J. Crew Review: Pleat-front Mini Skirt

Ok. I have really wanted to get excited about something at J Crew - and I think I have finally found something! The reviews of this skirt are pretty mixed online but a lot of the complaining is about the length (at 5'4" it's perfect on me). The exposed zipper is not my fave but overall I think this skirt is a winner. Wish it came in other colors. Can't do neon green, black is a bit blah and this pink is leaning a bit towards pepto.

Pleat-front Mini Skirt (size 2) in Petal Pink

 The skirt is a fairly heavy weight but I really appreciated that. I think it helps the pleats to lay flatter. This style is really hit or miss on me but I wanted to give it a try. The exposed zip is blah de blah but the cute little box pleats are working.

 Pockets that don't add bulk, yippee!

 I think this skirt runs a bit big which is saying a lot since I'm still holding onto 5-7 pregnancy pounds and my waist is certainly not at its best. I'm trying to show that the waist is sagging down a bit in the left hand picture making the butt stick out a bit (duck butt as my mom used to call it. Nice). When I pinched the waist in a bit the skirt lay flatter in the front and back (RH pic). So, I think I would like to try a size 0 in this skirt (one size down).

Overall I think it is adorable and short enough to be cute without being inappropriate for work.

What do you think?

I bought this so you didn't have to: J. Crew Blurred Ikat Drapey Pant

I have been eyeballing these pants in the sale section FOREVER. I just didn't want to risk it with final sale. Well, the 50% on them has gone away but so has the final sale so I decided to try.

Blurred Ikat Drapey Pant (size 2)

 I normally would not be drawn to this print but I really like it on the pant. Sort of fun and cool without drawing too much attention.  These do the same things that the Dutch Floral Pants did - create a little pouf on the front thigh (see 2nd photo). The pleating is done in an odd way although it didn't find it TOO terrible. Length is good if you are going for the pajama-y versus ankle pant look. Nice elastic waist in back but flat in front. LINED. What? Yes lined.

 Blurred Ikat Drapey Pant (Size 0)

 The size 0 (one size down) definitely fit better and helped in the pleating department. I'm trying to show that the side view is not quite as funky but it does still get a little "crotchy" as you move. I wish they had made these out of the same material as a Martie or the Dutch Floral pant. They are a really lightweight (read: static-y) polyester that feels like a fake silk. I'm just worried they'd always be sticking to me, especially in winter.
A lot of reviewers mentioned tight calves but I didn't notice this at all. When I bent down in a squat there is a bit of snugness because of the lack of give in the fabric but that's all I noticed.

Overall these are cute but I have to debate a) whether I need them b) if the fabric is going to drive me nutty and c) if they look good even with the slight pleating bagginess in front.

What do you think?

J. Crew Review: Spring New Arrivals!

It's amazing how one day of warmer weather and melted snow will change your spirits. Ahh... it was so nice to be outside and have a light jacket on, and sun on my face! My poor baby barely knows what the outdoors is at this point. I took her to the library the other day and I think it almost blew her mind - she pretty much knows the inside of our car and the four walls of our house :)

Anyway - J Crew was certainly reflecting spring and I think they are starting to do some things right!

Photo Floral Tank Top (XS)

I was immediately drawn to this top in the most recent rollout. It's very cute but the pink is rather blah with my skin tone. The fit is right on in my usual XS. Liked a lot but would prefer on someone with a darker skin color.

 Indigo Stripe Floral Baseball Tee (S)

Love a good baseball tee. This one is fine and onsale but nothing to get excited about. Somehow felt the floral stripe section added weight to my arms.

Mixed Print Long-Sleeve Tee (XS)

Same tee, different name, grey. I would probably take an XS in this (my usual size) in anticipation of the eventual weaning and return of normal bosoms. I liked it a bit better in grey.

 Aquatic Floral Silk Dress (size 4)

Ok. So this is absolutely lovely. The silk feels REALLY nice and the colors are so sweet - slightly minty. I'm almost sure this was a size 4 and it fit perfectly in the waist and bust which means this dress might run slightly small in the waist but probably fairly big in the chest. The neckline is perfect and the waist hit me exactly at the right spot. This dress is really special and would be great for a summer wedding/event/cocktail party whatever. I am not personally so drawn to the print but if you are this dress is fabulous!

 Double-Stripe Cap-Sleeve Dress in Black Natural (size 2)

This dress is more my personal style. It is very snug in my usual size 2 but I think that's the unrehabbed abs and breastfeeding talking. I think it's super cute and I even like the slightly longer length. The little cap sleeves were adorable. The material had a nice linen-y feel to it but not thin at all.

 Martie Pant (size 2)

My other pictures of these got messed up. This are great. I don't feel like they are like the minnies at all - they are fitted but not TIGHT like the minnies are on me. Very flattering. They are not quite a match for me at this point in my pregnancy recovery because they have a small waistband and that is not working for my mummy tummy. There is also a bit of extra material in the crotch area which I am finding with lots of pants right now. Not sure if it's me or them. Ha ha.

Striped Side-Zip Tee Dress (XS and S)

Size XS above. Size S on the left. I soooo wanted this dress to work. The Xs felt a little snug for this type of dress. The S did weird things along the zipper line. It's like the dress needs to be a little tight so the zipper doesn't bulge out along the side. On the right I am trying it as a slightly unzipped tunic. Me no likey.

XS again. I love the shoulder detail but that darn zipper kept on bulging a bit. Plus the snugness. Plus that zipper is heavy and COLD. I knew I wouldn't reach for it in my closet. Why couldn't they do this but with small zippers like the maritime dress. Boo.

I also tried on a really lovely skirt but my computer didn't want to download the images. I'll try again and post later.

Anything from the most recent rollout that you are loving?

J. Crew Review: Chunky Trim Cardigan, Ankle-Zip Cargo Pant, Cuffed Lightweight Chambray Pant, Floral Sailor Tee and Soaring Birds Tee

Excuse the exercise pants in these photos - time is scarce these days and I try to fit as much in as possible when I have a babysitter and I'm not working. Had the privilege of going to the gym AND having some time for shopping. Dare a girl dream? Here are a few things I found:

 Soaring Birds Tee (XXS)

I love birds so I couldn't resist trying this on. It's your typical J Crew t-shirt fare but I really liked it. The shiny birds are a cute touch. I thought it was visually slimming yet not grabby so I did end up taking this one home. We'll see how it fares after a wash in the machine.

 Floral Sailor Tee (XS)

I was actually surprised by how cute I thought this was. Excuse my frog legs in the left picture. It took me a while to get over my fear of exercise tights but they are super comfortable to work out in. On the whole I try to work out in them and then change into something else but did not have time. I adore stripes and was tempted by this but it is a little cropped. Not sure I need something cropped right now.

 Chunky Trim Open Cardigan (XS/S) in Wet Boulder?

There are pockets on the side and while this is super cool it also adds some bulk. We've seen this cardigan from J Crew a lot - I think I would have preferred no pockets and slightly longer. That being said, it's a nice thick cotton.

 Ankle-Zip Cargo Pant (size 0)

They didn't have a size 2 to try on which is my current J Crew size. Post-baby I went back up to a size 2 and I'm not sure if it's those extra 4 pounds or if it's a permanent hip widening. Realllllly hoping for the former not the latter :) I couldn't even bear to include the butt photo. Non bueno. I would go with your regular size for these. I felt super diapery up top.

Cuffed Lightweight Chambray Pant (size 2)

These are so crazy. I think some people are really enjoying them but they were terrible on me. OMG that back view - grandpa butt. The rise is super high for me. Lots of extra material in that area and then the legs slim to the ankle. The elastic at the bottom is a turn off for me. The material flows nicely - has sort of a silvery color to it. The flap pockets also don't work on me.

I couldn't even believe the amount of new arrivals in the sale section! Everything firework floral related plus many many more. Not needing anything right now but hoping for some spectactular prints for the summer.

J. Crew Review: Dutch Floral Pant

This was pretty much the only thing I was interested in during one of J Crew's releases earlier this year. I love me some crazy print pants and this print is to die for. I kept on meaning to order these when final sale wasn't around but never remembered to. Then, they came back in my size + 40% and I wondered what to do. I pretty much never gamble on final sale any more (although I've been lucky on the whole) but I couldn't resist with these. I had a gift card so technically they weren't costing me anything (ha ha) and since they weren't too pricey I could easily take them to my tailor and not feel too bad. After reading reviews I decided to size down and here are the results:

J. Crew Dutch Floral Pant (size 0)

 Ok. Whew. Not a disaster. In fact I really like these and am glad I sized down. The only weird thing (which I don't know is because I sized down or not) is that the rise feels slightly low and the seam sort of pulls a bit underneath me. I feel like these pants want to be worn slightly higher but that seam makes me wear them lower on my hips. Just fyi. There are pleats and I wish they weren't there but they are not a disaster. If you look at the side view you can see a little bump on my quad. That's the result of the pleating up top. I'm going to try to get that fixed by my tailor.

 Pockets that don't add bulk - yahoo!

 With heels - SO much better. I actually think they're pretty flattering. In the right hand picture I am pulling the pants back on the left side to make the leg slimmer. I don't actually think it needs this but for reference.

Side view with heels. A bit of pooling of fabric at the top of foot but not bad.

I tried to tuck the right side under so that the pant hits more ankle length (did not do very good job).

Foot to the left has tucked pant leg, other leg is the normal one.

So here are the big questions. Do I try to get the pleats taken out? Do I just try to sew them down a bit so I don't get the poufiness on the front of the leg? Do I just leave them alone? The other thing I'm struggling with is whether or not to leave them a bit long and slouchy like pajama pants or to have them cuffed to the ankle to make them a bit sleeker.

Thoughts?