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I have a couple of Que Bella’s to post but I’m delaying that to bring you a Factory find that’s not on the website yet. I know a lot of you missed out on last Winter’s Wildcat Scarf in wool. Before making a return I, of course, walked around the store and found the Factory version of the scarf. I only see a Leopard scarf online but not this one.

The Retail version from last year is on top and the Factory version on bottom. The color of the Factory version is more like the blouse and Jules Dress last Winter. The width is the same as is the length. You can see they cut the Factory pattern, at least on this scarf, so that the smaller spots are in the middle.

A close-up of the pattern. Retail on top…Factory on bottom.

Tag Details…$46.50, #17552, 100% Rayon
The Factory store also had 30% off scarves. If you liked this print and missed out last year I highly recommend this scarf. The Factory Wildcat Scarf is soft and I know will feel very comfortable
around your neck. I’m glad to have found this version as I like the
coloring better and my Retail version has some snags in it because the
material was a little more delicate. 
Have a Great Day! 
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I have been lusting after this dress since it first caught my eye. It is not on the Fall Shopping list but a beautiful dress like this needed to be seen IRL.

Rush hour dress 
Sadly, this dress is awful, IMO. First thing I noticed was the weight of the dress. It’s very thin. It is lined but the outer shell is very thin. I have cotton tees thicker than this dress. Second, the “thousands of tinselly metallic threads” are thousands of tinselly metallic snag-meisters. This dress will rip to shreds the first time you don’t sit down on a smooth surface or when lean against a rough wall. It honestly feels and looks, IRL, like something I’d find at Forever 21.
The skirt version, more expensive – I might add – for less material, is going to be the same. This dress sold out during the 25% off everything promo and currently there is only a size 6 available. This dress had the potential to be a rock-star. I had Christmas parties and winter weddings all planned out. Oh well, moving on.
Here are the IRLs.

One plus…pockets. As far as fit, I have on a size 8, which is perfect up top but loose on
bottom. A size 6 would have been snug on top but a better fit on bottom.
The length also hits at my perfect spot.

Seems almost matronly I think.

What do you think of the Rush Hour Dress? I know my review is not glowing but sometimes things just don’t work out.
Have a Great Evening!
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A new, unexpected purchase today was this necklace.

A few reasons for this purchase were…
1) It’s for a good cause – The Breast Cancer Research Foundation – 25% of the full-price purchase goes to Breast Cancer Research. Note that it’s not eligible to be combined with any discounts or percent-off promos.
2) It’s pretty.
And, 3) It matches pretty well with the J Crew Classic Pave’ Link Bracelet. 

Bonus reason…Guiliana Rancic designed it and I love her!

Have a Great Evening!

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The Jules Dress is probably one of my favorites from J Crew. Though it could be longer the shift silhouette is great for me. I find this dress is perfect for date nights with Husband. Since The Boy seems to be making us practice being “empty-nesters” before our time I am taking advantage of it. The Jules is great to just throw on, slip on some heels and grab a clutch and go. I have it in the Wildact, Fanfare and Stripe Silk Twill. I prefer the size 6 in this as the 8 only adds bulk and not length. 

OK, yes it’s short…so no dancing all crazy in this dress, or lifting my arms up above my head.
This is partially lined, in the body only, not the sleeves.
The J Crew Babette Heels pair nicely with the dress. The bronze is almost an exact match in the dress.
I know because of the length most will either pass or treat it as a tunic. But from what I’ve seen, despite less than stellar reviews, the Jules always seems to sell out when it hits sale. So some people are liking it.
I decided on this instead of the Origami Dress from my Fall Shopping list. I know I’ll wear this more often than the Origami, especially when it’s paired with tights and boots and this dress is more me. Also, the print reminds me of the Terra Paisley print from a few years ago. 2009 maybe? I had the skirt but sold it because I needed a bigger size but stil haven’t found one. I’d love to see this in a pencil skirt. Wouldn’t that be gorgeous?
So, do you like it or will you be passing on this dress?
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Like some of you, I have been inspired by DaniBP’s Frock Philosophy and FFM’s Planning Your Fall Purchases so I decided to cull my closet and make a Fall shopping list for the first time ever. I have done pretty well in figuring out what needed to go from my closet but I should probably do one or two more rounds. I have a few dresses skirts and tees that could be purged.

The first thing on my list was Tailoring. I have several JC Cafe’ Capri pants that are not Capri on me. I self-hemmed a few of them so I could wear them immediately but knew that wouldn’t work for the long term. I ended up taking a trench coat, 6 Cafe’ Capri pants, 2 dresses and a skirt. I am pretty pleased with myself as it seemed like such a chore to do but, in the end, when I pick everything up I will have all “new” items to wear for Fall and beyond. Especially since several of those items were NWT from last year.
The rest of the list…
As you can see, next on my list was a pair of jeans. Specifically the Matchstick Jeans from J Crew. They are a great fit and just need the hem tailored. I have a pair of bootcut from Lucky Brand but I wanted a straight leg to rotate in my closet as well. I was able to find a pair on ebay for $37. They are from a few years ago but just what I was looking for. Money saved!
I have also already said “No” to a few items. I tried them on and they just weren’t up to my expectations. I kept them on the list and just added the “No” so I would remember how I felt about them come sale + % off time. Because you all know we forget how badly something fit and convince ourselves we were having a bad fitting room day and buy it anyway when it hits sale plus a promo. I do have a lot of J Crew items listed but it’s the brand I love, the brand that looks good on me and the brand that fits me well, consistently. 
OK…The Blazer…Since coming back from vacation, I have been wanting a Navy Blazer. I kept hoping the Schoolboy Blazer would hit sale but that never happened. The latest version from JC is Wool and I was looking for a warmer climate blazer, preferably cotton, but a blend was a possibility too. The Gap offers a Ponte Academy Blazer, and 25% off through Saturday night. That was a possibility but I needed to try it on. 
Husband wanted to go to Nordstrom Rack Saturday afternoon and I needed to make a return so I tagged along. Right as I walked in I saw a display with a Navy Blazer. Upon closer inspection, it was a Ponte Knit, Navy blue, only $50!! – AND MY SIZE! Before stripping the mannequin I walked around the store three times looking for the same blazer, in any colo, but never found one. I checked with an associate to be sure it was ok to disrupt his display and he happily took the blazer off the mannequin for me. 
Double – buttons
Lower back hem
Substantial gold buttons
Pretty striped lining
With my return and a balance on my gift card I only paid NINETY-FIVE CENTS out-of-pocket. Don’t you love it when you score an amazing deal! The blazer is by Willow & Clay,was originally $98 and is the same blend as the Gap blazer – Poly, Rayon, Spandex.  My store manager at JC had on the cutest Navy Blazer from Anthropologie that was similar to this one but I knew I had seen this blazer somewhere else. I had saved the image from Pink Peonies as a styling option once I bought my Navy Blazer. How crazy is it that I would find the exact same one! And don’t forget Princess Catherine in her Navy Blazer. 

Now I really can’t wait for cooler weather so I can wear my new blazer, with my new Matchstick Jeans. I’m off to a great start as far as price is concerned. I hope I’m able to score my other Fall List items on sale too.

Have a Great Day!