J. Crew Review: Maritime Dress.

I am 100% positive I am the 999th person to review this dress, but I think it is one of those dresses that you need to see on a body type like yours before you buy.  I love it on all the other bloggers I have seen it on (and if you have reviewed it, can you drop a comment in the comments section saying so, pretty please?), and I definitely love it on me, but unlike the other bloggers I won't have the luxury of belting the dress or wearing it outside of even the most casual of situations...and I suspect my height has something to do with that.  ;)

Front View. Maritime Dress.

For reference, I am 5'8" tall and have an inseam of 34 inches (so most of my height is in my legs). Because of this, I believe this dress is a bit short, so I anticipate only wearing this in the MOST casual of situations, which knowing how I spend the summer, should be fine. LOL.

You can see why I won't be belting this dress, though.  If I were to do so, it would be indecent.  Not cool for this stay-at-home mom.  ;)

This dress reminds me of the fabric that the rugby shirts that were popular back when I was in college were made from...thick, substantial, and very soft. This is high quality...and should last a long time.

I am wearing a size small, which fits fine at the hips and a bit slouchy through the shoulders. I personally wouldn't size up or down in this one. I recommend sizing to fit your widest part, whatever that is...

Side View.

I like the zippers, but I can see why they might bother others. That said, had there NOT been zippers, I would have brought the hem down an inch, at least.

Back View. 

Still decent, but I should definitely do the more lady-like, "bend at the knees" to pick an item up, not "from the waist."  (Lest I give a show.) 

Have a great afternoon, all.  Talk soon!!! :)

Cottage Dress (Outfit for Pool-Going and a Review)!

So it is another one of those two-for-one blog entries. Today's main player is the lovely slub-cotton cottage dress in tea rose. What can I say except, "I (Heart) you, Cottage Dress!" It is so comfy, cozy, and manages to be a decent dressy cover-up. Now I don't expect to go to a Gala in this dress, but for those summer nights when you want to be breezy and cool, but don't want to wear shorts and a tank, this dress may be your answer.

I wore it yesterday to go to Cub Run Rec Center out in Chantilly (review of our awesome day coming). I wanted to test-run it, and since it was beautiful and warm (about 75), I wore it to go swimming! It really is a dual-purpose item. You can use it to cover-up at the beach or pool, or you can use it for those dressier summer nights (which is what I will do).

I wore the dress with a silk sash (J. Crew--summer 2007), a pair of sandals (J. Crew--spring 2008), and toted all my swim gear in the yoga bag from J. Crew this holiday season (2008).

I made a polyvore because all my items were there (or some reasonable facsimile). Here is the polyvore link: http://www.polyvore.com/cottage_dress_for_our_trip/set?id=7087282


Here I am with the silk sash around my waist. It gives the dress some definition and makes it a slight bit dressier. I think the dress is fine with no belt, but I thought I would show you ladies the options out there. I love those shoes, btw. Took forever to get them (on waitlist till July 2008) but once I got them, I was glad to have waited. I believe they are called the Vachetta sandals.

Isn't Rex cute trying to grab me? I love how two-year olds need attention all the time. ;)


Here the sash is acting as a scarf, which also dresses it up, but in a completely different way.

So why do I (heart) this dress so much? 1. I wear a small, and it fits PERFECTLY. It is a definite size-down, ladies. 2. It is A-line and Empire-waisted, which is the best dress fit for a woman like myself, with a tiny upper body and a bigger lower-half. (Yep, the pear-shape!) 3. Could that color be any prettier? Such a nice, floral, deep pink shade. It is the color of a fruit I want to eat or a flower I want to smell.

You can find it here on J. Crew's website: http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/dresses/knitdresses/PRDOVR~13612/13612.jsp

Also comes in black, garden green, and slate. I think it is worth full-price.

Here is a close-up of the waistband. It is elastic on the front and back and stitched normally on the sides. This waistband has the double-effect of being super-comfortable and creating lovely pleating. Such a nice way to accent the part of the body that for most women is their smallest measurement!