Silly Little Natalie Studded Sweater...

First things first, I had such a BLAST announcing the Boden Catch of the Day every day for the whole of last week.  Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and all we have left is the 15% off coupon.  I checked this morning, but there are no other coupons.  The best I could find *is* the maternity 15% off coupon.  LOL.  So you all be preggers now, okay?  {Wink, wink.} ;)

A few weeks back, I wore the Natalie Studded Sweater out in public.  I know.  My mind wondered, "would the public be able to handle it?"  Well, yes, as it turns out...with a comment here and there.

Did the women come up to me and say, "ooh, cool sweater?"  No...I don't think they even noticed.  It was the men who stood up and commented on my (admittedly) avant garde sweater choice.

I heard:

1. Mr. Dina said..."Ooh, you are like a superhero...a se*y superhero."  Really, Mr. Dina, a superhero.  That's what you see when you see a cotton striped, studded sweater???  Okay, then.

2. Nice manager at Indian place..."Oh, you look like a GLADIATOR.  That's awesome."  Umm, okay.  Well, then.  LOL.

I felt:

1. Rex touching all the studs.

2. Nice manager at the Indian place caressing one of the studs.

Haha, so if I ever lack for attention, I must remember to pull this sweater out.

From the front.  Remember, I have done a review of this sweater before.

The sweater held up well.  :)  No issues with the studs coming undone.  AND THEY BETTER NOT COME UNDONE at the price J. Crew wanted for this.

I am wearing a pair of INC. black pants I forgot I had.  I love the stretchy material and length.  To add a bit of fun, I put my hair in pigtails and pulled out a pair of satin bow aqua flats that J. Crew made a few years ago. 

You know they re-thought this sweater and created a less expensive non-studded version.  It is sequined and called the spangled stripe sweater (it is pretty, but the loosey-goosey sequins would have me in OCD overdrive plus the model is VERY VERY THIN).

Okay, all, have a great night. 

P.S. I have a few Arbonne-centered posts coming up.  I have been looking at my webstats and a lot of folks are coming over to my blog after entering keywords like "Arbonne RE9 Advanced" or "Arbonne blog reviews."  I would be cah-ray-zee if I didn't do reviews or tutorials, etc. with my Arbonne background as people are actively seeking out this information.  Even if it is other Arbonne consultants, I am 100% cool with helping out my peeps, ya know???  So if you are not really a skin care or cosmetics kind of person, I am okay with you all skipping over it, I get it.  LOL.  My first series will be on Arbonne cosmetics from a fresh face to all done up and ready to go, step by step.  It is meant to complement my next Arbonne giveaway with purchase over at my Arbonne web page, so that when people get the free sheer glow highlighter, they have an idea of what to do with it.  ;)

J. Crew Reviews--Finally!

In my recent set of posts, I really have been concentrating on Boden...which of course is super-fab and super-fly, but I still do wear Anthropologie and J. Crew, so in the end, I have more to offer than bodacious British britches.  :)

Today I will be reviewing tops from J. Crew that I have purchased in the past few months.  I bought all of these with some sort of promo or another, and saved my pennies to do so (darn you, budget!).  I am keeping all of them, but I would like for you all to see them IRL before you decide if you should even bother to buy them for yourself.

All of the following tops are paired with J. Crew's leggings and the Lacey Ballet flats.

Natalie Studded Sweater.  Did you know this was originally named the Jacquette sweater and was called that for exactly three nano-seconds at jcrew.com?  There was a girl in middle school named Natalie who was incredibly mean to me, so I will forgive the sweater for being named Natalie.  Since 6th grade, I have met many nice Natalies, so I guess I need to get over it already.  LOL.

This is a size small in the mustard linen color.  I really love this sweater and find it fits well.  At the price it is, I am looking for a piece that will last many years and through possible weight gains or losses.  If I lose weight it will fit a bit loosely, and if I gain weight, it won't fit poorly (unless I gain a LOT of weight).

The studs are well-secured, and if they weren't, I would not have kept it.  This sweater is made well, and from a nice, super-soft cotton knit.

You can see how the stripes get bigger as they go towards the bottom...which is an effect I like. 

From the side.  I love just adore how long the sleeves are.  Rare is it for me to find a sleeve that extends past my wrist.  :)

From the back.  Sorry about the tag poking out.  Whoops.


You should also check out my girl, Summerilla, wearing this.  She has the navy version in an x-small.

Scallop Lace Shell.  Many a beautiful JCA have already reviewed this, and I couldn't resist with the recent 20% off tees promo that I was able to pair with a 20% coupon (thank you, my darling step-mom!).  I saw this color on the model in the February 2011 catalog, and felt that the pink would be great in summer on its own, and in the winter as a fab layering piece.

This is an extra-small.  Fits perfectly, not too big, not too small.  The fabric is very soft, and the lace is not itchy...at all.

Close-up of the very pretty and feminine neckline.  :)

From the side.  This actually looks like something Audrey Hepburn would have worn.

Vintage Cotton Foil-Print Tank.  Can we just admit to ourselves that this is really a tank that has some stripes and is therefore a bit boring, regardless of how cool the gold-foil stripes might look?  LOL.  I actually wear my foil-print tee a lot and have owned it since 2007, so I know I will get a lot of use of this version.  The stripes on this one are a bit wider than on the tee, so it helps make it look a bit different.  Again, like the lace scallop tank, this is great on its own, but will look awesome under a jacket (btw, you will see that version in an upcoming true crew love post) or cardigan.

This is an extra-small.

Stripe Button Back Tee.  Again, every reviewer in JCA land has taken a stab at this.  :)  But...there is a reason why...it is a FAB looking and FAB feeling tee that gives a bit of a twist on the traditional striped tee.

I bought it in the olive because I own no striped tees in this color.  The real reason I bought it, though (besides the 20% off plus 20% off)?  I adore the cap sleeve.  When you have thin thin shoulders like me, you need a little help and there is no single neckline/shoulder that is more flattering for those of us looking to "bulk up" on top.

I love that this top allows me to look more proportional, even when wearing leggings.  Holla.  If I didn't already own a camel striped tee, I would 100% purchase this in the camel color, too.

From the side.

Hope these helped some of you decide what you should be putting on your wishlist.  :)

P.S. If you have a Boden review for me, would you mind e-mailing me at dinagideon@aim.com?  Thanks!!!  Those reviews should be up by tomorrow.