Black, white, red, and some coral that totally doesn't match thrown in, too

 J.Crew Lexington Jacket (size 8)

J.Crew Blouson dress in polka dot (size 6)

J.Crew mini orbit necklace

Jessica Simpson tights (best tights ever, besides Spanx tights)

J.Crew Juliet midheels in poppy (see below)

This morning, I pulled this dress out of the closet and thought, it's about time I wear you, pretty silk polka dotted dress. So, I did, but not before I had to run and look at Polyvore to see a set I had made. You see, I've had difficulty styling this dress... it just seemed grannyish and unflattering for some reason, even though I have the neon pink stripe version and have no similar issues with that one. JCA Elaine and I both put out pleas on the weekly Help! Style Me post over at the mothership. A wonderful JCA whose name eludes me suggested pairing the dress with a plain black super 120s jacket. Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that!? So, after checking polyvore, I remembered this wonderful suggestion and was all ready to try it until I pulled out my favorite black super 120s jacket (the 1035) and saw that it was hopelessly wrinkled from being jammed in my too-full closet. Since my steamer broke yesterday I had no choice but to rethink. Fortunately, my impossible-to-wrinkle trusty Lexington jackets were hanging right there and so I decided on the black and ivory version.

I threw on my new mini orbit necklace at the last minute, even though it is a totally different shade than the Juliets I am wearing. It is the only reddish necklace I have besides the red bubble necklace which I have yet to wear because, well, it's HUGE and it scares me.

Mini review of the mini orbit: The plastic beads are a muted coral-y red with wine colored stripes. The little discs covered in rhinestones are hefty and overall, I really like this necklace. Great for adding a pop of color. The colors IRL are very close to what is shown in the website photo.

Didn't want my Juliets to feel left out!

Finally, I wore one of my favorite pairs of shoes. I had to sell off my entire collection of these in size 10 after my feet inexplicably grew, and am now on a quest to replace them in size 11. Luckily I found these ones almost right away, in my favorite color, poppy. Really, really wish J.Crew would bring these back. I would buy them... maybe not at full price (they were $198 back in the day, I think), unless they changed out the plastic linings and soles for leather! Then $198 might be fair and I'd  have to make an exception to my never pay full price policy.

Edited to add: Ooh, I must be psychic, or something... thanks to my friend wonkess on Polyvore who pointed out that a very similar outfit was featured today on corporette. 

So, what do you think of my last minute pairing of the lexington w/ the blouson dress? Do you have any other styling ideas for this dress?

Who wants some new nail polish?

I decided that when I reached 50 followers (that seems like a lot!) I'd do a giveaway to show my appreciation. Well, I am at 51 so here we go! I think it's awesome that others want to read my blog and look at my grainy pictures. THANK YOU for being here!

Have you tried the FACE Stockholm nail polish that J.Crew is selling these days? I have tried a few colors and it is really nice polish. I have some of the neon colors they were hawking in the kids dept., and the lighter beige color. I am not big on painting my nails but when I do, it better last more than a day or two, and this brand seems to last about 3-4 days before chipping. Not too shabby. So, for my first giveaway, the winner will receive two  bottles of this lovely nail polish, in the following (wearable, I think!) colors.

Spiked Punch

Cardinal Rule

 To enter, just leave a comment with your e-mail address. That's it! Let's end it Friday, March 2nd, 2012 at 11:59pm, est. Then I'll randomly pick a winner. I will ship to the United States and Canada. Good luck!

Winter-ifying a springy dress

Here is what I wore the other day when it was in the 40s... warm for winter but still too cold for bare legs and sheer, chiffon dresses. I wore one anyway!

 

J.Crew Maisie Dress in Waterfloral 

J.Crew Jackie Cardigan

J.Crew wide patent belt from 2008 in root

J.Crew Signature Leggings

J.Crew Belstaff Shannon Boots

I received the dress the night before and really wanted to wear it so I found a way to winterize it. It was very comfortable and it worked for me. Not my finest outfit but not the worst, either. The dress still pops back from time to time and it is lined in 100% silk which is rare these days and is unfortunately not mentioned in the description! If you can get it for a good price, it's a versatile dress that can be worn in any season, I think. Thank you for stopping by!

80s flashback

Among the new arrivals at J.Crew is an interesting new print.

 I don't like it at all because bright yellow and black leopard print just seems wrong. Also, because it immediately reminded me of these:

Zubaz!

Remember those? Looks like they recently started making them again.

Some of the neons and hideous prints/styles lately really remind me of the 80s and early 90s. Not a good time for fashion.Yuck. I prefer to stick to the classics!

Neon Azalea: My first outfit attempt

The neon azalea skirt arrived on my doorstep last week and let's just say it is brighter than expected. I already have the luxe silk crepe blouse in the same color (which actually isn't the same color, at all) but I hadn't heard anyone complaining that the skirt matched the blouse in loudness and neon-ness. Let's just say that this picture is much more accurate than this one, which of course is the stock photo. The colors of items online have been so off lately, haven't they?

For my first outfit, I decided to pair the skirt with my favorite neutral, gray. My favorite gray item of clothing is currently the decadent Cashmere Blouse from last fall. So I said, what the hell, this is a bright skirt but I love brights so let's just do it and pretend like everyone I see won't think I'm crazy!

Closer up to show the colors... but the skirt is so much brighter IRL!

 I wore my black viv flats and some gray tights along with my factory Elephant necklace. I like how it turned out but it would have looked better tucked in. I just didn't feel like fussing with a tucked in top that day.

Here is the Polyvore.

OOTD 2/17/12 by jcrewjd featuring shirts & blouses

J Crew shirts blouse, $495
J Crew wool pencil skirt, $100
HYD wool stocking, €19
J.Crew leather flat shoes, $228
J Crew j crew jewelry, $23

Here's another OOTD from last week with my new heather acorn pencil skirt.

I got the sweater jacket on eBay for hardly any money and I love it. It is in perfect condition despite being from 2007. Love it when that happens.

Forthcoming are reviews of that pretty dress that ajc reviewed, the red jules dress (if I can get it on and off my arms without having a panic attack) and a white eyelet blouse. I will probably post them this weekend, when I can muster up the energy to put on clothing other than jeans or sweatpants. Not feeling like dressing up this week, at all. Oh and I think I'll do a giveaway since I am somehow almost to 50 followers already!

Old vs. New

I have noticed that several of the Holiday 2011/Spring 2012 items at J.Crew are strikingly similar to their counterparts from Spring and Summer of 2008. Here are some fun comparisons:

2008 Collection Fleur Suede Flats

2012 Viv flower flats (Just received in one of those cardholder e-mails)

 The 2008 ones were all leather. The 2012 ones are only leather uppers. They sure are pretty though! They are $198. I found the 2008 ones at TJ Maxx back in Feb '09, that was a lucky score! Check out the heeled versions:

2008 Fleur Suede Peep toes

2012 Fleurette Peeps

They even come in the same colors: this pretty violet, and a marigold color. The 2008 ones also came in a gorgeous bright blue.

Let's move onto clothing, shall we?

2008 Joelle Cami

2012 Lana Cami

These are actually the same cami. I have both versions and they are the same cut, fabric, everything. A truly lovely top in both versions and the Lana can be had for $39.99 right now, minus the 30% discount.

2008 Polynesian Print Sweater Dress

2012 Jules Dress in fanfare

This one is more of a stretch but I do see the similarity. Frankly I prefer the 2008 print, which also came in a pretty khaki color on a cardigan.

2008 Harlow Blouse

2012 Silk pintuck blouse

The 2012 definitely seems inspired by 2008's Harlow. Both are gorgeous and classic pieces.

2008 Super 120s dress (a very un-J.Crew name)

2008 Super 120s Blair Dress

2012 Memo Dress in Super 120s

Here we have both a design and a color being repeated. The memo is strikingly similar in style to the Blair (which made me look like a retro flight attendant) and borrows its color from the also similar Super 120s dress. The v-neck on the Memo is very flattering and balances the sleeves nicely!

So far, the 2012 copies that I have detailed here are nice. None of them seem to suffer from quality issues and they are nice, versatile pieces. (The Jules dress, maybe not...). So now let's move onto some not so wonderful, horribly cheap imitations of beloved 2008 necklaces.

2008 Double Strand Frog Necklace

2012 Double Strand resin link frog necklace

At least they kept the same pretty color scheme? I guess that's good?

The next one is even worse.

2008 Double strand giraffe necklace

2012 double strand resin link giraffe necklace

The only resemblance here is the clasp, but they even cheaped out on that. It is smaller and does not have the pretty turquoise eyes that make the 2008 version pop. The copy editor from space (Thanks, wellfedfred!) even has the nerve to refer to this necklace as "back from the archives and made modern with amber-colored, oval-shaped resin links and hand assembled barrel beads".

Ummm, no.What it should say is this: "We have seen how much the 2008 double strand glass beaded animal necklaces sell for on eBay, so we hope you'll pay almost as much for this knock off that we made out of plastic necklaces we found in the clearance bin at Forever 21 and leftover Perler beads from our kid's latest craft project."

Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't buy either of the new cheap imitations, because I would, so I could remove the clasp and attach it to my own handmade strands of glass beads. But for $138? Are they out of their minds!?

Are there any other item's you've seen that remind you of items past? What do you think of J.Crew copying themselves?

Pointy, flat, with a bow? Yes, please!

I am always looking for the perfect pair of flats. They have to be comfortable, cute, and pointy, preferably. Lately, I've been less than impressed with J.Crew's flats offerings. This past fall they finally released some cute pointy flats, but I still I pine for those adorable tweed and suede flats they released in 2005.

From the mothership

In 2005, I thought everything at J.Crew was soooo expensive... I only bought things like tanks and knit skirts. Also, I was in college and didn't even own a pair of heels or dressy flats. If only I could have seen the future, I would have bought every single pair of shoes on this page! I'd even say that they are worth the $158 they charged back then.

Fast forward to today. Now, only Collection shoes have leather linings and soles, and they have the price tags to match. Boo to that.

Back to the Vivs... they meet all my criteria. They are freaking adorable, they are all leather, and therefore they have a chance of being comfortable. Oh, and they come in size 11. Also important. The bow sealed the deal... I love practically anything with a bow, especially shoes!

They come in four lovely colors, but I really wanted black. Unfortunately, they do not pass the quality test. Shocking, I know!

Viv Bow Flats in Black

Here are my Vivs. I wore them for a few hours and then I noticed this.

It actually looks worse in this picture than in real life, but that is the dye rubbed off the leather. How does this happen!? How cheap are these $228 shoes!? I am so mad!!! I babied them. I was extra careful. I didn't drive in them or wear them outside. I shouldn't have to do this, but I did, and I still managed to mess up these shoes. The toes also have the dye coming off:

At least one person on the mothership mentioned this dye rubbing off issue happening to their Valentina heels, which seem to be of the same leather. Do you know of any other company selling shoes that cost over $200 that are so.... crappy? 'Cause I don't.

Hmph.

In case you are interested in other things besides the quality of the leather, here you go: They are really comfy and run slightly small. The leather is super soft and the leather lining really makes the shoe. But what does it matter if they are so delicate that they can't be worn indoors on carpet for half a day?

Fitting room reviews, or "why the Jules dress in Ashbury floral went to final sale almost immediately after it was released"

I recently made the trek to my local J.Crew, which usually doesn't have much in the way of new arrivals. I was pleasantly surprised that they had everything in the Fanfare print, and a slew of clearance Jackie cardigans. (I firmly believe that there is no such thing as having too many Jackie cardigans). I tried on some stuff just for fun... in case they go lower in price. So, anyway. Before we get to the things I'd wear in public, there's this:

Jules dress in ashbury floral

Obviously, this is not long enough to be a dress for anyone over approximately 5'4". Even then, it'd be short! It is ridiculous on me... I actually laughed when I got it on. And then there's the fit. I got it on easily and it looked and felt like the right size. (It was a 6). And then I almost ripped it taking it off. It was like one of those Chinese finger traps, trying to get it off my arms and shoulders. It is just such an impractical style to be made in silk that has no give. Bad idea, J.Crew Bad, bad, bad, all around. Also, there is no way the model is wearing the same dress I tried on here. I am about standard model height and if I went by the picture online, I'd think I was ordering a dress that could actually be worn as a dress. Ha!

I also tried the gimlet skirt made out of what one JCA described as "curtain material":

I actually really loved it. They only had an 8 so I tried it and there's no way in hell I could wear a 6 unless I wanted it to fit approximately 2 inches below my boobs. This is another one of those annoying "sits above waist" skirts J.Crew is so fond of these days. I think the fabric is actually nice, and it is an appropriate length even on me. The fabric is semi stiff and semi sheer, but there is a full lining. As you can see, it does poof out quite a lot at all angles. I was tempted to buy it, but then I noticed the stitching coming out at the top of the front  box pleat. No thank you. This was marked $79.99.

The merino tatted lace sweater intrigued me and I was thrilled to find it at the b&m since it was another one of those "straight to final sale" items. Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment.

 This is a small, which is what I almost always wear in a pullover sweater. It is way too tight. Also, the top part is just SO impractical. You could see my bra straps and half of my bra. Just... not cute at all. And it already looked shopworn. It was fuzzy and there were parts where the knit was snagged. It is really cute in theory, which is unfortunate, because the quality just isn't there in my opinion. If you do feel the urge to buy it, then you may want to size up. It was $79.99, same as online.

The final item I tried was the fanfare cardi. I am a sucker for a printed merino wool cardigan, but this one just wasn't up to par.

I tried a medium, which is my usual if-I-want-to-be-able-to-button-it Jackie size, but it was a little big. It looks fine here but I rarely wear a cardigan like this closed. When I unbuttoned it, it looked too big. The sleeves were also a little baggy. So if you have two Jackie sizes like me, take the smaller in this wool cardi. Again, the quality just wasn't there for me. The knit was thinner than merino cardis of yore, and the print looked faded and the knit looked fuzzy in the printed spots. I was so disappointed.

So there is my first attempt at taking pictures with my phone in a dressing room. It was actually kinda fun!

In other news, I finally snagged the double serge wool pencil skirt in neon azalea! Woo hoo!

Green Dresses

Lately, I haven't found much to get super excited about at J.Crew, but when I saw the new Madelene dress, I knew it would be mine. If it makes it to sale, with an extra percent off. I love bright colors, and a fun dress that is work appropriate is always a win in my book. For some reason, J.Crew now designs most of their suiting dresses to fall above the knee. Why, I have no idea.... because I'm thinking that if your office is formal enough to wear a suiting dress, it is probably also formal enough to require knee length hems!

So I haven't really bought many suiting dresses since 2009 for this reason. The Madelene is not just long, it is loud and it is different, so for me it is perfect. 

J.Crew Madelene Dress

I ordered it to try out since it makes the model look pregnant and could be a disaster. Happily, I found that it is not and that I actually really love it!

 It hits me about where it hits the model... just below my knees.

As an added bonus, I don't look as pregnant as the model! It does float away from the body but I didn't mind it at all. I actually think it is pretty flattering! This is my normal size and I think I might even size down. It was a bit loose at the waist.

Here is a picture showing the color. It is exactly the color I expected. I show it here with a jackie from Fall 2008 in a kelly green, which is how I'd describe the color of the dress. They are almost an exact match. The fabric is a nice mid weight wool that is not at all itchy.

The Madelene gets two thumbs up from me.

Apparently I really like the color green, because I have another green dress to show you! This one has been around for quite a few months, but I don't recall seeing any detailed reviews of it.

Clea Dress in vermont pine

I wanted this one as soon as it came out. The Teddie dress was a total failure on me... too short, and the waist hit so high it looked like a child's dress. I thought maybe the Clea, which is similar in style but longer, would work. It does... sort of.

Unfortunately, it does suffer from too-high waist syndrome. I almost always have this problem with fitted dresses, but it isn't terrible in this dress and I am keeping it. It is also shorter on me than on the model, who is presumably roughly the same height as me. As far as sizing, I had to size up in this one. The sleeves, bust and waist are very fitted and my normal size would never fit.

Here is a picture showing the true color as well as the heavy duty back zip. I like it; it is very easy to zip and feels sturdy. Nothing ruins a nice dress like a cheap zipper.

 I love both of these dresses and they totally fit into my quirky wardrobe. What do you think?

J.Crew sneaks in some new arrivals (and classic shoes!)

This morning I was completing my daily J.Crew sale section scouring when I somehow ended up in the full price section. This is something that rarely happens. But anyway, it was a good thing, because I discovered some new arrivals that made me very happy. There seem to be 1 or 2 new items in each category; nothing major and nothing terribly exciting to me... except a few of the new shoes... they are so... classic! Remember these?

source

J.Crew's "perfect" patent pointy toe flats, or as I like to call them, torture chambers for your feet. That point just goes in at way too sharp of an angle. Even in a size larger than my normal size, my toes were so scrunched they were unbearable for more then 10 seconds. The heels were even worse. Total fail on J.Crew's part, especially since they did not have a leather lining.

Meet the new Viv flat, sans bow:

J.Crew Viv patent flats

That point looks a little less severe than its 2008 cousin's point, and they appear to be cut slightly higher. I am tickled about these flats. They are lovely looking and have a leather lining. The only problem is, they are $188. OUCH. Into the wishlist they go... oh wait, J.Crew doesn't have that feature! Ok then, into the cart they go, where they will be inexplicably dumped one day, most likely the day they go on sale, and then by the time I manage to find them and place them back in my cart, they will again be ejected just as I am about to checkout. Awesome.

I can't be the only one pining for the perfect pointy-but-not-too-pointy flats, can I?