Sunday, August 8, 2010

Some New J. Crew Items, IRL...

Hi, all! I was able to get to J. Crew yesterday to return a top, and while there I tried on a few items for you all. I ended up exchanging my top for one of these four items, so I left having only spent $12. Woohoo!

Hopefully this helps some of you...


I had heard about this skirt because Jean over at this weekend's post over at the mothership had mentioned it, so I immediately sought it out upon arrival. I picked it up both in a size 6 and 8. For now it appears this is an in-store only item (#30310) and only comes in this muted gold color. When I got home I compared it with the metallic sequined bell skirt and there are some major differences...

This skirt is the same shape and pull-on styling. However, this skirt is made from the same sort of sequins that were on the very popular stardust pencil skirt. Instead of being made from Spanish metal sequins like the sequined bell skirt, this in-store skirt is made from micro-sequins. My honest opinion? For $128 and not $275, micro-sequins suit me just fine. In fact, I prefer micro-sequins.

Here is one thing to watch for if you go to the store...be careful handling it...the micro-sequins can get stuck together and if you tug on the fabric, the fabric could rip and that would be terrible! They had just put these skirts out the night before so my skirt is in PERFECT condition, but I had to gently pull the 6 and 8 apart from each other.

This is the size 8. I tried on the 6 (next photo) and unless you see something I don't, I barely noticed a difference between the two sizes.


This is the outfit with the stardust bell skirt (my name, not theirs) and a beautiful beaded cardigan in a LUSCIOUS color.

The skirt is the size 6.

The cardigan is a size small and is $118. It is a cotton cardigan and the placket is where the embellishments are. This is an in-store item, reminded me of the peekaboo sequin cardigan, but it has a different look. I prefer this one. I did not buy this cardigan, as it is still too expensive for me, but if this puppy goes on sale, it is MINE. LOVE!


This is the Saint James naval II tee. I liked this better in the photo than in real life. It looks decent enough but, and this is a MAJOR BUT, the torso was very constricting and the arms were very VERY large. I have an extra-small on here. There was so much extra fabric in the arms I wondered if they had made a mistake. (Having said that I realize other bloggers have had the same issue as me!)

If you are a woman with an extremely small upper body and hips yet you find your arms are like Popeye's, you should be set with this top. That is most definitely not me. NO LOVE.


This is the silk and sequin scoopneck tee. I like it, but at $148, it is very expensive. I would also rather order this on-line as I fear stores and how they handle precious items like this. I will wait this one out for a while, see if it goes on sale (even an extra 20% would make a big difference to me). This is an extra small, and while I like the way it fits through the shoulder and bust, I would definitely order a small for extra room in the hips. I would not wear this alone...probably would layer it under a gorgeous brightly-colored v-neck cardigan and a pencil skirt or a sleek pair of pants.

I ended up getting the stardust bell skirt in a size 8. Although I could have gotten away with the 6, I liked how I could pull the 8 just a *stitch* further down on my hips making it a bit more of a versatile skirt. I will not be wearing this skirt to preschool, though. LOL.

You all have a great day!