Okay, onto the outfits!
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Where: Celebrating America's birthday the usual way--BBQ and FIREWORKS!
Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I thought for sure I would never get into these shorts when I first received them, they just looked so tiny. They worked, but I still thought I shouldn't at *my age.* Meh. I got over myself and just wore them already on July 4 since they worked so nicely with my (ancient old school J. Crew) striped tee. I was fine wearing the whole outfit the whole day, no extra worries that I was showing too much skin. ;-)
Cool Factor: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I think this outfit makes me look younger and I dig that. The shorts, btw, are the Hummingbird Short from the J. Crew Factory store last spring. I bought them in a ten, and that size worked well for my frame. AudreyBella has a great review of them here.
Anecdote from the Day: The afternoon BBQ was at a friend's house and one of my friend's dad was there, too. He had recently lost his mom and we got to talking about her estate and in the process he shared some great stories about her life. It is so nice to sit down and reflect on what others have done in their lives. What a great way to remember that we all have some kind of impact on the world, however small. I was so glad he shared her stories with me. Very touching!
Where: Did something that day...probably involved picking up one of the kids from their summer camp classes.
Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Another preppy Old School J. Crew outfit. :-) This madras jumper is either from 2006 or 2007 and really fills the void of proper preppy that seems to only be found at Vineyard Vines or Brooks Brothers these days. The cotton stretches out a bit through the day and the style is very easy, so the whole outfit was super easy to wear. Bit short, but nothing scandalous.
Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) Looks polished and preppy, and classic American. I would say this was a winner, especially if you live anywhere where preppy is a *thing.*
Anecdote from the Day: At 14 I had my very first date ever to Ballston Mall with a boy I met from school. He and I didn't last (that one date was it) and we lost touch until recently. Of course FB is great for connecting all sorts of people, including former first dates. Anyhow his birthday was on June 24, and even though it wasn't listed on FB, I remembered from all those years ago and wished him a Happy Birthday. I hope my freaky birthday memory didn't weird him out too much, lol.
Where: As lame as this sounds, I pretty much spent the day cleaning and sewing. But at least I had a cute outfit on...
Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) This was brilliantly easy to wear. The shorts are a bit large on me through the waist, so fall a bit low, making them super comfortable. The material (hey, yo, poly, lol) doesn't wrinkle and crazily enough is more breathable than you would think they would be. The top is made from the linen knit that J. Crew likes to use so even though it is thinner, it is very nice for hot summer weather.
Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I have always like turquoise and bright red together, so I like the look. It is a lot of look, though.
I took a ten in the pleated crepe shorts, which is the opposite of what everyone else did with these shorts. I had purchased them in a size 8 (in the navy) initially and while they fit, because of the way my thighs are, the pleats bagged open a bit. So I repurchased them in a 10 in the red and navy, and these fit much better. The price I paid was more than fine, btw. (I think it was $18 a pair.) Gigi's review of these is here.
The linen tee in anchors is like all my other J. Crew tees, it runs big, so the xs was the right size to pick, especially since this fabric stretches out.
Anecdote from the Day: I spent so much time going going going on our vacation to NC, SC, and GA that is was nice to have a day at home. I feel like such an introvert purposely not going out and seeing people.
Okay, that's it for now. Hope everyone is great! If you have a review for the linen tee in anchors, I would love to add your link to my review. Just let me know in the comments!
