/ Reviews

Madewell had a great promo over a week ago that I took advantage of. I didn’t have an opportunity to shop the store at that time and I wanted to try on some of their wide-leg pants.

~ Marled Wide-Leg Pant, Medium ~

I really liked the look of these marled pants and the wool/cotton blend was very comfortable. The waist is elastic but not the bunchy kind, making these pull-on pants. The wide-leg is nice and roomy but the front fit a little weird, pulling a bit. I though it was because of my hips but there was room enough there. Maybe the waist could have been a little looser. The length hit me right at the ankle bone though I would have liked them a little bit shorter since they were supposed to be cropped. Overall, I didn’t like the way they looked, especially in the front so I returned them.

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~ Downtime Wide-Leg Pants, Medium ~

I loved these lounge pants immediately but they ran a little big on me in the Medium. They were very loose in the waist, even though it’s elastic, as well as through the hips. Luckily, my store had these in-stock and I was able to try on and exchange them for a Small.

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~ Downtime Wide-Leg Pants, Small ~

These are much better fit and they are so comfortable. I know there will be days when I won’t want to put on a dress or jeans and these lounge pants will come in so handy on those days. They even have pockets. I don’t like to wear lounge clothes outside the house but these are good for a quick run to grab lunch from a drive-through. I only wish they had come in a charcoal gray. The black will make all kinds of pet hair and other fuzz more noticeable.

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~ Wide-Leg Crop Jeans in Corduroy, Cabernet, size 29 ~

I was excited to see these since they are in this beautiful Cabernet color and they are cords. There is a back, exposed zip but I don’t mind that since it probably won’t be seen. The rise is higher at 11 1/2 inches, which I’m not used to wearing. The 29 is a great fit though the length is not quite crop but not quite all the way to the floor. I think they’ll still be ok to wear with flats. I think I may just hem these. Once I have some styling ideas I’ll know for sure. These are the same pant, I just used a flash on one of the images. The color looks more like the image on the right.

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The Wide-Leg Crop Jeans in Corduroy also come in “Ink”. There’s a matching vest to the Marled Wide-Leg Pant.

J.Crew is finishing up their latest sale, YESPLEASE, with 30% off quite a few recent releases. New arrivals will be in-stores next week and my VPS tells me it’s the first Holiday roll-out. I made a few purchases in-store, which included the Wide-Leg Crop Pant in Glen Plaid. I’ll share that review with you this week.

/ Reviews

Madewell has a nice promo right now through Monday, October 3rd. You can take 20% off your $100  order or 30% off your $200 order, with code GOODBUY. Though it’s not stated, it does look like all jeans are excluded. But, all Transport items like the Tote, Crossbody and Weekender are all included!

~ Silk Lace-Up Shirt in Windowpane Plaid, Medium ~

I did go into the store a few weeks ago and was able to try a few things on. This Windowpane Top caught my eye, especially being aware that J.Crew had just come out with a windowpane shirt as well. It’s a little more unique from other shirts in that it has a lace-up front neckline. I have the laces pulled tight but this will require a cami underneath, especially if you want to make this work appropriate. I prefer these seamless camis from The Limited. I have several in various colors and they hug the body and feel like you aren’t even wearing them. I could have used a Small throughout the body but the Medium fit much better in the shoulders and arms for me. I don’t plan on wearing this with anything other than jeans or cords so the slouchy look is fine with me.

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~ Wide-Leg Crop Drop-Hem Jeans, size 29 ~

Whenever I see a wide-leg jean, I have to try it on. I’m still searching for another great pair, after last year’s success with the Wide-Leg Crop Jeans from J.Crew. These have a “drop-hem” which I don’t really care for. If these had stayed hemmed up they would have been the perfect crop length. The fit of the size 29 were fine but overall, due to the drop-hem, they were a pass for me. The search continues.

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~ Cinematheque Mockneck Sweater in Chevron, Heather Sandalwood, Small ~

I liked this little sweater immediately on the hanger. I have an aversion to turtlenecks that are too tight and feel like they are choking me. This sweater has a loose mockneck. The sleeves are a little loose at the cuff but not bell-sleeve. I like the fit of the Small as I’m sure it will stretch out some. It also comes in Heather Pebble and Black.

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~ Cali Demi Boot in Mitchell Wash, Drop-Hem Edition, size 29 ~

Another drop-hem jean but I tried this on for the wash as well as to see how the Cali Demi Boot jean fit. I really like the fit and even the higher rise. They were a bit snug in the size 29 when I tried them on but they according to the reviews they will stretch some. I think because of the drop-hem you can’t really see the little flare at the hem. Had these been included in the promo I would have ordered the Donovan Wash.

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~ Cityblock Mockneck Dress, Heather Gravel, Small ~

I’m always looking for cozy dresses to wear in late Fall and Winter with tights and boots. This ribbed jersey dress feels so comfortable on but the Small looked bigger on the hanger. I would size to my normal Medium in this dress. Even though it’s included in the current promo, it’s not even remotely Fall around here. I hope I will be able to grab this one when it goes to sale. I would love to see this dress in more colors too. It’s a great little dress for running around town, working from home or going to a little Fall Festival.

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~ C!ao Graphic Sweatshirt, Medium ~

This is a really cute sweatshirt but has a drop-shoulder and a wide hem. It still draped well in the Medium and I wouldn’t size down. It’s nice and comfortable but I can see myself only wearing this around the house. I also prefer to layer with shirts and cardigans, in case it warms up during the day. This sweatshirt seems to be sold out online but I am sure there are still some in-stores. There’s also a tee in white with red lettering.

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I did place an order, all for pants and all wide-leg crop. I’ll share my reviews of them when they arrive.

Are you shopping the Madewell promo GOODBUY?

/ 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.

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~ 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.

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~ 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.

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~ 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.

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~ 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.

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~ 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.

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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.