There has been some talk about the Merino Strata Cardigan from J. Crew, and since I own it and have worn it, I figured a review was in order. In addition, I am showing three recent stay at home mom outfits, including today's which features the strata cardigan.
Above is the polyvore of the outfit I wore today. All today had on tap was a visit to the mall to return the Lisette Lace Shift dress (it's SHORT!--maybe on super sale--but not at the price I got it--even if it included 25% off), and to do a price adjustment on the Lisette Lace Shell (which I bought on Monday night at fp, minus the educator discount--now it is $59.99!). I won't even bother talking about going to J. Crew except to say that Sofia who works at Pentagon City is really, really sweet to my very terribly behaved children (CW!).
Sizes:
Cardigan: Size Extra-Small. I really do love this cardigan. I know it has received some negative reviews out there, but I find it quite feminine and flattering. I couldn't wear the Maya cardigan, though, made me look really thick in the waist, so maybe the people who don't like this cardi are the ones who wore the Maya well. The ruffling is higher than the Maya, so maybe I should be cinching higher when looking to flatter my upper body. The pose I am doing shows how the buttons work, they are actually snaps that can gape when you pull out from the pose, as I am doing here with my hand on the hip. That said, you really can't see the gaping from the front or the other side, so as long as you have a tank on under, you should be fine.
Love the seaweed color. Just the right shade of green/blue.
The merino is nice, as well, similar to other merino cardigans I have from J. Crew.
Top: I have reviewed this already...go to this post for more info.
The jewelry is the Northern Lights necklace (which I know FFM LOVES!) and the factory cluster earrings. There is a reason FFM loves this necklace...it is classic, beautiful, sparkly, and just the right amount of bling for a multitude of outfits. Definitely can be dressed up or dressed down. The earrings are seriously one of my TOP ten pieces of jewelry from J. Crew...and they are from the factory!!! These are well-made and for those of you lacking silver-toned bling in your wardrobe, these little earrings might suit all your pewter dangly needs.
This is the ultimate SAHM outfit. The flannel cleans easily and the softness is nice for the kids when they want to snuggle with you (CW loves being carried--all 31 pounds of her--yikes).
This is a SAHM outfit that Mr. Dina loved...he said I reminded him of a colorful, sassy, preppy girl. That is his favorite kind of girl, I think. :)
The jacket is an ebay win from a few weeks ago. It is from Fall 2006, with wool from Robert Noble of Scotland (the Fiona has the same kind of wool). The details on this jacket are pretty remarkable...they include a tie-repp lining under the collar (for popping!), an embroidered crest-looking thing on the interior of the placket, leather buttons, an adjustable waist, and contrast lining. I think this may be a 6, but there was no tag, it had been cut out. The shirt is the Liberty floral daze perfect shirt from last summer. I purchased this in a size 4. It is a lot of color, so I decided that the dark pewter Jackie shell would be the perfect solution to blinding all those who saw me that day. I bough the Jackie shell in an x-small. The jeans are another comfy pair (read: over-sized). They look a bit less baggy because they are straight-legged, but still, I think retirement may be around the corner for these Levi's. The shoes are some rain shoes from Mod Cloth.
Have a great Friday afternoon. You all stop working as early as you can, whatever your work may be...SAHM, pilot, Army General, whatever.
