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I have two dresses to show you this evening.

~ Mixed Houndstooth Dress, size 6 ~

Because of the ponte sides, I grabbed this in a size 6. I didn’t want the dress to be too loose on me. I was really bloated this day and the pooch didn’t look good from any angle. Having said that, I would stick with the size 6. It fit and hugged in all the right places. The ponte is on the sides only, with the houndstooth in the front and back. The arms and shoulders aren’t tight and, for me, the length is ok. 
The neckline is trimmed in faux-leather, a nice little detail but the exposed zipper in the back ruins the whole dress for me. Exposed zippers do not make an item “rocker-chic”. They are just a bad design. 

~ Silk Sleeveless Dress, Warm Iris, Small ~
I was surprised I hadn’t tried on this dress as I love the Silk Sleeveless Blouse. The size Small fit but I was hoping for the length to be just a little shorter on me. The Small hits just at the knee. I prefer my items to be just slightly above the knee. This fit well across the chest to maybe a little big. I will need to go back and try this in the XS to gauge if I would get a Petite Small or Medium. My instinct is saying Petite Small. I really liked this dress. I was surprised it was lined, it felt great on and though I would want Black or Navy, the Warm Iris was a really pretty color IRL. 
Of the two dresses, I’d definitely pick the Silk Sleeveless Dress. The casual style is perfect for my day-to-day lifestyle. 

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A little busy around here…just two items for today.

~ Structured Necklace Tee, Medium ~

I grabbed this to try on with the Drapey Wool Sweatpants, below. This top looked small on the hanger so I knew to grab my normal size Medium. This does run TTS and was very comfortable on, with the online description saying it was made of the same cotton/nylon blend as the Pixie Pant. The Ivory was nice but the embellishments looked very cheap to me. Of course, better materials equals higher price, so for the item and ponte material I think it suits the top. 

~ Drapey Wool Sweatpant, Heather Indigo, size 6 ~

These have been on my wishlist in the Indigo since I first spotted them in the Style Guide. I was hoping they would fit a little better in the size 6 but they were bunchy in the front and at the bottom. I don’t recall them feeling itchy but not really all that cozy either. I think the 8 Petite might fit a little better in the length but, overall, I’m just going to pass on these and buy some cheap comfy sweatpants to lounge in. 
And the outfit…The Excursion Vest in Pin-Stripe was already on sale for $99.99 when I was in the store last Saturday. It looks like online finally caught up with the stores. As of last Saturday all sale was 40% off, no JC Card needed (which is the new promo). Not sure if that switched today for the promo but my guess is it didn’t. I thought I might buy the Vest but decided to pass. I’m just not a fan of the gold hardware and prefer the old style, now Factory, instead.
~ Excursion Vest in Pin-Stripe (on sale in store for $99) ~
~ Alani D’Orsay Flat, Deep Chestnut, Banana Republic ~
We are having some wonderful Fall-weather in the mornings and I’ve been taking advantage of it by having my coffee on the patio before starting work. I love it! 
Have a Great Day1

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New arrivals at J Crew always have me giddy, even if the collection falls flat. I perused online when the rollout showed up last Wednesday but waited until Saturday to check out the items in-store. That’s a pretty long wait for me.

I like that this tee is Gray and not Ivory or White. Still questioning Linen in Fall and Winter but you can’t resist that Basset Hound face. This tee ran big and you can see the Small is still a little large on me. It’s also long for some reason. I guess they wanted to make sure that when I shrank mine it would still fit. 😉 
~ Merino Wool Double-Knit Long Cardigan, Burgundy Acorn, XS ~
This is your Grand-pa’s sweater. I had to size to a XS, it ran so big through the body and length. The arms are a little snug in the XS but this fit a lot better than the Small. It’s going to be big and over-sized, you will just need to find the size that flatters you best. I failed to get a picture of the inside but this was pretty thick, more so than the Merino Wool V-Neck Cardigan. 
The size 10 fit nice but I would get a 10 Petite, since that’s my best fit. The colors of the Houndstooth were very Fall-like and pretty. There’s a single button closure, which for me would need to be raised a little. 
I bought and returned the Schoolboy Blazer in Beaded Tweed last year. The beading at the collar grabbed my hair. I’m sure this one is no different but I didn’t want to test it out so I put my hair up to concentrate on the fit. There is no way to lay the collar down on the new Regent Blazers. None of the stones seemed loose. 
I think a Frances Cami or other ruffled blouse would look great under this blazer.
~ Asymmetrical Zip Pencil Skirt in Wool, Ivory, Size 6 ~
I really loved this pencil skirt. I didn’t even mind the longer length (24 inches) because of the zipper. The size 6 fit well, even though I was pretty bloated that day. I’d probably order the 8 Petite for a better fit and just a touch shorter length, though it would still be at or slightly below the knee at 22 inches. The skirt also comes in an olive-colored Houndstooth.
  

The blazer, tee and skirt…

I’ll have more reviews coming up, including the Plaza Skirt in Glen Plaid, Drapey Wool Sweatpants, and oh so popular, Merino Wool Mixed Media Sweater.

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Happy Shoes-day and Happy Fall! It actually feels a little cooler here in South Central Texas right now.

~ Quinn Suede Ankle Bootie, Rustic Gray, size 7 ~

I wasn’t necessarily in search of Gray Booties but found another pair I really liked and wanted to compare the Quinn’s to them. I used my Gilt 30% coupon to order these. 
They fit TTS in my normal size 7. They won’t fit if I wear a thick sock with them though. The suede is very nice and better than I expected for the Factory. The gray has blue undertones which I didn’t notice IRL until I saw the photos. 
The heel is not quite 3 inches and is stacked so I feel it’s very manageable to walk around. 
They look a little western-wear to me especially the shape of the top and the back. The sole is man-made and could probably use a little rubber added to prevent the sole from being to slick. 

Though the Rustic Gray color didn’t work out for me I do like the Quinn Bootie overall. I’d take my true size 7 in the Dark Cedar if I was looking for a brown bootie. The price is pretty reasonable, even without a promo. 
Have you tried the Quinn Bootie? 

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Lastly, some bottoms and a dress. I saw a sneak peek at the New Arrivals over the weekend. They are sticking with minimal dark colors for Fall. The site should have them on the 24th.

~ Coated Gray Skinny Ankle Jean, Size 30 ~

The size 30 fit bunchy up top but were pretty skinny down the leg. There felt like quite a bit of Spandex in this as it was very stretchy. The coating is pretty heavy, compared to my J Crew Toothpick Jean in Coated Denim from last year. The coating felt tacky, like not quite wet paint to me. The color is a nice dark gray though I’m not sure if that was the original color of the jean or that the coating was a dark gray. 
~ Size 28 ~ 
I couldn’t find a size 29 to try but you can see that now the jean looks more like a legging. Again, I think it’s due to the coating. These were really tight and skinny at the calf and ankle.  I think one of the pairs even stuck together because it had a small patch of the coating removed. I would rather get the Toothpick Jean in Gray Dove if I really wanted a dark gray pair of jeans.
~ Coated Mahogany Skinny Ankle Pant, Size 29 ~
These looked very interesting online and apparently very popular. I was able to get a pair on a pop-back, and unfortunately, without a promo to apply, as these were excluded. The size 29 fit very well and weren’t as tight down the calf and ankle like the jeans above. Again, the coating felt very tacky. These ran pretty long and I cuffed them under for now.
To me, you can see on the side where maybe not enough coating was applied. I can almost see the original color of the pant coming through. 
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Here is the color of the original pant, a Brown Rust. I was hoping the pant would have been the same dark brown as the coating. Also, the front pockets are not functional…completely sown shut. I did return these as they don’t fit my current wardrobe but I do like them very much. They are very nice for Fall and I can see why they are so popular. 
~ Roland Mouret Collection Vee Dress, Size 8 ~

Hello, pretty dress! This dress fit like a glove. It made me wish I had worn my Spanx to slim that little pooch in front. Due to the low v-neck, this dress is probably not appropriate for work. But definitely a wedding or fancy date night. Loved it!

See you tomorrow for Shoes-day!

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