/ Que Bella

Gingham_Shirtdress

~ Short-Sleeve Cotton Shirtdress, Navy (last year), J.Crew ~
~ Gingham Espadrilles, J.Crew Factory ~

I found this shirtdress from last year hidden away in my closet. I’ve been wearing the new Gingham Shirtdress quite a bit this Summer so it’s no wonder I tossed this, and the white colorway (Factory), off to the side. This popover style is one of my favorites that J.Crew has done in the last year. I am waiting to catch the Chambray on promo or sale. I can definitely see myself layering it over leggings in Winter.

Just a few more Shirtdresses and Espadrille options for you to shop.

Happy Shopping!

/ Reviews

I’m excited to share these reviews with you. I really liked a lot from the last few roll-outs. The Linen and Plaids have been some of my favorites. I do wish there were a few more fitted shirt styles but I can find those elsewhere.

~ Gallabia Peru Mini Dress, Small ~

The description for this dress stated it was a slim fit but it looked a bit over-sized on the model image. (A quick note, this is in the Beach and Cover-Up section and not the Dresses.) I ordered the Small due to the image and it does fit. The shoulders and arms are good to a little bit, especially in the arms. The arm-length is a bit long for me. If it wasn’t for the elastic band at the end this would extend to the middle of my hand. The body is a bit more fitted, just skimming my chest and hips. Since this is a cover-up the Medium would work better. You don’t want to struggle getting out of a cover-up while at the pool or beach.

The embroidery is beautiful. The front closes with a hook-and-eye at the bottom. Above that are two sets of tassels. Here, I’ve tied the bottom set and left the top undone.

JC_Galladia_1

I tried this on without the belt first and the dress shifted around a bit. The belt did keep it a bit more in-place. You can also see the pockets so this is see-through, again, perfect for a cover-up; not so much for a dress unless you wear nude lingerie under. Overall, I ended up returning this. I didn’t think this was worth $250 price tag.

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JC_Galladia_3

~ Classic Short-Sleeve Shirtdress in Gingham, Small ~

These shirt-dresses are my favorite and I’m glad they are offered in different prints and material this year. I was tempted to order the solid black but was happy to see the black-and-white gingham as an option. The Small fits fine and I like how it gives me some shape at the waist. I have the white and navy from last year in a Small and wear them with wedges. That brings the length up some making sitting down very lady-like.

JC_Gingham_Small

~ Classic Short-Sleeve Shirtdress in Gingham, Medium ~

The medium was a bit looser through the body but the length was much better. Especially since I’ll continue to wear it with wedges. I don’t have a lot of black clothes in my closet so it’s nice to have this as an option.

JC_Gingham_Medium

~ Candy-Stripe Dress, Small ~

I was interested in this dress when I saw it online but the fit is definitely TTS. The material is a little thicker cotton than the gingham and solid shirt-dress which may be contributing to the fit issue. I would need a medium in this dress though it would probably be way too big through the waist and hips.

JC_CandyStripeDress

~ Short-Sleeve Cotton Shirtdress, Coral, Small ~

Here’s the solid coral shirt-dress. You can really see the length and how short it can get with heels or wedges on. The coral is really bright as well but I felt like it blended a little with my skin tone.

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~ Shirtdress in Vintage Plaid, Small ~

Most reviewers really don’t like this shirt-dress but I love it. It does run large and I felt the Small was a really good, to somewhat oversized, fit. I bought this for my trip and wore it several times. The material (cotton) is thin but it worked so well in the heat and humidity I was in. I didn’t find it see-through but what I wear underneath are usually nude and not something bright. I’ve wear this at least once a week. It’s a bit wrinkled here but irons nicely.

JC_Shirtdress_Plaid

The last shirt-dress is my favorite. I’ll be wearing the Gingham Dress soon, hopefully this weekend.

Which of these shirt-dresses have you tried?

/ Uncategorized

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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