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The Jules Dress is one of my favorites from J Crew. I know the length on those over 5’3″ can be escandaloso or indecent but for a shorty like me, it’s perfect.

I wore this to dinner with Husband and some friends a few Fridays ago. We ate at NAO which is the student-staffed restaurant for the Culinary Institute of America – San Antonio and located at the renovating Pearl Brewery. After dinner we headed next door to the Blue Box Bar where I had a delicious Champagne Cocktail…or two.

I kept the outfit plain and simple with the Pave’ Link Bracelet and Babette Heels.

I do think this dress will look good as a tunic and wish the weather would cool off so I can add a belt, leggings and black boots. Too bad JC didn’t add the pattern to a pencil skirt. It would’ve sold like hotcakes.

Have a Great Day! And Go Vote if you haven’t done so already!

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If you haven’t already done so, sign up for J Crew Factory – Factory First emails. So far, they’ve been true to their word and I’ve received coupons via snail mail (20% & 30% off), deals via email weekly and access to new arrivals 24 hours in advance, including one from yesterday afternoon.


(click image to see New Arrivals)

Below are some of my picks and purchases.

Stripe Silk Popover in Green Navy – You’ve seen the Striped Two-Pocket Silk Shirt on me here and I am quite happy with the silk so I expect this to be of the same quality. I don’t purchase any of the Factory shirts that are 100% Polyester as they look and feel cheap, even from a distance.

Draped Sequin Tee in Navy – I have the black tee from last year, seen here and love it. I think this will be of similar fit and quality. The thing I like about last year’s Factory version was you could barely feel the threading to hold the sequins. I recall the Retail version being somewhat itchy because of that. It also comes in black and white ash.
Intarsia Charley Sweater – Didn’t like French Hens, Lollipop-headed French Bulldogs or the Bumble-Lady? How about a cute little Puffin/Duck or Scottie Dog? I have not tried the Charley’s from the Factory store but they are getting much love in the blog-o-shere. We’ll see how these look IRL. I saw the Leopard, Bow and Dot Sweaters a few weeks ago and quite liked them.
Skimmer Pant in Black Watch Plaid – Very Holiday/Christmas-time, don’t you think? 
Chessboard Check Mini Skirt – This is the Buffalo Plaid from last year that was a coat and pants right? Very cute skirt but I can’t think of anything but a solid top/sweater to go with it. I’ll have to see this one in the Factory Store.
Factory Sequin Party Dress – This is the same one as last year that I tried on here (scroll down) and loved but never purchased. I have more than enough Sequined separates that I should probably pass on the dress again this year. But since it is back, I should try it on again, right?

And for The Boy, a Black Watch Tie. I was just thinking a few days ago about a tie in Black Watch for him and now the Factory has one. I usually purchase his ties from the Factory since he’s not too particular right now with Factory vs. Retail material.

What has caught your eye with the Sneak Peak of New Factory Arrivals?


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I love Central/South Texas Fall weather, when it finally arrives. It
means that it’s now cool enough to wear some light layering and BOOTS! I
have become very picky with my boots selection making sure I have the
right style, color and that, most importantly, they fit over my thick
calves. It’s so disappointing to try on a pair I’ve fallen in love with
only to find they won’t zip all the way up. Pull-on styles are the worst
for me as I eventually will split the seam. But when I do find the
right ones I’m excited to wear them as much as I can.

Monday
was an office visit day. With the weather having cooled significantly
(90 to 60 overnight!) I was happy to break out the wool and boots. Of
course, this being Texas, you have to dress for the temps to heat up by
mid-day, so light layering really is required.

My love for the JC Blythe Blouse is Polka-Dot is undying. I think the shade of white and the light gray dots are perfect. Any darker and it might not have worked. I don’t think I would have like any other colors together either. If I could get away with wearing this daily I would. It’s perfect alone or layered under every color or pattern, IMO. I added the Tippi Sweater in Navy. Not sure why I never originally owned it in this color but Gigi discussed it at one point (sorry can’t find the link) and I realized I did need it. I have the S/S Cashmere Tee in Navy but that’s a little thicker. The Tippi is thinner and great for laying or wearing alone.

I also couldn’t wait to break out my JC Wool Pencil Skirt in Viridian Green. Such a gorgeous shade of green going well with Navy. I added my new Corso Como Samual Boots in Brandy, purchased during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. My go-to Classic Pavé Link Bracelet and Loft Link Necklace finished the look. I wear this bracelet ALL.THE.TIME. The CPW is coming down almost daily.

I did something different in dressing too. I tucked in both my blouse and sweater. I am not a “tucker-inner” type, especially with an outer layering piece. I always feel like a belt is needed when I tuck but I think this looks nice and possibly lean.

Have a Great Day!

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Second day in the office and I decided to wear jeans since I rarely do when traveling to offices. I love my Lucky Brand Jeans from last year. The denim is comfortable and stretchy and a nice dark wash.

The shirt is from J Crew Factory, the Stripe Silk Double-Pocket Blouse (Sz S). For accessories I added my new Loft Necklace, the Classic Pavé Link Bracelet from JC and my Ann Taylor Leopard Booties.

Nice and simple but I still felt dressy. The shirt is not the crepe-de-chine like the Retail version but it is 100% Silk and has a nice feel to it. I am finding that I am gravitating to these Silk button-down blouses as they are easy to style, wear and layer (eventually).

J Crew heard my calls for a necklace version of the Pavé bracelet. I knew if they did one it would be around that price point too. I can’t wait to see it in person. If it’s anything like the bracelet I know I’ll love it. I am not one to wear jewelry very often but I am finding that I am reaching for this bracelet a lot. LOVE IT!!

Have a Great Weekend!

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I found this Peplum Top at Ann Taylor a few weeks ago. The Peplum is subtle, which I like for this trend. I originally bought it to wear with my Burgundy No. 2 Pencil Skirt from the summer but found it goes with much more. Since that skirt was dirty I decided on pairing the blouse with the Pleated Crepe Skirt in Vibrant Fuchsia and am pretty happy with the look  I added my AT Perfect Pumps in Porcini to complete the outfit. Since the top was pretty busy I didn’t add jewelry.

I would have worn some purple suede heels or wedges but we had rain that day and I didn’t want to ruin them. The only thing that bothers me about the shirt is the seaming where the Peplum starts. I first wore it with jeans and could feel it against my skin. I kept thinking that was where the blouse ended and I’m was showing some skin. The skirt waist band is a little higher up so I didn’t feel like that so much with this outfit, but something to think about.  
I can’t wait to try it with my Wool Pencil Skirt in Viridian Green from last year, similar to how Jean at Extra Petite styled it.
Do you have this blouse? What other colored bottoms would you wear with it?