The Fab Life

Hello! I am back with some J.Crew early fall new arrivals. I did most of my J.Crew shopping online this summer and even at that, didn’t do a lot of warm weather clothes shopping due to a late start to the season. But fall is here and it’s always one of my favorite clothing seasons at J.Crew and other retailers.

First up, the Short sleeve midi dress in Dutch Floral.

I’m wearing this in a medium which was a good fit. My top is more in the 6/8 range these days and my bottom 8/10 so I am usually an 8 in dresses, still sometimes a 6 if it’s loose in the hips. I liked this better than the top which is more of a satin look. It is a little short waisted so I wasn’t a huge fan of where it sat on my midsection. I also would have liked the sleeves to be a little longer. It’s not a must have for me but I would consider it on sale.

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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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