J.Crew San Remo Print Dress - It's finally mine!!!

My personal shopper (not really, but she keeps finding me great stuff on eBay) and friend Megan found me this dress. I bid, not expecting to win for the minimum but I did!!! I got it today, and I literally jumped up and down when I opened the package. And then some more when I tried it on.

See, I wasn't sure it would work because it's a 10. But it fits really well, though an 8 would have worked too. It is short, but hell, I don't care. In every other way it is perfect and if it was longer it may look dowdy.

I just wanted to share my glee with someone who would understand!!! Have you found any long lost items on eBay lately?

J.Crew Factory Reviews - April 2013

J.Crew Factory Reviews - April 2013 by jcrewjd featuring a lace shift dress

Here are some quick reviews of the factory items pictured in the above polyvore set:

Eyelet skirt: WINNER! I have never had success with factory pencil skirts cuz they are always too short. This hits at the top of my knee and fits like a dream. TTS, took a 6.

Dotted chambray shirt - wow, this fits well! Lately, I have taken a small in factory perfect shirts. This was no different. The tailoring is exceptional.

Blue/purple plaid shirt - this is the dressy shirt material. I was drawn to this for some reason. Not getting it, though. Don't need! TTS in small. 100% cotton which is nice.

4" garment dyed denim shorts - FABULOUS! Size down, I got a 4, and for reference, NONE of my existing size 4 bottoms fit me right now. They feel like they'll stretch out a bit with wear. These are extremely flattering.

Factory ceces: these aren't online, but there is a dupe of this color at factory and they seem the same as retail.

Factory layering tank = exactly the same as vintage cotton tank.

Factory linen shirt - loooove this. It is really long and so great for a tall person like myself. It did pull at the bust in a small, though, so I got a medium. In the medium, it was still nicely tailored enough to not look baggy. The white was not see through and the material is nice and substantial.

ALL of the dresses were SO HIGH WAISTED. Ok, so I am 5'10", but even on someone who is like about 5'7'" these would probably look ridiculous. They were all TTS, the lace cora slightly larger than the rest. They were all very pretty, and I am mad that I can't wear any of them. Boo hoo.

**

Have you bought anything from Factory lately? Their offerings have improved greatly over the past couple of years, if you ask me. My #1 pick from this batch of try ons is the linen blouse. It is so nice and I wouldn't be surprised if J.Crew is the only store in the whole outlet mall offering women's 100% linen shirts, let alone for such a low price (on sale). 

OOTD, review of J.Crew Matchstick jeans, eBaying, and Orla Kiely bedclothes!

OOTD 4/22/13 by jcrewjd featuring j crew

I am no wallflower when it comes to wearing bright colors, but I never would have thought to pair these pink shoes with this yellow cardigan. Thanks to a coworker for suggesting it. I feel so bright and cheery in this outfit!  

I am wearing the J.Crew matchstick jeans in old glory wash, which are on sale for $79.99 right now (and mostly sold out, but we all know they will pop back!) I bought them on a whim because I feel as though I can never have enough jeans, and I think they are great. I bought a 30 tall, which is a size larger than normal, and it was a mistake because they are a bit loose. So they are definitely true to size. They are really soft, and the perfect shade of not-too-dark, not-too-light denim. I think the J.Crew photos accurately depict the color, for once. I washed them and they did not shrink in width or length, which is a big plus. 

This photo shows the color quite accurately. They are great.

Anything catching your eye with the sale that's going on (25% off everything) at J.Crew? Me, not so much. I have been doing a lot of my J.Crew shopping on eBay lately:

Ye olde J.Crew of yore! by jcrewjd featuring j.crew tops

And it is turning out quite well! I am really scouring for the old version of cafe capris, as well as any of the older, knee length cute dresses. Amazingly, there are still some out there that are new with tags! I also have a JCA friend who noticed all my looking to find posts on the mothership, and has found so many things for me on eBay that I ended up buying, so thank you Megan! 

One more recent purchase, I bought this to try after reading all of the glowing reviews:

Ann Taylor necklace   (see more sparkle jewelry)

Seems to be aimed at the bride crowd, but I think it will be lovely for any special occasion! Can't wait to get it and see if it is worth the dough. Ann Taylor had $50 off $100 purchase today, so that softened the blow. (hey, that rhymes!)

I guess I am just really in a shopping mood lately. Ha, what else is new?? 

Ooh, one more thing. I need your opinion. I saw this in TJ Maxx today and I feel as though I need it:

Full price on BBB.com

I have read the reviews, I hear people's quality concerns. But it's just SO CUTE. And maybe they wouldn't have been so picky if they paid the TJ Maxx price, which for the F/Q mini set (comforter plus shams) is $79.99. I love, love, love Orla Kiely prints. Do you think this is worth $79.99? The whole display was just so lovely. Should I save myself a bunch of money and just console myself with the Orla Kiely for Method dish soap on my kitchen sink?

Tell me, what are you buying lately?  

DIY J.Crew Flower Lattice Necklace

If you've been reading my blog for a little while, then you might know of my obsession with the J.Crew flower lattice necklace.

J Crew necklace (see more vintage jewelry)

I think it is my most coveted piece of all time, behind even the library dress, skirt, or penelope heels. Or maybe I just feel that way now because I own all of those items after long searches... But, anyway, the flower lattice necklace is the rare piece of J.Crew statement jewelry that is substantial, well made, and timeless - I have similar rhinestone jewelry from the early 20th century, and I really don't think it will ever go out of style. Unfortunately, it also sold out while I was hemming and hawing about buying it. I did manage to snag the peach version, but to me the real stunner is the multicolored. My dream is to wear it with the fuchsia Dani dress, like such:

Too much? by jcrewjd featuring pointed-toe pumps

In my googling for possible knockoffs to purchase, I came across this amazing DIY that a blogger of the blog Bromeliad created.

She took some vintage brooches that she had laying around (wish I had some!) and made a non permanent gorgeous flower lattice inspired necklace. Check it out in full here.

Here is her final result: 

Source

I am seriously in awe. The possibilities are endless here. I mean, I have seen piles of brooches at Salvation Army, and while they are probably not vintage and not that great looking on their own, grouped together they could be really beautiful and for only a few dollars and hours! I am definitely going to try this so I can have different colors to wear with different outfits.

So, thank you google, for helping me discover a new blog and a new way to repurpose old pins and brooches.

Anyone else going to try this? 

Spring is here - time for printed pants

After so many long months of cold, cloudy misery (can you tell I hate winter?), today the high is 77 glorious degrees! I will be going out at lunch to enjoy the weather before it goes back down to the 40s for the weekend. Here is my outfit for this glorious spring day - of course it involves cropped, printed pants which are my favorite spring outfit staple:

7FAMK Denim Jacket, old
J.Crew Factory artist tee
J.Crew Factory printed toothpicks
J.Crew pave link bracelet

I have not worn this jean jacket in about 5 years... but I still love it! It is seven for all mankind and I bought it circa 2005 at Marshall's for about $80, which I thought was a huge splurge. Totally worth it. The dark wash is timeless and it is super comfy.

I guess I am sort of wearing a Canadian tuxedo though, since my toothpicks are denim... hopefully no one will notice! (Does anyone know why denim on denim is called that? I can't say that I've ever seen anyone in Canada dressed that way... while I have seen plenty of Americans donning the CT.)

In case is anyone is wondering about the pants, you can still buy them here for $54.50 right now, which is almost half off. They are substantial yet really comfy. I took my regular toothpick size (30) and I could ALMOST size down, but they feel nice in this size. I ordered the tresco floral toothpicks which will be arriving soon - cannot wait to try those! I'll try to post a review for anyone wondering just how crazy they look in real life. What can I say, I really enjoy printed pants. Here is my current collection, which is always growing...

Printed Pants for spring and summer - can't wait! by jcrewjd featuring capri pants

You can't see, but I am wearing Toms on my feet today... not quite ready for sandals yet!

What's the weather like where you live? Have you transitioned into sundresses and sandals or are you still wearing your puffy coat? Do you love or hate the tresco floral pants?

A little about me, courtesy of the Liebster Blog Award (Thanks, Andrea!)

Thanks to the wonderful Andrea of Life's Divine for giving me the Liebster blog award. I am flattered! 

This Award is designed to be passed along by bloggers to bloggers to help share blogs you love and discover new ones. It is specifically for blogs with no more than 200 GFC subscribers.

If you are nominated, the idea is for you to write a post including 11 facts about yourself, the answers to the questions the blogger who nominated you asked, the 11 blogs you would like to nominate, and the 11 questions you would like those bloggers to answer.

I don't follow/know of any blogs who have not already been nominated for this award (I clearly do not read very many blogs - would love suggestions for new ones to read in the comments!), so I am not going to nominate anyone... it seems like it has already gone around quite a bit. I will say that my favorite blogs are those that do have few followers, because they are usually more *real*. So thank you, ladies, for keeping me entertained!

 Also, I am too lazy to come up with 11 random facts about myself, so you get 9 instead.

9 random facts about me:

1. I've never smoked a cigarette.

2. I loathe those stick figure family stickers people put on their cars. 

3. I am a candy addict. This relates to question below about what you would tell your teen self. I created many bad habits back then that I still cannot break!

4. My car is a stick shift and I love it even though it is a pain when I am wearing heels!

5. My dream is to open an animal shelter.

6. I'm a lawyer. But you probably already know that.

7. My favorite foods: jelly donuts, mac and cheese from Panera, cheese in general.

8. I was a cheerleader in high school.

9. I don't like peanut butter.

If you were only allowed one make-up product, what would it be?

Mascara. Most days, that's all I really wear. (Also, I am totally not counting lip balm as makeup for the purposes of this question .)

If you had to live somewhere else, where would it be?

Had to? More like if I got to. In a fantasy world, I'd like to go live in Denmark because they are the happiest people on earth.

What do you wish you could tell your teenage self?

In 10 years, you will not be able to eat whatever you want and still be super thin, so lay off the mountain dew, ding dongs, oreos, and other assorted junk food already!

What's a health/fitness tip that just doesn't seem to work for you?

Most of them don't work for me - I just try to be reasonable.

What was your most listened to song of 2012?

Party rock anthem. Best song EVER. (Try not to judge me too harshly for that :D)

What is your favorite smell or fragrance?

The Body Shop Satsuma scent. Sooo good.

Share your best home organization tip!

You are asking the wrong person. My house is messy pretty much all the time.. really wish I had the organization gene.

What is your favorite post work-out snack?

I am never hungry after I work out so I usually just have water. That's bad, isn't it? Aren't you supposed to eat to help build muscle and stuff? oh well...

What made you smile yesterday?

My fiance bought me a fancy cupcake

What is your go-to outfit for everyday?

Honestly, I don't have one. My outfits change drastically from day to day. One day I will wear J.Crew pixie pants and a knit top, and the next day a pencil skirt and heels (mostly pixie pants though). There is no real dress code where I work so I get to wear whatever I feel like wearing that day!

What do you really like to bake or cook? Or what would you like to learn how to bake or cook?

Cakes! And let it be known that fondant is disgusting - buttercream all the way.

So, thank you again Andrea! 

Again I ask you readers who are much more hip and up to date than I, what new/small blogs am I missing out on? Do tell!