Talbots Shetland Blazer & More

Long time, no see! Hi to everyone who is still reading :D

I stopped into Talbots last night on my way home from work to try on a few items on my wishlist. Anything I like will be purchased much later on super sale, of course!

The item I was most excited about was the Shetland Blazer.

Talbots - Shetland Blazer | Jackets | Misses   (clipped to polyvore.com)

I mean, look at that adorable shirring at the back, it reminds me of J.Crew's 2008 Maggie jacket:

Talbots - Shetland Blazer | Jackets | Misses   (clipped to polyvore.com)

Love. I had the teal on my wishlist and the color is just as pretty in person. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in the jacket in general. It is pretty thin and flimsy, which would be ok if it was about half of what they are asking for it. The styling was boxy, but I guess I shouldn't have been surprised - this is Talbots we're talking about. I am really spoiled by my J.Crew Lexington jackets which are so structured and flattering, it's ridiculous. Anyway, here is what the jacket looked like on me in a size 6:

I wanted to try a 4 badly but they didn't have a single one in the store. Actually, alot of the items I wanted to try were sold out in a 4! Talbots is HORRIBLE with vanity sizing. I could even wear a 2 there sometimes, which is completely ridiculous. So I think that's why the smaller sizes sell out so fast... they are really middle of the range sizes at every other store which I think are generally the most common!

So, the 6 was definitely too big, while at J.Crew I could never wear smaller than a size 6 blazer. Keep in mind I am 5'9". I might order this on sale (over 50% off) in the teal if I can get it in a 4, but I won't shed a tear if it slips by me. It would probably be too short in a 4 anyway.

I also really liked the bird sweater, so I tried that too.

Talbots sweater   (see more talbots tops)

Look how cute! The colors in this sweater allow for endless outfit possibilities. Here it is on me in a small:

Sorry, I was on my way to work out so yes, those are spandex tights I am wearing. Try to ignore them :) This was very fitted, surprisingly. I always wear a small in Talbots sweaters. I'd probably still get this size because this sweater could easily veer into frump territory if it was too large. Closeup of the bird to show the semi-crappy job they did of knitting in the bird:

See the line right by the bird's chest and another by the twig? Well I guess it's better than most of the cheaper intarsia sweaters we see at Old Navy and the like. The blend was slightly itchy and reminded me of the blend used in the J.Crew Factory intarsia sweaters, only this is a tighter weave. I will definitely be purchasing this on sale, it's just so cute!


I also came across this adorable vest, reminiscent of a plaid used by J.Crew back in 2007:

Talbots vest   (see more red plaid vests)

Doesn't it remind you of the Bridget shirtdress?

Paris Catalog J. Crew Vanessa Bridget Shirtdress September 2007   (clipped to polyvore.com)

Anyway, it was so cute I had to try it. I do not own any vests because I find them highly impractical, but the plaid sucked me in. And it looked so cute w/ the bird sweater!

This is a small. Very cute, a little short, but that is normal for me. This is VERY thin. Thinner than the J.Crew excursion vests. I'd say it is for looks only... very little warmth!

Even after finding a few cute things I may buy later on, I left the store disgusted at the horrible service I received. 5:00 on a weeknight, Talbots is not exactly bustling at that time. I was ignored by all of the sales associates and when I approached a woman who looked like maybe she worked there, to asked if she worked there/for help, she acted so annoyed! She checked for a size 4 in that jacket and then came back out, announced they had none, and that was it. No offering to order it on the phone, which you think she would have at least tried since they were having the BOGO 50% off sale. Nope. I said Thanks, she said nothing and scowled, and I left. This store is usually terrible with the service. They seem to go out of their way to help older customers and ignore/act downright rude to younger ones. I don't get it. Why not just be polite and warm to everyone? Isn't that your job!? Ok, rant over.

Have you tried anything from Talbots lately?

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?

Land's End Sale (lots of cute picks for cheap!)

I have always liked Land's End, and have worn it since elementary school. Today, they have the more fashion forward Canvas line, which can be very J.Crew like. A good thing! Even better, they don't do final sale and you can return items hassle-free to Sears. And the SAs are never mean or judgmental when I return an entire order consisting of clearance items.

Today I received an e-mail about their new sale. 30% off everything and free shipping, no minimum. They say that the "no minimum" doesn't apply to orders that are clearance only, but I just placed one and I got free shipping where my total was only $13. Score.

First I looked in the regular Canvas sale section and saw a disappointing 43 items. So, I went over to "regular" Land's End and found that there are tons of Canvas items over there, for some reason.

They aren't Canvas, but check these pretties out:

Women's Emma Tailored Ballet Shoes from Lands' End

Oh, hello, adorable spectator flats for $13!!! Let's be honest, if these were sold by J.Crew I would probably pay alot more for them, and have wanted them from day one. That's just one of the many effects of drinking the crewlade. Apparently, since they are sold by boring old Land's End, they are destined to languish in the sale section. They are like a cute suede version of the Penelope flats of yore. If the purple had been available in my size, I would have bought those too. I only have one pair of Land's End ballet flats, but they are really nice, padded, and comfy, yet still cute. They are these, also on sale:

Canvas The Heritage Ballet Flat from Lands' End

It can be hard to find a navy shoe, so I was pretty excited to get these last year. They are even cheaper now, and they also come in black. Just as cute as the J.Crew classic ballet flats, comfier, and MUCH cheaper.

Some other cute things of note:

Women's Phoebe Toe Ring Wrap Sandals

It's always nice to find items you can wear now for a steal. I think these are adorable and if I could justify another pair of sandals, I would totally get them. These are only one pair among many sandals that are super cheap. They must be from last year... I don't know.

A cute dress, but the price and amount of sizes left leaves me suspicious:

Women's Split Neck Dress

What can I say, I am a sucker for a cute little print! Sadly, it is poly, but how could would it look over skinny jeans/pixie pants/leggings?

How about a jackie cardigan lookalike?

Women's Cafe Cardigan

I ordered it in this color because the last time J.Crew released a brown cardigan, it was the most hideous shade, and I desperately need a plain brown cardi!

Last of all, some super cozy looking boots that would have to be saved for next year:

Women's Eliza Tall Shearling Boot

These are so cute and I love the over the knee/foldover detail.

Be sure to check out the regular Land's End section if you're shopping, because most of the Canvas clearance items are found there.

To get 30% off and free shipping, use Code PICK30 and Pin 3022.

Lands End Sale by jcrewjd on polyvore.com

Women's Eliza Tall Shearling Boot
$225 - landsend.com

Women's Split Neck Dress
$90 - landsend.com

Women's Emma Tailored Ballet Shoes
$50 - landsend.com

Women's Emma Tailored Ballet Shoes
$50 - landsend.com

Women's Phoebe Toe Ring Wrap Sandals
$50 - landsend.com

Women's Cafe Cardigan
$6 - canvas.landsend.com

What do you think of my picks? Anything else amazing that I missed?

Creamsicle

The first thing I thought when this outfit came together this morning was that I resembled a creamsicle. And then I craved one all day!

 J.Crew Rococco Shell, size 6

J.Crew jackie cardigan (2010)

J.Crew Toothpick cords, tall 30

Necklace, made from dismembered storybook bracelet

These "neon persimmon" toothpick cords satisfy my craving for a somewhat brightly colored pair of pants that doesn't break the bank. They were a whole $20 minus 30%. It almost always pays to wait for deep discounts... I wanted these cords all winter but I am glad now that I waited and got them for such a small amount of money. Even better, the color is "springy" enough that I can totally wear them now and into the early summer. It was in the 70s today and I wasn't overly hot.

Close up of the lovely lace

 The Rococco shell was the perfect piece to springify the pants. This was a very lucky clearance store find... although the full price of $128 actually isn't too unreasonable. This is a special top and I received many compliments! It is a size 6, which is my standard top size, and it fits perfectly. It is fitted at the top but nicely flows away from the body. I absolutely love it and if you can get it, I say try it. It did wrinkle a little, but after I was done wearing it for the day, I just steamed it and it is ready for another wear. Gotta love that!

Sans cardigan

 Once upon a time, I traded a cashmere sweater for the storybook bracelet on the JCA weekly exchange. I then proceeded to remove all of the charms and use them on my existing long J.Crew chains from other necklaces as cute little pendants! The bracelet was chunky and impractical but I love the individual charms so much.

Well, that's all for now. I ordered one of the lovely new arrivals today, that fabulous gingham dress... fingers crossed it's as adorable as it looks!

So, what do you think of the Rococco shell? What about the new arrivals that came out today?

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?

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!

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!