wearing with the Perfect Shirt with Velvet Bows and Easy Pant in Velvet.

I loved all of these pieces. The velvet pants were a surprise love. I’m wearing a 6 which is a size down from my usual pant size and I still felt like I had a bit of breathing room. I’m wearing a 6 in both the jacket and the button down so they are true to size. The button down is a redo of last year’s Thomas Mason version. It reads a little waitstaff-ish on it’s own, but I think styled right, it’s a great holiday top. It is on the thinner side but that wasn’t a deal breaker for me (you can see my black bra under it in the next photo). I didn’t try the Thomas Mason version last year so I can’t compare the two. I did really like the jacket but know it would probably not get worn enough with the more voluminous sleeves, but I’ll consider it on sale. The only thing that bothered me was the lining was navy and orange which just didn’t match the look of the jacket. Not that you can see the lining but…black and red or grey would have made more sense. I have the Easy pants in matte crepe (both the Factory and the retail version) and while I wear an 8 in those, I thought the 6 was a good fit in these. I did take these home.

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