Crewlet – The Fab Life

More Summer-Fall Neutral Fab

September 15, 2016

Hello! While Labor Day is come and gone (and I’m still wearing white jeans…and probably a white blazer for a little while longer!) the weather here has been warm so I am very much in season transition mode. No sweaters here (yet)! And navy continues to be my go to neutral as we venture in to September. I really want to get back in to sharing outfits for those of you who aren’t on Instagram so for those of you who follow me on Instagram, these are a bit of a repeat, but here are some of my favorites from the end of summer/early fall.

This first outfit is something you could wear in to September. I knew these J.Crew Factory Suede D’Orsay Tassel flats had to be mine as soon as I saw them at the store! I started out with the shoes, and was thinking about the camel Regent blazer that is on it’s way to me, and remembered I had this skirt. I tried the shell first minus the blazer but it wasn’t quite right so I added the navy cotton blazer to break up the lighter colors and the necklace was the finishing touch. Definitely a preppy vibe but this outfit was an example of putting neutrals together in a way that was a new combination for me. And all of these are items you can currently find at J.Crew or are classic enough that you may have other alternatives in your closet. I’ll be keeping this color story in mind heading in to fall with wool pants or a double serge wool pencil skirt – or navy pants/skirt and a camel blazer. These shoes will be on repeat through the fall and winter I’m sure! These items are all true to size, I take my usual size 12 in the skirt/blazer, a large in the shell and a 9.5 in the flats (they JUST fit – they’re definitely a tad snug out of the gate).

Blazer: J.Crew / Shell: J.Crew / Skirt: J.Crew / Necklace: J.Crew / Shoes: J.Crew Factory

Next up, a classic black/white combination. And STRIPES of course. This ruffle-sleeve top found it’s way to me several weeks ago but I just finally pulled it out to wear it last week and now that I’ve gone and gotten properly fitted for a bra (more about that in another post), this top fit me even better and I’m looking forward to wearing it more this fall. The pants are the cotton version of the Banana Republic Avery crop pants which are my new love at Banana Republic. These run true to size and are great for those of us who are curvy on bottom!

Top: J.Crew (limited sizes in black/white – also in blue/white) / Pants: Banana Republic (link to wool version) / Shoes: J.Crew (old, similar here)

Next up are two semi-summery look but the blazers can be swapped out for a more season appropriate one come fall. Shirting stripes and leopard are one of my favorite combinations and one I keep coming back to over and over again.

Blazer: J.Crew / Pants: Banana Republic (old, similar here) / Blouse: J.Crew (old) / Shoes: J.Crew

Blouse: J.Crew / Pants: J.Crew / Blazer: J.Crew / Loafers: J.Crew (old, similar here) /Watch: Michael Kors

Lastly, speaking of navy, I have been all about the black and navy pairing. Black and navy and black and brown always used to be such a faux pas, but now it seems to be everywhere and I can’t get enough. I’m not really much of a brown wearer but I am all about the navy and black. I’ve also had this J.Crew factory boyfriend blazer in my closet for months and thought it was a tad too big – I decided to roll the sleeves on it and I find that it balances out the relaxed nature of the blazer. This dress is a shift dress from last summer at J.Crew and the pearls of course are on regular rotation.

Dress: J.Crew (old, similar dress from Banana Republic here) / Blazer: J.Crew Factory (old, similar here) / Shoes: J.Crew / Necklace: J.Crew / Watch: Michael Kors

Well, I spoke too soon, because it took me a few days to write this post and this morning the weather seems to have turned (cue my seasonal cold!) I’m excited to check out the new fall arrivals at J.Crew and Banana Republic and start to switch out my fall clothes! I feel a bit of a closet purge coming on as well so we’ll see how that goes. For now, thanks for stopping by and would love to hear how you’re getting ready for fall!

Summer Neutrals

August 11, 2016

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.

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!)

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).

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?!

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.

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.

J.Crew Factory Boucle Dress & Short-Sleeve Basketweave Dress

March 21, 2016

So it’s been awhile since I’ve seen anything at J.Crew Factory that’s caught my eye. A few weeks ago I had a 30% Gilt City coupon for J.Crew Factory and saw a few dresses that caught my eye – the Factory Boucle Dress in Dublin Green and Short-Sleeve Basketweave Dress (the style looked very similar to one I have from last year and love). My major gripe with the Factory website these days is that you can’t see the dresses on real models. The Boucle dress was billed as falling to the knee and the Short-Sleeve basketweave dress as falling above the knee. I decided to try a size 12 in both of these, as I have the 14 in last year’s basketweave dress and it is a bit big. The reviews on this year’s version was said that it runs large.

Shoes: J.Crew Suede Everly Pumps in Vibrant Berry

Out of the package, the dress looks very similar to last year’s version. The dress is 100% woven cotton with an acetate lining. I’m usually a 12 in dresses but sometimes a 14 in factory and this dress is generous. I couldn’t go down another size with my hips but I do have room in my midsection and in the shoulders. I would say if you don’t have as many curves you could size down a size. The dress hits at my knee (I’m 5’8″).

The dress has a wider neck so I did have to push my bra straps over so they weren’t peeking out (there aren’t any bra keeps either). I think people will either love or hate the uneven circles, they don’t bother me and I know this will get a good spring/summer rotation in my work wardrobe. The green boucle dress is a little more form fitting in the size 12. I like the color – I haven’t been able to stop thinking about a Factory dress in this color that I passed up last summer. I found this dress to be shorter than the basketweave dress and you can see it’s a little more fitted. I may try a pair of spanx under this dress to try and smooth out my hip area.

Shoes: J.Crew Suede Everly Pumps in Vibrant Berry / Watch: Michael Kors

The boucle dress is 84% cotton, 12% polyester, 4% elastane with a polyester lining. The front seams are not pockets. Calling this dress boucle is a bit of a stretch – it’s more of a textured cotton and there aren’t any actual loops in the fabric – which from a fabric snag potential is a good thing.

This dress will look even better once it’s ironed. Both dresses claim to need to be dry cleaned – they may be washable at home but I’m usually not too adventurous when it comes to these things. I like that I will be able to wear both dresses with a blazer or cardigan and the navy/white dress will work with a lot of shoe/cardigan color combinations.

So, have you done any shopping at J.Crew Factory lately? What do you think of the dresses? Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!

J.Crew Billie Demi-Boot Crop Jean in White

March 19, 2016

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.

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.

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.

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!

J.Crew Fair Isle Classic Turtleneck Sweater

January 5, 2016

Happy New Year! Sweater weather has finally arrived and it’s back to work after a week and a half off. I’ll be honest, aside from dressing up for the holidays, I didn’t spend a lot of time planning outfits and my go to outfit of the week (which I didn’t photograph) was all J.Crew – Black Shrunken Wool Turtleneck, Black Chelsea Boots, Lookout high-rise jeans, Rib-Stitch Cotton Cardigan (old, similar here), and Excursion Vest.

By this time of the season I’ve usually stocked up on new sweaters but with the milder weather, that hasn’t happened. I did pick up the J.Crew Fair Isle Classic Turtleneck Sweater after the latest price cut. I went with the larger of my two sizes, since it did look like the sweater was on the shorter side, and that was the right call. The turtleneck itself is fitted and the body is looser. I did choose to wear a tank underneath. It wasn’t bad without one, but I did feel it was a little shorter in the back than I would have liked.

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Sweater: J.Crew / Jeans: Paige Jimmy Jimmy Skinny Jeans / Boots: J.Crew Chelsea Boots

The sweater is a wool, nylon, cashmere blend and the nylon definitely causes the material to be it not as soft as it could be. I’m not terribly sensitive when it comes to these things and I didn’t find it scratchy per se, but I could see how some people might find it uncomfortable or want to layer long sleeves underneath. The knit is nice and tight though so I didn’t have an issue wearing it with just a tank top. I would have liked it to be a smidge longer but overall, I like the different fair isle design and since I can’t seem to have enough grey sweaters, it’s a keeper for me.

And of course, since it was snowy and blowy last weekend when I wore this outfit, the J.Crew Chateau Parka was the perfect top layer. I bought this coat at the end of last season on sale and tucked it away – I’ve only worn it twice so far with this weather! I do have to say, I wish I had tried it on right away when I bought it because I did go with a 12 in this coat and with the swingy body in the coat, I may have been able to size down to a 10. But it is still a nice coat and kept me warm (even if I was an idiot and wore destructed jeans outside on a really cold day – holes in jeans, not so great in the bitter weather).

I’ll admit, the jeans got swapped out later in the day when the sun went down and I had to run more errands after meeting up with some girlfriends for lunch.

Lastly, another look from the week – nothing new, just some pieces that I am reaching for over and over again. I have rediscovered my love for my J.Crew Pixie Pants and seem to be reaching for them on the weekend more than jeans.

Sweater: Old Navy (old, link to similar)/ Pants: J.Crew Pixie Pants / Shirt: J.Crew End On End Button Down (old, link to similar) / Vest: J.Crew Factory Quilted Vest / Boots: Tory Burch

Have you been buying less winter clothing with the lack of winter temperatures? Holding out for good sales? Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting. I’ll be back to posting about work clothes soon!

J.Crew Factory Short-Sleeve Basketweave Dress & Crepe Short-Sleeve Dress

March 8, 2015

I made another trip to the J.Crew Factory store this weekend to make a return and didn’t plan on trying much on. But a few dresses caught my eye, including the Short-Sleeve Basketweave Dress that Gigi’s Gone Shopping wrote about on her blog here so I decided I’d try them out.

I tried a 12 and a 14 in this dress and the 14 had the better fit for me – again, allowing room for my hips. The top is a little loose, but not too bad, which is often the problem when I go up to a 14 in dresses – my hips have enough room but my top is swimming in it. This was a little loose up top, but manageable.

I love how the dress has a clear waist definition and allows for my curves. AND – it hits at my knees! An issue I’ve had with Factory dresses the past few seasons is that they’re so short. This is completely work appropriate but is also a great dress for an evening out to a nice dinner or party. Big thumbs up for me.

The next dress is the Crepe Short-Sleeve Dress in Bright Emerald. The color of this dress is what caught my eye and the shape looked very similar to the Basketweave dress. I tried a 12 and 14 in this dress as well and also felt more comfortable in the 14 in this dress.

The material on this dress is weird. It’s a polyester/elastane blend and it bordered on feeling neoprene-ish but not quite the level of the neoprene items J.Crew released last year. It was almost scratchy. It wasn’t lined. But I did really love the dress on, the shade of green is beautiful and it is a work appropriate length.

The dress has stretch due to the elastane but this dress is anything but crepe feeling to me. J.Crew retail has done some decent polyester crepe in my opinion but this was just…weird. The dress was $108 – 40% off in store but I decided to only purchase the basketweave dress at this point. I can’t quite get over the weird fabric. The dress also comes in black.

Even though the dress will probably have to sit in my closet for another month before it will see any action, I am glad I picked it up as it’s already out of stock in my size online.

So, how about you? Have you tried either one of these dresses? Any other dresses you’re liking at Factory? I can only hope for more knee-length dresses this season! Would love to hear what you think and thanks for reading!

The Fab Life

Making every day fabulous

Category: Crewlet