Denim On Denim (review of Paige James Boyfriend Crop)

I have been wearing dark wash jeans exclusively for the last decade or longer, but with the summer coming, I was suddenly craving the faded blue I loved in my youth. It would be so perfect to wear with all the whites when the sun is up and the temperatures soar.

Maybe it had something to do with the J.Crew's June Style guide that featured the light blue denim in so many pictures? In any case, I had to stop at J.Crew this weekend to make a return.  I usually look for jeans elsewhere but I have been happy with my midrise toothpicks, so I thought I will take look. 

Well, it was still not to be. The Toothpick jean in Northport wash turned out to be too medium blue for what I wanted and Toothpick jean in distressed Cone® denim was too baggy in the hips and did nothing for my butt.  I have confirmed that I only like the fit of the midrise toothpicks and that the regular toothpicks fit differently and not so great on my body.

There was nothing else that I wanted to try on at J.Crew, so I ended up at Nordstrom, where I tried on at least ten other pairs of light wash jeans. After trying on a few pairs, I knew I wanted boyfriend cut with no distressing.  I have finally decided on boyfriend cut Paige jeans, which (lucky me) happened to be on sale.
   

Paige James Boyfriend Crop

The wash is exactly what I was looking for and they are super comfortable.  I wear size 27 or 28 in most of my jeans but these looked big so I tried 26 and 27.  26 was a slimmer fit and I think some people would prefer to size down but then they did not look much like boyfriend jeans. 27 is a little lose but I think that's how they are supposed to fit.  They still sit well on my hips, just a little lower than a 26.  I love the weight of the denim, they are very soft and feel like I had them on forever. I think Ema said that she likes Paige and now I can see why.

Since I bought a pair of light wash jeans that I thought I would never do again, I decided to try another never-to-be-repeated-again look.  I am talking about the denim-on-denim, could I actually pull it off?

Everly pumps reviewed here, handbag by Coach

J.Crew denim stretch jacket reviewed here

Well, I am not sure. I think the problem here is not that it looks bad, it is that it feels a little forced imo.  It just screams I-have-a-fashion-blog to me.  I don't know, I think I would rather wear it with a graphic t-shirt, a pair of sandals and brown cross body purse.  Or just forget about it, wear one piece at the time and leave the denim-on-denim styling acrobatics to the Jennas of the world.  What do you think?

Back to my Paige jeans.  The back view is OK, nothing to write home about, but I think this is a case with the every boyfriend cut, so I am fine with it. 

Lucca sandals reviewed here

The front has a nice slouch without too much bagginess or low crotch.

 top seen here, glasses by Ray Ban

I plan to wear the jeans with a variety of white tops.  And, although this is nothing fashion-blog-worthy, this is how I like it the best.

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That's all folks!

Do you wear light wash jeans?

What do you think of denim on denim?

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

A Week Of Linen

At this point retailers would only make us think about fall,  but the fact is it,  is still SUMMER!  I tend to always get excited planning my outfits, but it is good to stop and enjoy what I have gathered and planned and were excited about it not so long ago. Trying to live more in a moment...

At least around here in NJ, the temperatures are pretty stable in mid 80s. This is my perfect weather! So forget the double serge wool for a moment!

I am taking advantage of beautiful warm weather in the last few weeks and I have been wearing a lot of linen. Linen is one of my favorite fabrics. I don;t mind at all that it wrinkles, I think that's the charm of it.

Here are some of the linen outfits I have been wearing recently:  

Linen J.Crew Maddie pants and Bazaar cami

I don;t do a lot of purple, but the Bazzar print was one of my favorites. Maddie pants are high waisted and made form a hefty weigth linen that does not seem to wrinkle too much. I love them too.

I am also wearing old BR cashmere wrap and Ellen Tracy cork wedges.

Perfect linen shirt and Porcelain Paisley skirt

I love those linen perfect shirts (as you may know)!  This color combo is my favorite way to wear the Porcelain Paisley skirt. Also wearing Boden espadrilles, easily one of the most comfortable sandals I own.

Again, perfect linen shirt in white and old linen capris. Also wearing Jack Rogers sandals and Kate Spade purse.

Matching earings

I rarely wear bigger earings but I though they actually worked.

Another linen perfect shirt, this time in capri pink! Also wearing Emerson Fry linen skirt plus Boden shoes. It seems a little uninspired in the pictures but I thought that with a slight sheen to the skirt and brightness of the shirt I did not need any other accessories.

And finally, linen/cotton striped shirt with superfine cotton pencil skirt. I am matching my Lucca sandals with my necklace, I love doing it for some reason. I think those Luccas don't look so bad, I must wear them more often, lol.

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That's all folks!

Have you pack away your summer clothes yet?

Do you like wearing  linen in the summer? 

Do tell me which outfit is your favorite, it is always fun to get feedback!!!

Summer Shoes: Lucca Sandals, Seville Espadrilles and Boden Bow Espadrilles

First of all, sorry for being a bit MIA and not responding to all your comments from my last posts. I read all of them (they are always a great treat, thank you guys!!!) but I was away for a weekend, mostly with no access to the Internet. I will try to go back and reply, at least to those who have asked questions. Sorry for the delay.

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Have you been going crazy with the recent 30% off at J.Crew and great in-store prices?  I tried to be good and did not buy anything on Final Sale, but I did get a backup for my white linen perfect shirt and 5" white chino shorts, plus extra linen shirt one in green (they are promo priced but not FS). I also bought the seersucker pencil skirt in store. My breaking point was discovering that it is machine washable! 

I did go to the store with some returns last Friday and I tried on some of the sale shoes. I thought I would review them, in case anybody is considering them.

Lucca suede sandals

I own the Lucca sandals in apricot from 2011. I bought them at only 20% off full price, because I thought they will be cute, comfortable and fun sandals that I can use a lot. I liked the retro cone heel and strappy style.

After I bought them, I realized that because they are not leather lined, my foot was sliding and they were not as comfortable as I had hoped. Also, my regular 8.5 turned out slightly too long. I still say they run TTS, I  take 8 in many open toe sandals. I am mostly 8.5 in J.Crew heels, but mostly because they run narrow.

Size 8, TTS

The sandals were $69 in store before additional 30% off. That changes my perspective a little bit. With this price, I would not be so concerned if I haven't worn them to death.

$69.99 before 30% off

They seem more comfortable in 8. The wide straps do look a little funny when you wear them with skirts and dresses. I like them more with pants and capris. The suede is very soft and the heel is stable. The color is TDF.

If you need/want  sandals in this color and don;t mind the straps, these are comfortable and good price.

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Seville wedge espadrilles

I like the look of those wedges, especially in bright colors like Modern Red or Casablanca Blue. Size 9 They are comfortable and easy to wear. The wedge is stable and it does not feel high at all. My problem was that I am in between sizes. They only come in full sizes and the 8 felt tight but the 9 was slipping off. If I had to choose I would probably go with an 8 and hope they will stretch. They probably would, I just didn't want to deal with the breaking-in process. Other than that, they are really cute and I think the price is acceptable, at $69.99 minus 30% off.  Comfortable *** Oh, and I almost forgot but I did get the Soludos Espadrilles in red stripe. I still think they are flimsy and they will fall apart before the end of the summer, but at $13.99, I can accept that they are disposables. They are super comfy and stinking cute. I got size 39 and the fit is perfect. I am weak, what can I say? *** Bow Espadrilles Since we are on subject of Espadrilles, I want to mention Bow Espadrilles that I got few months ago from  Boden, unfortunately, they are still not on any major sale, I guess they are selling well. They are $51, which is not bad for leather lined shoes (coming in cute box and fun print fabric bags). I took size 39, which is usually very consistent for me in Euro sized brands. There are rather wide, which is fine with me, but if your feet are narrow, they will feel loose methinks. Boden shoes with Oilily dress        The heel is only 2" and that includes 3/4" platform, so they feel like flats. Because of that, they are not the most flattering/leg lengthening, but that is the trade-off. Size 39 At first I thought they are a little stiff, and I almost returned them for that reason. But I decided to give them a try and they softened very quickly. They were one of the very few pairs of shoes that did not give me blisters and my feet are very sensitive.  I bought them in navy and they go with almost everything in my summer closet, but I think the red, stripe and silver are also great. I think right now only navy is available in all sizes, but they do have popbacks as well.  In case you order them and they don't work out, Boded shipments come with return label and are very easy but it does take some time to get your money back, usually about 3 weeks for me.  *** That's all folks!!! Have you bought anything with the 30% off? Do you own/like any of the shoes I reviewed? Please share, it would be no fun without you!!!