Perfect Pencil Skirt - J. Crew: Ways to Wear It

I've had several opportunities lately to wear this skirt, so I thought I would share a few pics! Plus, a way to wear a spring/ summer item for the fall!

Shirt: J. Crew (cotton silk twisted placket)

Skirt: J. Crew

Necklaces: J. Crew

Belt: Martin + Osa

Black belt: J. Crew

Tank: Ann Taylor

Cardigan: AT LOFT

Skinny Belt: J. Crew

Jacket: F21
Shirt: CAbi
Skirt: J. Crew
Necklace: Lisa Sophia

Hope you had a great weekend!

Ann Taylor Super-Sale

So, this is a little late in posting but....what's new?

A couple of weeks ago, ONE of the Ann Taylor's in our area was having 50% off all tops (sweaters included)! I say ONE, because the other AT in my area was having Buy 1, Get 1 50% (which is soooo not the same thing!) Also, they were offering 40% off all sale items!

Anyway, I snagged a few great deals (and bonus, I was by myself at the time of shopping, so I got to spend tons of time trying on and scouring for deals!) mostly for winter, I'm pretty pumped!

From the Sale Racks (@ 40% additional savings):

Rayon/ Wool Ruffle Top

Pd: $17 - non-itchy and the perfect weight for a sweater (although I'm not sure they think of it as a sweater, I do :) Currently Sold Out online.

I also snagged gold metallic and silver metallic seamless camis from the sale racks for Christmas outfits. I always find myself wishing a had metallic cami to go under certain sweaters, cardis, etc... so I was pumped to pick them up for about $11 each! (no pics - those camis are NOT forgiving on the tummy/waistline area .... who needs to see that?!)

From the 50% Full Price Selection:

Paid: $25 - Breast Cancer Awareness and fundraiser tee - so cute for October!

Textured Cowl Neck Sweater

paid: $44 - itchy, but I LOVE the color, so I can wear a tee shirt underneath ... loving this with black leggings and even without the belt it is not "tent-like". This is still FP online.

One of my favorites is the *Wool Cardigan with Grosgrain Trim* in "Galaxy". I didn't take a pic of it yet, but I plan on pairing it with my cream cords or over a black dress. I am loving the navy and black combo right now! This is still FP online right now, too.

Lastly, for my absolute favorite piece I purchased...

Sleeveless Cascade Ripple Top

I purchased this in a medium (that's all the had left at the time) and then found it in black on the sale rack for only $17 last week! I love love love them! I checked today and they are basically sold out online.

More recently at The LOFT, I purchased *this* J. Crew Victoria shirt look-alike to wear in our family photos yesterday! I'll post actual pics in the next week or so! Loving it so far! And now it's only $22.50 online! Sweet!

** Snagged any good deals at AT or The Loft lately?? You can share your excitement here!!

Minnies in a New Color and New Tee - J. Crew

Obviously, I had to hit up my JC this past Thursday to see the highly-touted new roll-out of fall/winter items. Mostly I'm just waiting for items I already love to go on sale so I can purchase them (or purchase them in an additional color) but I still had to make it up to the store to check out the new items!

I was SO excited to find out that the Minnie pants now come in an additional navy/ purple-ish color! The Minnie's are my absolute fave pants hanging in my closet right now and I'm so excited to add the new color to my wardrobe. I have a slight obsession with the color navy right now... I don't know what that's all about, but anyway....

So, this picture seriously sucks, but believe me, these are the Minnie's in the new navy/purple color!

I also came home with a new tee with a tuxedo looking front in a dusty pink color. Gigi reviewed the same shirt in navy here on her fabulous blog! I purchased this in a small.

Up close of the detail on the tee

Can't wait to wear these new items .... maybe together!

*SURPRISE* from J. Crew!!

Ok, so it wasn't a COMPLETE surprise - I had read on my fave J.Crew blog here that some J. Crew lovers (and I assume credit card holders) were receiving an extra special surprise in the mail!

And, although I spend far too much money at J. Crew (and time in the store, online, reviewing items, etc...) I really did not think I would receive this gift or be considered a VIP customer - although I'm not really sure how they decided who received the gifts and who didn't, so I shouldn't just assume it has something to do with how much you spend with them....

Unfortunately, my husband DOES assume it's spending-based, so I'm probably on 'J.Crew Shopping Watch' for the next few weeks. (aka: my husband looking for signs of JC shopping such as receipts, brown boxes, new clothing in the closet, tags in the trash can, me being especially nice, looking guilty or giddy, etc...)

Just Kidding!

(kind of!)

ANYWAY - I am thrilled to have received these gorgeous earrings and have already worn them twice! I am generally too cheap to spend any real money on costume jewelry (even from my beloved JC) so I will be cherishing these for years to come!!

Heirloom flora earrings $45.00

What a great way to keep customers happy and spending!

THANK YOU J. CREW!!!

Fall Dresses from Boden - And An Important Fashion Question

I recently attended a Boden Trunk Show at the home of a friend in the neighborhood. It was pretty cool because you could see almost of all Boden's fall catalog in person, try it on, etc... which is a huge advantage over the online guessing game I'm usually playing about colors, sizes, materials, quality, blah blah blah.

So, I took advantage of this trunk show, which was a great way to introduce my closet to a new brand:

"Closet, this is Boden. Boden, this is closet."


"J.Crew, be nice to Boden. Boden, don't be intimidated by J.Crew, there are more of them, momma has enough love to go around, plus you might be higher quality and less expensive."


(am I the only one amused by this? probably... moving on....)

I ended up purchasing a couple of sweater dresses and a long sleeved tee (not pictured) and everything arrived at my door within a week! Yea! I wasn't going to get anything for myself, only my son, but I was a sucker for the 20% off you entire order and free shipping both ways. What can I say?

This is a merino tunic, which could also be paired with skinny jeans. The sleeves are longer, I just have them scrunched up in the picture! This dress is thin enough to wear indoors in the winter and not burn-up!

I just love the coloring of this dress. I plan on pairing it with my new gray suede mary jane heels and tights, or gray Cardi Uggs to dress it down! I found the waist band to be slimming and the length (just past my knees) to be very comfy for colder weather!

The biggest plus to these sweater dresses (the mod-print one is actually called a tunic, but at my height, what's the difference?) is that they are cut slim enough to not look frumpy, but they do not cling too much (aka: you can wear them on Thanksgiving without looking prego! Also, see question at the bottom of this post!)

Boden pieces tend to run a big long and have a lot of material in my opinion, making most of the clothing more suitable for a taller women, but these dresses fit very nicely and are long enough for me to be comfortable in the cooler fall and winter temps. (There is no petite option in Boden that I'm aware of, but I think some pants might come in lengths... that I would still need hemmed ;)

*Bottom Line: I really enjoyed the experience of shopping in a friend's home and seeing these clothes in person before buying! I will definitely keep an eye out for Boden items in the future. Remember, the sizes are European. I ordered a 10 (US 2/4) in both of these dresses, so I feel their sizes are pretty much right on!

**Question I've be meaning to ask: What's a girl to do about the tights/leggings-induced tummy roll when wearing them under dresses, tunics, etc...? I'm getting to the point wear I'm willing to try maternity leggings and tights just to see if they won't create that gut-roll effect! I even notice very slim young ladies where you can see the waistband of their tights and it really bothers me! Any ideas, ladies? Pa-lease tell me you know what I'm talking about!!!