Red skirt for the Holidays (three ways)

Have you been looking forever for the perfect red skirt?  Well, I wasn't really looking but many times when J.Crew came up with different iterations of red pencil skirts there were never red. Modern red as we know is more of an orange and so was persimmon and poppy. So I didn't even think of No2 double serge wool pencil skirts in deep poppy when I saw it online. But then I spotted it in store and it was Red. Medium red, not too deep with blue undertones but also not orange.

Now, in all those pictures below the skirt looks orange, at least on my monitor. I guess it does have orange undertones but irl it reads red. The same thing applies to my Rooftop red Valentinas, they also seem orange in the pictures but they are definitely red. You will have to trust me on that :)

Of course, a red skirt would be perfect for the Holidays. An obvious pairing would be with black and white or black and cream. I think it would be stunning with polka dot sequin top but I don't own it. If you are brave and not afraid of 'sexy' it woudl look great with leopard.

This is what I came up with:

With polka dot Blythe blouse, red shoes and gray tights. I liked how the gray and cream soften the impact of red, but the black snakeskin clutch adds some punch.

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With sequins for some Holiday sparkle:

I kind of wish I have bought that polka dot sequin top, after all. It would have been bold and perfect. But the gray sweatshirt also works, I think.

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Christmas Tree Style:

And to go all out Christmas colors I paired it with green. Usually I would shy away from looking like a Christmas tree but I strangely I don;t mind. I think with the leopard clutch and brown boots I can pull it off. I would probably wear different tights (brown?) but I did not want to change.

Actually, I think this is my favorite look, super cozy but festive.

 My turtleneck is from Brora and boots are Boden. Rest is from J.Crew.

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That's all folks!

Do you own a red skirt?

How would you style it?

Which of the three combinations is your favorite (if you like any)?

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

Hat Weather

We got some colder days last week and I took out my hat and gloves box. Well it wasn't exactly the weather when you need a hat or gloves but rather the kind of weather when you can wear a hat and gloves and do not look silly. The floppy hat was knitted by my talented mother and I love it. There are not many hat styles I think look good on me but I find this one acceptable. Why is it that hats look so much better on other people? I think my head is a wrong shape or something...

One advantage of loose floppy hats is that they don;t mat your hair so badly.  The advantage of the weather being 'can do a hat' as opposed to 'need a hat' is that your nose does not get red.

It may seem funny to wear a hat, gloves and shearling boots with no coat, but I was actually quite warm. Of course, I only walked the short distance from my car to the church that day. If I had to walk any longer, I would probably need a coat, but covering the extremities actually works quite well in non extreme temperatures. I did have a coat in my trunk, just in case, but I was fine without it.

Somebody mentioned to me wearing a button down blouse with the oversize merino pocket v-neck (my review here) and I wanted to try it. The polka dotted Blythe blouse (last seen here)  turned out to be perfect and I loved wearing it with midrise cord toothpicks in salt (review here) . This also solved the problem with the color of the sweater. I love the color but it does not look so good with denim. The shape of the sweater just calls for a a pair of skinny pants and I decided that cords will be my answer. I also have a pair in light camel that should also work.

I told you my daughter had me sitting in the trees for the pictures

This outfit made me think of ice skating for some reason. Maybe if I replaced the Blythe with a cream turtleneck? I did not go ice skating for years but maybe I should, now that I have an outfit for it ;)

My necklace is also from J.Crew and I thought it added that sparkly, winter-y  touch. My shearling MacAlisters are from last year (review here).

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That's all folks!

What style hats do you wear when the weather turns colder?

Do you own the Midrise toothpick cords, oversize merino pocket v-neck or Blythe blouse in polka dots? How do you wear them?

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

Styling Blythe

I have previously tried the Blythe blouse in polka dots (see review here) and I liked it a lot. But since I already own a few polka dot silk blouses, I had hard time justifying the price. Then, due to J.Crew pricing whoopsie, I was able to snatch it for $22 before any shopathome/jcrew cc rebates. At this price, I was comfortable with adding it to my closet. I know that you should not buy anything just because of the price, but I feel like this was OK, since I loved the blouse from the beginning. What do you think? Did you get it?

Anyway,  I was excited to receive it on Monday and I wore it immediately on the next day. I take it as a good sign. I think it is very versatile and it looks good with about anything, trousers, jeans and skirts.  

I wanted to try it with all neutral outfit. I am tired of the constant pop-of-color on everybody (myself included). But when I paired it first with gray and then with black shoes I decided it was just too boring (or too corporate), so I swapped them for pink Valentinas. This would look better if my hair cooperated for the picture, but it was a windy day.

I wore my stretch denim jacket (review here) for my commute because it is now chilly in the mornings. With the jacket the shirt looks much better untucked. I also swapped the shoes later for a pair of silver Sperrys. The necklace I am wearing was the first statement necklace I bought. I liked how the size of the beads echoes the polka dots and the color if the ribbon happens to be a perfect match.

My trousers are J.Crew 1035 superfine cotton. I love them and I also have them in navy and beechwood (see review here).

I think the blouse works well in all neutral outfit but I also wanted to try it with my yellow cords.

These are GAP sexy boyfriend cords (review here). I really liked them with Blythe and it was also a super comfortable outfit. I am also wearing a J.Crew necklace and little Gabby purse, that you cannot really see (other than strap), but it is exactly the color of the cords. I thought it was better than black. I stole the belt from my husband's closet, shhhh, don't tell.

Overall, I am thrilled with my purchase and I think I will wear it a lot. I can see it with almost any color bottom and I love that it looks fine untucked. I got a size 6, which is my regular size and it is quite roomy but not too big. I am wearing a perfect fit tank in white underneath. I don't mind wearing a tank under a long sleeve shirt but I think you could wear it without a tank with a nude bra. 

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That's all folks!

Did you get the polka dot Blythe? How do you wear it?

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

Colorblock silk V-back dress and Blythe in Shallow Sea

Despite many iterations that J.Crew came up with in the last couple of seasons, I don't own a Blythe blouse. It is a nice classic shirt but none of the colors ever interested me. But the Shallow See shade is beautiful and I decided to order it with the last 30% off sale.

Size 6

The color did not disappoint, it is absolutely delightful shade of sea green. It looked beautiful with leopard pencil skirt. I took my usual size 6 and it fitted well with no gaping. The silk is soft but substantial and not see through  The sleeves are long and the front placket is just the right length for tucking in. It also looked OK untucked with trousers.

The cut did not wow and it just has too much going on imo.  The gathering at the shoulders, combined with the pockets made me feel more top heavy than I already am The Shallow Sea color, while gorgeous, turned out to be an orphan item in my closet, with not too many things to pair it with.

I returned the blouse without regrets the very next day.

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Colorblock silk V-back dress

I spotted this dress when it first debuted on the website and it was one of my picks from the collection. Later on, I realized it was made of poly and I lost interest. However, after reading a review by Judicious Shopaholic and  seeing how great it looked on her,  I decided to give it a try.

The outer shell fabric is mostly synthetic (with 15% silk, I think) but the lining is acetate and the dress does not feel 'clammy' against your body.  On the other hand, how can they call it silk is beyond me.

I ordered my regular size 6. I was afraid that if I size down the waist will be too small. This was a right call and the fit of the 6 was good. There was definitely too much room in the hips but the fabric just stays there and does not look too big. The dress is slightly high waisted but this actually created nice shape skimming over the tummy area. The neckline is pretty but it definitely needs a necklace. I liked the horizontal lime stripe at the bottom, it is very striking and adds visual interest. The length is also good and appropriate for any special event .

Of course the main attraction of the dress is the back view. And this is where I had a problem. One of the reasons I decided to order the dress was that Judicious Shopaholic mentioned that she was able to use regular bra with strap extender. I did not have one and to try the dress I used one of those stick-on bras (that I hate!). I think you could use the strap extender but keep in mind that the v is pretty low.

The problem was that the fabric in the back was sticking out away from my body and I think the straps would be visible from that angle. Also, the bow is very hard to tie without help, unless you are very dexterous.

fuzzy back view

Another issue I had was that the dress was navy. For some reason, I could not wrap my mind around the idea of a special event dress in navy. I would much preferred that the dress was black. Don;t take me wrong, I love navy and have many navy pieces, they are perfect for work and casual wear but I cannot shake off the association with sailors, schoolgirls and business wear territory. I read somewhere that 'nobody ever wants to put a hand on a knee of a woman wearing a navy dress'. Maybe that's way navy is so perfect for work, it communicates that we mean business and nothing else.

In the end I returned the dress because I realized that when I run through some possible occasions to wear it  in the foreseeable future, I just could not picture myself wearing it.

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That's all folks!

Do you own a Blythe?

Have you tried the Collection dress? Do you wear dresses with exposed back?

Would you wear navy in the evening?

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

Peter Pan, Polka Dots and Snakeskin - J.Crew Fall 2012

Yesterday I posted pictures of J.Crew fall new arrivals and hopefully many of them will be available online by the time you read this post.  I forgot to tell you that when I was in store, there was a group of cool looking young men setting up the displays. It turned out it was a bunch of J.Crew designers. Apparently, some clients schedule their appointments when the designers are there, so they can get styling advice. I did not have time but I have to do it next time. How cool is that?

Also, when I was trying everything on, my PS was asking me about the feedback and was writing everything down and asking about specifics. She said Mickey (Drexler, CEO of J.Crew) was going to visit the store on Friday morning (at 7AM!) and they were going to give him customer feedback. I was trying to objective in what I was saying and think about everything that is often said here and on Mothership. If you want me to add anything about the items below, please let me know and I will email my PS before Friday.

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First up, most asked about, No2 pencil skirt in snakeskin print:

Size 4, fits TTS

This skirt fits like most J.Crew pencil skirts. This summer I needed a 6 in Raj Paisley and Big eyelet skirt but generally, I was always a 4, and this skirts fits me like usual, following my curves without being tight. The fabric of this skirt is mostly wool  (82%) with some silk (18%) and the surface is slightly rough to touch.

I like this skirt more than I expected. I don;t own any clothes with snakeskin print and I was never attracted to it. Shoes are leather goods are another story.  But somehow, this skirt reads edgy and sophisticated to me, instead of in-your-face/creepy/trashy etc. In the catalog, they styled it with a ballet pink painter boatneck tee and I like the idea of it.

The price is $158. Will I buy this skirt? Not anytime soon and not at full price but mostly because I already have enough pencil skirts and I am still not 100% sure about the print. I mean, I really don;t like snakes...

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Many of you have asked about the sweater with jeweled peter pan collar. I did not get to try it, but jcrewfanatic reported that it is $198 and beautiful. You can see her comments in my yesterday's post. I did try something slightly similar, that I thought many of you may like. I was thinking of my pal Ema from My closet, my baby and I and how not so long ago she was looking for a similar sweater from Sandro and even thought about making a detachable collar. Maybe J.Crew was reading her blog and got inspired?



This to has a cotton sweatshirt body and silk collar and cuffs. It also comes in navy with black collar but I did not like it as much. Or maybe it was black with navy collar? 

Size Medium

I took bigger of my non numerical sizes in this top. It is quite roomy in this size but I think it should be swingy and I think that a Small would be too short. It is $75, 100% cotton with 100% silk trim.

I think it is very cute and will probably sell well. I have some doubts whether it looks too young but I think it would be fine with right accessories, and other elements of the outfit.

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OK, at this point I am totally polka dotted out, but J.Crew is not, apparently.

Size 6

This looks like another version of Blythe blouse, this time in polka dots. Actually it is a very pretty blouse and if you don't have enough polka dots (where have you been?) it is an excellent choice. It will work with everything, jeans, trousers, skirts, blazers and cardigans, slouchy and tucked in.

It fits TTS to slightly big. I had to get an 8 in some of the J.Crew summer tops but here I am back to my usual size 6 with room to spare. That said, I think it is supposed to be slouchy and I think it fits me similarly to the model in the catalog so I think this is the correct size.

Slightly see through. I think it is OK for casual wear but I would wear a cami to the office. I like the look better with a white cami underneath anyway.

100% silk and $128.  Pricey, but I am pretty confident it will go on sale eventually.

Drapes well

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Did I say enough with the polka dots already? Well, I take it back because this next blouse is very pretty. Of course I already own a blouse in identical print. Remember the one from last year with exposed zipper?  Too bad for me because I like this one better but there is no way I can justify it.

Size 6

This 100% silk blouse is very flattering imo. The fit is nice, not wide in the shoulders and not too boxy and not too long so you can easily wear it untucked. Yay! I like me an elegant blouse that does not have to be tucked in. It is more refined and more tailored that the last year version.

Fits TTS, again this is size 6 and great fit with enough room in the chest. The bow is also very pretty and I like that there is no zipper. I actually did not mind the exposed zipper but it is pretty heavy and it is pulling the shirt back a little bit. Anybody wants to buy my last year's incarnation??? You know what I am thinking...

The blouse is pull on, I dont think there was a zipper. there is a small opening at the neck wher you tie the bow with a little hook to secure it.

No billowy bulk around the hips

It is $110. it is a lot for this little top but I remember the one I have was also around $100 and I eventually bought it for under $50.

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That's all folks!!!

More reviews coming up so please stop by again.

Do you like the new arrivals?

What would you say to Mickey Drexler?

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