/ Bella Picks

J Crew Factory has gone Gigi “Stripe-sick” this week. Through today, striped items are 40% off, prices as marked. What makes that better is the HEYSPRING promo where you can take another 20% off if you spend $100 or more. I received that promo in one of my Factory orders. You can take 25% off by using your J Crew Card and code SPRINGCARD.

The nice thing about this promo is they have already picked out all the striped options for you and have them linked at the top of the web page. How cute is the girls’ Sateen Striped Dress? I want the mens’ Striped Hoodie for myself.

I reviewed the Striped Knit Dress and took a Small in it. The Striped Racerback Cami is TTS and I took my normal size 8. It’s nice and lightweight and I originally purchased it to take on my trip but decided to take a few different items instead.

There are not a whole lot of items to choose from in the men/girls/boys categories but enough to get you to $100 to take 20% off with code HEYSPRING, or 25% off with SPRINGCARD using your J Crew Card. Those codes are good until April 15.

Are you stripe-sick shopping at J Crew Factory?

 

 

/ Bella Picks

Shopbop is having a Friends & Family sale through April 7. Take 25% off with code INTHEFAM on full-price and sale items.

It takes a few months for Tory Burch items to go on sale. It usually happens after the second set of new arrivals shows up; anywhere from 4-5 months. So when I find a promo for Tory Burch items I check my Pinterest Board to see what I’ve been wish-listing. The Montorosso Dress is high on my wishlist at the moment.

I wear my J Crew Seville Espadrille Wedges all Summer but realized I don’t have a cute flat or heeled sandal that’s not a wedge or espadrille. I am picky about sandals and shoes in general. It can’t have ankle straps, a wide band across the top or a a “toe ring”. Of course, all the ones I like have one of those criteria.

Shopbop also has Madewell items. I tried on the Alma Peasant Top and though it didn’t work out for me it’s still very cute. The Joie Rankin Blouse is a good alternative to the Madewell top that I’ll need to try. I had these 7 for All Mankind Culottes in a Medium Wash Blue at least 10 years ago. I had to get rid of them but only because I sized out of them. I wore them all the time and would definitely get them again. I missed out on a DVF jersey romper last year that was in blue & green. This floral print is the same style as the one I wanted last year.

Are you shopping INTHEFAM at Shopbop?

/ Bella Picks

I received an email last week that there were new arrivals on the website at J. Crew but nothing jumped out at me. Over the weekend, there was a 30% off promo and it was then that I found quite a few new arrivals to add to my wishlist. Items are always more appealing when they are on sale, right?

The very first thing to catch my eye was the Gemma Tortoise Flats. My store has them and I was able to quickly try them on. They run large so I would size down half a size to a 6 1/2. The material is PVC and there are three holes where the arch is, for air-flow so your feet won’t get too sweaty. They are just as just in person as they are online and at the top of my wishlist. I’ll probably get them when I return from my trip.

With the 30% off promo over the weekend, I ordered the Madras Shirtdress and the Le Capitaine Garment-Dyed Sweatshirt. The style of the shirtdress looks similar to the Soft Lame Shirtdress from last year so I ordered the same size, a 6. I would love to see the Madras in a popover like the Metallic Gingham or the solid. The season of the sweatshirt has almost come and gone for me but the Le Capitaine Sweatshirt looked too cute to pass up.

The Sunday Slim Short in Patchwork Madras is on my list to purchase. I am hoping my store has it when I make some returns today. I really like the look of the Gingham Pleated Mini Skirt but wish it was offered in the Pink, like the Campbell Blazer or Linen Pants. I was pleasantly surprised by the pink when I saw it in-store. It’s not a ballerina pink but a little darker and really pretty. It’s a pink would probably wear.

Did you make any purchases over the weekend with the 30% off? Some of these items are included in the current 25% off with SHOPSALE. The one item I did finally find in-store and on sale was the Tweed Jacket with Zippers that I tried on in January.

/ Reviews

Through Monday you can take 20% off your purchase of $100+ or 30% off $200+ at Madewell with code NOJOKE. I was in the store recently looking for the Alma Peasant Blouse or the Embroidered Peasant Dress. I found both and tried on the blouse.

~ Alma Peasant Blouse, White, Small~

This looked like it ran big on the hanger so I grabbed a Small. I like the drape in the sleeves and the fit through the body, below the chest but the chest is a mess. The pleats don’t allow the blouse to drape and flow over the chest but hug tightly instead. The Medium would have fit in the chest and been way too big every where else. The dress has the same pleating below the embroidery so it would have fit the same way. I really liked the look of the Dark Plum color online too.

Madewell_EmbroideredAlmaBlouse

~ Central Shirt in Stripe, Small ~

The Central Shirt in Stripe looked really cool and stylish on the display in-store, which prompted me to try it on. Yeah, not so cool and stylish on me. I would tend to wear this un-tucked and this requires at least one of those cool partial tucks cool people can do. You can see the Small is pretty oversized but the XS probably wouldn’t do anything but make it look slightly less cool on me. I did like it thought and could make an effort to style it so it looked effortless. That’s what the goal would be anyway.

Madewell_CentralShirtStripe

~ Beachweight Cape Scarf ~

I recall Gigi trying on a cape scarf and making it look really cool but for me, it has that word ‘cape’ in it and those armholes make me uncomfortable. I did think it would make a great traveling scarf, especially for the plane, since it covers the arms. You would need a sweater or cardigan. This one is pretty lightweight as well.

Madewell_CapeScarf

~ Maldives Cover-Up Pants, Black, Small ~
I briefly entertained the idea of taking some linen pants with me on my trip for the evenings/night but Thailand and Singapore will be pretty hot and humid. I am way more comfortable in shorts and dresses during the Summer heat. These pants are very lightweight and the Small was a great fit. Though “cover-up” is in the name, I didn’t find these to be very see-through so I think they would work a regular pants and not just cover-ups. I would have needed them hemmed but otherwise, for a different climate, these are perfect. They also come in a print and they are both on sale.

MadewellMaldives_LinenPant

~ Slim Boyjean in Hatfield Wash, size 29 ~

I wasn’t specifically looking for jeans but I did need something to try on with the tops so I grabbed two different styles. I’ve tried on the Slim Boyjean before and liked them then too. The 29 was a good fit but after trying on the next pair, passed on these.

Madewell_SlimBoyJean

~ Cruiser Straight Crop Jeans, Preston Wash, size 30 ~

These are supposed to be cropped but they are perfect as regular length jeans for me. I really loved they were just a little more baggy than the Slim Boyjean. They are 100% cotton. NO stretch in them so the size 30 were the best fit. They are the best alternative I’ve found off-the-rack, no alterations needed, in a long time. The Preston Wash is more of a darker wash than the online image depicts. I think if I had seen the online image I would have passed as they look too light for me. I prefer a medium and dark wash. I’ve worn these several times already and just love them. I can roll the cuff a few times to make them cropped or just wear them normal. I would get another pair and have them hemmed to be cropped but my Wide-Leg Jeans are still holding up after all the wash-and-wear I’ve done.

Madewell_CruiserStraightCropJean

A few other things that caught my eye on the website. I did buy the Whisper Cotton Tee in Halden Stripe as well as solid White and Heather Indigo. They run big so I sized to a Small and they are super soft and comfortable. Don’t forget to use code NOJOKE for 20% off $100 or 30% off $200, both in-store and online.

/ Bella Picks

It’s a struggle at times to keep up with J Crew Factory’s price games every few days. I try to hold out until there’s 50% off everything but was looking at quite a few items for my trip so I placed a few orders. I did get a good price on the Flutter-Sleeve Tunic in White with the Gilt promo and that’s a keeper. The Tissue Tunic in Deep Navy also caught my eye but I like the shorter sleeves on the one I purchased.

I have the Basketweave Shorts in Scattered Dot in the Ivory but really like the Navy Dot this time. I found it fit TTS in my normal size 8. Since I have the Navy Dot Pencil Skirt I passed on the same in the shorts. The Oxford Shorts have been eluding me for a year, usually selling out quickly in my size. This time I ordered them in the Dark Indigo.

Both the Anchor Caryn Cardigan and Pineapple Caryn Cardigan look really cute. I’m still waiting for JCF to bring back the short-sleeve lightweight cardigans. I have the retail version of the Neon Floral Flounce Skirt. The Factory version is poly/cotton and not embroidered. I’d have to see it in person to really make a decision on it.

The current promo is 40% off clearance with code MUSTSHOP. I had re-ordered some of these items over the weekend when they were 50% off and was also able to use a promo code that came in my other package. Use HEYSPRING to take 20% off $100 and SPRINGCARD for 25% off $100 with your J Crew Card. These two codes are good until April 15 so keep them in your back pocket if you need a promo code.