OOTD: Super Quick and Super Casual.....JCrew Drawstring Tank Dress Review

Two super cute and casual OOTD:

I received a few of the JCrew new arrivals including the JCrew Drawstring Tank Dress in Black and I really like it alot.  I would say that it runs one size large.  I ordered my usual medium and the arm holes are too big.  For my purposes, I'm keeping it in the medium.  I plan to wear it as a bathing suit coverup, with a cardi, or with a tank layered underneath.  It is super casual and I also plan to always wear it with flat sandals.  The material is not too sheer, not sure about the lighter colors though.  I like the drawstring effect which you can't really see in my crap-tastic picture.  And the skirt is flouncy and cute without being too short, it hits me about 3 inches above my knee and I am 5'9.  I decided against sizing down because I thought the small would be too short on me.  And also, like I said I'm planning on wearing this dress in a super casual way.  Overall I like it and I think for $55.00 the price is not too outrageous either.

Outfit 1 (sorry for the weirdly angled picture):

JCrew Drawstring Tank Dress (here)

Anthropologie Boyant Bunches Cardigan (here)

JCrew Leather Capri Sandals

I also added a necklace after this picture was taken.

Outfit 2:

Jeans:  7 for all Mankind DoJos

Shirt:  Old Navy striped tee (sold out online)

Cardigan:  JCrew Merino Wool Everyday Cardigan in Navy (here)

We are scheduled to attend Point to Point, the steeple chase race held annually at Winterthur in Delaware, on Sunday.  The weather is supposed to be beautiful.  I'm so excited and am still working on my outfit.  Pics to follow.

Enjoy the sun!

 xoxo,

J.

WOOTD: JCrew Chambray Suiting

This is kind of a boring outfit but I have my boss with me so overly boring corporate professional looks are required.

Quick WOOTD post:  I Love, LOve, LOVe, LOVE this suit!  This is the JCrew Chambray suiting from Spring/Summer 2009.  I have the jacket, dress, and pants and I wear it all the time.  I highly recommend JCrew suiting...it holds up so well, fits great, and is truly timeless.  And it mixes and matches with other pieces so well (dress with cardigan, pants with sweater, dress with printed blazer, jacket with jeans; you get the idea). 

Details:

Suiting:  JCrew Chambray 2009

Shoes:  Nine West Pointy Kitten Heels in Brown

If you wear suiting, what stores do you like?   I'm always looking for ideas on expanding my work wardrobe.

xoxo,

J.

OOTD: Shades of Gray on a Sunny Day featuring the Anthropologie Buoyant Bunches Cardigan

A real quick OOTD today:  I wore scrubs into work this AM and my husband called to say he wanted to go out to watch the Hockey and Baseball games tonight....(we ended up staying in:)  So I went home and changed into this:

Cardi:  Anthro Buoyant Bunches Cardi in Grey (click here)

Tank:  Old Navy Shelf Bra Cami in Lead Pipe (click here)

Jeans:  7 for all Mankind Dojos....Google search them ...got mine at Bloomie's

Sandals:  JCrew Capri Sandals Summer 2009 (similar here)

I love this cardigan...its so versatile, very comfi, and most importantly very flattering!  The scarf is a gift from my mother.  It is made out of linen...she picked it up in a little gift shop in Cape May, New Jersey where she lives.

xoxo,

J.

JCrew New Arrivals: I'm off to work

Dear Jenna:

Thank you so much for your continued inspiration with your "real-world" styling tips.  I was perusing the new arrivals on the website this morning and I saw this:

I instantly knew that I had my wear to work outfit of the day!  Thanks Jenna!  IRL pictures to follow soon!!!

Love and hugs,

J.

PS:  Seriously, I love alot of the new arrivals (my shopping cart is FULL!) but this Jackie O meets Lady Gaga look isn't working for anyone!!

WOOTD: 4/20/2010

Quick WOOTD post.  I was wearing:

Suit -- Tank Dress and Jacket -- H&M (bought it like two weeks ago so its prob still there)

Belt -- JCrew

Shoes -- Nine West Nude Kitten Heels

I love this suit.  I find a lot of really great summer suiting at H&M and it is so cheap but looks good for the money.  This jacket was $35.00 (originally $60 but they  had a promo) and the dress was $34.99.  So I got the entire suit for like 80 bucks.  I have worn the dress with just a black blazer.  I really like the material it is sort of like a really small check/houndstooth pattern.  This is the black colored one but they also had navy.  The dress has buttons down the back and I add a belt (removing the sad ragged sash that came with it).  It also has pockets.  Overall I am a big fan and I always feel very Mad Men when I wear it!

Have a great day!

xoxo,

J.

WOOTD: Work Outfit of the Day 4/16/2010

A new post series I'm going to try is WOOTD -- aka:  Work Outfit of the Day.  (If I stole this WOOTD from another blogger please let me know...I think I've seen it before but can't recall where)!  I LOVE looking at other bloggers' OOTD.  However, I find that most of the outfits posted out there are pretty casual.  I have to wear suiting (or scrubs) for work every single day.  I'm going to start doing a few posts a week on how I put my suiting together so it doesn't look so stuffy.  

Here is today's OOTD....right now I'm really into skirt suits with a shirt/blouse tucked in and a belt.  I also love me a pencil skirt and pretty much every skirt suit I own has one.

Today I'm wearing a really old suit from about 4 years ago.  I scored this on super clearance at Express.  We are talking like the entire suit for 40 bucks!  The catch -- I bought the jacket 2 sizes too big and the skirt 1 size too big.  I know an excellent tailor and for an additional $40 he resized the suit.  I don't know where else I could get an entire suit for $80!

Outfit details:

Suit:  Express, Spring 2005 

Belt:  JCrew (click here), Size Medium

Shirt:  JCrew Ruffle Tank (Spring 2009), Size XS (This thing ran HUGE!)

Shoes:  Nine West Nude kitten heel pumps, Spring 2010

Have a great weekend everybody!

xoxo,

J

I should totally be a psychic.....

That's it!  I'm quitting my day job to become a psychic.  I totally called this.  LOOK at what I found in final sale!?!

xoxo,

J.

A "Short" Review: JCrew Chambray Drawstring and Zebra Stripe Camo Shorts

Ha ha...Aren't I clever with my title...not really, cheese ball!  but seriously,

I've been on the quest for some decent shorts for this summer.  I have several pairs from JCrew that are the 3 inch chino shorts that I wear with capri sandals all summer, but I wanted to try some of the longer lengths (and by longer I mean 4-5 inches).  

First up, the zebra print camo shorts...these have been around for awhile. I just didn't think they were worth the original $49.50 price tag.  I have tried them before and liked them and when I saw them in final sale for $29.99 and an additional discount (30% I think), I decided to give them another try.  I don't love them, but I do like them and for 20 bucks I think I will get use out of them this summer, even if I only wear then a few times.  I think they are kind of fun and different than my usual generic khaki shorts.  I'm pictures these with pretty much any color favorite tank and a pair of metallic flat sandals.

Next up:  the chambray drawstring short.  One word for these:  LOVE!!! and apparently I'm not the only one because when I checked last night they were sold out online.  I love em.  They are super flattering and super comfy.  The material is very soft, lays nicely, and the length is really flattering.  I love the drawstring closure because if you lose or gain weight it doesn't matter, just loosen or tighten accordingly.  I would say that these run slightly big, they have a large leg opening in comparison to other JCrew shorts so if you have really thin gams or minimal junk in the trunk I would size down.

For reference, I am 5'9 and I am wearing a size 8 in both pairs of shorts.

And please excuse le camera de crap (aka iPhone camera).

What do you think?

xoxo,

J.

Future Final Sale Item.....

Hmmm....this is interesting.....First we had the splattered denim overalls, then we had the cropped leg jumpsuit and now we have this beautiful creation.....all seemingly influenced by JCrew's new found muse, the house painter.

My thoughts on this lovely item...it's not hideous, it's not that expensive ($55.00), in fact I find it kind of boring.  I also don't think it looks good on the model at all, and I'm concerned on where that leaves the rest of us.  It looks too short-waisted, too tight through the leg; while, ironically the top of the romper looks very boxy.  I just think this is a disaster waiting to happen!

If anyone tries it be sure to let me know how it goes....but, until someone proves otherwise, my final word on this monstrosity, is "see ya in final sale!"

xoxo,

J.

JCrew: Fashionista.com's Top 10 Picks from the Fall Preview

Other bloggers have already been talking about the JCrew Fall 2010 preview.  I saw a post on my twitter from Fashionista.com with their top picks from Fall 2010.

Check out this article from Fashionista.com written by Lauren Sherman.  (All images courtesy of Fashionista.com).  

Looks like a fairly muted color palate (lots of grays, black, and ivory) with a very early 20th century vibe to the entire line.  I see trends from the 1910's, 20's, 30's and 40's.  Everything is very borrowed from the boys with a feminine twist.  I'm loving the shearling vests, and glitter glamour aesthetic.  

While I like a few of the trends, I'm kind of thinking these pictures are styled to channel a little too much Mary Kate and Ashley Olsson homeless glamour for my taste.  But, I'm still excited to see more because most of pieces probably stand beautifully on their own!

  Click here   

to read the Fashionista.com article and check out all of the lovely pictures they have from the preview!

Read more about other JCA's thoughts on the JCrew Fall 2010 Preview here at Alexis' JCrew Aficionada blog.