Items in this set:
Women's dresses - knit dresses - Shirred racerback gown - J.Crew, $78
Ruched V Neck Dress Abyss Blue J. Crew, $60
J.Crew - Paisley poem blazer petal, $230
Women's pants - suiting - Tailored linen Curator pant - J.Crew, $120
Silky linen slouchy pant - J.Crew (Beechwood), $70
Women's dresses - knit dresses - Shirred racerback gown - J.Crew, $78
Ruched V Neck Dress Abyss Blue J. Crew, $60
J.Crew - Paisley poem blazer petal, $230
Women's pants - suiting - Tailored linen Curator pant - J.Crew, $120
Silky linen slouchy pant - J.Crew (Beechwood), $70
I was completely surprised by what I decided to keep from a recent monster order (all of these were bought with some discount or another--educator or birthday). I was 100% certain that the ones that appear in the above polyvore set WERE going to stay and that other items (which you will see me in later with actual in real life photos) would be the ones I was saying "buh-bye" to. Huh. Goes to show and all...
To see the items on the jcrew.com website, click on either the polyvore OR the item list at the bottom of the polyvore.
I will be doing this set of mini-reviews in order, and with pros and cons listed for each one.
1) Top Row, Far Left: Tailored Linen Curator Pant. I ordered a size 6.
Pros: Gorgeous material, very well-made, lovely color, and a very nice feel. The shape is also a neat design and could fill a hole in my wardrobe (which has a lot of capris but of the more dowdy sort--i.e. great for teaching).
Cons: The craftsmanship was a joke. I wore it for exactly ten minutes and the seam had ripped in the upper thigh portion (on the inseam). Umm, this is a COLLECTION piece, would it be too much to ask for reinforced seams? Another con is that the 6 fit, and fit well, but I was bugged that the calf was too tight. I have pretty thin calves so I was shocked by this. I suspect had this come in a tall size, I would have benefited, as the leg line would have been longer and thereby placing the hem around my upper ankle, not my calf muscle.
Bottom Line: Only buy it if you are shorter and have a tolerance for the possibility of ripped seams. I was this close to keeping it, but the seam did me in...
2) Top Row, Center: Silky Linen Slouchy Pant. I ordered a size Tall 6.
Pros: Again, the material is just amazing, soft, pretty, and luxurious feeling. For me, that was all, though.
Cons: So remember all the love I got for wearing this outfit? I thought, "okay, these pants will be a lighter-colored version to wear with other classic jackets." WRONG. My main complaint with these pants is all sizing. The pants fit beautifully from my high thigh to the ankle. But that was where it ended. The waistband was about three inches too big, and the hip portion was about an inch too small. Last time I checked these are a pair of women's pants! My waist and hips are about eleven inches different in size! For this pair of pants to work for me I would have had to gain three inches in my waist and lost at least one or two inches in my hips. That would be a difference of 7 inches between my waist and hips, and I *think* that is what Mr. Dina has...maybe I should give him the pants. LOL.
Bottom Line: Try them on for size if you really must. If you are curvy on your lower half, these probably won't work for you.
3. Top Row, Far Right: Ruched V Neck Dress. I bought this in a size x-small.
Pros: This color is divine. The shape of the dress is very flattering and easy. I own it in the neon peach color and that is why I bought this one in the abyss blue. I just *assumed* that the abyss blue would be exactly the same as the neon peach and I would be all ready to go.
Cons: The one I received had a wonky hem. Yep, one side of the hem was an INCH higher than the other side of the hem. How in the world? Grr. I really wanted this one, too.
Bottom Line: Go ahead and order one for yourself. Size down. But--check the stitching and craftsmanship.
4. Bottom Row, Far Left: Shirred Racerback Gown. I ordered this in an x-small.
Pros: I saw it on Summer, and loved it, but knew to be hesitant. This is an amazing, flattering shape. The color is just beautiful, too.
Cons: This is SO long I would have to wear my Alecia peep toes in order to not trip over its insanely long skirt portion. For reference, I have a 34 inch inseam and an outseam of near 41 or 42 inches (from my natural waist). I read that this skirt has a 41.5 inch outseam (from the natural waist), so I thought, "maybe, just maybe, it will work." Nope. Still too long. And honestly, who wants to wear a jersey gown with heels? There was some talk amongst my friends that we could cut the hem, as this is what J. Crew obviously did (it has raw edges), but I just know I would mess it up.
Bottom Line: Get it if you are either 6 feet tall, and/or really good with scissors and hemming.
5. Bottom Row, Center: Paisley Poem Blazer. I bought this in a size 4.
Pros: It is Liberty Print Fabric, and it is exquisite, the cotton is super-soft, and it has the potential to be versatile.
Cons: This just breaks my heart because I so wanted to have this blazer work for me. For all of the good, the colors were too muted for my skin tone. Not enough "brightness" for my complexion. If only the pink and green had been a tad more saturated. Also, and this may be only my problem, the shoulders had a weird puckering on them, like vertical wrinkles that start at the seam and radiate downwards. It looks like the shoulders fit poorly on me. If I were to size up to a 6 (and believe me, I thought about it), the shoulders would have been too big. Sadly, the 4 is the size I should buy, but it does not work on me. It is possible another 4 could be better, but with the paleness of the colors, it had too many problems. I decided to try the Rose Vines Blazer instead, and I received that today. It fits (size 4) and is a much better colorway for me.
Bottom Line: Get it, but be aware that there may be puckering in weird places for you. The model's front shot shows that even she is not immune to this weird wrinkling.
Because I hate to be a dinagideon Downer...I leave you with one item I just LUUURRRVE. I had pre-ordered this after seeing her sister on the mothership.
I wrote this over at JCA yesterday for another JCA who wanted a quick review:
I ordered the Silk cargo dress as a pre-order, and based on the measurements sent by my ps, I ordered a 6 (I veer between a 6 and an 8 in J. Crew dresses). It fits very nicely, a little loose (just like it is meant to). Only thing is that is a bit short, but since it is a summer, hang loose kind of item, it's okay by me. I imagine wearing it with gladiator sandals, loads of bracelets, and my hair up in a ponytail. I just now need to do that. LOL.
And maybe soon I can. Warm up, already! :)
Talk soon. Whenever Mr. Dina drags his booty in here.
