J.Crew Scattered Dot Shift Dress & Happy Birthday to me, courtesy of Marshall's

A surprise love for me is the scattered dot shift dress from J.Crew. Well, I  knew I'd love the style and shape but I thought the length would be a dealbreaker. Surprisingly, it's short, but not too! I guess it hits me the same place it hits the model, give or take. I had to wear some footless tights to make it work appropriate, because no one wants to see your bare thighs at the office. No one.

I took my current regular size 6 and it fits just like a shift dress should. I love it, but if I could change one thing it'd be the lining (it is polyester). I have been sweating in this thing all day which means it will have to be cleaned after every wear... not thrilled. Why oh why couldn't they have lined it in cotton? I don't care about poly linings for sleeveless dresses but for one with sleeves... we're talking direct pit contact... NOT PRETTY. Do you think I could hand wash this puppy? It says dry clean, (not dry clean only, phew), which to me means hand wash, because I loathe dry cleaning for many reasons.  But with the textured, woven fabric, I don't know. Anyway, here are some pics.

OOTD 5/7/13 by jcrewjd featuring j. crew jewelry

I wore it with simple jewelry which I think works, but I may wear a patterned scarf next time. Here it is on gigi and m from Shopping with M.

Had to show the shoes because they are one of my all time favorites. They are old school J.Crew. I paid over $100 for them which I rarely do for shoes, but they are worth every penny. The all leather construction is so comfy and I just love the color. I wish they'd bring this style back, only with the older, higher quality snakeskin instead of the cheapo stuff they use now! Or they could just do leather... I'd buy them. They are dressier than a sandal, but not as stifling as a closed flat. Perfect for wearing to casual offices in the summer.

***

Speaking of rarely paying over $100 for shoes, oops, I did today. But it's cool, because:

a) it's my birthday this month, and thanks to audreybella, I am calling these my birthday shoes;
b) They are just over 1/3 of the original price, deal!;
c) they are almost the exact shade and style of the peacock J.Crew Juliet heels, which I will never ever find in my size because they came out over four years ago; and
d) they are actually better than the Juliets, because they have a leather lining and sole. See? Totally justified. Ha!

I go to Marshalls at least once a week. It is just down the street from my office, and a worker told me they get four trucks per week. I don't want to miss anything good! And it is a higher end store, in an affluent area, which means they get the good stuff. Like Kate Spade Shoes. Today was my lucky day, I guess, because they had these beauties for $129.99 (OUCH, I am cheap, and it hurt, but worth it):

Kate Spade New York Shelly (see more round toe heels)

Oh, hello. You are beautiful. Compare to Juliets:

Women heels Juliet patent-leather midheels (see more patent pumps)

They even have the exact same heel height! I am thinking they will look great with my biennial and J.Crew knockoff groopdealz necklace, too. 

Untitled #501 by jcrewjd featuring a rosette necklace

I have really wanted a pair of turquoise heels or wedges for a while and after trying several from J.Crew and Madewell which completely sucked, I think I finally found a winner. I don't really enjoy heels over 3" which is so limiting, but I am grateful some designers make cute lower heels!

The only problem is, now I want all of my shoes to be super nice, all leather like my new Kate Spades. Sigh.

How do you like my new shoes? Have you splurged on anything lately that was completely worth it?

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?  

Warehouse Sale Scores, January 2013

Warehouse Sale Scores, January 2013 by jcrewjd featuring a wrap cocktail dress

J Crew wrap cocktail dress
jcrew.com

J Crew sleeveless dress
jcrew.com

J Crew wrap dress
theoutnet.com

J Crew tailored shirt
jcrew.com

J Crew hoodies sweatshirt
jcrew.com

J.Crew high heels
jcrew.com

Madewell wedge shoes
madewell.com

OOTD 11/29/12: Feeling festive!

OOTD 11/29/12 by jcrewjd featuring slim pants

I was feeling festive this morning, for some reason. Maybe because I saw the muppets singing Christmas songs in a sleigh last night at the Rockefeller tree lighting ceremony. LOVE those muppets, especially Gonzo! He's so cute. Or perhaps because Christmas candy is in stores, and anyone who knows me knows how much I love candy... I get overly excited when it is finally the time of year that I can buy the old fashioned cut rock candy in the bulk foods section at the grocery store. Whatever the reason, I love this outfit and think it is a perfect example of the types of clothing I wish J.Crew would produce (in high quality materials of course) forever! Like everyone else, I did size up one in these pants (the factory skimmers in black watch plaid, except that it isn't black watch plaid) and was lucky to get them when they were 50% off in store. Highly recommend! (I'd post a real life pic, but my dog broke the mirror with his gigantic, fluffy tail.)

Are you in the holiday spirit yet? What is your favorite thing about this time of year?

A spiffy outfit

OOTD 10/3/12 by jcrewjd featuring short heels

J.Crew Lexington Jacket (2007)

J.Crew Telegraph Pencil Skirt in Super 120s, size 4, Summer 2012 (size down to your smaller skirt size)

 J.Crew perfect fit tape boatneck tee, size medium, Summer 2012

Talbots heels, Fall 2011, size 10.5 (thank you, Talbots, for making my shoe size)

I was inspired by this photo from J.Crew's Holiday 2007 collection. It is gorgeous, isn't it? Wouldnt wear this particular outfit but the colors are so pretty. I miss that green background; it made everything feel festive.

I was told I look spiffy while wearing the above outfit. I am choosing to take that as a compliment.

Glorified PJ pants?

Glorified PJ pants? by jcrewjd featuring j crew

2012 First Fall rollout wants

2012 First Fall rollout wants by jcrewjd featuring j crew cardigan

Here is my tiny little list of wants. Last year there was so much more I wanted... oh well, there's always the next rollout! That blue grotto color is just to die for. Basically, it is turquoise... right?

About those fuchsia cords. I remember a similar color was released in fall of 2008 in the matchsticks, and it along with the orange languished in final sale forever. I thought they were hideous. Ha! I guess I have swallowed much more crewlade since then, because now I feel that I have to have hot pink cords! Funny how our tastes change/we are brainwashed by J.Crew!

 What goodies did I miss? Anything else spectacular you are seeing in the rollout?

An oldie but goodie

Today I had one of those days where you just don't know what to wear. On those days, I go one of two routes: yoga pants, or a dress. Both are extremely easy, one is just more comfortable than the other and can be worn in any season without having to wear tights! I decided to go with my "new" J.Crew Wool Flannel Watercolor Floral Dress.

New to me, that is. A recent eBay find, made even better because it was Goodwill that was selling it on eBay. I've never found something so awesome in my local Goodwill, so I love how they sell some of their better items on eBay and reach a bigger audience. Pretty smart if you ask me! Does anyone else love these dresses as much as I do? I also have the Golden Roses and abstract rose print ones. Lovely!

My J.Crew factory Cece suede flats are a perfect match! I've never been a huge factory fan; I prefer the special pieces from regular J.Crew made of lovely fabrics and pretty prints over the utilitarian, often boring factory items. But I made an exception for these shoes because there is no difference between them and the regular ones, they are much cheaper, and I could actually try them on before buying. My local regular b&m does not carry shoes (or purses, or most of the clothes...) so I am out of luck there!

Are there any oldies but goodies you are still pining after?

OOTD 4/26/12 by jcrewjd featuring ballet shoes