Category: Ann Taylor

J.Crew Billie Demi-Boot Crop Jean in White

Hello! I think we’re finally at the end of the winter tunnel and I am getting more in to slowly buying items for warmer weather. I still haven’t packed away my winter clothes but I am headed south in a few weeks so I’ve been starting to think about my spring / summer wardrobe and what I may be looking to add in to the rotation. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve been a sucker for white jeans lately. Once I found a pair that I loved (the Ann Taylor Modern Skinny Ankle Jean) I couldn’t get enough. My only thing about them is that they are long and I usually end up cuffing them to get a cropped look. So when I saw the new Billie Demi-Boot Crop Jean in white I thought I’d give it a try. I’ve tried J.Crew’s white jeans in the past and haven’t had luck with them – the fit was never quite right and the cropped ones were always too narrow in the ankle. After seeing them on my friend Andrea over at Tweed and Toile and a recent 30% promotion, I ordered both the regular and the tall length in a size 32 which is my usual J.Crew jean size.

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Tee: J.Crew Striped T-Shirt with Back Zipper / Jeans: J.Crew Billie Demi-Boot Crop Jean / Sandals: J.Crew Cyprus Sandals (old, similar Seaside Sandals at J.Crew Factory here)

I tried the talls on first and I apologize for not including a picture, but they just looked like too-short flared jeans on me. So onward to the regular length ones. The fabric composition on these is 98%/2% elastane and they are lighter weight denim which of course is great for the spring/summer temperatures. I was surprised at how much I liked these on. They didn’t seem like they’d give too much but they’ll need the full day test to determine that. They are higher waisted but not ridiculously so – these hit right below my navel. I’d probably wear tees untucked with them so I’m not terribly worried about tucking shirts in.

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I have the lookout highrise jeans from J.Crew as well and these feel lower and not as restrictive as those do. You can see how far they go up on my waist. I like these a lot because I don’t have the gap that I get in a lot of jeans at my waist. And the flare isn’t too much of a flare. I tried them on with chunky heels to see how they’d look with heels, and I’ll probably try them with a thin heel ankle strap sandal too.

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Blouse: J.Crew Short-Sleeve Popover Shirt in Oxford Blue / Jeans: J.Crew Billie Demi-Boot Crop Jean / Sandals: J.Crew Harlow Mules (similar from J.Crew Factory here)

I’m also tried the J.Crew Short Sleeve Popover Shirt in Oxford Blue in a tall length as well – I have the white and striped versions from last year which I have in a size 12 and wore the striped often with white jeans and the white with my lighter distressed jeans. I wanted to try the size 10 tall for more length. Meh. Untucked this shirt kinda felt like a hospital gown of some sort. I liked it more folded under as if I were going to tuck it in but I’ll probably exchange for a regular length.

These jeans are going to stay in my closet – I will be coating them with Scotchgard before I wear them, which I read somewhere online and it helps when you get them dirty – they wipe off so much easier! I am a disaster when it comes to spilling things so this has been a life saver to wear white jeans. Some reviews I’ve read of these have said that the blue denim versions of these jeans aren’t as stretchy – I may try another pair but I have the J.Crew vintage crop jeans from last year and like those a lot so I’m not sure how much more cropped flare denim I need in my closet (famous last words, right?)

So, what do you think? Have you tried these jeans at all? Love or not so much? Stay tuned, I have several more reviews coming, including some dresses from Factory for spring. Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!

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Holiday Weekend Fab

We have officially hit that time of year where the weekend (and during the week) is full of holiday related activities. While I love getting all dressed up, some holiday parties call for being holiday appropriate as well as comfortable and as we had a triple header evening this past Saturday (yeah, don’t be fooled, we’re not that popular), I wanted to keep my outfit pieces simple and then dress it up with a statement necklace and shoes (namely flats, so I could make it through several hours of the evening). I tend to go for heels when I know I’m going to have a seated dinner to rest a bit but I knew I would be on my feet all night so flats it was. And since we’ve had zero snow this winter, I could take advantage of not skimping out and wearing boots, which is often what happens when the weather gets cold and dreary.

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Necklace: J.Crew Corded Statement Necklace (old), Blouse: Banana Republic Boatneck Top (current), Shoes: J.Crew Sloan Striped D’Orsay Flats with Obi Bow

Don’t worry, I don’t make a habit of laying dirty shoes on my white blouses, these are brand new and hadn’t yet seen the dirtiness of the outdoors. After seeing the red version of this blouse on a friend of mine and after accidentally shrinking a similar J.Crew ivory blouse, I decided to try it out. It has a boxier fit, so I sized down to a medium per the reviews. It’s a little longer in the back too. I debated trying the tall version of this for a more tunic look, and I still might try the red version in a tall since this blouse is currently on a pretty good sale.

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Blouse: Banana Republic, Pants: Banana Republic Sloan Pants, Shoes: J.Crew

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I took my regular J.Crew shoe size in these flats. At first I thought they might be a bit large as I did have a little room in the top area of the shoe, but after wearing them for a full evening, they proved to keep their shape and be incredibly comfortable. I found these to fit a bit better than the Suede Sloan Flats as it would appear that these have more material in the toe area and they are a little sturdier than the suede version. My suede Sloan flats are looking a little bent in the toes. These shoes definitely read holiday with the gold but I think you can get away with wearing them for a longer period of time than some holiday tartan (although I guess that’s always debated as well!) I finished the look off with a holiday red lipstick and red nail polish.

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Lipstick: Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Gash

Lastly, here is an outfit I wore two weekends in a row…one week for Sunday fun activities – our neighborhood tree lighting and hanging out with friends and this past Saturday going out to run errands. We’ve been so incredibly spoiled in the Northeast with temperate weather this winter. My go to weekend outfit that is usually reserved for fall has gone right in to winter. This outfit combo is a tried and true favorite of mine- I have several of these vests and have been hooked on my Pixie Pants for weekend wear.

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Vest: J.Crew Factory Excursion Vest , Blouse: Ann Taylor (old, similar here), Pants: J.Crew Pixie Pants (I size down one size) Necklace: J.Crew Crystal Chandelier Pendant Necklace (old but you might track it down on eBay) Boots: Tory Burch (these actually fit my queen size calves!)

This is a busy time of year for me work wise as well, so while I do love getting dressed up and planning outfits, having some go to outfits on the weekends helps me stay on track from a schedule perspective. Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!

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Fan Fringe Friday

Once again, another outfit inspired by  my jewelry of the day. I’m a big fan of the bright dahlia colorway from J.Crew, and as you can see by my Ann Taylor Chelsea crop pants, they put out the same shade last year as well. It was another cool morning on Friday, hence the layering. This is the J.Crew lightweight boyshirt in stripe and it is a nice not too heavy piece for layering under the Tippi. My style is definitely more layering when it comes to button downs, mostly because no matter how much pinning/garment taping I do to my shirts, I usually end up gaping in them. So under sweaters it is.

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So, there you have it. A few days late…I’m really trying to stay on a regular posting schedule but the summer has been busy! Just wanted to say thanks for reading and leave me your comments below!

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Rainy Day Dots

Today was one of those miserable rainy days where I wished all day that I was home in my pjs reading a good book or working on my latest writing project. But alas, off to work I go. At least I could wear some bright dahlia pants to keep it bright. These aren’t J.Crew, they’re Ann Taylor from last year, but the color is spot on to the J.Crew bright dahlia colorway. Pants this bright need some neutrals and I’m still working on new pairings for the J.Crew Factory Linen-Cotton Polka-Dot Popover. I seem to love it with the Factory Classic button-down in dotted chambray since that’s the only way I’ve styled it so far.

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I didn’t feel like wearing rain boots today so I had to opt for a rain-safe shoe, and the J.Crew Factory Emery flats fit the bill. They got soaked to and from lunch and did alright drying out. I really wish these shoes were more comfortable but they’re just not. They just about make it through a workday and then I’m done with them. But I can’t stop wearing them.  So, what do you think? Do you try and brighten up rainy days with your wardrobe? Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!

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