/ Uncategorized

I was able to stop by the J Crew Factory Store on Saturday and try on a few things. The store was a little bare but only because they are expecting a lot of Spring arrivals this Wednesday. Not sure when the update to the website will be for those items, or if it’s already happened. All sale items, ending in $0.97 cents was an additional 30% off, final sale.

Factory Perfect Shirt in Printed Cotton – #23871, Gallery Green, M – Fits TTS, like a 6/8. The green was really pretty which is what caught my eye. $59.50 w/extra 30% Perfect Shirts off in-store. Online price $34.50.

Factory Couplet Dress – #46975, EVE Evergreen?, 8 – The top was a little too blouse-y but the bottom fit well, not too tight. $59.97 plus 30% off Final Sale. Online price $69.99

Tinsel Lace Dress – Retail item found at the Factory Store – #58522, Black, 8 – This fit TTS for me as I am an 8 in the strapless dresses. Unlike the Tinsel Tweed Pencil Skirt, I did not feel the metallic threading poking through the lining. There are still several online available. $39.97 plus 30% off, final sale…yep…$28 bucks! This is $49.99 online.

Factory Siren Dress – #61911, Black, M – This size was a loose fit on me. I like the casual jersey feel of the dress. $29.97 plus 30% off final sale. Online price $49.99

Charcoal, S – This fit a little better, especially in the top.

Charcoal, XS – I could do this size but the look and fit of the small suited me better. They also had the Pale Wisteria in-store but not in the XS when I asked for additional sizes.

Factory Maritime Dress – #53854, Sail Blue, M – There wasn’t a Small for me to try on but that would be a better fit. The material is a little more soft than the retail version which is a tiny bit thicker. $74.50 plus 30% off Dresses

Factory Cotton V-Neck Sweater – #32714, Vivid Aqua, S – I could use a Medium in this so I would say TTS.  Lots of colors available online and in-store. $42 plus 25% off. Online price $34.50.
Factory Printed Cotton Sateen Mini – 27112, Red Topaz,6 – Cute print but an 8 would have been better for length. The 6 fit well through the hips. $29.97 plus 30% off final sale. All FP skirts were 25% off. Online price $34.50.

No. 2 Pencil Skirt in Double-Serge Cotton – #37415, Byzantine Blue, 6 – I loved this color as soon as I saw it. It is only online in the Black and Neon Rose, both of which I saw in-store. This fits TTS and as you can see, the length on me is right at the knee but the waist is sitting just at my natural waist. This one came home with me, as you saw from my earlier post.  $75 plus 25% off Skirts. Online price $65.00.

Factory Printed Pencil Skirt – #37532, Wisteria Multi, 4 – Oddly enough, the 4 fit me well, maybe a teeny bit snug through the hips but not bad at all. I like the print and it looked nice paired with the Cotton V-Neck Sweater in Vivid Aqua. There are three other colors offered online but I didn’t see them in-store. $79.50 plus 25% off Skirts. Online price $49.50.

Factory Skimmer Pant – #37033, Modern Red, 6 – This was the item I was most anticipating to try on. Unfortunately, there was no size 8 to try on in this color. The 6 was quite snug in the waist and hips. $59.50 I think there was a % off but I can’t remember what it was. Online price $49.50.

Dark Beechwood, 8 – This was a much better fit. The length on both the 6 and 8 hit me right below the ankle so it was not cropped at all. I would have this hemmed so that it would be a true skimmer pant.

Factory Dotted Shorts (online as the Factory Flora Paisley Lily Short) – #37569, FrostyMint, 8 – These were so cute. I wish they had been a 3-inch inseam. $49.50 plus 20% off (online price is $44.50)

So what do you think of these Factory offerings? 

/ Uncategorized

I think I’ve been doing pretty well with my “one in, two out” closet purge. I’m not quite even but I have sold 32 “loved but not worn” items from my closet to others who will “love AND wear” them. Not bad for 13 days. Today, I went by J Crew to make two returns – the Jackie Pullover in Canvas and the Stripe Sweater Dress. I was just going to return both items but I did walk around the store to see if there was anything that peaked my interest to try on but I didn’t find anything…except for this.

Enameled Giraffe Cuff

Isn’t she just the cutest thing? It was the last one in the store and I was told this is an in-store only item so it may not show up online. It’s $98 and the Style # may be 74693 from what I can tell on the tag attached to it.  The Frog Necklace was sold out and so was the Bubble Necklace in yellow, which I never saw. It has a hinge where it opens, which you can see in the second picture.

What do you think of the Giraffe Cuff?

/ Uncategorized

Before the new year, J Crew updated their site with some new arrivals for Resort/Spring 2012. I was anxious to see the No. 2 Pencil Skirt in Warm Jade along with the new Jackie Pullover. My store won’t be receiving anything until next week and I didn’t want to wait that long so I placed an order.

Here are my first reviews of Resort/Spring 2012.

No. 2 Pencil Skirt in Double-Serge Cotton – #59369, $110, Warm Jade, Sz 6 – I quite like this color IRL. Online, the color did not look like the little sample color in the catalog so I was worried it wouldn’t be as lovely as I hoped. But I didn’t need to worry. I love the color. It’s vibrant and a very pretty green, maybe a little darker than the pictures below. This fits well in my normal size 6. The cotton is nice, a little thick (double-serge) and sturdy. It is unlined, which I believe is how they were last year too, and that’s ok with me. I added some heels to get a better idea of the length, which is 22 inches long. I don’t think I’ll have this hemmed as this hits just below the knee on me. This one is a keeper, even at full price.

 

Jackie Pullover – #65341, $65, Canvas, M –  I ordered the Jackie Pullover in Canvas and Byzantine Blue.  I thought about ordering the Warm Jade and Bright Violet but I was immediately drawn to the Blue in the catalog and I also wanted to see a neutral color in this new item. I have to say I am a little disappointed in this pullover. Immediately, even while still in the plastic packaging, I could tell this was a different texture and was thicker than the Jackie Cardigan. I was expecting something a little more lightweight like the cardigan. I don’t have any of the Jackie Shells so I can’t compare the two.

The Canvas color is a nice neutral and goes well with the Warm Jade pencil skirt. I just couldn’t get over the texture of this sweater. The Cotton V-Neck Sweater is a much lighter weight than the pullover. My normal size Medium fits perfectly.

Here I have the Jackie Cardigan in Pearl (from 2010) on top and the Jackie Pullover in Canvas on the bottom. I tried to capture the texture I’m seeing so I hope you can see it too. As far as material they are both the same Cotton/Nylon/Spandex but with slightly different percentages.
2010 Jackie Cardigan: 66% Cotton, 29% Nylon, 5% Spandex
2012 Jackie Pullover: 66% Cotton, 31% Nylon, 3% Spandex

Here is the Byzantine Blue. This is another vibrant color and I originally thought it wouldn’t pair well with the Warm Jade pencil skirt but I think it does. I’ll look for this color in another cardigan or top. This is the color I was hoping the Jackie Cardigan in Pacific would be. I honestly do not like the Jackie Pullover but I know a lot of you will so I hope the review and pics of the colors will help you. I’ll be returning both colors.

Now, Whitney, has a completely different view of the Jackie Pullover. Go to her blog, Only Boring People are Bored, to read all about it.

Before I knew my store would not be receiving any Resort/Spring 2012 until next week, I stopped by to have a look. There was nothing new that interested me other than this skirt.
Gimlet Skirt in Coaster Stripe – #55688, #118, Dark Blue, 6 – Here’s what J Crew says about this skirt.


A festive fan of pleats along the waist renders this classic A-line skirt a sophisticated pick for all your invitations of the season. We can’t get enough of its ladylike length (it hits right at the knee for that fabulous swing). The best part? We fashioned it in alternating transparent and opaque stripes, just like the vintage dress one of our stylists sported around the office to rave reviews. 

I saw this skirt and immediately thought of how I would stroll around Paris and Italy wearing it with a lovely linen blouse and sweet little wedge sandals. It’s very organza-ish but is actually Cotton/Nylon. The close-up of the pattern and material does not do it justice. The size 6 fits well on me. This skirt is meant to sit at your waist or just a tiny bit lower. It hits right at the knee (perfect for the times we’ll be sight-seeing and walk inside a church).

I kept this skirt in the bag, in my truck, for a week before bringing it inside but I could never get it out of my head. See, here WAS my dilemma. I have a Banana Republic Seersucker skirt that is similar in style to this skirt. I immediately thought of that skirt, after my strolling around Paris/Italy thought, when I saw this skirt. But I decided they are both two different skirts and I don’t have strolling visions with that other skirt. The only negative about this skirt is that it doesn’t have pockets. That would make this skirt absolutely perfect in my book.

What do you think?

Stroll on ladies, stroll on.


/ Uncategorized

I haven’t taken advantage of any of the J Crew-palooza promos since Cyber-Monday. But with today’s 30% off online and in-store I decided to stop in and make an exchange and see what new arrivals there might be. There were some bright new items for the Spring 2012 Collection. I was really excited to see new colors of the Tippi sweater. You’ll see three of them below. I tried my best to capture the truest color of everything but without the right light it was a little difficult.

Tippi Sweater – #46725, SGR (something Green), M, $72.50 – Love this color! I couldn’t pass up the 30% off so this one came home with me.

Truer to the real color

Tippi Sweater – #46725, NAZ(Neon Azalea), M, $72.50 – This is a great color too and not as bright as the Blythe in this color.

Floral Perfect Shirt – #60715, BBL, 8, $88, 57% Cotton/43% Silk – The texture reminds me of the Rose Vines Perfect Shirt. I do like it with the Neon Azalea Tipp and it looks good with the other Tippi below.

Jules Dress in Floral – #61607, BBL, 6, $188, 100% Silk/100% Acetate Lining – On the hanger this print is a lot to take in. But once you get it on it’s not so bad. I love that it’s 100% Silk.

Stripe Sweater Dress – I tried this on here and this one is the size Small. I decided to exchange the original Medium for the Small. It fits better and will probably stretch a bit.

Tippi Sweater –  #46725, LBL (something Blue, maybe Lagoon?), M, $72.50
Collection Striped Silk Tunic – #56512, FGR (something Gray), 8, $128 – This size was big on me but I didn’t have the chance to try on the 6.
Ankle Toothpick Jean in Garment-Dyed Twill – #62443, LCI (Light Citron), 30 – These jeans are so comfortable and soft and bright! But they do show things you might not want shown (dimples and extra things and stuff). Not sure if the Blue Grotto will be the same. The Neon Persimmon looks like a good color too.

Such a pretty color for Spring!

Closest pic to the true color.

Stretch Perfect Shirt in Classic Stripe – # 44175, SUN (Sunflower), 8 – I like it tone-on-tone with the jeans.

City Mini in Blackwatch Plaid- #62440, BLA (Blackwatch), 6 – This must have been just an in-store only release. Cute and there weren’t many left in the store. But I was able to snag the Schoolboy Blazer in Blackwatch Tartan on sale plus the 30% off so I passed on the skirt.

What do you think of some of these Spring items? I am really liking the Tippi colors and you’ll be seeing the green on me soon.

/ Uncategorized

One of my last few orders from the recent J Crew Sale-a-paloozas were the Jules Dress in wool and the Stripe Sweater Dress. I had been eyeing the Sweater Dress for a while and like how it is styled online with a white button-up underneath. I have much love for the Jules Dress in Wildcat and was hoping I would like one of the solid colors just as much.

First up the Jules Dress. I debated for a few days between the Heather Aluminum (Gray) and the Fresh Strawberry. I could add pops of color to the Gray or add black or navy to tone down the Strawberry so it was a tough choice. I ended up choosing the Fresh Strawberry to have a bright color to punch up the winter time.

This is a size 8, which is the same size as the one in Wildcat that I own. I’m not quite sold on this. The wool is nice and lightweight. The color is not a strong red but is still pretty bright. I think I should have gotten the gray but my size is now sold-out so if I return this one I may not have another chance at it again, in either color.

Next up is the Stripe Sweater Dress. This is a Size Medium. It is a little loose in the shoulders and upper arms for me, which is a nice change for me and means it won’t feel tight when I add a button-down underneath. As you can see, short-arm syndrome has struck again but the sleeves can be cuffed. I like the length as well on this too. And, it’s not itchy. And the color, I love the color.

Side View

Here it is belted, which I really like. I lost a teeny bit of length but now it has some shape to it.

Two front pockets you barely notice

I would say you could size down on this one. I could exchange it for a Small but because of how I plan to wear it, layered and belted, I will stick with a Medium. Also, I think the stripes are a nice width that they don’t make me look wider than I already am in the hips.

So what do you think of these two dresses? Plan on purchasing them during the new promo offer?