Friday, December 11, 2009

Just in Time for the 30% off $250 Sale at J. Crew...A Review of the Carlin Coat...

I fell hard for the Double-Cloth Carlin Coat the first time I saw in the catalog back in October. Thing was--I already owned the Camino Coat in dusty blossom, so I said "no" at the time because the Carlin coat was only being offered in a couple of colors. But then...November comes and all of a sudden, it is being offered in wild blackberry. It is basically a deep, rich navy, with slight purplish undertones.

I went to the closest store and tried it on in that color and in a size 6. Both the color and size worked well for me. But at $298, I just couldn't do it. Unh-uh. No, sir. The lady at the store was very sad for me, saying how it could sell out and where would I be then? (I just thought, "yeah, right.") Even if it did sell out, ebay has navy shipleys from last year, so I know I could just buy that instead (even if I don't need the stadium-cloth all that often).

So to end this story (and tell you how I finally bought it), last weekend, J. Crew had a 30% off of coats sale, and that was it...perfect timing...the weather had just turned cold, I was planning on selling a few of my coats (the white coat is spoken for and as of a couple of hours ago, the Lille coat has had some interest), so I knew I could get it and not be all guilt-ridden.

It has come, I wore it last night to go out with Mr. Dina for sushi, and let me tell you, I felt SPECTACULAR wearing it.


Here I am wearing it, opened. I like it this way, and think it makes this very lady-like outfit even more pretty and special. I just wish (and this is my only beef with the coat) that its collar would stand up more like my Sybil coat's collar. It doesn't bug me all that much, and I bet my cleaner could figure it out, but still, a bit irksome.

Don't worry, Rex's grubby little Doritos-chip hands didn't come in contact with the outfit...thank goodness. :) BTW, see little CW peeking behind me? So cute!!!

Oh, the outfit under the coat??? I will be doing that polyvore and post tomorrow. The dress is for sale at Boden, and I do love it. I bought a UK 12, which fit just right.

The outfit was also worn because it is the outfit I wore to do my latest "Mid-Century Mom" post. I spent twenty minutes folding laundry in this get-up. That post will be published this weekend.


Here is the coat buttoned-up all the way and the collar folded down. I do think this way looks very pretty and sweet.


It was (for us) very frigid last night, with temps dipping into the 20s. Yes, Canada, and Boston, and Indiana, that isn't that cold, but for NOVA, we only get temps like that every so often. I probably should have worn the Stadium-Cloth Shipley I have in ivory, but I REALLY wanted to wear this one...so I just kind of dealt and put on a scarf to give me some extra warmth.

The coat here is buttoned-up except for the top button.

If I have piqued your interest, the Carlin Coat can be purchased here. If I haven't piqued your interest, maybe gigiofca can. :)

Have a great weekend...be talking with you soon. No outfit of the day today because I am sitting at home in very casual loungewear. :) I have zero plans to change out of it.

11 comments:

Unknown said...

So pretty!

violet07 said...

Ahh--you look adorable (as does Rex)! Love the shoes too!

Anonymous said...

Love this coat! I have been trying to decide whether or not to buy it, and don't have any stores close to me to try it in person. Would you say that the coat runs true to size, or did you have to size up/down?

P.S. Your children are absolutely adorable.

dinagideon said...

Stylestance and Violet07--Thank you both!!! :)

Violet, the shoes are from a long-dead company, Parade of Shoes, but I just LOVE them and treat them very carefully!

Anon @ 3:45: HI! I typically wear an 8 in the double-cloth, but because of the extra A-line to this coat, I knew a 6 would be perfect...so I would say if you are smaller up top, go with what your shirt size is, but if you are a bit larger up top, stay with TTS. (I guess that means I sized down, but I am smaller up top, for sure...) Hope that helps.

Oh, and thank you for your compliment about my kids!!!

Pamela said...

Your son looks so cute standing there with the bag of chips!!

Pretty coat, but truth be told, I can't wait to hear about the Boden dress!

TarHeelMom (formerly JCAUNCMom) said...

Dina, you look so radiant and happy and beautiful in all of these pictures! Being a Mid-Century Mom really agrees with you!

I LOVE all your JC coats (I wish I had ONE of them, even) and am writing down your sizing info, as I find you're almost always a size model for me. :-) I'm gonna be on the lookout for any ONE of those coats on JC sale or eBay -- that is, if the American Express gods ever smile at me again. Boy, have I ever abused my Amex card at JC this year! LOL!

Hugs to your truly gorgeous children!!!

Jemma said...

Dina, that coat was made for you, it looks great!

HeidiG said...

Love the coat on you!! Can't wait to see the other posts with dress & laundry. I do need to branch out and try some of their others coats one of these days. But since I just figured out how to make my camel coat work, I'm saving those pennies for now...

and I'm not complaining about the bitter cold - the mud pit that used to be my backyard has frozen over and I don't have muddy puppy paws tracking into my house anymore.

Dayo said...

Cute coat! Your ivory shipley is very nice too! I saw a few on ebay and I wanted to ask if the shipley also runs big like the carlin. Thanks for your help!

dinagideon said...

Pamela: I promise...tonight or tomorrow at the latest. If you are on the fence, buy it! Go with your hip size and bust size, or whichever is bigger. I went with my hip size and it fits very nicely. Hope that helps a little.

JCAUNCMom: Hi! I love dressing up for chores...it is fun! (Just as long as I don't have to do it every day...that would be REALLY hard--maybe I should try it for a week and see how I feel then...)

Oooh, yes, Mr. Mastercard and Miss Visa don't care for us much in this household, either. :)

Jemma Ruby: Yes, I love the lady-like shape. I could actually see you in this coat...except I know where you live it isn't exactly a winter coat climate. ;)

HeidiG.: Well, if you ever do decide to get one you won't regret it...

I can just envision your backyard now. :) Sounds like our side-yard.

Dayo: The Shipley runs rather roomy. I am keeping my 8, but if I were to order again, I would DEFINITELY buy a 6. In today's post about the Winnie coat, I actually wear a 4. I suspect they make the stadium-cloth coats roomy on purpose...for layering and such. But in NOVA, we don't have a big need for super-thick sweaters AND super-thick coats, so I buy my coats to fit with a thin sweater and a top. Hope that helps!!! Good luck!

Roxie said...

OMG!!! She's WALKING!?! 8D That picture made my day! :) Now I'm off to take my finals. Give out hugs for me!