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I made it to my store’s First Look event on Wednesday. It was good to see a number of items I wanted to try on as well as some I didn’t expect to like so much. I’ll review everything over the next few days. You can also visit my Instagram to see a few of those items already.

~ Cap-Sleeve Top in Embroidered Sunburst, size 6 ~

~ Cap-Sleeve Top in Embroidered Sunburst, White, size 6 ~
I am a fan of cap-sleeves and really liked the look and colors of this specific. It also comes in Seashore Multi. I usually take a size 6 in sleeveless tops and that was the right size for this one as well. There’s no pulling across the chest or shoulders in this size. 

I almost expected this to have tassels at the collar. It just looks like it should. The thread used for the embroidery is red, blue, some black and metallic. The “sunburst” pattern is only at the front of the chest.

~ Embroidered Sunburst Pull-on Short, Medium ~

The embroidery thread color is the same as the top. I have been wearing a medium in the pull-on shorts but this was over-sized. The shorts felt very roomy all over. The elastic waistband kept slipping down as well. It looks like you may need to size down for these. If I do that, the inseam will be a little shorter. These are lined and the the linen/cotton blend feels pretty sturdy. Almost like the lining could have been done away with, though I’m glad it’s there. 
 

The sunburst pattern goes all around the shorts. The pockets on the side and in back are also trimmed in embroidery.

There are several options in the Embroidered Sunburst to choose from. 
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Overall, I really liked the top but even with the 30% off GOSHOPPING promo I feel it’s still a little too high in price. Also, I think the Factory will probably make a good duplicate of both it and the shorts next Summer.

What do you think of the Embroidered Sunburst items? 

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I am going to start off with a few items that have been sitting on my camera waiting to be reviewed and then I’ll get to the latest new arrivals from J Crew. 
I have this skirt in the Stripe and have worn it a total of one time, with a navy top. I have been gravitating more towards shorts and now that The Boy is home, the date nights seem to be fewer. I have a size 6 in the Stripe and this is the size 8. There’s a little more wiggle room and the length is a tiny bit longer but otherwise, I see no major difference between the two sizes. I like the Metallic sheen of the linen skirt but found a similar one in an A-line style at Loft. I’ll review that soon. 
 

I bought this when I immediately saw it in the store and was able to finally try it on and take pictures of it. I thought it was the Pleated Lattice Skirt, that I love, but the name is different and the stitching and pleating are different as well. The size 8 fit well though the fewer lines of stitching, compared to the Pleated Lattice Skirt, seem to show the pooch more. 
The length still hits just above the knee on me. I thought I would get a lot of use out of the Ivory color but found a No. 2 Pencil Skirt in Ivory that I’ve only worn once. Also, due to the stitching and pleating being a little wider, not much, the skirt doesn’t seem to flatter as much as the original from Fall. 

There are less rows of stitching and you can see the pleats are also different on the two.

The waistband is thinner and is a grosgrain ribbon.

Overall, I decided I will wait for this skirt to go on sale to consider purchasing it.

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~ Collection Japanese Raffia Tank, Champagne, Medium ~
I originally wanted the Navy in this tank but I received the dreaded “Wish we had enough” email when I did place an order. This tank went on sale last week and there was the Champagne color in a Medium available. I decided to take a chance and order even though it wasn’t my choice of color. 
This is a sweater and the fringe is made to look like raffia, though it’s not. It really does resemble natural raffia in this Champagne color. It’s only when you touch it that you know it’s man-made. The fit in the Medium is perfect. The tank is fitted so a Small would have been too tight. I’m not really liking the raffia tiers at the chest. I think those could have been spaced out a little more or done away with altogether. The raffia does also go all the around the tank. 
 

These are a really cute dressy short option for Summer. The thread used for the embroidery is a mix of black, tan, metallic and blue. The tassels are black and ivory. I’m getting used to the elastic waist offerings J Crew is doing for Retail and Factory though I still think it’s laziness to do. 
The Medium fit well though I think if you have a smaller booty or thinner thighs than me you could size down. There are no pockets on these shorts so the line is straight up-and-down. I think that if you do size down the inseam will also look like the normal 3-inch inseam. Because I went with the Medium the inseam looks longer. They are also lined in cotton to minimize the see-through of the linen. 
 
It kind of goes with the Collection Japanese Raffia Tank but I think the embroidery along with the tassels and raffia make it all a little too busy. There’s also a skirt option instead of the shorts, with the tassels at the hem.
I ended up returning both the tank and shorts. The tank wasn’t the color I wanted so I don’t think I would wear it enough to justify the still $100+ cost. The shorts were fine and I also bought them with a good promo but I have so many pairs of shorts I think these would get lost in shuffle. I also gravitate towards my shorts with navy the most. 
Have A Great Evening!

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New arrivals from J Crew posted on Monday. Below are my picks from the latest arrival. I’ve already reviewed the last three dresses.

I will attending my store’s First Look event and hope that some items are in store, like the Postage Stamp Mini in Polynesian Floral. I know that I won’t see any of the Collection items since my store doesn’t carry any but I’ve been lusting over the Inky Floral Linen Shell as well as the dress.

I like the Strappy Chambray Midi Dress but the strappy-back is not a good look for me. I also think I will finally purchase the Linen Halter Maxi Dress. I’ll need a strapless bra for it but I can’t stop thinking about it.
Overall, I am obsessed with a lot of the Collection items and very few of the actual retail items. I’ll try on a few things just to gauge sizing and fit for you.
Is there anything in Collection you are wanting? What about the overall roll-out? How do you like it? 

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Anthropologie is currently offering 20% off Shirts and Shorts right now. See these posts, here and here, for some shirt reviews. Before I get back to more Anthropologie reviews I wanted to share some dresses I found a J Crew, while the 30% off SHOPNOW promo is running (through Saturday).

For reference, I am Medium/8/8 Petite in dresses.

~ Linen Halter Maxi Dress, White, Small ~
I had last year’s Linen Maxi Dress in Hammock Green and Black Chevron but only wore each of them once, maybe. The cotton lining seemed thick and made me hot when I wore the dress. I think the cotton lining of this dress is a little thinner. The lining is also shorter due to the side slits. I think that makes a huge different between the two dresses. Though it seems thinner and lighter in weight I don’t think the white is sheer at all. There is still plenty of coverage. 

I thought I would give the Small a chance before sizing to my normal Medium. This slipped right on over my head without any problems. There’s no pulling at the chest and there’s hip room as well. The pic above are without my wedges on, flat-footed. You can see the length is just at the floor. The wedges in the pics below raise the length some. A strapless or racer-back bra, with clear straps, will be needed for this dress. I think it’s worth it though. If it wasn’t for the next two dresses I would probably have bought this. It does come in Petite sizing so I am considering a Petite Medium. I’ll do an online chat to compare measurements between the two sizes if I decide to order it.

I loved this dress the moment I saw it online and knew I needed it. It showed as a pre-order online (still does) but there were already reviews from people who had tried it on in-store. I took a chance and went to my store and there it was. I love the flutter-sleeve and it is very flattering, covering my upper arms. The Small was a great fit, with no pulling across the chest and room in the waist and hips. 
The length hits just above the knee on me. I had considered ordering the Petite sizing but glad this was in-store since it would have been even shorter. I already know I’m going to wear my Ikat Isabelle Raffia Pumps with this dress! The Seville Wedge Espadrilles from last year in Citrus Lime look good with the dress too.

This is another dress that is currently “pre-order” online. I was about to order the Petite Medium online but there wasn’t information on the length for it or the Regular; only the Tall. I figured the Regular was an inch or two shorter than the Tall and the Petite and inch or two shorter than the Regular so I decided on the Regular. I ordered the “pre-order” dress in Navy in a Small. Then I found the White in store, which confirmed I ordered the right size. 
Though this is in S/M/L and not numeric sizing like it’s Shirt twin, I went with the Small since the shirt ran big. It’s a great fit and the length is at a fun length for me. I like that there is some shape from the armpit to the waist. It’s not straight up-and-down shift like the Linen Dip-Dye Dress is. 

The only issue I have is that the White is not lined. The slip I have is too long for it so I may have to resort to Spanx shorts for this dress. I will try to take a few pics outside in the Sun to see if there’s any see-through or sheerness to the dress but from the dressing room and opinions of a few SAs it doesn’t seem to be. Still, I want to be sure. Of course, anything other than nude undergarments will show through.

 
~ Chevron Striped Dress, size 10 ~
Another “pre-order” dress online but was available in-store. My store sold through the size 8 in this dress so I knew to go up instead of down to a 6. It does look like it fits well in the 10 from the front and side. It was nice to have it just a little loose and almost thought I could work with a size 10. 

But, the back has a criss-cross/wrap design and this is how I knew I would need my normal size 8/8 Petite. There’s too much gaping in the back. The material should lay flat against my back. I still love the dress as the fit-and-flare style is one of my favorites.

My store honored the “online only promo” of 30% off because I asked. I stated I would just order the dresses from online, which was also offering Free Shipping. I do not see why there are online-only promos, especially for items that they show as “Pre-Order” but are clearly sitting in stock in a store. They are also taking away from store sales by not offering or allowing the store to have the same promo. I understand that offering a promo on specific items takes up the time of the SA to tell a customer what is on promo. But, in the end they’ll make a sale for the store instead of losing one to online ordering.

I am very glad that my store will do this. I do still spend most of my shopping money at J Crew so it’s nice that they will recognize that I do. Also, I come prepared with the knowledge of what is on promo. I won’t ask to have a promo applied if I know it’s not part of the online promo.

Sorry for the rant, but I’m sure it’s especially frustrating for those of you who try to get a store to honor the promo and they won’t but you know people who have stores that will.

Anyway, go get these dresses!!! I would have paid full-price for the two I purchased and even the Linen Halter Maxi Dress. They clearly meet a need in my closet and fit my style.

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