/ Reviews

J.Crew’s latest promo, YESPLEASE, ends today. You can take 30% off a lots of styles as well as 40% off sale. I took advantage of this promo in-store and brought some full-price items home with me. Let’s take a look.

~ Pleated Cropped Wide-Leg Pant in Glen Plaid, size 10 ~

These lovely pants were included in the promo. I was going to order them but happened to stop by my store and they had them available in almost all sizes. They did not have a size 8 so I grabbed a size 6 and a size 10, just to gauge fit so I could order them. I really feel these pants run small. I know I’ve been having some sizing issues due to weight but I can still fit in my size 8 pants from years prior. And I’m still wearing size 29 pants and jeans from this year just fine. I think the sizing issue has to do with the pleats starting at the hip line. Despite sizing up to a 10, I loved these wide-leg pants. I plan on wearing these wide-leg pants not only for dressy but not formal occasions but also trying to tone them down with a tee or jean jacket or maybe even some Cons. I found this Cashmere Audrey Sweater at Talbots in Dark Nightfall that goes very well with these. I’ll be sharing my styling ideas for these pants next week.

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~ Gazebo Pant, Ivory, size 8 ~

I have these in black (styled) and love them. These have had a second price cut and are now $149.99. I still ordered a size 8 though a 10 might have fit a little better. They were F/S so I’ll make them work. I love these lace pants and am going to try to winterize this Ivory color. If I can get the right combinations I’ll share those style ideas with you.

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~ Short-Sleeve Popover in Chambray, size 8P ~

I usually get this popover in a size 6 but the chambray was all sold out so I ordered the 8 Petite. That fits a little more closer to the body and is not as loose as the 6. I think I’ll get quite a bit of use out of this chambray shirt.

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~ Elsie Pump in Tweed, Ivory/Burgundy/Pink, size 7 ~

I can take a 6 1/2 or 7 in the Elsie Pump, depending on how long I think I’ll wear them. I think I would probably try to wear these for long periods of time so I ordered the size 7 to accommodate foot swelling. They really fit in the toe box but the length is just a little too long. I don’t walk out of the size 7 or anything like that. I love this pink tweed pattern and color and am happy I chose it over the skirt or blazer.

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I bought the Club Collar Shirt in Gingham in the White Cabernet and I can’t wait to wear it with these tweed heels.

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Here are a few more of my picks from this promo. I have the Factory version of the Excursion Vest in Flannel. I don’t really care for the gold buttons on the pockets of the retail Excursion Vest. I like the style of the Factory Quilted Vest a lot more.


Did you take advantage of this latest 30% off promo from J.Crew?

/ Bella Picks

J.Crew has had 5 days of different promos, with today’s being 40% off all Final Sale items, with code FRIDAY. I’ve been waiting for a better percentage off of sale items, though I wish it wasn’t F/S, to make a few purchases. I bought the Marine Salt color of the Collection Gazebo Pants. I love the black and can see wearing this color with a black cashmere tee and these strappy flats or these gorgeous t-strap flats. Out of all the Fall heels I’ve seen offered at J.Crew I think the pink tweed Elsie Pumps are the most fun! I may also be able to pull them off with the Gazebo Pants.


There are lots of items on sale right now. It looks some I bought on promo are now in the sale section like this silk blouse and the Sammie Pants in Polka Dot. I have yet to wear them but that’s only because I had them in a box of clothes I’m getting rid of. Luckily I double-checked that box before sending it out.


Are you shopping this final promo of the week? Did you shop any of the others during the week? Anything I missed that you think I’d love?

/ Reviews

Last up from my small set of try-ons are the sweatshirts. Let’s take a look.

~ Botanical Sweatshirt with Floral Patches, Medium ~
~ Lightweight Boy Shirt in Oversized Gingham, Pine Forest, size 8 ~
~ Sailor Skirt in Double-Serge Wool, size 8 ~

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~ Botanical Sweatshirt with Floral Patches, Medium ~

I actually liked the print and embellishment/floral patches on this sweatshirt. Normally this is something MamaBella would immediately ask me to buy for her but I might just get it myself. I really like it with the Lightweight Boy Shirt in Oversized Gingham in Pine Forest underneath it. I could do without the dropped shoulder but it’s not enough to deter me from wishlisting it.

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~ Lightweight Boy Shirt in Oversized Gingham, Pine Forest, size 8 ~

No difference between this shirt and other button-downs as far as sizing. I should take a 10 and not an 8 in this. I really like the Pine Forest color which is perfect for Fall. I’ll pass on this though since I can’t think to wear it with anything other than jeans right now.

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~ Sailor Skirt in Double-Serge Wool, Heather Honey, size 8 ~

I was excited to try on this skirt as I thought it looked really cute online. The fit is really small in the waist though. I can still fit in a size 8 in skirts but I could only zip this halfway in the back. I’d need a 10 in this skirt. The Heather Honey color is really pretty IRL. The length on this skirt hits me just above the knee. The front sailor buttons are not functional. There is just a back zip (not exposed). J.Crew does their double-serge wool items pretty well and this little sailor skirt is no exception.

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~ Metallic Ruffle-Neck Sweatshirt, Medium ~
~ Straightaway Jean in Bluff Wash, size 28 ~

This is a slightly different name but the same style of sweatshirt from Fall 2013, the Ruffle Collar Sweatshirt. One updated difference is that the cuffs on this one are also ruffled, which I like. This runs TTS. There is a back zip. I like the metallic material for the ruffle but if you don’t there’s the solid version.

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~ Straightaway Jean in Bluff Wash, size 28 ~

I have not been in a size 28 in quite a while so that means these jeans run big. This size was really comfortable on and the button-fly front wasn’t too stiff. Sometimes button-fly can be hard to fasten and button. The waist is a little higher, hitting closer to my true waist but they don’t look weird like the Billie Boot does on me. The 27-inch inseam is floor length on me, even in the 28. I might go to a Petite 29 to see if I can’t get the cropped look without alterations.

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We are seeing a few familiar items from previous years in the Fall roll-out. From the Ruffle-Neck Sweatshirt to the Frances/Tuxedo Ruffle Shirt to the Faux-Leather Pleated Mini Skirt, which are all from seasons past. If they want to really recycle popular items they should bring back the Lexington Blazer in new colors!

/ Reviews

Variations of the windowpane print seem to be all over right now. I’ve seen several items offered at Banana Republic and Madewell, which has a great silk shirt. J.Crew Factory even has a cute pair of D’Orsay Flats. J.Crew has jumped in with their own windowpane items.

~ Classic V-Neck Cardigan, Wheat, Small ~
~ Sleeveless Silk-Twill Top in Windowpane, size 8 ~
~ Sammie Pant in Corduroy, Masala Chai, size 8 ~

I originally thought this was a color from the Donegal Wool Cardigan since it was on the same table as the other colors but it wasn’t. It is a cozy little wool-blend cardigan that runs a size big. There’s not much else to say about it. It’s a cardigan J.Crew does every year. The various colors of the Donegal wool version are pretty, with little flecks of other colors in the mix.

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~ Campbell Blazer in Donegal Wool, size 8 ~

I thought this blazer was really pretty IRL, though it’s just basically a gray blazer in a fancy wool. I take a Petite 10 whenever I can in blazers. It has the prettiest blue foulard lining with pink trim. I didn’t even notice it but the underside of the collar is also a pink felt. I don’t pop my collars so what’s under it doesn’t really matter. It’s in my wishlist.

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~ Sleeveless Silk-Twill Top in Windowpane, size 8 ~

I didn’t really look at this shirt up-close until I was in the store. I originally thought it was just navy with white panes but it is a black background with cream, navy and brown. The 8 fit fine though the neckline is fairly low cut on me. Some double-side tape is needed, at least for me. J.Crew is also touting this has a “built-in necktie” which is more pronounced below the neckline. Because of the low neckline, I passed on this top.

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~ A-Line Dress in Silk-Twill Windowpane, size 8 ~

Though the length is too long/midi-style on me, I really liked the shape of this dress. Add a blazer and it’s great for work. A sparkly necklace and you are date-night ready. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get this zipped up the back. It was stuck at the seam again and the zipper pull is too small to grab and force it up. I think the size 8 would still fit in this dress but I can’t tell you that for sure.

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Overall, I really wasn’t a fan of this Windowpane print, especially after seeing the Banana Republic items. That blazer though…I’ll be waiting for a good price on it!

/ Reviews

On to the J.Crew Cherry Print items. My store had all the basic items offered. We don’t receive Collection or many shoes, unless they are returned so I was unable to try on the Collection Jacquard Sheath Dress in Cherry Print or the heels or flats.

~ Tippi Sweater in Cherry Print, Medium ~
~ Tuxedo Ruffle Top in Silk Georgette, size 8 ~
~ Pleated Midi Skirt in Cherry Print, size 8 ~

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~ Tippi Sweater in Cherry Print, Medium ~

This fits like all other Tippi Sweaters. The cherries are red on a black background. The Tippi in a Medium always fits well everywhere except it runs a little long in the length. I haven’t worn my Bee Tippi (included in the current promo) so I passed on the Cherry Print.

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~ Tuxedo Ruffle Top in Silk Georgette, size 8 ~

The Frances ruffle is back. The ruffles on this top are the same as the Frances Cami and shirts from 2009. This top does have the tuxedo pleating down the front. The color is ivory with black, tiny polka dots. This fits fine in the size 8. It’s really cute for work but not something I need or will wear very often. The Boy Shirt in Polka Dot in the same colors would be a better option for me. I do like putting either under the Tippi in Cherry Print, mixing the two different prints and patterns.

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~ Pleated Midi Skirt in Cherry Print, size 8 ~

I actually thought this skirt was really cute. But I just cannot wear midi skirts without feeling like I look way too short. The size 8 fit really well, so this is TTS. I think the Tippi and Midi Skirt work well together. The black background on both are very similar.

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~ Classic Popover Shirt in Cherry Print, size 10 ~
~ Faux-Leather Pleated Mini Skirt, size 8 ~

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~ Classic Popover Shirt in Cherry Print, size 10 ~

I felt the size 10 was the right size for me, right now. That could change if weight loss happens but I’m ok with the size up. I think this goes well with the Sammie Cords in Masala Chai and I did finally purchase those with this promo. I have a red Tippi I think I’ll put on over this at some point but this shirt is a great transition piece to wear through Fall before layering for Winter.

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~ Faux-Leather Pleated Mini Skirt, size 8 ~

This is the same style skirt that was offered last year for Fall. I still think the size 8 fit just fine. This is a mini skirt but it only hit about an inch above the knee on me. I seem to be gravitating more towards pants and jeans so I don’t think I would get enough wear out of the black colorway to justify a full-price purchase. I do like the Cabernet color though my store didn’t have it in stock.

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~ Silk Wrap Dress in Cherry Print, size 8 ~

This wrap dress fits great in the top, as you can see. If you aren’t afraid of showing off the girls then this dress is for you. The problem for me was it would not zip up the side completely. The zipper got stuck at the waist seam which I know means it wasn’t the right size. I would probably need a size 10. Unfortunately, this doesn’t come in a Petite.

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I do love the flamenco/wrap-style of the skirt on this dress. From the Spring/Summer Preview at Fashion Week it looks like J.Crew might be trying to bring this skirt style next year. If you are curvy like me, I would say to size up. I think someone who’s more of a straight/boy shape will be ok in their normal size.

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The current promo is 25% off tees, sweaters, jackets & more, with code SHOPNOW. My store honored any items that were part of the online promo and they also had a few different promos in-store including 25% off shirts. Because of that, I was able to buy the Popover at 25% off.

Are you shopping any cherry print items?