Blue and Green

I am definitely on the monochromatic kick in the last couple of weeks. I have always liked the ease and simplicity of it. Single color just pulls everything together while tonal variations and bits of pattern or texture keep it from being boring. In the beginning of the the last week I wore the peach/orange outfit and the black with cobblestone outfit which were both tonal. I plan on wearing the blush outfit no5 from my Valentine's Day post and I have few other monochromatic combinations in mind for the next week.

Brora sweater, bag Banana Republic, glasses Ray Ban, rest J.Crew



I always say that I am more of a blue than a green person but there are certain shades of green that I really like. I think it has to be a blue toned green, yellow toned greens make me look sick and suck all the light out of my complexion.

The skirt has some silver threads in the tweed and I liked how the necklace picked it up but I could not capture it well in the pictures because of the blazing sunshine. The skirt is J.Crew from couple of season's ago and the turtleneck is from Brora.

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jeans by Anthro, Coach purse, L&T cashmere vest, rest J.Crew

Again, this was a very sunny day and everything was coming out very washed out, he colors are much more vibrant irl.

I don't think I have worn a sweater vest over a button front shirt since my twenties but for some reason it felt right this time. I think it is because of the tonal aspect. The shell elongates the line of trousers and creates a leaner look, while the pattern of the shirts breaks up the monotony of blue.

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That's all folks!

Blue or green for you?

Are you drawn to monochromatic outfits like me?

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

Orange rhymes with pink

I hope you all had wonderful time, enjoying the Holidays with your family and friends. Thank you so much  for all the Christmas wishes, they warmed up my heart!

I ate enormous amount of food and drank quite a lot of wine, so I am now in recovery mode. I am technically off from work, but since I support end-of-the-year activities, I am still 'on call' and watching my emails. I will also spend New Years Eve working until midnight. This is not the most fun way to greet the New Year but hey, since everything in life can be commented upon using a quote from the Godfather movie "I said to myself, this is the business we've chosen..."

My gifts this year did not include any J.Crew and I am happy with that. I am also not into after-Christmas sales, just like I don't do Black Friday. I think I am definitely coming off the crewlade and shopping for clothes in general. I have plenty in my closet and I hope that in 2013 I will be mostly recycling what I already own. 

The outfit above is from couple of weeks ago, I just never got around to post it. In fact, I have several of those, so I will be using them this week. Since I am staying home, I am sitting by my Christmas tree, wearing (red) pajamas and a hoodie, having no reason or inclination to dress up.

This skirt looks like last year's Bright Flame, but it is an earlier version (2008?) and the color was called Persimmon. Persimmon is very similar to Bright Flame, Modern Red or Poppy, but the wool is thicker and the skirt has a fully fashioned waistband, which creates more flattering fit, at least on me.

 

I needed some cheering up in the rainy weather, so I decided to double up on brights and wear the skirt with the predominately pink Liberty print perfect shirt.

It is funny how sometimes, when you add more, you actually lessen the effect. Worn with something neutral or contrasting, the skirt color might have blinded your eyes, but when paired with something bright, it gets neutralized or maybe just more intentional, therefore less shocking orange.

My shoes and purse also have orange tones creating almost monochromatic effect again. I liked this outfit and it definitely put me in a cheerful mood.

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That's all folks!

Are you 'recovering' after Holidays? Watching the after-Christams sales?

Do you do bright on bright? Do you think it works here?

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

Let It Rain

Our late fall weather has been rather mild this year. It hardly even feel like December, except for the Holiday decorations popping up everywhere. We are getting some rain and fog, but no snow or real cold in sight, fingers crossed.  I admit I am enjoying it and taking the opportunity to wear the fall/winter transitional items, that sometimes don't get to be used too much.

One of such pieces in my closet is the Barbour Utility jacket that I bought when I visited Edinburgh few years ago. I had a great time with my good friend I was meeting there. Right before my travel I had some medical tests that turned out all horribly wrong.  Meeting with my friend let me focus on something else and indulge in some dark humor. Shortly after my arrival we were sitting on the sofa late at night, both a little uneasy and unsure what to do with the elephant in the room.  I was wearing a pair of new jeans and my hands got all black and blue from rubbing against them. My friend, who (like me) already had few drinks, noticed the color change and her face suddenly got all white.'What happened to your hands?!' she exclaimed terrified.  'Cancer.' I replied gravely and after few silent seconds I burst out laughing. My friend joined me in the attack of silliness and we could not stop for hours. Everything was easier after that and we had a blast the rest of my visit. Later on, after more tests and a lot more anxiety, it eventually turned out that the tests were a false positive.

My trip to Edinburgh was in January and it was drizzling everyday. Barbour jacket seemed like a perfect purchase then, but after coming back to US I never wore it that first year.  I resigned myself to thinking it will mostly have a sentimental value, which of course was worth every penny, but the practicality seemed to be another story.

 

Well, I am happy to report that I have been wearing it quite a lot this fall. In this outfit, I was able to combine two of my favorite fall-ish color combinations, brown with pink and brown with blue.

I have reviewed the jacket previously HERE. I am also wearing Boden boots, Coach bag, J.Crew No2 pencil skirt in herringbone (reviewed HERE), J.Crew Liberty shirt and a pink umbrella. 

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That's all folks!

Do you use dark humor to exorcise your fears?

What do you think of the Barbour jacket? Stylish or contrived?

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

Camels, zebras and liberty

I have more J.Crew Fall 2012 reviews today.

This is listed in the catalog under Liberty perfect shirts in assorted florals.

Size 6 in carnation

What can I say, I love those shirts.  These are in 100% cotton, which I like better than the cotton/silk blend, more substantial but still with a good drape. They fit TTS and I took size 6 in both. They have a nice feminine fit with no gaping. I really like J.Crew button fronts better than from any other retailer, it may just be my body type but still, this isone thing J.Crew does well imo.
 

I love the print of the floral shirt, it makes me smile. If only it wasn't so expensive, I would have bought it immediately.

Now, this paisley print is not for everybody.

Also in 6

This is a bold print and may be too much for many. I think it is too much for me. I am afraid this print would wear me. I do like it a lot, but I think I would prefer it in curtains.

This is a bold print!

It is nicely matched in front, good job J.Crew! I am a sucker for print matching and centering but no complains here.

So the first skirt goes on my wish list, for when/if it goes on sale,  the second one I will admire on others, with more guts and bolder personalities :)

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Size 8

I loved this cami the moment I saw it on the mannequin. I love camel and black and I thought it woudl be perfect with black trousers and pencil skirts and a nice transitional piece for when is still hot outside but the calendar says fall.

I grabbed an 8 which I took in many summer tops but I think a 6 would fit me better. It photographs very well, but irl the camel was washing me out and did not look as flattering.  I do love it in the pictures so I would have to try it again, maybe in a 6 this time. Even with jeans it looks great. Btw, the jeans are J.Crew matchsticks in size 27, I just grabbed them to have a neutral bottom for trying on all the tops. I don't like the fit btw. They bunch up awfully in the legs and do nothing for my butt, but then I never liked J.Crew jeans, so this comes as no surprise.

$138

100% wool, lining 100% polyester

The jury is still out on this cami. How versatile it would really be? It does read fall-ish but if it is not hot anymore and if you wear a cardigan or jacket you would loose the colorblock effect, leaving only the camel portion visible.  Hmmm.

I really, really like the idea of it... But you cannot wear ideas, can you?

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If you got tired of leopard and you are afraid of snakes maybe you'd like a zebra?

Zebras are one of the more stylish animals, aren't they? They are the It girls, the ones not afraid of stacking bracelets and super high heels.  Lol.  I have to say I liked this blouse a lot. The combination of brown and white/ecru with a navy trim was very flattering. The shape was easy to wear and cool looking, especially with pants. It has a blousy, loose fit but it is not sloppy. I took size 6 again so I would say it is TTS with loose fit. 

$128, 100% silk

I like this blouse and if/once it drops in price I will definitely consider it.

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Thats all folks!

More reviews coming up soon!

What do you think of this bunch?

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

I will have a new display pictures and some 'hookups' to share with you 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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Friday's OOTD round up

I didn't do an OOTD post for a while. Here are some outfits I have been wearing recently:

Gallerista Skirt

My Gallerista skirt is one of my favorite J.Crew purchases from last year and I was waiting, not so patiently, for spring to be able to wear it again. I like it with denim top to offset the dressiness of the skirt. It was the stock picture of this skirt that made me purchase my black Valentinas.

Liberty shirt and Italian Boucle pencil

You have seen both pencil skirt and the shirt but not together, I think. These are the last days I could still get away with wearing the wool pencil skirt, but the color definitely helps with transitioning to spring. With the busy print of the shirt, I didn't want to add any accessories but I like the belt with it. Those belts (I have the pink one as well, see below) are great, a little wider than skinnies and very soft. 

Merci Stripe tee & Ann Taylor capris

I am very happy with the Merci stripe tee and I have been wearing it a lot. I like it with white Ann Taylor capris. I added black ballet flats and black accessories to keep it from being too summery though.

Superfine cotton pencil 

This was no nonsense all navy outfit to keep it business like. I had a presentation that day and I did not want any distractions. I did add the pink belt to make it more 'me'.

Raj Paisley pencil

Here I got to wear my Raj Paisley skirt to church. It looked good with red . I saw a picture on Rynetta's blog with pink top, I have to try that combo next time.

Cotton v-neck & Silk Indigo skirt

This cotton v-neck is not the best quality or fit but the main reason I kept it was that I saw that I can wear it with my Silk Indigo skirt. The cobalt blue of this skirt is very hard to match and I've been wearing it with navy and black but the sweater is a perfect shade for it, so for 19.99 I decided to keep it and I am glad I did.

Paintbox cardi

The above was my Friday outfit and I didn't think it was exciting but I got a lot of complements, I think people like colorful, cheerful outfits.

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That's all folks!

Do you own any of the clothes I was wearing?

Do you like any of the outfits? What's your favorite?

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

Bored And Desperate - Should I Go Shopping???

I have a reluctant confession to make. I am tired of my Project 333 clothes.

You know how people are saying that narrowing your wardrobe to minimum let them discover what they truly love and liberated them from the tyranny of overflowing closets? I so wanted to be one of those people. I wanted to feel free from my shopping obsessions and satisfied with a few perfectly fitting, carefully selected garments. 

Well, I am bored!!!

Yes, I know I can create more cute outfits from what I currently have in my Project 333 closet. Yes, everything fits me, everything is my style and I love every individuaal piece. But still, I am sick of wearing the same things over and over (OK, so it was maybe 3-5 times each, but it feels like more).

On the top of that, we have an unusually warm weather here in New Jersey and I didn't take that into account. I cannot wear my wool pants, skirts and cashmere sweaters. As a result, I am stuck with about 15 weather appropriate garments in total. I don't feel liberated. I feel silly wearing the same boring outfits, when so many more appropriate choices hung abandoned in my other closets. Thank God I did not commit myself to 3 pairs of shoes or I would go nuts after 2 weeks (I have been doing it since January 1st).

I know nobody is forcing me to continue, but I am stubborn and I just cannot give up without feeling defeated. So I will stick with it until March 31st, boredom be damned. (I know, that's even more silly).
 

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So here we go, this is what I've been wearing recently:


Brora skirt, J.Crew perfect fit tee, Bandolino shoes

You have seen this Brora skirt with petrol blue lace trim thermal HERE, and this is very similar but a bit more appropriate for the warmer weather that we are enjoying.

Btw, it is not in our imagination. Did you know that the February 2012 was the warmest February on record in NJ (that is in last 118 years!)?  I don't mind it at all :)

Love those elbow snap perfect fit tees!

Cheap substitute for navy Valentinas

J.Crew capris, lace panel tee and black blazer, Repetto flats and Banana Republic bag

You have seen the pants HERE and Lace tee HERE, Repettos HERE.

Pop of Red never fails for me

It got too hot for the blazer

J.Crew  skirt , Banana Republic tee, J.Crew belt, Coach handbag and Chie Mihara shoes.

You have previously seen the skirt HERE and HERE and shoes HERE.

I noticed this awfully visible t-shirt hemline, so I have tucked it into the pantyhose. Yes I do wear pantyhose. It is useful for hiding hemlines and general smoothing out. No, it does not bother me at all.

no hemline!

I usually get untucked by the afternoon

Talbots shoes, necklace Banana Republic, everything else J.Crew

You have seen the skirt HERE and I have previously styled the blouse with trousers HERE, this is how it looks tucked into a pencil skirt.

Is this too much yellow?

J.Crew shirt, belt and bracelet. Peoples Liberation jeans and Bandolino shoes

You have seen the shirt HERE and HERE  and jeans HERE.

Love this Liberty shirt!

New bracelet, I don't see it online

That's all folks!

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Which one was your favorite?
Do you own any of the items? How do you wear them?
How quickly do you get tired of your outfits?
Please share, it would be no fun without you!!!

Liberty on Monday

To make things more interesting (or is it more complicated?), I sometimes challenge myself with weekly themes. For example, I would decide that this week I am going to wear pencil skirts every day. Or I will attempt color-blocking or monochromatic looks. Is this a little OCD? Do you ever do that?

So this week is a 'Blue Week' and everyday I will wear something blue. Blue includes navy in my book, btw. Today, I wanted to wear my double serge wool pencil skirt in Bronzed Ochre from fall 2010. My blue item is Liberty print shirt from Spring 2011. I forgot the name of the print, do you remember? It is one of my favorite shirts. I know many of you don't like the silk/cotton blend that J.Crew does because it is thin and sometimes sheer, but I do like them, for they are easy to tuck in, don't add bulk, are soft and perfect for layering.

Coincidentally, today J.Crew sent us an email about the new Liberty print shirt. It is called 'This week's discovery' and they are talking about this shirt:

This happy printy is very pretty but $15O? I have few other Liberty shirts and I bought them all for much less. I think the highest I paid was about $79, but most were between $30 to $60. I will wait for this one to go on sale.

Wait! It was not on my shopping list, darn it! Could it be my extra item? We shall see. There is another advantage in waiting for sale. By the time it gets there, many times I don't want it anymore. But I may order it to try the size before it gets to the dreaded Final Sale.

Did I mention that I am a Serial Returned? Yep, guilty of charge. If I order it, I will surely review it here.

For now, I will stick to my old Liberties. Here is another OOTD shot:


My boots and belt are also J. Crew, I am hopeless. Boots are from 2009 and I wear them a lot. I recently had them re-heeled and they are good as new, yay!

My sweater is J.Crew Cashmere Boyfriend cardigan in navy blue. This cardi is everything I expected from it. And by this I (also) mean that I do expect some pilling. I am sure it will not disappoint me ;)

Yes, I took the pictures in the bathroom, is that weird? It does have the best lighting.