Try Ons

J.Crew Dress Try-Ons – June 2016

June 5, 2016

Hi there! I stopped in to the store yesterday to return a few dresses I had ordered online and decided to try on a few of the summer dresses. I still have my rewards card to spend for this last season but have been feeling like my closet is overflowing with summer items that don’t get enough rotation, so I’ve been trying to be a bit more diligent when it comes to picking summer items. I’m now regretting not at least trying on the Tiered Eyelet Midi Dress – the SA at the store who was helping me was wearing it with a faded denim jacket and fringe sandals and it looked really cute…but she was also a few inches taller and several sizes smaller than I am. I digress.

First up, the Sleeveless A-Line Dress in Windowpane Tweed. I tried this in my usual size 12 which was the right size. This silhouette is a go-to for me due to my shape and this dress was a perfect fit. It is a heavier tweed and lined, but considering most of my summer days are spent in a cool air conditioned office, I wouldn’t have an issue with the weight of this dress.

The dress is a little plain on it’s own, so I would add a blazer and a statement necklace and pumps for work. I was happy with the length on the regular size (I’m 5’8″). There’s a side zipper for the dress which are always a little annoying for me – I would have preferred a (hidden) back zip. Styled creatively or layered, you could probably stretch this more than one season, but I always find I struggle with that and I think I would only tend to reach for this in the warmer months. I would consider it on sale.

Next up, the Flutter-Sleeve Dress in Eyelet in white. I also tried this in a size 12. This dress also comes in bold red, which was not in my store but looks like one of J.Crew’s orangey-red colors.

I wasn’t expecting to like this dress as much as I did. It was a little short for my comfort zone so I think the 12 Tall would be more in my comfort zone. I absolutely have no need for a white dress in my closet right now but it would be great if you’re a bride for a bridal shower or rehearsal dinner. I liked the small uniform eyelets and the flutter sleeve wasn’t too crazy which I liked. I don’t do a ton of orange so I may have been more likely to spring for this dress in a different color – maybe a mint or pink color. Looking at the reviews, this may have come in black as well but must have sold out fast.

Next, the Flutter Sleeve Dress in Ikat. I didn’t realize this was the same style dress as the eyelet dress when I tried it on. I also tried this in a size 12. I was also surprised to see that it’s silk – it’s a very flimsy silk and I would have thought it was polyester to be honest.

As you can see, the dress is pulling in the middle so definitely too small. But, as with many Crew dresses, sizing up would mean that it would be too big up top so it would have to be something that I really loved to consider altering it (or finding it on super sale!) This dress doesn’t come in a tall length, or I might have gotten a little room out of trying a tall – it’s also short but the length didn’t bother me. If you’re well endowed up top but straighter through the hip area, you’d probably be fine with your regular size in this dress – I could see it being too blousy up top if you had a smaller chest. Again, I thought the flutter sleeves were subtle and I’m not usually a big ikat fan but I liked this print.

Lastly, because I need another striped dress in my life, the Striped T-Shirt Dress. I tried this in both a Medium and a Large. It also comes in a navy/fiery red combination.

The medium is on the left and the large on the right. The dress has an exposed gold zipper in back which goes about halfway down the back. It’s a thicker ponte material. As you can see, the medium was a bit more form fitting and accentuated my hips with the alternating stripe design. Length wise it was about the same as the large but I personally preferred the more relaxed fit of the large.

Since my rewards were burning a hole in my pocket, I decided to purchase the striped dress (I know, stripesick), and as I was checking out, a few of the necklaces caught my eye, so I picked up the Long Oval Link Necklace in Burnt Sienna as well as the Crystal Cluster Necklace. With the 30% off in store promotion, the dress and necklace came to pretty much the exact amount of my rewards (which pretty much NEVER happens).

So, not much color to be seen in this post, but some nice classic summer dresses. Have you tried any of these dresses? Any favorites? Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!

J.Crew In Store Try Ons – March 2016

March 26, 2016

I stopped in J.Crew last night to make a few returns and tried on a few items from the last rollout. I was mostly looking to kill time while waiting to meet up with a friend and hadn’t been in store since the last round of spring clothing was released.

First up, I tried the Ruffled Bell-Sleeve Shift Dress in Stripe. I’ve seen the top on a few people and thought it looked cute and really I was curious to see if this would be surprisingly cute or a too-short disaster. I went with a size large.

Shoes: Flats: Gap Lace-Up Ballet Flats (sold out – similar at Banana Republic here) / Watch: Michele Deco XL (with black leather strap) / Ring: Bauble Bar @ Nordstrom

Shockingly, it was not too short. It was, however, very large in the arms and chest area. I couldn’t have sized down to a medium or I would have been squeezed in there. The sleeves are a bit too much for me. My SA took one look at me and shook her head. I did like the material, was on the stiffer side with a little bit of stretch but not too much. The website bills the length on this to be 35 1/2″ and I think I’d have to question that as this hit just above my knee. I think this will look cute on others if it fits better through the whole body but it wasn’t for me.

Next up, the Contrast Eyelet Dress. I didn’t remember seeing this online or in the catalog but figured I’d try it. I am not loving the pleated skirt, I would have preferred a regular A-line skirt.

The material is a white and black eyelet material – I should have grabbed a close up. This wasn’t a love for me. I could have lived without the slit in the neck as well. I liked last year’s punched eyelet dress much better. This is a size 12.

Next up, the Tipped Sheath in Dotted Jacquard. This is a size 12 and juuust fit. Maybe some Spanx required to smooth me out in the midsection. This is a good dress for work, but I didn’t love it so I would wait for sale on this one.

The material doesn’t have any stretch and is a cotton poly blend. I also had a little bit of pancake chest going on but I did appreciate that it falls to the knee so kudos to longer dresses!

Next up was my surprise love – the Wide Leg Ponte Pants. The largest my store had was a size 10 which is a size down from my regular pant size so that’s what I went with. I’m also a size 10 in the Pixie pants, and these are the same material as the (original softer) Pixie pants.

Top: J.Crew Structured Flutter Hem T-Shirt (Size Medium) / Flats: Gap Lace-Up Ballet Flats (sold out – similar at Banana Republic here)

They are incredibly comfortable, side zip and while I felt like I had a little bit of pulling in my midsection, they would be too large in a size up. I could see these working for weekend and work – they were really fun with the lace up flats but I’d wear them with a blouse or Tippi and heels to work as well. The black was a little tough to capture in the dressing room but they hit me above the ankle and I am 5’8″. I didn’t buy them last night but I can’t stop thinking about them!

Last up, the Embroidered top in white. This was cuter than I expected as well, a little on the sheer side but I’ll wait for this one to hit sale as well. I’m wearing a large which was a good choice. I’m usually not in to pom poms and a lot of “stuff” on my shirts but I liked it for a white summer tee.

Jeans: Paige Kylie Crop (from Nordstrom Rack – similar Paige Skyline crop here)

So, what do you think? Have you tried any of these? Any loves? Not so much? Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!

J.Crew March 2016 New Arrival Store Try Ons

February 17, 2016

While we’re living in a winter wonderland, more spring arrivals are rolling out so I stopped in J.Crew to check out the offerings from their March 2016 catalog. Due to weather, the store was a few days behind their scheduled rollout so when I stopped in, they were literally pulling stuff straight from the boxes. So, I didn’t ask the SA to dig through too much stuff but I did request a few items to try. A few items I want to try appear to be online only, including the Drapey Pant in Polka Dot and the Collection A-line silk twill skirt in watercolor floral. I am still very much in winter clothing mode but it was fun to try a few items for spring and think about warmer weather.

First up, the Martie Pant in Gingham and the Tippi Sweater in Neon Dahlia.

Shoes: J.Crew Elsie Suede D’Orsay Pumps / Watch: Michele Signature Deco XL Watch / Ring: John Hardy

This Neon Dahlia color keeps calling to me…I loved Silk Clip Dot Blouse in the same color (you can see it in this post) and it is still on my wish list. I grabbed the sweater to have a top to try on with the pants. I am wearing a size Large in this Tippi and a size 12 in the pant and while I now think I’m solidly between two sizes of Tippi sweaters, knowing that I wash them and they shrink a tad, I’m ok with the larger size and I liked the way L worked with these pants. The pants are a little higher waisted so I liked that I can cover the waistband with them. While I have one or two gingham shirts, I admit it’s not a pattern that I can’t get enough of, but I really liked these pants and I loved them paired with this sweater. I think the length on them is good for warmer weather, although thinking about them after looking at photos again, I would be curious to try the tall version of these. I also really like the catalog cover shot of these pants with the Tippi in Heather Spearmint and white sneakers.

Next up isn’t a new item but there was one left in my size so I tried it on; the Chateau Trench Coat in Barley. I have the Chateau Parka which has quickly become a favorite winter coat, even though I wish I had sized down to a 10 in it. This is a size 12 and I would agree with other reviews that it runs slimmer than it’s winter counterpart. I wouldn’t go any smaller than this and I only had one layer on underneath. I like that it has a hood, and the gingham lining is adorable, even though the sleeves are too short with them rolled to show the detail. The flare at the bottom isn’t overly exaggerated and gives the coat a different shape. It’s a cute alternative to a khaki trench, although I would really like to see it in navy. I’m still thinking about it though.

Pants: Martie Pant in Gingham / Shoes: J.Crew Elsie Suede D’Orsay Pumps

I wanted to try the Paneled Geometric Teddie Pants or the Pencil Skirt, but my store had the Paneled Geometric Dress so that was my option. This is a size 12 and it has zero stretch. The tag said it was 95 % cotton/5% polyester. The material is a woven black and and ivory/natural, the white it isn’t bright white. This wasn’t a perfect fit on me so it’s a pass. The hips were definitely tight but the waist and mid-section were a bit loose. The length on it was perfect, right at my knee. I’d probably have to size up in the pants or the skirt if I wanted to try that. Props to this dress being all cotton though and the woven material was very substantial.

Dress: Paneled Geometric Dress /Shoes: J.Crew Elsie Suede D’Orsay Pumps / Watch: Michele Signature Deco XL Watch / Ring: John Hardy

Here’s a close-up of the material at the shoulder and hem.

Next up, the Bell-Sleeve Crepe Dress in Dark Papaya. This dress has been online for a few weeks but I think is only just featured in the current catalog. I tried a 12 first but it was loose all over so I tried a 10 which just fit, it was a little tight through the shoulders and shorter than I would have liked. The size 10 is on the left (photo with the necklace) and the size 12 is on the right. Looking at the photos – it’s tough to tell the difference but the size 10 was at least an inch shorter on me and smaller through the arms. I had plenty of room in the bust in both dresses which is a rarity. I think a 10 Tall would be the perfect size for me in this dress. I felt like I was straight out of an episode of Mad Men in this dress. It has a fuller skirt than we’re used to seeing in most of J.Crew’s suiting dresses and between the flared skirt and the flared sleeve it’s a little too cutesy for me. Maybe in black and I know the shell pink would be way too light on my skin tone.

Lastly, the Pleated Midi Skirt in Polka Dot. I have the striped version of this skirt from last year in a size 12, and never tried the size down, so I tried a 10 in this skirt, which worked well. I would say you could take the smaller of your two skirt sizes. It hits below the knee for me at 5’8″ and the website lists it at 29″ long for the regular length. I’m wearing a size Medium in the Tippi with the skirt – the size large looked way too sloppy with the skirt and I can never quite get the half tuck right. I liked the trimmer fit of the size medium with the skirt. I would probably opt for my smaller Tippis as I do with my striped midi skirt. This was a cute skirt – I wore mine in to early fall last year. The polyester material seemed similar to last year’s striped versions. It’s not a must have for me at this point so I’ll wait and see how the polka dot pants work out on me.

So…just a few things to share, hopefully I can get back in the store to try more items once they get the full rollout in place. The gingham pants and the Tippi did find their way home with me. It’ll be a while before I can wear the pants – but hoping maybe when I get to travel south for warmer weather in the coming weeks! How about you, anything you’re loving from the latest rollout? Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting!