/ Reviews


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~ Rome Destination Art Tee, J.Crew ~
~ Frayed Tweed Short, Banana Republic ~
~ Seville Espadrilles, Navy, J.Crew ~

I’m ripping the tags off and wearing some recently purchased items. These tweed shorts are not lined but were surprisingly not hot to wear, especially in August. I bought every design of the destination art tees from J.Crew. As long as the quality holds up, I should be able to wear them through the Fall and into next year. The Seville Espadrilles are some of my favorite shoes and I own several colors. Both the black and metallic are part of the 20% off LOTSTOSHOP promo this week.

And here are a few more outfit ideas with some tees and tweed.

Happy Shopping!

/ Uncategorized

J.Crew has a new promo today with LOTSTOSHOP. You can take 20% off “wear now and later” items. There just a few new arrivals from the last roll-out included in this promo, including the lovely Sailor Skirt in Ponte and Tippi Sweater with Ruffles.

The Cuffed Sleeve Top and Carrie Cami are great layering pieces. I’m still waiting to try the Rayner Jean and hope it fits better than the Rayner Chino. I reviewed the Mountain Lake color. I have every color of the Cuffed Bermuda Short in Linen and wear them every chance I can. I really like the striped scarf below and both are from the men’s section. The Boy has the Chambray Shirt but I also owe him a few more since I turned two of his favorites pink. #laundryfail

I’m sitting out this sale. We’ve seen better percent-off for new arrivals in the past. The sale section is 40-60% off but also Final Sale.

Are you shopping this promo or waiting on something better?

/ Reviews

In case you are shopping the Banana Republic Friends & Family this weekend, I have a few reviews for you. The F&F promo is you can take 50% off 5 full-priced items with a code sent via email.

~ Floral Lace Shirt Dress, Sun Palm Green, Medium ~

This was one of the lace items I wanted to see in-person. I found both this color and the navy lace dress. You’ll see the pattern of the lace looks like rosettes with scalloped hem, sleeves and button placket. This “green” was really bright IRL. I would prefer the Navy. The Medium was a great fit. Comfortable but not too roomy, hitting just above the knee.

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~ Nautical Basketweave Blazer, size 8 ~

I have a wool blazer, linen blazer and cotton blazer all in navy. I’ve been wanting to add a double-breasted blazer to my collection of navy blazers and this was exactly what I’m looking for. The size 8 was a bit snug in the upper arms and a little tight across the shoulders. I ordered the 10 Petite online and it is perfect, especially the arm length which hits right where my wrist ends. I never button my blazers but the 10 Petite did fit well when buttoned too.

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~ Sleeveless Lace Trim Top, Medium ~

I like the contrasting trim at the neckline of this top. I meant to buy it in-store but am glad I didn’t since it wasn’t on promo at the time. The Medium is a really good fit though a little square and boxy. This also comes in Tipo which is an Ivory with either navy or black trim. Another winner with this top.

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~ Boyfriend Jean, Medium Wash, size 29 ~

I don’t need any new jeans this Fall but these boyfriend jeans were really comfortable on. I ordered them in the 29 Short online and they came with a 3 inch cuff. I think if I let out the cuff it will be the same length as the pair I tried on in-store. I’ll have these hemmed to my liking and may order another pair before the weekend is over to have a backup on hand. Then I can have one pair for flats and one for heels.

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~ Raw-Edge Tweed Moto Jacket, size 8 ~
~ Lace Tie-Neck Top, Medium ~
~ Frayed Tweed Short, size 10 ~

This moto jacket was really cute IRL. I bought a J.Crew tweed jacket similar to this on Final Sale so I don’t need another but the raw edges and cropped style make this jacket stand out from others. The sleeves are sown oddly to the body. Almost like they cut the armholes to large and then sowed them on. You didn’t have a whole lot of movement in the arms.

~ Frayed Tweed Short, size 10 ~

As soon as I saw these shorts I knew I’d be bringing them home with me, as long as they fit. There was no size 8 to try, since they were in the Final Sale section, which was 50% off. I liked the color of the tweed so I was really happy to buy them over the moto jacket. The frayed edges of the jacket are only on the pockets of the tweed short. I did go up a size but that helps since the inseam is 3-inches. The size up makes them look like a 4-inch inseam.

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~ Lace Tie-Neck Top, Medium ~

I was really interested in this top when I saw it online but the way I have the neckline unbuttoned and the tie all loose makes me look like a disheveled Colonel Sanders. The Medium is the best fit and I love the sleeves; just my style. The bottom/hemline did grab a little more to my hips than I’m accustomed to but I still wouldn’t size up. I didn’t check to see how easily I could switch out the tie to another color but a pretty velvet or satin navy would be nice.

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~ Denim Sheath Dress, size 10 ~

I bought this with a different promo last week. It was part of the new arrivals and I knew it would sell out quickly (and has). The one thing I don’t like about BR is when something sells out online, they completely remove it from the site. There’s no way to perform a “Find it in Store”. I’ve found a lot of things in-store that had sold out online so I don’t think they keep track between the two very well. So check your stores if you are interested in this lovely sheath dress.

Judging by the online image I knew this would be a slim fit so I decided to size to a 10. That size turned out to be a perfect fit. It’s a mostly cotton blend with a little spandex and poly mixed in. That helps make it pretty stretchy. Though they look snug, the arms are pretty comfortable. The length is hitting me just below the knee. I cannot wait to wear this when the weather cools. I have these ankle-strap sandals on with it in the pics and also plan to wear it with these strappy sandals. I think I can get away with some dressy flats too. Tory Burch has a lovely new 60s-style shoe called the Gigi. I am in love with the Redstone and the Oceano.

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Are you shopping the Banana Republic Friends & Family? If you don’t have 5 full-priced items to purchase, there’s also an online promo of 40% off using code BRFORTY.

Happy Shopping!

/ Bella Picks

Banana Republic has new arrivals out geared towards late-Summer / early-Fall. One style I’ve been gravitating towards is Lace. There are several pieces I am seriously lusting over, particularly in the colors being offered.

Banana Republic always seems to have pretty leather and suede pieces each year. I like the drape of the Bow-Knot Top. J.Crew’s bow shoulder top was stiff and shapeless compared to this lovely bow top. The only drawback is the Polyester material. I would have preferred silk. I ordered this Denim Sheath Dress which has sold out pretty quickly online but you might be able to find it in-stores. If I hadn’t bought a trench coat earlier this year I would have definitely tried this short trench coat in navy.

Today starts Banana Republic’s Friends & Family event. You can take 50% off 5 regular prices items. This does exclude leather, cashmere and BR Picks. You will need to sign up for emails to get a code mailed to you. Usually the store honors the event without a code or email. I try to get two to three things I want and then get some tees or socks for The Boy or Husband to get to my 5 items. The Factory is having 40% off your entire purchase from now until August 14. Again, sign up for emails to get the code needed for the Friends & Family event.

/ Reviews

I’m not seeing a whole lot of reviews for some of these items online, so if you’re looking at them, here are my thoughts and pics.

~ Collection Gingham Cardigan in Gauzy Cotton, Small ~

I couldn’t decide between the Tippi Sweater in Blue-Emerald Gingham or this Collection Cardigan. I should have chosen the Tippi sweater. I did not like this cardigan at all. It is over-sized so take a size down from your normal size. But that wasn’t the problem. The gauzy cotton material was…blech! I don’t have a word to describe it but I didn’t like the look or feel of the material. It was gauzy, maybe a little thicker than medical gauze. I think it may have been that this is not 100% Cotton but is blended with nylon. I like the gingham and I like the length but other than that, it was immediately returned.

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~ Tippi Sweater, Berry Melange, Medium Petite ~

I’ve finally found my real Tippi size, Medium Petite. That size has the arms at 3/4 length and the overall length is a little shorter than the Medium I’ve been wearing. The color is very pretty IRL, with hints of blue/purple throughout. The Tippi Sweater and Tippi Sweater with Ruffles are both 20% off with code NEWCLOTHES.

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~ Gazebo Pant in Market Stripe, size 8 ~

I have been stalking these ever since they showed up on the website. They sold out pretty quick, especially in my size. I wasn’t able to catch them again until they were on sale with a great promo. I haven’t worn them yet but they are really nice pants. A great linen with an almost chambray stripe look to them. I’m really happy I was able to finally snag them on a pop-back.

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~ Sloan Gingham Leather D’Orsay Flats, size 6 1/2 ~

The flats are just adorable. I originally thought they were printed canvas, silk or cotton but they are printed leather. The colors are similar to the Tippi. I wear a 6 1/2 in the Sloan and these are no different in sizing, even with the all leather outer and inner lining. They did crease almost immediately, just from trying them on and walking around for a short time. I always put the little tissue back after wearing my shoes to smooth things like that out. If you prefer, there’s also the heel.

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~ Mixed Gingham Sandal with Ankle Straps, size 7 ~

I really debated whether or not to get these fun looking shoes. I was very leery about the ankle strap and how to get them to stay tied without cutting off circulation to my feet. I’m so glad I decided to order them. They are really fun sandals and the colors all pop. The size 7 was perfect, making these TTS. I tied them with a bow slightly to the side and love the way it looks. Even though I have plenty of white bottoms to wear with these, I’m looking at a few white dresses to wear with them too.

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Here are a few 40-60% off sale picks with code NEWCLOTHES.

I think I am pretty much done with shopping Spring and Summer sale items. What about you?