Gone Clubbing

Have you ever shop at Club Monaco? I have bought a few things there over the years and I like their offerings and quality but never got a chance to review anything. I haven't been buying much from them for a few reasons:

• I shop too much at J.Crew
• They don't have many B&Ms around
• Their prices are similar to J.Crew but they have less sales
• Their color palette is mostly neutrals

However, I have been disillusioned with J.Crew offerings and after years of buying color I find myself drawn to more neutrals. Club Monaco does have a location in my local mall, so I decided to visit and try on few items.

Alesia Silk Shirt

Size Medium

From website copy:

We've elevated a sleek basic with a silk construction that can pair with everything from work trousers to denim for a night out on the town.

• Scoopneck, long sleeves.
• Button detail at the cuffs, subtly pleated back.
• Easy fit.
• Silk. Dry clean. Imported.

$129.50, 100% silk

The color of this blouse is beautiful. I think it is perfect to wear with jeans or trousers. I don't think it will drape that well over skirts, but I didn't try.

It has the high-low shape that may not work for some, but personally, I like it. I am not so concerned with being timeless. I have bought many pieces that were supposed to be classics, only to be bored with them in one season. I am easily bored; what can I say? I am usually surprised which pieces lasted longer in my wardrobe, more often than not, they are not the ones I was counting on.

The silk on this blouse is very nice, rather substantial, not the slippery kind and definitely not see through. I liked the gathering in the back. The tag was pulling it down and I imagine it will flow a little differently (better) when you remove it.

It would be very easy to dress it up or down with accessories and cardigans/blazers.

Benny Plaid Coat

I saw this Benny coat on FFM blog and I was instantly intrigued by it. FFM has such a good eye and she is always finding interesting things all over the Internet, doesn't she?

Size Medium

Size Small

 From website copy:

Crafted out of Italian wool and elevated with leather accents, the Benny Plaid Coat is a timeless and heritage-inspired piece you'll cherish for years to come.

• Notched lapel, applied placket.
• Corresponding four-button detail at the cuffs. Patch pockets at the hips.
• Leather piping along the lapel and pockets. Fully lined.
• Lightly padded shoulders for a defined look. 33" length.
• Shell: wool, nylon. Piping: leather. Lining: polyester. Dry clean. Imported.

80% wool, 20% nylon

I liked the coat in person, it seems well made and flattering. It was bigger that it seemed on a hanger and I liked the fit of a Small better, although you cannot really see the difference in the pictures.
It is more of a top coat or oversized blazer than an outerwear, at least for me. I would not be able to wear it past November in our NJ winter. But if you live in a mild climate it may be perfect.

I liked the leather trim and although it adds to the dry cleaning bill it also protects the fabric edges.

Regan Solid Top

Size Medium

From website copy: 

The easy fit and edgy leather details of the Regan Top will never lead you astray.

• Boyfriend scoopneck.
• Easy fit.
• Leather-and-rib-knit sleeves. Vented hem.
• Cotton, leather. Dry clean. Imported.

I took this top to the fitting room only because an SA recommended it, saying that this is their bestseller and that the trim is real leather.

I have to say I really liked it once i put it on. It is a simple top but it drapes well and the leather sleeves add to the cool factor. This would be a perfect top to wear on a night out with jeans or black slacks. Add some chunky jewelry and you are set to go.

This is something that my wardrobe is a little lacking. I have plenty of 'office ready' outfits, enough of casual stuff for the weekends and adequate number of festive party wear. But I am always a little puzzled what to wear for going out, when I want to look cool and sexy, but not like I am trying too hard.

I like the high-low design and the length of the sleeves, not too short for wearing year round and not too long to make it too demure to be fun.

The only con is the price. At $119.50, I think this is expensive for a relatively simple t-shirt, even if trimmed with 'real leather'. And of course all this leather trimmed stuff has to be professionally dry cleaned, something I am trying to avoid. The body is made out of viscose so maybe it can be spot cleaned? What do you think? I am crazy to consider this at all?

Dawn Top

Size Medium

From website copy: 

Rocker-chic accents elevate an otherwise basic top for loads of sartorial appeal.

• Scoopneck, three-quarter-length sleeves.
• Trim along the neckline and center seam along the front and back.
• Even hem.
• Viscose, elastane. Hand wash. Imported.

Dawn top is the opposite of the Reagan top in a way that I liked it on a hanger but not so much after I tried it on. It was just OK and I did not care for the drape, the color or the shape. It had this bat wing effect I did not like.

All Club Monaco tops seem to fit TTS, I took Medium in all of them and they seem to fit me well with an easy, not too tight fit I personally prefer.
 

Brittany Sweatshirt

Size Medium

From website copy: 

A lightweight yet thickly woven knit makes the Brittany Sweatshirt a casual pullover with loads of contemporary style.

• Scoopneck, long sleeves.
• Ribbed neckline, cuffs and hem.
• Allover woven knit.
• Body: polyester, cotton. Trim: wool. Dry clean. Imported.

$89.50??

Brittany sweatshirt reminds me of some of J.Crew sweatshirts. It fits OK but a little boxy. It is too short for my taste and I am short waisted. The colors are actually very flattering but I think the shape is not.

And then of course, it is way overpriced, I am not sure if it worth half of the asking price. It is 80% poly, 20% cotton for crying out loud. But maybe it is just me.

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That's all folks!

Do you own any of Club Monaco pieces?

What do you think of their current offerings?

Would you consider any of the items I reviewed?

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

J.Crew (Not Yet Online) New Arrivals reviews

I have to return something from my 30% off order, so I picked up some of the new arrivals to try on. I was very uninspired for some reason, and not many items really appealed to me, but here is what I took to the fitting room:

Size 8

I spotted this new colorblock knit blazer in camel and black. They did not have a size 6, so I tried on the 8. It was a little big too big overall, especially in the shoulders, so I would say it fits TTS. I felt like my regular size 6 would have been perfect. I loved the colorblocking, and in these colors, it did not seem too trendy.

The blazer is unlined and 51%wool, 49% cotton. It was comfortable and it felt more like a sweater but still looked polished, like a blazer. I always preferred lined blazers, but I never wear them, because they feel too formal for my lifestyle, too bulky to wear under coats, and either too warm or too hot to wear in our weather.

Maybe a knit, unlined blazer is not a bad idea?  But I don't know how it would hold up and keep its shape. Especially that it was not cheap, priced at $188.

From the back it looks like a black blazer.

$188, 51% wool, 49% cotton

Overall, I quite liked the blazer. I just wasn't sure if it was practical and I definitely thought the price was too high.

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If you are sick with all the French Hen talk, you can scroll down. In case you are not, here is a new silk shirt in French Hen print:

Size 6

It fits a little looser than J.Crew perfect shirts. Size 6 was good fit, loose around the middle and no gaping in the chest. It reminded me of a fit of navy/red heart shirt from the spring. Maybe I could have sized down to a 4.  In my experience, this usually creates gaping in the chest area, but I didn't try.

The print is cute and much easier to wear because of the smaller scale.

$128, 100% silk

From the distance, you can hardly tell these are animals, but up close you get a small dose of whimsy. 100% silk drapes great and it is easy to tuck in.

Print close up

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Another top that I tried is this marled sweatshirt, that I previously featured in this post.

Here it is on yours truly in size Medium:

The scoopneck is low and, overall, this sweater (sweatshirt?) is big and slouchy. Or just plain too big and shapeless. The sleeves are flipped to show black lining and they almost have to be this way, because the hem is unfinished. Or rather, it has the zigzag stitching at the bottom.

$95(!), 49% acrylic, 34% wool, 15% cotton, 2% other

I tried size Small to compare:

Small

I would say this top is definitely oversized. It supposed to have a slouchy, loose fit, but you should be able to get it even in smaller size. It is a good deal shorter in Small, so it may be a problem, if you are on a taller side. I thought it was borderline on me.  Overall, a cool idea, but I am not sure about the execution. It is definitely overpriced.

Better fit in smaller size

I am also wearing bootcut cords (size 27) that fitted OK, but were just soooo meh in brown, it gave me bad flashbacks of my high school cords, from the 80s (brrr).

They did look better in other colors, but I like my pants neutral. I am still looking for slim bootcut in camel. Anyway, I would have never paid a full price for those.

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That's all folks!

Do you like any of the new arrivals?

What's on your list and are you sticking to it?

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

Accordion top

Accordion pleat top

I almost forgot that I tried this top on. I actually quite liked it on a hanger and I thought this had a potential.

SIze Medium

It felt really nice and soft, waist was in a right place and I liked the shape of it. It looks too high waisted on a model and some other bloggers mentioned it but it was fine on me, maybe because of bigger size.  I thought it would work nicely with any capri pants. The price is way to high of course, I think you can get something similar for about $30 at other retailers but we all know the initial price is just a starting point at J.Crew...

Unfortunately, the pleats will not lay flat no matter what I did and it just looked messy. In fact, it does not look so bad in the pictures but it was a total pass IRL, not even on deep sale. 

See it also on FFM here and on Cate here.

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That's all folks!

Have you tried the Accordion Top

I am working on a post with  some vacation reflections and I am planning to stop by the concept store where they have already received some new arrivals!

KnitYarns have already stopped by today and you can read her report HERE.

Jacket and sweaters

Do you like peplum jackets? I do, but the peplum has to fall in the right place. Personally, I like it a little lower and not very puffy. I like the way it is done in this little jacket:

Size Medium, TTS

This jacket also comes in navy but I like the silver version better. But that may be because it is more summery color and when I was trying it on it was 100F outside.

I don't mind the two way zipper

This jacket is unlined (except for peplum) and it feels more like a sweater. I thought that would actually be more practical for my lifestyle. I tend not to wear many of my lined jackets too much because they feel too stiff. I like the fit and the peplum was not adding bulk. I thought it looked good with jeans and I think it will work with skirt as well.

does not stick out too much

$148, style 11654

78% cotton, 21% Rayon, 1% nylon

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The houndstooth sweatshirt.

Size Medium, runs big

I did not like this sweatshirt. It was boxy and old ladyish, imo. Medium was big, but I think Small would be too short. It did feelcomfortable. I forgot to take a picture of a tag and I don't remember a price, sorry.

Boxy

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What I did like was this cashmere sweater. The colors were gorgeous, fitting wth my fall color story and flattering. 

Size Small

I could not find a Medium, but I actually thing Small was a correct fit. Not too close, too short or too tight in the sleeves. I loved the neckline. It was plush an thick.

I would love to buy it and I think I would wear it a lot. But it is pricey.

$228. I will wait.

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That's all folks!

What do you think?

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

I have a review of a new purple tweed skirt coming up plus gallery of polka dots outfits.

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I am on vacation this week. I am not sure if I have access to the Internet but I will eagerly anticipate your comments and I will try to respond to you but my replies may be delayed

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Dresses

Interesting colorblock shift

I spotted this colorblock shift in the window display.  I don't have any details but it looks interesting. Sorry for the bad pictures. The dress was navy with rust sleeves and pink lining or cuffs, not sure which.

Blazer and capris in pink herringbone

This is a blazer I mentioned in my Monday's post when I reviewed the matching capris.

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Here are the dresses I actually managed to try on:

Zigzag sequin dress

Size Medium, runs big

This dress looked intriguing on the mannequin, so I wanted to give it a try. I am not big on sequins but I thought this could be a nice dress for a Holiday party. I grabbed a Medium but it was big and baggy, especially in the hips. I would need a small. I could have asked for another size but this dress had another, bigger problem. It was very itchy. It really should have been lined, it felt like a torture device and I could not wait to get it off. Too bad because it might have been an interesting dress. 

Not even on sale

I hate to say it but I am afraid the zigzag pullover that many of you liked might have the same problem.

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Allie dress

I did not think this dress would work for me but it was hanging next to the fitting room, so I took it with me as well.

Size 6, TTS to small

The color is very pretty and the shape is flattering to my surprise. Size 6 was a rather close fit and I would like to try an 8, for a comparison. My guess is that the 6 looks better, but the 8 would feel better. The waist was in a correct place and while the dress is on a shorter side, it was longer that I anticipated from the website and catalog pictures. There was plenty of room in the hips but it looks intentional. Pick the size to fit your chest.

nice fit

The seaming at the chest is not visible in my the pictures but it works! It makes the dress look nicely tailored. It is 100% wool and, I if you don;t mind shorter length, it is a very nice dress. Maybe the hem can be let down a little?  I did not check. Other colors are also interesting, especially roccoco red and festival blue.

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The last dress I tried is Jules dress is snowcat.

Size 8, TTS

This is another iteration of mod shift. I like the shape but it is nothing new.  The 8 was quite loose and maybe 6 would be a better fit. Again, this is a shorter dress, so you have to be comfortable with the length. I did like the pattern a lot, I thought it was very flattering. The dress was $188 and it is 100% rayon (boo!). If you prefer silk, the striped Jules is a better option. They also had them in solid green, in a fabric that looked like wool.

$188. Too bad it is not silk.

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That's all folks!

Do you plan on buying a dress this fall? 

Do you like any of the dresses I reviewed?

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

I'll have reviews of some cashmere, new peplum jacket and more tomorrow! 

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I am on vacation this week. I am not sure if I have access to the Internet but I will eagerly anticipate your comments and I will try to respond to you but my replies may be delayed

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