Thank you all so much for your advice yesterday - it was awesome (and more on that below!)
Yesterday was the beginning of J Crew's spring arrivals.
While I was not thrilled at all by the lookbook, I did see some things that I liked and that might be nice additions to my spring wardrobe. However - major caveat - I am not ordering ANYTHING until a) I see things in person in NYC or b) on a lovely JCA who takes the plunge for us all and c) is on some kind of promo! I am sitting on a $100 gift card that just does not seem to want to be spent!
The Merino Sweater in inky dot print. I think this would go with my navys, is a good price and I could put my navy blouses underneath. See - I am thinking of how to mix with what I have!
The Featherweight cashmere cardigan in microcheck. Again, would match with what I have and I do like the featherweight. However, this is CRAZY expensive!! A hundred dollars more than its solid cousins! $310! Not worth it for that!
I also like the Sera top in medallion paisley (as well as the matching cotton pencil skirt)
However, this is too much like the nightshade set I bought last year and did not wear much (maybe more this year - we will see...)
I think however, if I buy anything in this print, it might be the Rosie dress in the same print. Can't wait to see some fellow bloggers review it!
I also liked the gilded brocade top below, which I think could look nice with my ivory linen trousers, jeans (and other things if I wanted to do the work) but which I am afraid is kind of aspirational dressing (unless I plan a trip and then I am all over it!)
One thing I am waiting for and will pounce as soon as it is released: The peony tshirt below. I may even call my VPS about this one as the peony is my favourite flower! You can see it online here.
That is it for me! Not much huh? My one horror:
The pixilated houndstooth skirt. When I saw it in the lookbook, I liked the quirkiness of it. It would match with the valentina slingbacks I bought last summer. I thought it would look fun with my pale lavender sweater. I have a lovely apricot cardigan that it would look sweet with. I thought "that could be my cheeky spring skirt" Of course, we need to ask ourselves, does Wendy really need a cheeky spring skirt? Well maybe not... However, when I saw that the fabric was poly acrylic it was a no go. Sigh... J Crew...
An addendum! I visited Dani's blog yesterday and a collection tuxedo pencil skirt that I had dismissed turns out not only to be a wool/silk blend, but lined in silk!!!!! This is shocking news! It is also pretty and might look nice with my peony tshirt!
ButI am also looking around... I visited the Garnet Hill website last night and saw a few things to like:
The Eileen Fisher Organic Cotton Ballet-Neck Dress. I could see this belted and under cardis and jackets.
The Brora Liberty VNeck Jersey Dress:
The constant in all my choices? For spring, it will be only silk or cotton. I don't need much and whatever I do buy will have to be both comfortable fit-wise and in how it feels! And it must breathe!
Yesterday was the beginning of J Crew's spring arrivals.
While I was not thrilled at all by the lookbook, I did see some things that I liked and that might be nice additions to my spring wardrobe. However - major caveat - I am not ordering ANYTHING until a) I see things in person in NYC or b) on a lovely JCA who takes the plunge for us all and c) is on some kind of promo! I am sitting on a $100 gift card that just does not seem to want to be spent!
The Merino Sweater in inky dot print. I think this would go with my navys, is a good price and I could put my navy blouses underneath. See - I am thinking of how to mix with what I have!
I also like the Sera top in medallion paisley (as well as the matching cotton pencil skirt)
However, this is too much like the nightshade set I bought last year and did not wear much (maybe more this year - we will see...)
I think however, if I buy anything in this print, it might be the Rosie dress in the same print. Can't wait to see some fellow bloggers review it!
I also liked the gilded brocade top below, which I think could look nice with my ivory linen trousers, jeans (and other things if I wanted to do the work) but which I am afraid is kind of aspirational dressing (unless I plan a trip and then I am all over it!)
One thing I am waiting for and will pounce as soon as it is released: The peony tshirt below. I may even call my VPS about this one as the peony is my favourite flower! You can see it online here.
That is it for me! Not much huh? My one horror:
The pixilated houndstooth skirt. When I saw it in the lookbook, I liked the quirkiness of it. It would match with the valentina slingbacks I bought last summer. I thought it would look fun with my pale lavender sweater. I have a lovely apricot cardigan that it would look sweet with. I thought "that could be my cheeky spring skirt" Of course, we need to ask ourselves, does Wendy really need a cheeky spring skirt? Well maybe not... However, when I saw that the fabric was poly acrylic it was a no go. Sigh... J Crew...
An addendum! I visited Dani's blog yesterday and a collection tuxedo pencil skirt that I had dismissed turns out not only to be a wool/silk blend, but lined in silk!!!!! This is shocking news! It is also pretty and might look nice with my peony tshirt!
ButI am also looking around... I visited the Garnet Hill website last night and saw a few things to like:
The Eileen Fisher Organic Cotton Ballet-Neck Dress. I could see this belted and under cardis and jackets.
The Brora Liberty VNeck Jersey Dress:
The constant in all my choices? For spring, it will be only silk or cotton. I don't need much and whatever I do buy will have to be both comfortable fit-wise and in how it feels! And it must breathe!
How about you? Are you seeing anything in the new J Crew or other retailer's spring offerings that are caching your fancy?
**************
Yesterday's discussion on identifying gaps was really interesting for me! Some of you have it down pat, others, like me, are learning to identify gaps. On Tuesday, I wore an outfit that made me uncomfortable all day. It will not be repeated.
Today, I dug out a dress that I bought for $30 euros in monoprix in Paris (and have only worn twice!), and paired it with Michael Kors booties and my navy tippi. I read recently that when you want to hide a multitude of sins that a fun way to wear a cardigan, besides simply leaving it open or belting it is to only button the top button and leave it to swing and be a little A line. I tried it and quite liked it. Most importantly, it was comfortable! I think this dress is about to see heavy rotation in my wardrobe!
They call this "tonal" dressing and it is supposed to make you look thinner. And apparently, you can do this with shades of any colour! So hang on, I will be "tonal-ing" all over the place!!! My one complaint in this pucture is I could use a little colour on my lips. Ah well. What do you think??
Hi WMM! Any idea of the price on the peony tee?
ReplyDeleteNot yet - will call this a.m. And put it up ASAP!
DeleteIt's $45. My VPS pushed it on me saying that he was receiving a lot of inquieries about it. Too sweet for me but I can see it on you!
DeleteThanks Ema! I am definitely going to watch for that one! Do you know if it will be released in Feb? May be able to try on in NYC!
Deleteit is pretty but $45? we know it will develop holes after couple of wears :( And I am afraid it will draw a lot of attention to chest area...
DeleteI really am a nay sayer today, sorry
You look great - cute necklaces! I would snap up that Rosie dress in an instant if it were cotton (silk and I don't get along).
ReplyDeleteHi Merry Wife - that is what I am thinking, but I like the silhouette, so may troll for a cotton version. I am a klutz, so silk is trouble for me
DeleteI like your outfit. I agree that you need some colour near your face - maybe a scarf?
ReplyDeleteI think the Rosie dress would suit your body type. I have a friend, who lives far away, who has a very similar body to you and dresses her shape really well. I am trying to summon some of her outfits in my memory to share! I think she would wear that Rosie dress, which is why I thought of her.
J. Crew blows out their pictures so much, you can't even tell what the colours or shapes are of anything.
It's nice that the pencil skirt is silk and wool, but do you need a pencil skirt?
Abby - all good points! And no, I don't need a pencil skirt - I was actually thinking of selling a couple I have only worn once on polyvore! Good catch! Next time I wear this combo will throw a lightweight scarf there!
Deletep.s. can we talk some more about Polyvore? Yesterday we learned how to get pics on there, now I'd like to know how people put it to use!
ReplyDeleteYes! But we are going to have to wait for GF and FFM AND others to wake up! I am a complete neophyte like you! FFM should be giving online classes!
DeleteFirst, a confession, not an active Polyvore user anymore (simply too many sites to spend time on for work clients and personal and I've been using Pintrest for beyond the closet, phone for outfit photos.)
DeleteHowever to me it is exactly the way better-organized equivalent of collages I used to physically pin up inside of closet door and my school locker way back. My best uses:
- Finding a high-end fashion layout of an appealing trend and then creating a set with IRL priced and more me options for a bit of the same look.
- Creating sets with new pieces I am thinking of buying from major chains to see how many outfits I can make, how it works with my ACTUAL closet. (Maybe I should get back to this as random buy prevention.)
- Making sets of favourite outfits for "nothing to wear days.
- Creating and paring down travel outfits! (There is a 50 item limit I think, HAH.)
- Look at outfits from other "JCAs" like FFM, ABC, Slastena and other users like MyChanel as well as some sponsored sets.
Hey GF - these are great ideas! I am going to get back to my polyvore this afternoon! I started the excel spreadsheet - ACK!
DeleteThanks GF! Those are all good ideas.
DeleteInspired by this conversation, I looked online today for apps to help with this. The two most compelling that I found were "Cloth" and "Stylebook."
In searching, though, I realized that I'm just as well off taking photos and adding them to my Evernote with useful tags. Similar to what you were saying, GF.
I think I might slowly photograph my clothing and make Evernote files of those too, but we'll see.
Now I just need to make more of an effort to take pictures of my outfits :)
Thanks Abby! And yes, why is it so much work? My daughter took my picture today and said "we can't use that one, you look like you hate me!" And I thought I was smiling...
DeleteI like many of your picks but much of J.Crew's recent offerings have disappointed by design, fabrication or execution.
ReplyDeleteBut what's this I hear, silk lining for an item that's not a zillion dollars?
I think it's a typo!
DeleteYou see I just don't like as much as other people, I haven't seen anything at all that piques my interest recently - well apart from fantasy outfits for a life I'll never have.
ReplyDeleteI know! I was trolling nordstroms as they have an "outfits" section. It turns out my style is modern and expensive..
DeleteDid I mention I am on a budget?
I didn't notice that Peony top before, love that. I think the Sera top would be a good one for you too. I had an opportunity to try on the Rosie dress in solid navy blue but didn't, now I wish I had. I'd like to know if the length is Jules-ish. I like the silhouette. I have the Eileen Fisher Organic Cotton Ballet-Neck Dress in black, it is awesome. It forgives everything and it is very versatile. I like that Brora dress, too.
ReplyDeleteYou look nice above, but I agree you need some color in that outfit. I like the necklaces (is that 2 or just one?).
Hi Cate - there are two necklaces. I think maybe a light blue scarfer or another brighter neclacke up by my face might have helped! It is so interesting to see things in pics!
DeleteI missed the other versions of the Sera top - the ivory with medallions looks very versatile! I will look for that one in NYC and give it a try! Good to know about the EF dress - It looks like something that would be very comfortable and which, with a nice belt, could look very chic!
ABCs Countdown to Miller Time WMM. I like that peony tee more than the sweatshirt version from the lookbook (too digital IMO): http://www.jcrew.com/womens_feature/lookbook/PRDOVR~84685/99102951971/ENE~1+2+3+22+4294967294+20~~~0~15~all~mode+matchallany~~~~~peony/84685.jsp
ReplyDeleteBut JC tees only to be bought on sale or with gift card money (again IMO) and handled with care.
Scarf with your ensemble is a great reco; colour near face always good, esp. in winter. This makes you look very sleek.
Nothing in my cart except a navy print Liberty pouch. What is the world coming to?
I know! One happy note of it all is that when I did our month end budget, I spent $33 on clothes in January! Yippee!
DeleteI did order the tweed-front tee, it is very me! I don't know if you saw my post on the JCA but there is a hummingbird print Collection dress that is just beautiful. And it's blue! I have an even in April so depending on the price I might get it (it isn't available for pre-order yet).
ReplyDeleteI tried the featherweight cashmere cardigan in microchecks a week ago (the navy/neon rose) and it is beautiful but I never buy cashmere fp, especially at this price. The SA told me that it has been worn by one of the Obama girls at the Inaugural kids concert but I think a few people know that, I had a hard time to find the picture!
Ema please check out that blue dress for us when it becomes available, it sounds very pretty.
DeleteEma, I saw shorts and something else - but not the dress yet as you mention - on the site. And I was all "yay, just maybe JC is getting back to some great non-digital or scrll-paisley prints. (Not knocking those just not my taste.)
DeleteOh the dress is shown in an image on the site, Women's home, scroll down to One Collecton Piece Two Ways and look at the slideshow.
Deletehttp://www.jcrew.com/womens_feature/jcrewcollection.jsp?intcmp=women_p3_collection
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Delete2 things - hummingbirds are my favourite! blue is my favourite! But $574 CDN - ACK! Even with my $100 gift card, I have no place to wear it! But that is a truly magnificent dress! It is now sitting in my cart for me to go visit!
Please - someone invite me to the royal christening!
That hummingbird dress is gorgeous. It's on back order until feb. 12th. It is a cotton and silk; lined oo but J crew didn't specify what material for the lining. I wished they would made a silk scarf out of that print!
Delete*lined too*
DeleteYeah, I was hoping for $300 (cannot believe I find $300 cheap). I would order it just out of curiosity (there are very few in each size) but $500! Plus it is shantung and I am not a big fan. I hope the Collection store will get it so I can try it on.
DeleteI highly recommend those EF dresses, I have a couple that I bought on ebay for real cheapie. I don't order from Garnet Hill, I find them very expensive indeed. Do you remember I did that post on that ebay seller who is awesome and sells all Eileen Fisher? Her shipping rates to Canada are super low too, she told me when I asked her that she has loads of Canadian customers. Because EF is really expensive for us here I'm guessing!
ReplyDeleteYou know I love Brora SO much but I find those Liberty jersey dresses very unforgiving to the point I have to wear shapewear and you know how much I hate that.
I say forget the JC cashmere, but I am still interested in the pink skirt and wondering if it is indeed a typo! And of course heaven only knows what colour it ACTUALLY is, we must remember your lesson of the cheetah skirt!
Stay warm! We're back to the howling cold today.
WMM, I have two of the Brora Liberty dresses. I love the prints and they are super easy care, but agree they are for wearing on "skinny" days or events where I won't be eating a great deal.
DeleteWell no Brora for me! I am wearing shapewear today and while these are comfy, would prefer to avoid it as a general rule! i will go back and revisit your post Dani, for the details! I bought a couple of Sandwith dresses last summer that for some reason I didn't end of up taking to Paris, they are very casual and I think they might get more use this summer if I am not working full time.
DeleteITA about Brora knit dresses. Plus they are cut for pear shape and I find them too roomy in hips.
DeleteThanks AJC - I have no hips so that will be a problem.. :-)
DeleteI haven't seen a thing that interests or tempts me yet. As for the gilded brocade top, I'd style it way down. With light wash jeans and a non- matchy cardigan, or khakis and a jean jacket.
ReplyDeleteI think if one were to dress it up, it could be quite matronly.
Hi Kathy - I agree. My experience with another JC top - a cobblestone version of this several years back - was that it was also very itchy as it was poorly lined!
DeleteThe style book was largely awful, I thought. All those random combinations; the stylist pronounced neutral accessories make anything OK. No, they don't.
ReplyDeleteHey Lane - I agree - kind of scary!
Deletein the tea leaves, loved the peony tee but then saw that it could very easily become this year's rose tee, as in omg it's everywhere!
ReplyDeleteThe good thing about living in the hinterlands is that it is usually just me! :-)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletetrying to fix the link...
ReplyDeleteThe Hummingbird dress is $495 and available HERE. Not sure if I like it, imo it can read quite matronly and mother-of-the-bride if you are not young, thin and tall.
Oh, I think it's beautiful!
DeleteI finally spotted the hummers, all I was seeing were parrots and butterflies! I love the colour. If I get it it will be in NYC as it reads $570CDN to me! With my $100 gift card, THAT might be do-able! The only issue: where would I wear it? Club meeting in Rome in June?
DeleteFrom the j crew catalog, yes I'm calling a duck a duck, the only thing that I may get is the men's Wallace & Barnes contrast hoodie. I think it might just be perfect for what I need. I like the peony tee. I miss their graphic tees from years ago.
ReplyDeleteBB - I should look in the menswear section - I might have more luck! I miss their graphic tees as well. I do not find the factory ones to be of the same quality, sadly.
DeleteThe Brora dress is lovely but looks cling-y. I think I like the Rosie dress better. I like the Sera top. I live in sleevess blouses year round(am wearing the Nicky Herringbone as I speask) and think they are more comfortable layered under a cardigan or sweater than a blouse with sleeves. $310 for a featherweight sweater with stranded knit floats inside is an expensive recipe for disaster. I just came back from a 2 hour shopping expedition to find a lipcolor, as my favorites have been discontinued. No luck, and left with lipbalm because I couldn't find anything I liked.
ReplyDeleteOh knityarns! To quote my son "that sucks!" I agree on the featherweight cardigan - I have never paid more than $80 for one! I like the Rosie - am anxious to see in person! I am always cold, even with a cardigan. Having said that, I am going to try a JC with my new Brora tomorrow, as I suspect it will be warmer than a JC one!
DeleteHi WMM! Well, first off let me start by saying that I really love your tonal outfit. I personally don't really think you need any added color besides lipstick (like you mentioned), as I'm pretty sure IRL the blue stones on your necklaces enhance the blue of your eyes, and light up your face. If you did decide to go for a scarf though, I think 'our' Madewell Parisian scarf would be quite lovely. :)
ReplyDeleteI have looked over the new arrivals at J.Crew, and there are just not any 'must haves' for me. I saw a few of the items IRL at the store today, and still nothing I feel I cannot live without. However, I also stopped into Brooks Brothers, and holy moly are there SO many things I would love to have there. Seriously, their online pics just do not do the clothing justice. I will definitely be going back to try some things on in the next week or two.
I also stopped into Tory Burch to see if they have the Nadia dress that is on my spring list, but no such luck. However, they did have a silk shell in the same print, and I have to say that it is absolutely lovely. The color is not loud, but a very subtle shade of blue-green (or maybe it was greenish-blue) surrounded by navy...so very, very pretty!
I also looked around a bit in Bloomingdale's. I tried on a DVF wrap dress and completely understand all the love for them now. I have added one to my list, and just need to decide on the pattern/color to get. The dress if very comfortable, and will be one that I will wear at home, as well as out running errands, going to church, etc.
While there I also tried on this silk tunic from Vince, and it was also a love for me. So much prettier IRL, too. I would wear this one as a dress, and also belted at the waist over a pair of leggings, or EF wide leg pants as a tunic.
Speaking of EF, I picked up one of her dresses for $40 there on sale, and have also gotten a few other items from her line on sale at Nordstrom recently. I have also been eyeing that dress of hers at Garnet Hill, and wanted to let you know that I've seen them for sale on Ebay recently in different colors, but not that blue.
One more thing, and then I'll end my novel here. A couple months ago I ordered this shaper from Spanx, and it is much more comfortable than some of the others with more 'power' to them. This one is very comfortable to wear on a daily basis, and still smooths everything out, and helps to hold the jiggly bits in. :)
Hi FFM - thanks for the great advice. Can you send me the model name of the spanx - for some reason - it clicks in to a chooe your country page from here in canada and then just to the main page. Argh - hate that! I have always avoided tunics because I was busty but not I see I need to learn to work a belt so I don't look pregnant as it could be so comfy!
DeleteI have never tried a DVF dress before - I will have to check Bloomies in NYC and try a couple on for size! I think great quality jersey will be my friend in 2013!
Thanks for the ongoing advice and support!
Hi WMM! It's the In-Power Line Super Power Panties® Style: 915. I saw on the website just now that the reviews have not been very good for them, but I have not had any of the issues the reviewers have commented about. I think they are comfy for wearing on a day-to-day basis.
DeleteHi there to all, how is the whole thing, I think every
ReplyDeleteone is getting more from this site, and your views are nice in favor of new
visitors.
Visit my homepage; restaurants News
I comment when I like a post on a site or if I have something to contribute to the conversation.
ReplyDeleteUsually it's a result of the passion communicated in the article I browsed. And on this article "Musings on JC and other retailers new releases". I was actually moved enough to drop a comment :-P I do have a couple of questions for you if you don't
mind. Could it be only me or do a few of the comments appear like written by brain dead
people? :-P And, if you are posting on additional online sites, I'd like to follow anything new you have to post. Would you list every one of your community pages like your twitter feed, Facebook page or linkedin profile?
Feel free to surf to my homepage; article games
Hi there, yup this article is really fastidious and I have
ReplyDeletelearned lot of things from it concerning blogging.
thanks.
my web page; environmental issues
Greetings! This is my first visit to your blog!
ReplyDeleteWe are a team of volunteers and starting a new project in a community
in the same niche. Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on.
You have done a wonderful job!
Stop by my web-site; electrical news :: ::
I'm more than happy to discover this page. I need to to thank you for your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it and I have you saved to fav to look at new things in your web site.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to surf to my web blog - government article (38000ft.com)
Is it very difficult to create your own web log?
ReplyDeleteI’m not to techincal but I can evauluate things pretty quick.
I’m contemplating creating my own, personal but I’m uncertain the place to start.
Are you experiencing any a few ideas or suggestions? With thanks
Look at my web blog; restaurant news ()
I was suggested this blog by means of my cousin.
ReplyDeleteI'm no longer sure whether or not this post is written through him as no one else recognise such exact about my difficulty. You are wonderful! Thank you!
my site electrical articles
obviously like your web site but you need to take a look at the spelling
ReplyDeleteon quite a few of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I in finding it very troublesome to inform
the truth however I'll certainly come again again.
Take a look at my page - press release marketing (http://Mails-world.com/TillyAJG)
Hey there, You have done a great job. I'll definitely digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I'm sure they
ReplyDeletewill be benefited from this website.
Here is my blog post home articles
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have put in
ReplyDeletepenning this blog. I'm hoping to view the same high-grade blog posts from you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own, personal website now ;)
My blog ... website []
Superb weblog you have here but I was curious if you knew of any user discussion forums that cover the same topics mentioned here?
ReplyDeletemy weblog - home and Family (fisiere.debelea.com)
Hey there! This post couldn't be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this page to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletemy site: art gallery
Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Thanks, However I am having problems with your RSS.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I cannot join it. Is there anyone else having identical RSS problems? Anybody who knows the answer can you kindly respond? Thanks!!
Here is my site ... chemical manufacturing
Wow, wonderful blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
ReplyDeleteyou make blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is great, let alone the content!
My website: site for dating
Howdy! This post could not be written any better!
ReplyDeleteLooking through this post reminds me of my previous roommate!
He continually kept talking about this. I am going
to send this post to him. Pretty sure he'll have a great read. Thanks for sharing!
Look at my web-site story book
I'm really loving the theme/design of one's web log.
ReplyDeleteDo you run into any browser compatibility issues? A number of my weblog audience have complained about my site not working properly
in Explorer but looks great in Chrome. Are you experiencing any suggestions to
greatly help fix this matter?
Look at my web-site lifestyles travel - -
I really love your website.. Excellent colors
ReplyDelete& theme. Did you build this amazing site yourself? Please reply back
as I'm attempting to create my own personal site and want to know where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called. Thanks!
my web page; Sallys Hair
For newest information you have to go to see the web and
ReplyDeleteon internet I found this web site as a best website for most
recent updates.
My weblog Current Financial News
Normally I don't learn post on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very compelled me to take a look at and do so! Your writing style has been surprised me. Thanks, quite great post.
ReplyDeleteLook at my blog; Jackie Kennedy Fashion *http://jackie-kennedy-fashion.fashionarticles.Eu/*
I visited many web pages but the audio feature for audio songs existing at this web page is genuinely excellent.
ReplyDeleteHave a look at my homepage; Dallas Furniture Stores
I always used to study post in news papers but now as I am a user of web therefore from now I am using net for articles or reviews,
ReplyDeletethanks to web.
Take a look at my web-site - Going In this article