OOTD: Navy, Brown, Grey.

Hey, all.  Happy Monday!

So the Boden Weekly Roundup has not disappeared, promise.  In reality, there are just so many reviews/ootds recently both here and at my blog friends' blogs that it is going to take a lot of time to get the post together.  It will be a Super BWRR, ready to conquer all other BWRRs.

It turns out my lateness is less of a big deal, too, since Boden is clearly waiting forever to put the fall/winter stuff on clearance.  Last year the sale happened within the first week of December, and here we are in the second full week of December and no sale is in sight.

There is some talk over at the Facebook page for Boden that since their shop will be shutting its doors for a little while next Sunday, the 16th, that must mean that the sale will be happening that day.  It's definitely possible since I remember that also happening last year.

What makes this year different from last year is that this year's collection is selling well, often to the point of selling out, so Boden may not feel that an earlier sale is justified since people are buying the items up with only a bit of a % off, instead of waiting for a better deal.  There are items that are not selling well, at all, including the top (Lavish t-shirt) that I had in my ootd post from last night, but all that means is that Boden is offering it for a bigger percentage off right now (near 50% off, in fact) to maybe drive a few more sales of those tops.

When clearance does happen, anticipate that if you love something and it is sitting in the pink "low stock" checkmark territory, it will not stay that way long.  Those pink checkmarks disappear fast and become "out of stock" quicker than you can say "Johnnie Boden."  If you have your eye on something with a blue "in stock" checkmark, you are probably okay to wait a bit.

Also, if the item you like has been selling well, it is also unlikely that Boden and co. are going to reduce the price by that much, there have been items in the past that have sold so well that the price only went down by 20-30% in the clearance sale.

Okay, blah, blah, blah.  Let's bring on the outfit full of neutrals.

Winesday was on offer last week, for the first time in forever.  My brother and I try to make it weekly, and if we miss it too many weeks in a row, we feel pangs of withdrawal.

The outfit is all neutrals, but I kind of dug the play of different shades together.  I am all for following sartorial rules, but in this case, I feel like the deep navy combined with black, grey, and brown works.

Oh, who am I kidding?  I had to get some color in there.  ;)  Now I didn't actually wear this outfit inside Whole Foods since it would have been too warm to have the coat on, but I did need some sort of cover up for the drive there.

This coat is the Rose coat from Boden's spring/summer Limited Edition line.  I would never be able to wear this coat in the spring or summer (too warm), but I will happily wear it when the temps drop below 50.

(I see this is gone from the clearance sale from last summer, but there are still a bunch of its sister, the Rose Dress, available for sale.)

Close up of the hat, coat, and bag.  My hair was smoothed down after I saw this shot.  LOL.

See?  Smoothed hair.  ;)  This is outside my house.  I am in my street.  Fortunately my neighbors didn't even notice, but I live on a block full of slightly insane people (including us, btw), so I think even if they did notice, it wouldn't bother them. 

Vintage Ponte Dress.  This dress is almost all sold out in the smaller sizes, especially in the navy.  I bought the dress to try it on for the blog, with the thought I would be sending it back.  Then I got it and realized that the dress fits very well and is so pretty and comfortable, I decided that I would just sell a dress or two from my collection (ridiculous collection, really) to make up for this purchase.  (I am going to the consignment shop tomorrow, have a BIG box full of stuff to sell).

I bought this in a size 6 since most of the stretchy type fabric clothing from Boden fit me in my smaller size.  This was definitely a good choice, since the 8 would have been far too big in the bust and waist.

The length is shorter than it appears on the model, but I have a high waist and long legs, so almost all dresses and skirts are shorter on me than other folks (plus they probably gave the model a lengthened version). 

My feet only look this big from the side.

I added the sequin belt to this dress, which Boden did with their catalog shot.  I had to buy this belt in a size medium because (surprise!), it sold out in all the other sizes.  The medium is big on me, but I am just doing what the model in the catalog does, I am wrapping the end into the belt, which looks kind of nice.  Another thing with the bigger size is that I can wear it lower on my hips, which I may have to try with some of my denim.

Don't let your husband zip up the back of your dress if you are taking photos from the back.  (There was a hook closure that he missed--my brother fixed it at the store). 

The dress has the back zip, which is fabulous if you have a bigger bust and find side zips/no zips impossible to deal with.

Close up of the fabric of the dress and the sequin belt.

I do have plans to wear the dress as you see it above.  (I really love the daintiness of the sixties heels with the dress.)  It was just too chilly last week.  Maybe this spring?

Okay, that's it.  Have any of you tried this dress or this belt?  Do you ever mix all your neutral shades together? 

Today Boden started a 30% off (select items) sale with free shipping.  This is a decent enough sale if you can find the item you want in the sale.  I only had the briefest look around, and didn't see a ton on sale with that discount, but I will have more of an opportunity later today.  If what you want is not in the sale, you can still use Q753 for 25% off with free ship, btw.
Just in time for Christmas! Three days only and limited quantities: take 30% off select items + free shipping at BodenUSA.com.

Pink Jacket and Brown Top. Again.

Hi, all!  Thank you for your sweet Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays wishes over the past few days.  :)  I read them all and even though I can't respond (without a lot of effort, thanks teeny computer with no access to disqus), I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays right back.

Also, I read all the comments about Rex, and thank you, every one of you, who told me your own story, etc.  It was very helpful to see what has worked for you, what your life is like with your "energetic" toddler/child, and what isn't working.  So so appreciated!

I will continue to tell you all about the Rex saga, but for now, things are okay.  Not great, but with the extra empathy and patience we are trying with him, we seem to (crosses fingers) be on the road to normalcy (we don't expect--or want--him to overnight become the opposite of his personality).

So onto today's quick post.  Remember this post?  I wore the pink heather azalea Lexington Jacket with Boden's Silk Flower Top and jeans.  Well, I guess I really liked the pink/brown combo so a few days later I went with a similar combo...the heather azalea Bella Jacket (yes, that one!) with J. Crew's perfect fit swirling petals tank in cobblestone.

This is the outfit as worn out of the house.  The sunglasses and scarf are from Target (CW picked both of them out for me, in between trying on bits and pieces for herself--see bottom photo for proof of that).  The pants are really ancient Duo Maternity cream canvas pants, very comfortable and go nicely with the pink and brown/grey of the top half.

It was warm, though, probably too warm for the jacket, scarf, and Bensimon sherpa lace-up low sneakers I bought from Madewell recently.  With highs in the 60s that day, I felt a bit heated on my preschool run and it had nothing to do with Rex's teacher.  ;)  They are saying this is the fourth warmest December on record here in the DC area.  I want you all to notice I am not complaining.  I am such a weather wimp.

From the side.  I was so lucky to find the bella jacket on ebay a few months ago.  It was around the price of the original retail cost, but it was NWT and (almost) my size, so I bit.  I love this shade of pink, and I know that even if J. Crew was to re-issue the bella (like they did with the Lexington), they may not re-issue this herringbone version again, so I just re-budgeted that week so I could work it into my finances.

I am wearing the petite 6, which is nearly the right everything, except in the sleeves (har-dee-har, and my belly, but that isn't permanent).  The length of the sleeves are short, but I will take it so I can have a perfect fit in the shoulders and torso.  (And next year, lol, in the waist.)

The perfect fit tank is long enough to fit over my belly, even in the size small.  J. Crew's tanks and tees run really long, don't they?

The Bensimon sneakers are a size 41, which is about a size 10.  I thought the 41 would fit great, and they do, but I think I over-sized for what I suspected would be a fair amount of sherpa lining.  It is lined, but don't be fooled into believing it will be all thick like Uggs or even like what J. Crew does with sherpa.  I should have gone with a 40, but because it ties up, I just have to tie my shoes a bit tighter to have them fit well.

CW in the Target women's accessories department.  She loves trying all these on...the bag right next to her, btw, is really cute, sequined and all bow-ed up.  Go Target.  :) 

The sunglasses in the first shot were about $12 and are from Merona and the scarf is around $15 or so and also from Merona.  I can't find the glasses on-line, but I have included the scarf in my polyvore (below) so you can get more info on it.

Pink and Brown. Again. by dinagideon featuring cami tops

Above is the polyvore.

Umm, okay, that's all, I guess.  Before I go, two quick reminders/questions...if you have a review for me for this week's Boden Weekly Review roundup, can you either drop your link to your blog review in the comment or e-mail me at dinagideonATaimDOTcom...and on that note...when do you all think Boden will switch over to their second cut prices?  Last year it seemed to come a couple of weeks after the initial clearance, but I still haven't seen the prices budge (and I am WAITING for some of the pieces to go down in price, couple of my wishlist items are still too pricey at even their sale price). 

Have a great rest of your Tuesday, everyone!

Cocoon Concerto Coat...J. Crew Collection...

I am actually quite p-oed at J. Crew lately. Beyond the whole you now have a very limited time to do returns (used to be fairly open, then it went to no more than 90 days with store credit thereafter, and now it appears that we *may* get 60 days if it is an on-line purchase, 30 days if it is store purchase, and no store credit thereafter, even with an original receipt). You can see why I am so irritated in this post over at JCA. I think I explained myself well, but who knows if J. Crew will understand my negativity.

I am also p-oed at J. Crew because they have such BAD STYLING on their models at their internet site. Take for instance the lovely Cocoon Concerto Coat, which looked decent enough in the lookbook for me to place a pre-order. And then the item was dropped in the latest roll-out and it was all well...woof. The model is beautiful but it seems she may not be the best model to show off the cool mid-century/80s vibe of this coat. On her it just sits there looking like a very sad woolen sack of potatoes. Is it because this is not the best color for her or is it because the styling is just too much? Is she wearing the wrong size? Thoughts?

Okay, J. Crew, I will do your job for you. I will show how gorgeous this coat can actually be.


Sizes:
Coat: Size Small. This is my fave pose for this coat. I love the lines to it. I find it very chic, especially when paired with these fitted pants and ankle boots. Why couldn't J. Crew have used a pose like this with their model?

This is a very generous cut, except through the hips, where it comes back into a taper. I don't mind this but I would have hated it postpartum. That said the zipper is a double zipper so it can be zipped up a bit from the hips if you find it a bit tight through your bottom half.

I appreciate how the coat visually lengthens my shorter torso. Most things I wear don't give me that silhouette.


I love this particular styling for more casual moments. It is all zipped and buttoned up, but the top two buttons are undone and the collar is folded down a bit.


Also like it completely unbuttoned and completely unzipped. This will be a fine coat to wear on those bright, sunny fall days where it is just a touch too cold, yet still pleasant.


I didn't care for this version as much because I didn't like that it closed off my neckline. That said, I still prefer this styling to the version on jcrew.com.


Here I buttoned up the top buttons and left the whole rest of it undone. Meh. Probably will not wear it this way.


Back of the coat. I feel like it makes an impression entering and leaving. ;)

Some last thoughts:
1. It is unlined. For a Collection piece I wanted a lining, but I find that the piece is still exceptional enough for me to keep. I really loved how I have NOTHING like this in my closet and I can truly see its potential. (And I do believe this will not be an item that I will want to return--now with the new policy I need to be VERY sure if I plan on buying anything early in the season.)
2. It is a nice, soft wool, but I still fear that some of the more sensitive JCAs may find it itchy.
3. I really liked how the sleeves looked rolled up one time, flattering for the arms.
4. The original Collection lookbook image shows a button at the very top of the stand-up collar. That is gone. I have no idea why...it looked cute!

Hope this helped some of you! :)

I Kind of Like This...

Must go to bed. But before going to bed, must show outfit I wore yesterday to relax around the house (while still doing a million SAHM things--lol).

Untitled by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Above is the polyvore of the outfit I wore. Yes, those are the (in)famous unsweatpants.


Making stupid face while taking self-potrait equals off with her head!
Sizes:
Top: Ellora Print Button-Down Shirt, J. Crew, Size 6. Bought from a JCA. Loved how it brought this casual outfit up a notch.
Cami: The ever-awesome and no longer produced Lady Hathaway Camis with Shelf Bra. Boo, Costco! You should still sell these...they rock my world, size medium, although size small fits, too.
Pants: Luxe knit un-sweatpant, J. Crew, Size Small. These are the dark mushroom color...and I think because I paired it with the wedge sandals and the button-down, they actually are passable. Passable for SAHM things, maybe not so much for the grocery store--your thoughts? Would you wear this outfit out to the grocery store??? ;)
Shoes: Aerosoles. I tell you, Aerosoles keeps grabbing me with the awesome mix of comfort, cool look, and great prices. These are the Bora Bora sandals in mid-green and I bought them in a 9.5.

You all have a great night...and remember, celebrate the outfits you "kind of like." :) SMILE!

Borrowing from the Boys, Literally...

For those of you that read this post early, all you got were four pictures of me wearing the same tee as Rex, and so I am sure that even without copy you all could guess where I got the title "Borrowing from the Boys..."

But just in case you still don't get it, I wore two separate tees recently that happened to be from crewcuts, and were boy's tees. Yes, I literally borrowed from the boys. And because nothing seems to tickle me more than matching my kids (I know, it doesn't take much to amuse me), I had to buy Rex the same tees in his size.

So here you are...


Borrowed from the Boys (Section), Part One (Also today's look, so yay for that!):
Sizes:
Top: Size 12. This is the boys graphic tee with the phrase "Don't be so shellfish," and has a drawing of a lobster. Did I tell you I happen to also love puns??? ;) I like the size 12 in the crewcuts boys shirts, but far prefer a size 14 in the girls shirts, which are cut narrower.
Skirt: Size 8. This is Jones New York from last year. I like the length and modest cut of this for church.
Shoes: Size 10. These are the Carina T-Strap Sandals from last summer, J. Crew. Very comfortable and well-made.

I love that it was baby CW who happily posed with me, not Rex, even though he was the one most excited by the fact that we matched.


I LOVE this picture. You all be expecting my dad to come in and post a comment about how much he loves it, too. Look at that--we are all smiling, no one has their eyes closed, perfection!!! :)

And isn't Rex just DARLING in his shirt??? (Oh, and get this, one whole hour of church and Rex was amazingly well-behaved. He even did prayer hands AND did the sign of peace with one of our pew neighbors--YAY!)

Oh, and yes, inquiring minds, those sunglasses are my new A.R. Trapp for J. Crew Troubadour sunglasses, and yes, I do love them. I did save up for them, and I figure after a few years their cost per wear should be pretty low, so I anticipate these being worth every penny I spent!!!


Borrowed from the Boys (Section), Part Two:
Sizes:
Top: Size 12. This is a crewcuts from last year that I fell in love with...love softshell crabs (to eat) and felt that I had to declare it. I have not yet had ANY this summer, and from what I can tell, I may not the rest of the summer (shortest softshell crab season ever, it seems, sadness is me), so I decided to put it out there that I NEEDED some. Alas, no one caught my (admittedly subtle) plea, so no offers from random strangers in Alexandria offering me some. Boo.
Shorts: Size 10. Yummy buttercup chino color, no?
Shoes: Size 10. Miss Trish of Capri for Target, you did good.

And even though it SHOULD have been Rex in this picture with me, again it was baby CW. I think she just loves the camera (and I think it loves her right back)!


One nanosecond after this photo was taken, Rex bolted for the other side of the room. It was a minor miracle this photo looks like this. LOL.

You all have a great night. Thanks for visiting and bearing through dinagideon's children's photos. :)

P.S. Less than 1.5 hours before my giveaways end. Don't forget to enter!

Shorts, Shorts, and a Pair of Dina Sandals (Because It is Fridays are for Feet, Of Course)...

Hi!!! How is everyone this fab Friday? I am substituting for the first time in ages. The kids have been a bit nuts, but it is May, they are in middle school, and it is Friday. I have seen it all before...and I can handle it, so all is good.

Onto the post...

There are two outfits, one mini-review of the Bling Button cardigan in Warm Peacock and one review of the "Dina" sandals. That's right, there are a pair of sandals with my name "written all over it." Well, woo hoo! ;)


You see this outfit? I wore this to the JCA get together at the Friendship Heights store on Saturday. Always such a good time hanging with the ladies. Summerilla and Slastena both did write-ups, so I will let their write-ups stay as the go-to source for the day...but do please look at the photo of all of us at Summer's blog. In it you will see that CW is kissing me. MELT! (What a perfect thing to see right before Mother's Day. I didn't even realize that it had been captured on film--or SD card--whatever!)

Sizes:
Cardigan: Size small. This is the Bling Button Cardigan in Warm Peacock. Umm, yummy color!!! And yummy fit. Just the right thing for covering up when it is warm outside but there is lots of AC in the buildings. (We have entered that time of year here in the DC area.) I saw this cardigan most recently on Ema and she looks great. Definitely give this one a try if you want a summer cardigan in cotton. The warm peacock is selling fast at the stores, supposedly, so bear that in mind.
Top: Size small. This is the giraffe print Hayworth cami that was hugely popular in the spring of 2009. The outlets did a version over the holiday season and I definitely did right by buying it. I see very little difference from the original (this one also ties in a bow in the back). Also in silk!
Shorts: Size 10. These are from J. Crew, spring 2006?
Shoes: Size 10. Aerosoles from last summer and super comfy!!!


So I often have pics that I don't publish because they are silly or over the top...but this one, I couldn't resist. You see what is in baby's hands (also in the prior photo)? Well, those are Rex's 3D spiderman "glasses." And you bet your bottom dollar that Rex was NONE to happy about it! That's him there in the back FREAKING out and running over to get them back. And that is me rolling my eyes. The next photo would have baby crying, except we stopped the camera at that point. Sigh. Little children. :)


Okay, this is the outfit with the Dina Gladiator Wedge sandals. :)

I was off to Rex's preschool yesterday and it was warm and yet because it was "Mother's Day" at school, I wanted to wear something special, yet comfortable, but nothing that would cause me to overheat. (Tall order!)

Sizes:
Top: Size 6. I reviewed the Thicket Floral Perfect Shirt here. It appears to be selling fast on-line.
Shorts: Size 10. Same as the above shorts (which is how I justified putting these two outfits together).
Shoes: Size 10. Thanks to the wonderful AudreyBella, I discovered that there were a pair of sandals at Banana Republic with my name. Thank goodness I love the gladiator styling. (You already know that I LOVE wedge sandals--see last outfit for another example of that!) These are a bit edgy, and since most of my clothing veers towards sweet, there was an actual need for these. (Which is why I got the Alecias!) These fit TTS, in other words, they are what my size used to be (size 10). I could have gone with a 9.5, but I knew they could be adjusted, and since feet tend to swell in the summer, I knew that the 10 would make more sense overall. They also come in Brown, but I feel like I have enough brown sandals (again, going with need and not "want").

P.S. I am wearing the Colletto necklace, again. LOVE. Gigiofca did a great post on this necklace today.

P.P.S. Yes, baby is wearing a thicket bubble top, just like me. Yes, we were kind of a hit. I love doing this...and I am going to be sad when she stops wanting to do this. :(


Remember how I mentioned it was Mother's Day at preschool? It was so cute--they sang songs for us, they gave us yummy treats, and they even gave us a flower made with their cut-out hand print and decorated it with their fingerprints. So sweet!

This is a pic of me and Rex taken by his teacher. I LOVE IT! (I also love my tiara, even if it barely fit!)


And here is baby enjoying the treats. :) She even managed to keep her top clean! Awesome.

You all have a great Friday, and we will talk soon!

Tweed Dauphine and Alecia Suede Heels Review plus Zebra and Teal Sparkle!

Hi! I am back! Yay! Travelling was great, but it really limits my ability to keep up with my blogs. Pretty much the whole month of April we were off places, so it is nice to be back and in my (somewhat) relaxed SAHM mode. :)

Up today...two reviews and two outfits of the day.


This is both an outfit of the day and the reviews.

Sizes:
Jacket: Tweed Dauphine Jacket, Size 2 (!!!). Wow. This J. Crew Collection jacket runs large. I even checked with the sales assistant and she says that the jacket fits me exactly like it fit the model in the catalog, so that made me feel both good and outraged, all at the same time. Admittedly I am smaller on top than bottom, but wowza, you really petite women are probably completely sized out of this jacket. It is a beauty, too. (See next photo for a close-up.)
Top: Size small. This is the linen-cotton tiered tank that came in one moment and the next was out (probably because it went on 20% off and is a really nice tank). I bought it in the light purple which goes very nicely with the jacket and the pants.
Pants: Size 8. These are the infamous silk-linen pants from the holiday season that it seems very few of us liked. Even I was unsure UNTIL I wore them. Golly they are comfy...and shiny...which makes me feel like the are sweats but a little dressier, and really what could a SAHM want more? :)
Shoes: Alecia Suede Platform Peep-Toes, Size 9.5. A bit tight, these, but I am glad I got this size as I KNOW they are going to stretch out. I love these...and feel that they are worth the price WITH a discount of some sort. I got them in the February 30% off your whole purchase promo, which is way more reasonable of a price to me. (Speaking of, when is the next one???) I love the zipper detail at the back, plus the whole "I am now nearly 6 feet tall" thing.

For what its worth, my hubby hated this outfit. I have enough confidence now to laugh at him. He was wearing white tennis shoes, an oversized tee, and light-wash loose fit jeans when he said this to me. I just pointed to his shoes and said, "you are giving me fashion advice wearing those???" ;)


Here is the Dauphine close-up. The price on-line is EXCELLENT, with the current extra 20% off sale items. At 160 dollars, I thought I GOT a steal...turns out, no, those of you who waited until now got the BEST deal, so BRAVO!



Zebra and Teal Sparkle! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Up next is today's outfit. I felt a bit iffy about the combo of zebra stripes and teal sparkles, but, eh, you only live once.

By the way, I visited the Lynchburg Clearance Center in Wyndhurst (the second of two clearance centers in Lynchburg, VA) on Tuesday and found these pants for $30! Down from $170, these may be my FAVORITE pants ever. They are the Collection Minnies, in the grey stretch wool and I just about died when I put them on, they were that comfy and sleek. Yay!!! (Oh, and my 15% educator discount was applied, which made it more like $27. It made the sewing of the ripped seam--tiny, by the way--feel like nothing!)


And here it is on me. Yes, my hubby had a hey-day with this one, too. He said I was a "dancing queen." Haha, real funny. But, then he said, "no, that's okay, I actually really love this outfit." And then he winked, all rico suave-like. Hmm, okay.

Then the coffee guy was all, "ooh, sparkly!" I guess guys like sparkle. Good to know. :)

Sizes:
Cardigan: Size small. Love me some zebra-print. Yum!
Top: Size Medium.
Pants: Size 6. YAY!
Shoes: Size 10.

You all have a great, sparkly day!

Animal Print Fun Times...A Little Tortoise Here, A Little Zebra There...

Howdy, all!

Making this quick...

Have two outfits to show off, both from two separate days of teaching the "Spring Into Style" class. I know I could probably get away without "bringing it" every day, but I kind of feel like if you are going to say "I can teach this class on style," then the least I can do is put some effort into the outfits I wear.

Here are two attempts I made...even though both attempts were made in the morning when yours truly when bu##-tired, I think I did okay. Thank goodness for dresses...easy, peasy, and put together. :)

Tonal Paisley, Gold, and Brown... by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Above is the polyvore from today's outfit. Yes, that is the metallic beach cardigan in metallic camel. And, yes, that is the stone garden tote. (I have a real life photo of it in another post upcoming.)


Sizes:
Cardigan: Size small. A medium would have been massive on me. The small is a nice fit, I feel this cardigan looks better opened and with the sleeves scrunched up (see the next photo for why it should be 3/4 length, especially when worn with a dress).
Dress: Size 8. Now it is too big on me, but I still LOVE YOU, shimmer paisley print dress. Swoon.
Shoes: Size 9.5. Probably should have worn heels, but if you are a teacher, you 100% get why I didn't. ;)
Necklace: The Madewell Jigsaw necklace. Get this on popback if you can. (Fortunately jewelry suffers less from popback ickiness, unlike the clothing--used kleenex, anyone?)


With the sleeves at my wrist, the overall look is a bit schoolmarm-ish. Eek. Thank goodness for my preview function on my digital camera.

Baby CW loves her Fur*Real kitty cat. We have named him Chairman Me-ow. Haha. I am sure that name has never been done before.


And Thursday:

Yes, that is the Blakely dress in the Zebra print, which I guess sold as quickly as I am writing this sentence. One day I tried it on in a 6 in a store (too small through the ribcage) and then the next week, this puppy was gone almost everywhere (I decided to chance it at full price, and was glad I did).

Sizes:
Dress: Size 8. Bit big through the bust, but I just pin the bit there at the cleavage area, no one is wiser. I really like the look of this dress, very appealing in its forgiving shape, plus the zebra print is just too much fun. The kids REALLY liked this dress, plus the avocado colored accessories.
Belt: Size Small.
Shoes: Size 10.

Well, that's it. Two days left till the end of the style class. Wednesday, by the way, is our runway show. :) FUN! Wish me and them lots of luck...

Since it Now Appears We Have Tank Weather, How About a Review of the Perfect-fit Swirling Petals Tank?

And with the world's longest blog title, comes the world's shortest review of a J. Crew tank, ever.
One word for this tank: AWESOME.




















Okay, I kid. I have more to say. (It is April Fool's Day and have been unable to fool anyone...until now...heehee.)

Size: Small. I happen to also own this tank in the light grey (or stone) color. Interesting story about me and customer service. If you suck at your job, then I won't buy from you. I had really wanted this in the brown color when this tank came out, but when I went to Tyson's, I asked one of the young ladies that works there to please see if she could find it for me in the brown in a size small (all they had out were x-smalls and mediums) and she sort of huffed, "yeah, but I am going on break, so this is me going out of my way for you." Then I, taken aback, told her, "well, okay, thank you, I will be over there waiting for you." (Keep in mind I was with my testy kids that day.) After five minutes and she had not returned and my kids were ready to kill me or each other, I went ahead and said, "fine, I will try on the light grey and forget about the brown." Well, I did like the light grey, and it works on so many levels, by itself, under cardis, under button-downs, I justified it as an acceptable extra purchase, knowing full well at some point I would buy the brown.

When the people behind the counter asked if anyone helped me, I said, "no...not really." (I worked in retail, and I LOVED it, so I don't want to hear I am not sympathetic...I have been there, and have my lunch-time taken from me, too.)

So while I am at the J. Crew in Vegas, I spy it, in the small in the brown color!!! Woop-woop! :)

I love this color, as well, and can see it working just as well as its lighter sister (or brother???).

So you know, I am wearing a bra-cami under the tank, and it is hidden completely. Awesome. How many tanks can you do that with?

Oh, and I love the embellishments. Under a cardi they look especially pretty.

And since tomorrow is supposed to be JUST. AS. GORGEOUS. as today...well, my winter-sad shoulders will be able to see the sun when I wear this out to take CW to her dr. appt. (HeidiG., I will wear sunscreen, promise.)

Have a great rest of the day, you all! :)

Pink Times Two plus a Swan Butt Outing...

Hi, all! Quick outfits post today. :)

First up is the outfit we (you'll see what I mean) wore on Friday. I had a meeting at the school where I will be teaching an 8-day course in style to 3rd, 4th, and 5th-graders. :) Yes, you read that right, I have decided to bite the bullet and turn my passion for fashion into a course for little ones. I really feel strongly about teaching kids how to dress well and appropriately (you should see what kids in middle school wear--yowza), and the earlier you can help them discover a sense of self through their clothing (it isn't nearly as vacuous as it sounds), the better off they will be by the time their peers start wearing gang clothing or really short skirts. I can't say that they won't turn to the dark side, but maybe one or two of the kids in this class will keep what they learned! I am super-excited about it, and I have a lot of really neat ideas and teaching tools (including every one's favorite paper doll site, Polyvore) ready to go. Wish me luck. One week from tomorrow I start, so I will keep you updated on how well it goes. :)

Pretty in Pink... by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Speaking of polyvore, above is the "pretty in pink" set that baby CW and I wore on Friday. Slastena wrote an incredibly moving post on her mother's passing ten years ago from breast cancer, and she asked all of us out in blogland to wear pink. Since I hadn't chosen my outfit yet, and knew that I could very easily find pink in my closet, I said "yes, absolutely!" Well, I picked out the button-down first, and then remembered that I had bought CW the dress in the same pattern and that she *might* just fit into it (size 2 crewcuts). Well, she did, and two outfits were born. :)


Sizes:
Top: Size Petite 8. Love that it doesn't hit too low on my hip. That is why I buy petite tops...so that they hit higher on my hips.
Pants: Size 30 Short. Love the brown with the pink, really pretty neutral/bright combo.
Boots: Size 9.5. The metropolitan boots are way more comfortable when you aren't running around a mall for two hours straight. LOL. :)

My goodness, my hair looks dark here. It isn't that dark in real life, but the combo of lighting plus really pale face plus bright shirt makes it look dark. I do like my hair like this, but ladies, I WILL never go dark. It just isn't me. ;)

Okay, on Thursday night (the night before the pretty in pink outfit), we all went to Moe's and to Borders Book Store. I decided the swan butt skirt needed to come out and play...


Sizes:
Top: Size small. I am amazed at how much I wear this top. I think I have worn it four times, which in four months is pretty good. I am definitely getting my money's worth from this one.
Skirt: Size medium. I have it in a large, too, but I am saving that one for summer when I don't wear tights and need a bit more coverage (if you know what I mean).
Tights: Size medium-tall.
Shoes: Size 10.


Sizes:
Jacket: Size 4. The is the J. Crew Collection tweed contessa coat. I think what makes it "collection" worthy is the embellishment at the collar. One of the beads is hanging on by a thread, but considering I got it for over 160 dollars off its original price of 250 dollars, I think I can manage to sew a bead back on...

All right, have a great day. Maybe I can get a review of some of the current button-downs written soon. :)

A Tale of a Tunic, a Top, and a Swan Butt Skirt...

First thing...I FORGOT to add links to my last few posts, and I just feel terrible. Both of these lovely ladies have worn outfits or pieces that I had in the posts, and I really want you to go check them out. They looked amazing, of course. :)

Debye reviewed the Boden Knitted Dress and the Textured Cotton Shift here. Summerilla wore the Campo de Fiore sweaterdress here.

Second...I have a great Boden story to tell. I was shopping at Springfield Mall a week or so ago and I was picking up my statement necklace (Boden's from the winter roll-out that I blogged about here) from the repair shop (a minor repair, a connection was broken between two of the bits). We then head to Gymboree to buy CW some winter clothing, and in the midst of me trying to prevent her from shoplifting some tees (they are so sneaky at this age), I threw my bag and envelope (with the necklace in it) on the floor and ran out to grab her and the fifteen tees she five-finger discounted. In the process of all of this, my Campo bag was remembered but not the necklace I had come to the mall for in the first place. :P

The ladies at the store saw the envelope (after we were long gone), saw the Boden info, and called their customer service number, and reported to them that my necklace was at their store. I remembered about fifty minutes later that I had left the envelope in the store and grabbed it...obviously with a million thanks to them, and was on my merry way.

Well imagine my surprise when I get home and Mr. Dina says there was a message from Boden, calling to let us know that our necklace was at the Springfield Mall and that we should go and get it!!! This is AWESOME. I always love J. Crew's customer service, but this is the BEST example of customer service I have ever encountered. Amazing. (Now, if I could just get them to send me the boyfriend cardi I ordered in their sale over 21 days ago, I would be the happiest camper with Johnnie and co. Although knowing Boden, Johnnie himself will go to the FedEx depot here in Alexandria and chew them out for making me wait for my package.) :)

Third...today is a day of three reviews...two are Boden, and one is Urban Outfitters. (I know, Urban Outfitters...it is NOT a typo.) In fact the only thing in any of these photos that is J. Crew is the starfish printed cardigan in the last photo that I bought recently from Mint Condition.


Sizes:
Tunic: UK Size 10R, US Size 6R. I chose to go with a regular as opposed to a long because I don't want the empire seam to hit me at my waist. That would just ruin this tunic for me. I know this is S-H-O-R-T, but I am not planning on wearing this as a dress, this is either a cover-up for my bathing suit this summer or as a tunic this spring.

I think this was the VERY FIRST thing I fell in love with when I saw the Boden Spring Preview all the way back in October. I said it looked very Lilly Pulitzer then, and I stand by my estimation. What a gorgeous print. Does anyone else see the bird in the center of the tunic?

This is linen and prone to wrinkling, but on the plus side, this is a comfortable material that stretches with you and will never confine you. Just lovely for the warmer months of the year.

Printed Tunic available here. This print is currently on a huge backorder, but really, are any of you going to wear this in the next 5 weeks? Well, outside of Ema, who actually is wearing it for real right now. Lucky gal! ;)


Sizes:
Top: UK 12, US 8. I always buy these more fitted tops by Boden in a size UK 12 or US 8 because they are close-fitting, and this is coming from someone without much up top.

I love me some hotchpotch. This is the current variation on the "hotchpotch" theme. This will probably be the only one I buy. The others just aren't singing to me. I do envision this looking darling with sandals and a pair of denim bermuda shorts.

Hotchpotch Top is available here. You can probably wait for a sale. (But once on sale, buy quickly...the hotchpotch and fun skirts always sell first and fast on sale.)


Sizes:
Cardigan: Size Small. Bought for maybe $15. Love consignment shops. :)
Skirt: Size Medium. This skirt was much discussed at gigiofca's Gigi's Gone Shopping. Well, not the Urban Outfitters version, but the Target version. Gigiofca is the one (maybe?) who named it the swan butt skirt. Whatever.

I love this pic, I cropped it just so...wanted you to see just how darling the mini-tiers of fabric look.

But I know you all, and you will prefer a full-length version...so fine, here it is (I am to please):


Ta-Da!

Urban Outfitters Kimchi Blue Ruffle Tiered Skirt is available here. They have it styled to sit on the waist. Unh-uh, I am over 14 (contrary to how I feel on the inside), so I placed it on my high hip. It is a much more reasonable version of a mini at this length.

BTW, I am stuck on how I really want to style this skirt. I like it with the cardigan and sandals, and so does Mr. Dina and my dad, but what about you all? Any ideas? Any polyvore addicts feel like taking a go with it???

Hope this helped some of you. If I enabled you, I am truly sorry or truly happy, dependent on how you feel about me enabling you. ;)