Review – Page 60 – Life is Short…Buy the Shoes

audreybella / December 15, 2014 / Uncategorized

J Crew Collection Gilded Floral Jacquard Skirt

The one item that caught my eye from F/W Fashion Week was the Gilded Floral Jacquard Skirt. I wasn’t sure how much gold was in it but I liked the look of the pink and light blue flowers, which aren’t colors I gravitate towards. The silk organza insets were interesting as well.

It had been excluded from a few promos and I ordered it when it was included in one of the recent 30% off promos. I bought a size 8 which is my normal skirt size and this fit well. Though it’s an A-Line shape, the fit is slim over the waist and hips and then the pleats start. Personally, I’m not a fan of that style of skirt. I prefer either all straight a-line or a pleated a-line starting at the waist.

I think this is a beautiful skirt but I wasn’t wowed by it when I tool it out of the package.

Other than a White button-down, I style this with two different types of Cashmere Sweaters. The first is the Cashmere Tee in Matisse Blue from Winter 2010 and my Babette Heels. For a similar blue you could use Heather Fresco from this year’s colors. Of course, the Cashmere Tee in Black would look nice too.

This is the Cashmere Cardigan in Bright Dahlia from 2010, the Flower Lattice Necklace and Babette Heels. This year’s color of Heather Hyacinth is a little less bright and more light purple but should pair well with this skirt too.

I liked the color of the Cardigan more than the blue of the tee to go with the skirt.

For me, it wasn’t special enough to find a home in my closet but it is a beautiful skirt. There’s also a Dress and Shorts in this same fabric and print.

Have a Great Day!

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audreybella / December 11, 2014 / Uncategorized

J Crew December 2014: Gold Elephant Tee, Elephant Parade Tee

Wow! Who would have thought these two tees would sell out so quickly? I ordered the Elephant Parade Tee when it first came out and then had to search for the Gold Elephant Tee.

~ Elephant Parade Tee, Small ~

The description said this was a “Slightly loose fit.” so I sized down and ordered the Small. I would feel a little more comfortable in the Medium but the Small fits fine. If you want it to fit a little loose, go with your normal size. This looks so much more lux than I had imagined. You can see the White Elephants are more saturated IRL than the online image, which shows them to look almost gray. This is a cotton blend and so comfortable. I’m afraid I’ll end up using it as a sleep shirt too which will mean laundering it more and maybe having the navy fade quicker. We shall see.

~ Gold Elephant Tee, Large ~

No, I did not buy this because I wanted it so badly and it was the last one left. 😉 MamaBella called me with orders from the catalog she received and when she did, this was sold out online. She was so disappointed as this is the second time something she’s really wanted was sold out. The first time was with the Dutch Floral Cropped Sweatshirt. I was able to call Customer Service and they found it quickly for me. This time she said, “Call your people and have them find it.” LOL! “My people…” which I guess you JCAs are. Anyway, I called CS two days in a row and they couldn’t find it. I finally contacted my in-store VPS and they had just received new stock that day! As soon as she let me know they had one I immediately drove over to the store to get it. I was going to save the tee as a Christmas surprise but I had to tell her since “my people” helped me find it.

This is a Large and fits over-sized, of course. Personally, I would probably get the Medium just to have a little more loose fit. The Small would probably fit exactly, like the Elephant Parade Tee above. Also, this is a Poly/Linen so it might shrink some if accidentally put in the dryer, which I’d probably do. And the pretty gold elephant could melt. I really like this tee but choosing between the two would stick with the Elephant Parade Tee.

As of now, both are back in stock online. Also, check your stores or call Customer Service. GIVETHIS gets you 30% off on select items, including these two tees, as well as sale items.

Have a Great Day!

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audreybella / December 9, 2014 / Uncategorized

Shoes-day: Alberto Fermani Anzio Low-Cut Suede Ankle Boot

One other item I was in a desperate search for this Fall was a pair of navy blue booties. When I started searching the options were limited. Now they are plentiful in the retail world.

~ Alberto Fermani Anzio Low-Cut Suede Ankle Boot, Blue Notte ~

I found these at Neiman Marcus and though they are more Western looking with the pointy-toe they were the color I was wanting. I bought a size 37 but should have gone with a 38. I ended up using the freezer trick to widen them just a bit and it worked.

The heel is not too high and the booties are very comfortable to walk in and wear all day.

They are suede and I used a Suede Shoe Protector on it. I also try not to wear them when it’s wet or damp outside.

Though the images above make the Anzio Ankle Boot look more gray-blue, below is the true color of the bootie.

Here are some other bootie options that also come in blue, if you’re looking.

Happy Shoes-day!

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audreybella / December 6, 2014 / Uncategorized

J Crew Factory: Shawl-Collar Donegal Cardigan

Continuing my search for a long gray cardigan I found the Shawl-Collar Donegal Cardigan from J Crew Factory. It’s a very “Grandpa” sweater and quite comfortable. I bought a Medium but probably could have sized to a Small since the sleeves are long and it does fit loose in the arms and shoulders.

I definitely prefer this un-buttoned but again wonder if I couldn’t find something very similar at Forever 21 or H&M (we have one now!).

While waiting for it to arrive I actually found the perfect cardigan I had been searching for…in my closet! I had failed to look in a box in the closet where I found a few other items for Winter. I bought the cardigan last year from Victoria’s Secret, apparently having been on the same gray cardigan search. It’s a Cocoon Cardigan with no closure, so very different from the Shawl-Collar Donegal Cardigan but exactly what I was looking for.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be returning this cardigan as I already have the one I’ve been searching for. I won’t be able to make it to the Factory for a few weeks so it has a chance of staying if I find an outfit I need it for.

Here are a few other cardigan options, in case you are on the hunt for one too.

I’ll return later with a Que Bella featuring the Cora Dress show above with this cardigan.

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audreybella / December 5, 2014 / Uncategorized

Tory Burch: Willa Dress

Happy Friday! I am so ready for the weekend. We have some construction going on outside and it will be nice to not hear jackhammers and pounding and loud noise for a few days.

I wanted to be sure to share with you the other item I bought during the Tory Burch promo, which was the Willa Dress. The gray and black vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines all help in making this dress look like it’s bodycon dress. In fact, it’s very comfortable and not constricting at all. I bought a Medium and it does run TTS. If you are a 6/8/M then the size Medium is for you.

I have a little help from some Spanx to help smooth everything out. It worked like a charm.

I was hoping some booties would look good with the dress, especially with a black tight. It looks ok with the J Crew Bronson Booties (similar – one, two, three) but I think I need more opaque tights than the ones I have on.

I like the Willa Dress much better with my J Crew Harper Boots in Black (similar – one, two, three). I love that the gold zipper is on the outside of the boot, changing them from your average black flat boot.

Did you get anything from this last Tory Burch promo? There were several items from my wishlist that were on sale, before the promo, so I was really picky on what I purchased.

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