Stripes, Leopard, Sunshine,Yoga and Flowers

My recent J.Crew purchase was the Villa Dress in Stripe.  It was $88 in the store.  I didn’t get it thinking it would go on sale soon and that full price was crazy for this dress, then went home,saw it online for $68 with an additional 30% off (Really J.Crew?   Do you need such inconsistency from store to online pricing?) I gave in, and took advantage of that 30% sale online.

The fabric weight is a good, thick weight similar to the Maritime Dress, which I love.  The buttons on the back are a nice touch:

This is a nice, easy summer dress which you can also add a jean jacket, cardigan or blazer.  I wore it today to the market with sandals (the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day). I paired it below with my J.Crew Nolita Denim Jacket (last year) and rooftop red Valentina Pumps (I swear I own more shoes than these, but yes, I do really love them).   

Speaking of shoes, what do you think of the new J.Crew Printed Wedge Espadrilles?  I like the print, but think the price is too much for the style.

J.Crew Printed Wedge Espadrilles, $128

 Now look what I found at Nordstrom Rack for $17 on the clearance rack?

Mee Too Princess Espadrille, $17 at Nordstrom Rack

They are super cute, open toe with a bow, comfortable, and too cheap not to indulge.  The brand is Me Too, found in Nordstrom, Endless.com, Zappos, etc.  The print and fabric are similar to J.Crew's at a bargain.

Today was a nice day.  I went to Hot Yoga this morning (I've been doing it for the last month.).  I got to wear my new yoga Practice Freely Tank top from Lululemon, which was perfect for the hot room.  I love it.  Namaste!

Lululemon Practice Freely Tank

I visited Pike Place Market in Seattle today for the Flower Festival.  The flowers were beautiful.

Pike Place Market

How was your weekend?   Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms!

J.Crew 2012 May Roll Out and Reviews

I'm back.  Since I last blogged I had an amazing vacation (thank you Maui) then a busy month.  Here are some of my purchases:

Amie Maxi Dress

After I said Larry David!

I love the simplicity of the Amie Maxi Dress.   See on the beautiful model above, then me in real life at a restaurant (Lelaini's on the beach).  I had on my Ami Maxi Dress, sunglasses and J.Crew navy summer hat and had a Larry David Spotting (look over my shoulder).   I said (rather loudly, accidentally) "Larry David!"  My kids said "Who cares?  Is that a celebrity?" It could've been the mai tai's at Aloha Hour on the beach, but my husband and I are convinced.

Mai Tai, yummy. 

I think the Amie Maxi Dress is a head turner, regardless if you are a celebrity.

Okay, now back to reality.  Seattle had some pretty days that inspired my desire for Spring.  Then my J.Crew Personal Stylist, kept after me pushing my addiction, even after I said: "I spent too much on vacation!  Give me until May to even think about new clothes..." Then she sent me a link with the new May roll out. There I am, the j.crew junkie trying to withdrawal, going to the store, sucked in again...

So, here's the thing.  I had big aspirations.  I said "I will come in and peek.  Just let me get the clearance Valentina pumps and I will be on my merry way.  I'm trying to quit this month."

Then, I saw the pencil skirts. Wow.  I like.  Maybe just a little look, but none for me.  Well, I guess there could be worse things I could do.

A J.Crew bag full of lovely goodies later, here are some things I bought or tried:

J.Crew No.2 Raj Paisley Skirt

 The J.Crew No. 2 Raj Paisley Pencil Skirt Is it me, or does that skirt belong with my shoes?  I think so...

Next up, I'm the geek in the pink...and green...How about this skirt  - the No. 2 Pencil Skirt in Garden Floral.  I love the fit (I sized down), the color options are incredible (I can wear orange, pink, navy, green, white, you name it). Seriously.  This skirt.  I didn't need it, but how could I live without it?

J.Crew Featherweight Cardigan in Warm Jade

I also love the Garden Floral print in the Ella Dress:

Beautiful!

I had to buy the featherweight cotton cardigan, in jade.  Beautiful color and perfect for summer.  It fits true to size.  I paired the skirt and cardigan with the Vintage Cotton Tank in the Neon Azalea color that is all over the store.  Then I ordered pink shoes that weren't in store but online.  Arriving in 3-6 business days.  So much for April restraint.

I also got the J.Crew Drea Pumps in Leopard Patent for 30% off of 99.99 in store.

How was your week?

J.Crew Spring 2012 and Recent Shoe Acquisitions

Happy 2012!

I'm ready for Spring to arrive and I'm looking forward to Spring and the new J.Crew 2012 Spring roll out.  During my recent shopping adventures, I had to check out the No.2 Pencil Skirt in Gardenshade Floral:

In real life it's a less bright and more faded, similar to the No.2  Leopard Print wash (Imagine me in beautiful heels, less pasty legs and with a much more flattering pose that isn't end of day post dinner to really appreciate it).  I wish it looked like it did on the model, but the colors are still flattering.  I I would pair it like the model has above, but it would pop with lime green, periwinkle blue and works well with black, navy or cream.  It's so versatile and would be a wardrobe workhorse year round, so it deserves to be in my closet. Sold!

J.Crew No.2 Pencil Skirt in Gardenshade Floral, $128

Meet CeCe, Mona’s Little Sister!   
I have an announcement regarding an addition to my shoe family.  My beloved Wild Berry Mona Pumps (which I acquired a couple of months ago) just got a flat shoe little sister, Cece, the ballet flats.  I am not a flat shoe kind of girl.  My husband can’t stand them on women (it’s kind of like sweats in public, he considers them a sign on giving up!) so I have a bit of an aversion of flats due to his feeling.  Then I started seeing some of the cute Tory Burch ones, and decided that it’s so wrong, but it’s so right.  I vetoed him.  Other than the disapproving eye rolling and jokes, he’s going to come to terms with it.   

J.Crew Cece Ballet Flats

J.Crew Mona and Cece in Wild Berry

I was drawn to these naturally because I love pink and this has a slightly purplish hue to the pink vs. fuchsia (which I also appreciate).  I’m sure it sounds crazy to have two shoes of the same color, but I need the coffee shop or running errands casual shoes and the beautiful work shoes, the ones that people have stopped me and commented.   This wild berry color is adorable and so complimentary.  It especially works well with all of my J.Crew Bright Dahlia colors and coordinates with some of the other colors in my closet.    How could you go wrong when it feels so bright?

Leopard Print Wedges: The Splurges and the Deal
Speaking of shoes, I need to tell you about my  recent Leopard Print Calf hair Wedge score. First, there were the Christian Louboutin Peanut Leopard-Print Wedges at $965.  These are the shoes I stop and look at and hope that they go on sale at 90% off, or a more affordable brand comes up with a great knock off.

Christian Louboutin peanut 70 leopard-print wedges, $965

Then, J.Crew came up with a great leopard wedge knockoff in with the Martina calf hair wedge at $358.  Seriously, J.Crew? Pricing over $300?  As much as I wanted them and liked the print better, I decided to wait for a good sale to justify.

J.Crew Martina Calf Hair Wedge, $358

Finally, I went to Nordstrom Rack and spotted Ivanka Trump 'Linear' Wedge on sale for $37. They are a nice calf hair print, comfortable and look almost identical to the J.Crew version and very comfortable, which is important. I won't compromise comfort for cost.  

Ivanka Trump Linear Wedge, $37

In real life:

Grrrr....

I think I can calm down on shoes for a while, at least until more spring styles come out.

Have a great week and happy Valentine's Day!

Summer Lovin'

Summer is my favorite season.  I love everything about it: the warmth, longer days, the styles - from fabulous sun dresses, skirts, flip flops, bright lip and nail colors on the possibility of a tan.  

I went to Ohio this week to visit my mother.  The weather was hot and muggy, and I pretty much packed sun dresses  and flip flops.  I got back late Sunday night after delayed flights to a busy work week. I did manage to do some shopping yesterday and last week before I went.  

I made a trip to J.Crew and tried on the Maritime Dress in Navy.   I tried the size down for a different look:

Maritime Dress, Sized down to Small

Here is my original dress in my regular size to give you an idea for cut, depending on how you want to wear it.  The sail blue seems softer inside.  Would it be ridiculous to get two of the same dresses in different colors and sizes?

Original Maritime in Medium (I typically belt it)

I found the Daytripper Pants on Final Sale for $13.99. Score!  These are great weekend pants that are as comfy as sweats.

I have been debating on the Sequin-Stripe Tank, then ended up caving and got this one online with the 20%:

J.Crew Fisherman Cardigan
J.Crew Montezuma Collar Necklace
J.Crew Sequin-Stripe Tank
J.Crew Daytripper Pants
Italian Shoemaker Shoes

The Fisherman Cardigan is so comfy.  I sized down because the sleeves were so long.

I liked the black sequin-striped tank that I tried last time, but ended up going for the dune color, which is opposite of what I would typically pick. Here's the black striped one just in case I should reconsider:

J.Crew Sequin-Stripe Tank
Kut from the Cloth Denim Jacket

At Nordstrom Rack, I found some great deals on sandals.  Now is the time to buy because you will find sales in anticipation of early fall arrivals.  I got a pair of Tory Burch Thora Metallic Flip Flops in Turquoise:

Tory Burch Metallic Thora Flip Flops, $69 on sale

Since I must have been on a metallic sandal kick, I also got a comfy pair of Born Chacha Sandals at the disagreement of my 11 year old daughter (she is not a fan):

Born Chacha Sandals, $49 on sale

I went to Nordstrom to try and buy some lip colors.  I went to the Laura Mercier counter and got the
Peony Stick Gloss. This lip color is as close to perfect as it gets.  It’s longwearing and hydrating, part lip gloss and blam that provides a beautiful wash of a sheer and universally flattering color.

I also bought the Laura Mercier Limited Edition Berry Sorbet Gel Lip Color.  This is so stunning for summer and I love the coverage.  I probably need another one to tuck away since I love it so much.

I hope your summer is going well.  What are you lovin' right now?