A New Milestone

Several years ago, I would not have been caught dead doing this. I still would not be caught doing this on a Friday or Saturday night. Yet, for the first time tonight, after a trip to J. Crew to exchange some things, I --- get this ---- went to see a movie . . . BY MYSELF!!! Considering my weird work schedule and the abundance of time I have off during weekdays, I have been thinking about this often, but have been to lazy to follow through on it. This couldn't have come at a better time, though, because there was a movie theater at the mall, and this movie was starting just a minute or two after I browsed up to the marquee to see what was playing.

What did I see, you ask? Confessions of a Shopaholic, of course! Lame, I know, but I love Isla Fisher, and I have read almost all of the books, despite the fact that they became increasingly annoying with each new one. Besides, I don't know of too many other people in my vicinity who would like to go see this movie anyway. Furthermore, I pretty much AM a shopaholic, and the subject of this movie is something I can relate to!

Overall, I thought it was really cute and really funny. Better than expected. And lots of eye candy in terms of great costumes, scenery, and the cute leading man! Plus, there was an appearance by a J. Crew item; the Campo de' Fiori sweater dress from last year. It was worn by the main character's roommate and styled with hot pink tights to make it look completely atrocious. But I was happy by the sighting, nonetheless. Seriously, I am a COMPLETE dork!

Since I'm Doing Absolutely Nothing Today . . .

. . .I thought it'd be the perfect time for a good ole' post about a recent J. Crew purchase! Yesterday the UPS man brought me the Dressy Grecian V-Neck Long Dress in Oasis Green. Although I typically don't purchase items meant for spring/summer wear in winter months (and vice-versa), I had just received my Spring Rewards card, and had a feeling that this dress wouldn't be around for very long. Well, I was right, because I noticed only a few days later that the dress was sold out in my size in the green color!



The color is very pretty and similar to how it looks on the website. The jersey is of a nice weight and not as unforgiving as those side-tie jersey dresses from last year. The size also runs true to what J. Crew jersey dresses usually run. Since I'm small-chested, I wear an XS, which fits perfect. Even though I'm pear-shaped, the dress is flowy enough that the XS is still a good fit. At 5'5", I'm a bit too short for the dress, but that can be easily fixed, as the dress is un-hemmed. I don't trust myself enough to cut it evenly, so I'd probably still take it to a tailor to have it done. Although I am small-chested enough where I wouldn't need to wear a bra with this dress, I like how it is not too low-cut in neither the front nor the back where I can still have the option to wear a strapless bra with it.

Overall, I am very pleased with this dress and glad I made the purchase. It will be perfect for summer brunching on the patio or for a Mexican beach vacay which I plan on taking with the girls later this year! It will look just fabulous with some gold accessories or some chunky wooden bangles or necklace.

Random musings about J. Crew

I'm just going to quick hit a few deals I got and make a few comments about a few items:

Salina Iridescent Patent Leather Flats in Guava:

I think I got these on sale, plus 30% off, so they were around $60. They are very pretty and the guava color is neutral enough to go with almost anything.

Large Odile Bag in Driftwood:

Once again, a great neutral to go with everything. It's also the type of neutral that will work year-round. The leather is very soft. It is lined with cotton twill. I was a little disappointed that it didn't come with a dust bag, but I can live with that. It was only around $150 including shipping after 30% off the sale price. I actually ended up with two of these bags after I got an e-mail stating that my original order had been cancelled. Well, I reordered the bag since it was showing as still in-stock, and what do you know, both my original and the new one arrived at my doorstep. While returning the extra bag, a woman in the next line over loved it so much that she decided to purchase it after my return was complete.

Italian Calfskin Jamie Bag in Dark Cloud:
The leather on this bag is soooo soft and pretty, but it will scratch quite easily. It is quite roomy and lined with a silk grosgrain type material. Unfortunately, on my second day of using it, the tassel on one of the zipper-pulls came detached. It's hard to describe, but basically I am going to have to try to take it to a shoe repair and see if they can do anything about it. J. Crew was already sold out of the Jamie bags in this color, but they did credit 10% of the purchase price back to my card to cover the expense of getting it repaired. I got this bag on sale for around $210, which is almost half of what it originally cost.

Morgan Cozy Cardigan:

I posted about this earlier on my list of things that I wanted. I bought it, but now I am having second thoughts. It is super soft and cozy. However, it is not made entirely of alpaca wool. It also contains acrylic, which is not acceptable for a sweater that costs nearly $200. I was in my local J. Crew today, and they had the sweater on sale for $130 (plus an additional 30% off), so I might see if there is a store that has my size left and repurchase it at the lower price.

Cashmere Sweaters:


They are all only $99 in stores, plus an additional 30% off. I got an off-white cardigan and a black turtleneck. Boring, yes, but they are just some staples I needed for my wardrobe.

My local store was pretty close to clearing out all of their winter merchandise and predominantly featuring their spring/resort collection. Some of the items are very pretty, but I have barely even started to get wear out of my fall and winter stuff! I just need to hold out for as long as possible, knowing that it will eventually go on sale. While I love the J. Crew Aficionada blog, reading it all the time makes me become a bit irrational. I decide I *have* to get a certain item right as soon as it comes out, because it won't be available for long. Well, that bit me in the ass more than a few times, because practically everything I ever bought at full price ended up sticking around and getting marked down big time! This is good for J. Crew, but bad for my checking account...

New Arrivals at J. Crew: Hits and Misses

Okay, so this is like my millionth post in a row about J. Crew, but whatevs. It's keeping me blogging, so that's good, right?

Anyhow, J. Crew has updated their website with some new arrivals for the holidays. There are a few things that I'm excited about, some things I wish I was excited about, and some things I'm not too excited about.

Let's bring on the cute, shall we?:

Metallic Houndstooth Marie Jacket, $425.

If only I had a man to take me to some fine establishments so I could get some use out of something like this! Or if only I lived in a place where people walked further than the distance from car to building and back so I could show this baby off. I love how effortlessly sophisticated the model looks in this picture. This is a jacket that could definitely be dressed up or down. Want it. But still have zero use for it.

Liquid Gold Sequin Skirt, $250.
Once again, another item I have no use for but absolutely love. If only I had some fancy holiday party to go to! And for a full skirt that is entirely covered in sequins, I'd say the price is just about right. With the insane prices J. Crew has been charging for their Collection items, I'm surprised they didn't price this item higher.

Merino Sequin Chiffon Shell, $148.


More sequins, but this is a piece I could actually fit into my generally non-dressy lifestyle. It would look cute with with some dark jeans and heels for a night out. I would have to try this on in person, however, because the shape on the model looks a tad suspect.

Morgan Cozy Cardigan, $198.

If I had to sum up my winter style in one item of clothing, this would probably be it. I live for this kind of stuff. Plus, it is made from baby alpaca wool, which is insanely soft (but does have a tendency to shed).

And now for the pieces I'm not so pumped about:

Sanibel Crawford Blouse, $160

Don't get me wrong, I adore the print, but as you can see in a previous post, I am not a fan of the shape of the Crawford, at least not on me. I would love to see this pretty print on something different! And an extra $72 for the print on this blouse (as compared to the solid colored version) is a bit extreme.

Cashmere Chunky Cable Sweater, $450.

Wow, this even makes the model look puffy. That's saying something.

There's nothing else that really catches my eye and makes me say, "yuck," but I will say that I am disappointed in the lack of new dresses that J. Crew has rolled out with this time. I'm not sure exactly what I've been looking for, but I do know that J. Crew does not have it. There are a few okay dressy dresses, but nothing that wows me. And there aren't enough casual cute dresses either. I wish J. Crew made some more cozy sweater dresses, or some shirt dresses like they did last winter.

And of course, there are many more things in this latest roll-out that have caught my fancy, but it would probably take me the rest of the night to blog about them!

Has J. Crew been reading my blog???

Haha, doubtful!! However, I did find this cute little notebook amongst the new holiday arrivals on their website:



Coincidence?

Item of the Week: The Wide Patent Leather Belt

Ugh, so sorry for being a lazy blogger! I've been a very lazy, tired person in general, lately, what with the new job and all of the partying a newly single person does on the weekends!

Anyhow, I thought I would take this time to praise a very simple item that has really added a lot to my wardrobe as of yet. It is the wide patent-leather belt from J. Crew in Dusty Rose, $55:



Normally, I hate spending money on belts. Or accessories in general. I would rather spend the money on a shirt or something. I'm slowly but surely starting to see the light, however. This recent purchase has already done a few useful things for me. On a sort of casual night out on Friday, I used it to cinch in the waist of a simple, flowy black tank top from Old Navy. Not to brag, but I got several compliments on this outfit. I love how the right accessories can add a bit of interest to otherwise cheap and boring items.

I also wore the belt on Saturday to a wedding with my Watercolor Floral Madison Dress from J. Crew. The almost neutral color of the belt worked well with the deep blues and aquas of the dress. I pulled together the look with some patent-leather platform pumps in nearly the same color as the belt.

One of my favorite things about this belt is its lack of holes/grommets. This means you can always adjust it to fit you perfectly. I always seem to have issues with belts that are made to go around your waist; they are usually either too big or too small. Problem solved with this belt. I am so pleased that I am going to pick one up in black as well. I think it would look great to tailor the look of a bulky grey cardigan. Besides, I'm such a sucker for black patent leather!

As IF!

Let me preface this by saying I am NOT getting married anytime in the near future. However, if I was, these are some dresses I would love to try (all from J. Crew, of course):

The Luxe Drapey Jacquard Turner Gown, $1300


I am in love with the neckline of this dress, and the jacquard is a nice departure from your typical lace or satin. So chic and elegant.

Lisette Gown, $2000


This dress is just so unique. I love how the flower applique carries on up the straps of the dress. This would be perfect for a beach or countryside wedding.

Eyelet Cascade Gown, $1200

This sweet little number would look absolutely adorable for a summertime shotgun wedding!

And I would just absolutely FORCE my bridesmaids to wear either one of these cute berry-trim dresses:

Berry-Trim Strapless Nathalie Dress, $350





Berry-Trim Nathalie Tank Dress, $350


The color would be bright peacock, which is a pretty teal that would flatter everyone's skintone, and would work practically year-round.

While J. Crew's bridesmaid dresses are on par with or slightly more expensive with your typical bridesmaid dresses, I think one of their greatest advantages is that they have versatility (a.k.a. they don't just look like bridesmaid dresses).

I am amazed with the pricing on the wedding gowns, however. Many of the styles are unique and beautiful, and cost much, much less than your typical wedding dress (or at least much less than something I would expect to buy). Plus I like how many of the gown have straps, which are pretty much impossible to find these days in the sea of strapless wedding dresses!

I've Been a Bad, Bad Girl

I think I just bought my bus ticket to hell. Okay, not really; that was a complete over-exaggeration. But I indulged in way too many guilty pleasures yesterday. I deserve to be in time out.

1. I went to J. Crew for the second time this week. Additional Items Marked Down + An Extra 40% off + 15% Student Discount = I Can't Believe My J. Crew Card Isn't Maxed Out By Now. By the way, the Watercolor Floral Madison Dress that I bought on Monday is now only $79.99, plus an additional 40% off. Are you freaking kidding me? That dress is awesome, and a complete steal at that price.

2. I went to the American Girl Store. Yes I did. I'm a grown-ass, childless, 27-year old woman and I totally went there. I've been wanting to go ever since it opened up in the Dallas Galleria last year. It's not even like you can just stop in there on your way to a more age-appropriate store since it's not actually connected to the mall. American Girl Dolls were a childhood obsession of mine, particularly Kirsten, the Swedish Pioneer. I loved her so. I also had Felicity and Samantha, but they got the red-headed stepchild treatment. I guess it didn't help Felicity's case much that she actually was a red head.




I was so disappointed to see that Kirsten is probably one of the least popular dolls now. They even took away some of her outfits, as well as her school bench and lunch. Blasphemy!!! How is she going to even compete with these newer broads who have doll best friends and roller skates?? I think I'm taking this a bit too seriously. After all, I briefly considered asking the stylist at the doll hair salon if they would be able to do anything to tame my Kirsten's frizzy tresses.

3. I skipped working out in favor of some mango margaritas.

4. I went to see The House Bunny. Obviously it's not going to win an Oscar, but it entertained my small, margarita-buzzed brain for approximately 90 minutes. I was mesmerized with how tiny and perfect Anna Faris' body was. Why can't I look like that? Oh yeah, it's because I skip workouts to sip on margaritas.



5. I ordered champagne, I mean, sparkling wine, at a pub. Can we say "high maintenance"? I'm ashamed to admit that I do this quite frequently. Slap the cuffs on me officer, I'm guilty as charged.

The Look for Less? Shopping With a J. Crew Personal Shopper

Like I said in the previous post, there just is no substitute for bonafide J. Crew. And when you gotta have it, you gotta have it. Well, what better way to feed your need than with a discount and some free style advice? Since early this month, J. Crew has been running a promotion where you can get 20% off all of your full-priced purchases when you make an appointment with a personal shopper and spend at least $100. Done and done.

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't so sure about the personal shopper thing at first. I'm pretty particular about what I wear, and I didn't want the added pressure of having to spend a lot of money because I have someone helping me out. But after hearing other J. Crew aficionadas rave about their experiences with their personal shoppers, I decided to take the plunge and set up an appointment. My growing wishlist of new fall items also helped nudge me in the right direction.

When I first got there, the personal shopper, Lana, had already pulled several items in my sizes and put them in a dressing room. We then talked about what my (fashion) goals were and walked around the store and pulled some more stuff that I liked and that she suggested for me based on what I said I wanted, or what would go with pieces that I already recently purchased.

I thought I went in with a fairly open mind and with the intention of trying everything the personal shopper suggested. However, I soon realized that my already negative opinion of certain items didn't miraculously change once I put them on. The Donegal Tweed Ecole Jacket? Eh. It looked okay undone, but I don't really see myself as a blazer person. Glass-Button Featherweight Merino Cardigan? This is one of those long, v-neck cardigan shapes that is becoming popular. I didn't like it at all. Even in an extra-small, this thing swallowed me and just looked shapeless and sloppy. This is definitely one trend I am not going to adopt. The Dream Taffeta-Sash Cardigan was very plush and soft, and slightly better than I expected, left untied and over a graphic tee, but not something I'm going to spend $150 on at this point. Maybe it if goes on super-sale in the future...

So what DID the personal shopper help me accomplish anyway (besides allowing me to get 20% off)?? She was able to tell me what styles worked for me and what didn't. She was able to come up with suggestions on how to pair certain pieces together. Who would have thought to put a purple Jackie Cardigan over the Serengeti Tank? I know I wouldn't have thought of it, but now it's an option that I have, and it's awesome!  And girlfriend squeezed me into a size zero dress that I never would have even considered trying on, because I never thought my hips would allow it!

Oh yeah, and she also enabled me to spend much more than I wanted to, but damn, I am all the more happier for it! I mean, I actually SAVED over $300, so really, it was a no-brainer.

Bottom line: Lana rocks! And did I mention that she has the most adorable eastern European accent? She sounds just like my friend Miriana, who is from Bulgaria. I can't promise that your local J. Crew will have an eastern European Lana, but they probably will have a personal shopper there who can give you some good style advice, as well as 20% off some fabulous fall clothes if you get in there by August 29th.

What was that you say? What did I buy? Oh yeah. Now the fun stuff. I won't show you EVERYTHING I bought, because that would just incriminate me.