J.Crew Eaton Boy Trousers Review

Eaton Boy Trouser

I was curious about Eaton Boy Trousers and they got good reviews from JCA community so I wanted to check them out. I am always on a lookout for the perfect fitting pair of trousers in basic colors.



Most of my try-outs end in failures because majority of bottoms are cut for more curves than I am blessed with. But the 'boy cut' sounded promising. I loved the walnut color so I ordered them in both walnut and black. I only took pictures of the walnut ones. Black ones actually look better irl but I would not be able to show you any details, it is hard to photograph black, especially in the late afternoon light. I apologize for the quality of pictures but I hope you can get the idea of the fit.

So the walnut color is not disappointing, it is beautiful and I guess walnut is a great description this time. They are NOT lined. Usually, I cannot wear unlined wool pants, like wool café capris, I find them scratchy and not draping well. However, these I could wear! The wool is not scratchy, it feels soft and I could start wearing them now as opposed to waiting for the weather to cool down. This gives them more versatility since they are cropped, which in my world, limits their use in the winter. The length is good but I wish they were more tapered towards the bottom, maybe they could be tailored. Also, if you'd like them longer, there is about 1.5 inches in the hem to lot out.

I have ordered them in size 2, which is the same size I recently took in cotton café capris, pencil skirts and Andie chinos so I would say they fit TTS. They are definitely mid rise as you can see in the pictures.

Well, the fit in from is good imo. They have pockets but I would leave them closed for a more streamlined look. I like the hook and tab closure and the pintucks.

Now, the back view is not that great on me, lol. This is probably due to my, hmm, limitations and they may look better on most. Actually, I think it looks a little better irl, due to the twisted position but they do bunch up in the upper tigh area. I have the same problem in café capris, so if you don't it will probably not be an issue.

I think I have confirmed once more that the J.Crew pants are not the best fit on me, my favorite are still Theory trousers but even Banana Republic fits me much better, not sure why I keep trying. As for the Eatons they are also very expensive for what they are imo, even with the 25% discount I got. I still quite like them, maybe because I mostly get the front view, but I have to consider others see the back too, right?

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What do you think of Eatons?

Yay or nay? Keep? Return? On Sale?

Please share, it would be no fun without you!!!

Emerson Made Silk Pockets Blouse Review

I have mentioned to you that I have recently placed an order with Emerson made. I have already reviewed the tie waist dress and orange slangbacks here. The dress and shoes were definitely an extras for me and not something I needed but I decided to buy them because I really loved both and the price was right. Well, we can always find thousands of ways to justify an impulse purchase but, on the other hand, I never regretted buying things I truly liked.

This blush blouse however, was in another category. This was something that I wanted to have in my closet and I have in the past considered the collection blouse from J.Crew (not sure about the name, I remember Dani had one) and recently the pleated chiffon blouse. With the Emerson Made version I knew the fabric is going to be superior and the quality great, so at the sale price ($98) the value should be good.

I have ordered size M and it fits well. Emerson tops run short imo, but they have long sleeves. I do have proportionally short arms, so the sleeves may not be so long on you. I am 5'6 but probably have arms of somebody who is 5'4, lol.

The fabric feels great against the skin. It is the type of silk that is matte on the outside and satiny inside. It has some heft to it and I is NOT see through.

I love this blouse and it works great tucked in or untucked. It may be a little short if you like longer tops, but I like it because it is easier to wear untucked and it does not create bulk under my bottoms when tucked in.

I am also wearing J.Crew midrise toothpicks in carbon wash, Ann Taylor belt, J.Crew Valentina pumps, Kate Spade purse and Rayban Aviator sunglasses.

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That's all folks!

What do you think of Emerson's pocket blouse?

Is it worth the sale price?

J.Crew Oversize Merino Pocket V-Neck

Oversize merino pocket sweater

I have bought the Oversize Merino Pocket sweater last year and I have been very happy with it. You can see my review here. When I saw the latest version in light camel color I thought this will be exactly what I need: longer, warmer sweater to wear over skinny jeans in a color I love and that will go with everything.

I ordered it in size Small since I expected it will be oversized. That was a good call, because even in Small the sweater is huge.

I am NOT loving it. It is just hanging there, sort of shapelessly and it looks bulky.

The color is nice. I am not sure if it will pill, hopefully not. It is substantial and warm. I would like it be a little longer.

I like that it is oversized but it does not hung nicely imo and pockets add volume to the hips in unflattering way. I compared it to the last year version and it is at least an inch wider on each side. That's about 5 inches in diameter! The rest of the measurements seem the same.

I don't think this is the one for me.

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What do you think?

Should I try XSmall or just give up on it?

Not So Neutral (Tie Waist Dress and Orange Slangbacks from Emerson Made)

As you may remember, I am a fan of Emerson Made. I have ordered from them in the past and blogged about it here and here. This dress has caught my eye in the spring but it was too expensive and I was worrying about having to wear the strapless bra.

I have to tell you, loosing few pounds and finding out that I can do strapless after all, has been a liberating experience, my summer tops options has widened rapidly. And then the dress went on sale to a very reasonable price point.

Well, guess what? I veered off my commitment to simple neutrals and went ahead and placed and order for an orange dress and matching shoes. Sometimes you just have to buy what you love…
 

Tie waist dress, size 6
 

I love this dress. It is still simple but different from anything I have and perfect for summer. The silk feels luxurious against the skin. The color is very nice muted orange and I like the way colorblocking is done here.

The back is slightly longer than the front.

Removing the tie gives you a little different look, I like it both ways. I don't have a picture but the neckline looks good with the top hook (or two) undone.

 

I went for monochromatic look with the matching slangbacks and orange-tone leather purse.
 

Slangbacks, size 39

These slangbacks were a steal at $48. The leather is super soft and they are very comfortable. I love how they look almost like heels but they are really more like flats. I wear 8 in ballet flats and 8.5 in JCrew heels and I ordered size 39 in these and the fit is perfect. I usually take 39 in Euro sized shoes.

Since I was placing this order I also bought the silk pockets blush blouse, but I will review it in another post.

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What do you think?

Have you ordered anything from Emerson Made sale?

How do you like the dress and the shoes?

Andie chinos vs Café capris – Advice needed

 Hello everybody! I have promised you a review of the new Andie chinos from J.Crew in my last post. I was going to publish it over the weekend but I have been having problems a lot of problems with Blogger and 'errors on page'. My mac that I have been using for blogging has died and my when I tried to post from my PC it would not work, I think due to Internet Explorer or Windows 7 or both. I am also having problems with posting comments, so sorry about that and please bear with until I figure it out, I will eventually...

I have never been a big fun of the chino look as they tend to be generally unflattering on me. I associate them with those admirably sturdy gals that could not be bothered with makeup and would usually 'style' them with a pair of sneakers and t-shirt they got at the Cisco training class. But I was tempted by the pair of pants that promises the look and comfort of skinny jeans and be as office appropriate as a pair of trousers without the need to dry clean them. Hey, I thought, if they can do that, this might be the Holy Grail of the office bottoms.
So with that in mind, I have decided to try the Andie chino. Now, I did not have super high hopes because I have previously had the some hopes for a few recent iterations of café capris without much success. I mean, I do own few pairs of them and they are OK but nothing to rave about. They look OK in front but they do sag in the butt and upper thigh area. Well, this is mostly due to my lack of booty curves but a girl can dream (and hope for the miracle), right?

Andie, size 4 Tall

After asking for an advice from the JCA community, I decided to order them in my old size 4, as there seemed to be the consensus that they run smaller than café capris. I have actually confirmed that by asking for measurements and yes, size 4 in Andies seem to have similar measurements as Café Capri size 2 with the hips measurement proportionally narrower, which is usually good news for me.

Andie Chinos on the left (size 4 regular) and Café Capri (size 2, regular) on the right

My current café capri size is 2 and even that is not too tight, but I don't think I can size to a zero. Actually, I quite like them in this new size. They seem to be a little longer than my black version from 2 years ago and a little looser in calf, but maybe they will shrink? I do like the desert color, kind of dark camel shade, which looks very nice with black and white/ivory, but it is not so great with pretty much every other color. I can live withthat because these are my colors of choice anyway, although I did contemplate them in natural but decided that it may be too boring. Not that desert khaki is that exciting, lol.

Andie Chinos size 4R, Andie Size 4T, Café Capri 2R

After asking for an advice on Andies from the wonderful JCA community, I decided to order them in my old size 4, as there seemed to be the consensus that they run smaller than café capris. I have actually confirmed that by asking for measurements and yes, size 4 in Andies seem to have similar measurements as Café Capri size 2 with the hips measurement proportionally narrower, which is usually good news for me. The fabric on Andies is thicker and less refined than on Café capris, it feels much more utilitarian. The waistband is narrower and they close with a set of double tabs and buttons. Actually the tab closures are almost difficult to undo but maybe this is just me or lack of dexterity.

OK, so despite the claims of slim fit, they are not that tapered in the leg and no, they don't fit like skinny jeans. But they do fit closer in the tight and seem to enhance my usually, ahem, unconspicious rear view.

Andie Chinos size 4R, Andie Size 4T, Café Capri 2R

The Tall Andies are supposed to be 3 inches longer and have the same other measurements. Well, I can hardly see the difference in length so it cannot be full 3 inches but they bunch up a little more. I think I prefer the regular version.

Is it me or the full length veers too much into the hiking pants/Cisco t-shirt direction?
So which ones should I keep? In the pictures, surprisingly, I actually like the café capris the best. Maybe it is the color? Or the more refined fabric? And how about that rear view?

 

And here is the basic silk cami in black. I have quite a few of these but I have been buying them in Small and this one is an Extra Small and it does look so much better now. Btw, this might be tmi, but to my great delight I have discovered the perfect strapless bras and I have been wearing them non-stop this summer. I got four of them when they had them on sale. I like them so much that have been wearing them with regular tops! I never thought that would happen but it is just so much easier when you don't have to deal with the straps. Halleluiah!

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I am curious what you think about Andie versus Café Capris and which ones should I keep.

I am a little confused myself, so please share…

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Update: I listened to your advice and tried on Andies in size 2, in different color.

What do you think? I think they look much better now. Sorry for the picture quality but just wanted to make it quick.

Andie Chino in 2R

The 80/20 Rule

Hi everybody!  I am still alive and kicking, but as I’ve mentioned before, I have started a new job and I have been super busy with new projects. I also did not have as much time to comment so I apologize for that but I still read most of my favorite blogs whenever I get a chance.

My new workplace is very flexible as far as the dress code and while some people can be dressed up, quite a few opt to wear jeans daily.  This is the best possible scenario for me and I feel comfortable to wear what I like the most, this includes both jeans and pencil skirts.  

I have also mentioned that I have dropped a skirt size which created a slight closet dilemma for me. I did say that I will wait a little and I surely could work with what I already have in my closet until at least spring, But of course, I would not be a true owner of the Shopping Habit blog if I did that, would I? There is probably no greater excuse for buying some new clothes than a weight loss so with my new job and renewal of a paycheck I decided to get a few basics in my new sizes. 

All J.Crew: pencil skirt here, t-shirt here, shoes here

  

In general, I have found myself returning to the pretty minimalistic style, something that I have always been very fond of but I have sort of branched out in the last few years which coincided with my preoccupation with a certain retailer.  Overall, I think this has been very good for me, let me discover color, print, pattern mixing, new silhouettes and working with accessories. But in the end,  I am a clean line, basic colors, limited embellishments kind of gal. Now,  I will never be a capsule wearer, 33 items in your closet French-style woman. I can do a capsule when I go on vacation but other than that, I do like to have choices.  I refuse to feel guilty about it, as long as I don’t take loans to finance my purchases or move into a bigger house for more closet space I figure I am OK.  I do try to be sensible but I will never be a purist.

That said, I did learn that I get the more mileage from items that fit my personal style more closely. Those will be very basic and somewhat boring: simple pencil skirts, neutral t-shirts and trousers, white button downs, well fitting jeans, classic coats, simple blazers, basic sweaters etc. Most of those will be solids: black, white/ivory, navy/blue and camel/beige/khaki. I use red/pink as my accent color and I like to add a patterned skirt and some printed tops for variety.  I realized that having about 5 basic bottoms and 5 basic tops gives me 25 outfits because all of them match together.  And they will all go with my favorite purse and 2-3 pairs of shoes. I should be able to throw in 5 fun pieces and be set for a season!   

Of course, it does not work like that. My closet follows the 80/20 rule. 20% of my clothes make 80% of my outfits and the other 80% fills the remaining 20%. This does not sound right. So this year, I am trying to stick to it and buy mostly staples. So far I have been good and the only ‘fun’ items I bought were the Punk Floral blouse and Bodens coral tunic, everything else fits in the basics category. 

My recent celebrate-my-new-size order from J.Crew has been following this rule as well. I have ordered two new cotton pencil skirts, in black and natural, 2 suiting ¾ sleeve t-shirts in black and white,  Andie chinos in khaki, black Kiki ballet flats, black silk camisole and white shorts. I have to admit that after wearing baggy clothes for a while, putting on the correct sizes feels great.  I wish I could stay there with my weight but hey, if not, I will take what I can.  In case I put on some pounds I definitely have enough clothes in my closet to dress it.

The clothes I ordered are such basic items I don’t feel like you want me to really review them but I will just have some comments:

 The pencil skirts are the same like always, they fit me well now that they are a correct size (2) but even if I don’t have much in a way of curves, the waist is still slightly too big. Natural is a great color to work with, the only thing that you cannot wear with is white but I love it with black tops.

The suiting tees are not the same as suiting tank that I reviewed HERE. They have a very nice cut and perfect scoop neck but they are very thin. They are not double layered as the tanks. Therefore, the white one is see-through and showing every lump and bump and I am returning it. I am keeping the black one because it does have a nice shape, not sure if it is worth the price, probably not but I like it enough to keep it.  I have ordered size Small.

The Kiki ballet flats are great! I was skeptical because the classic J.Crew ballet flats were always awfully uncomfortable on me. These have less toe cleavage, leather lining, seem to have more padding and slightly higher heel. They seem very comfortable and they look great. I am considering getting a back-up but I will try to wear them for a while to confirm the comfort factor. I took 8 in Kikis, which is smaller of my shoe sizes. I tend to wear 8.5 in heels and 8 in flats so I would still say they are TTS.

I will review Andie chinos and compare to café capris, plus few other items in my next post. 

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How about you? Does your closet also follow the 80/20 formula or are you much more sensible with your purchases?

Please share, it would be no fun without you!!!