OOTD/Review: Space-Dyed Shine in Sprinkles.

OOTD first, followed by a quickie review of J. Crew's Space-Dyed Sweater.

Day: Thursday, June 4, 2015.

Where:  G Street Fabrics, School Run, a very brief visit to Nationals Park, and Good Stuff Eatery for dinner.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This whole outfit presents well but is pretty comfy, considering it is a bit more dressy than my usual wear of late (Turner pant, a fun top of some sort, and sandals).  The skirt is the factory version of the J. Crew Lighthouse Postcard skirt but I bought it off ebay for a song in a size 8, which is usually too small, but in this skirt is actually a touch too loose.  That's okay.  I needed the extra room with the redonk amount of food I ate at Good Stuff tonight (the hamburger I ate had an egg on it, mmmm).

The space-dyed sweater is awesome, not cozy and soft, but it felt wonderful to wear all day even though it wasn't cashmere.  I have more info on this one in the review below.

Outfit Details: Space-dyed Sweater, J. Crew here; Necklace and Shoes, J. Crew; Skirt, J. Crew Factory (ebay has this one for sale--btw, the factory version is lined but the retail was not, hmm).

I chose to wear the teal shoes and the green necklace after I saw Lisa instagram with her skirt paired with a mint green top.  It looked great together, so I (sort of) copied.  :-)

Anecdote of the Day: It is really rainy and kind of chilly out there, and so rather than go to tonight's baseball game with one kid and grab bobbleheads (there was a giveaway tonight), my husband drove us all into town, had CW and I get out, GO into the game, GRAB the bobbleheads, LEAVE the game, and meet him on the road where he would be waiting for us.  LOL.  So weird.  But because I am easygoing, I just went with it.  Whatever, man.  I got a burger with an egg on top of it for my troubles. 

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Space-dyed Sweater.  I saw this one a while back at J. Crew, and though I loved it right away, I knew I had to wait for a promo to get it, so the moment a 30% off and free shipping popped up, I grabbed it in the size extra-small (my usual J. Crew sweater size).  It had a bit of a backorder, but I know this is an all-season sweater (well except for the most hot and humid of days), so I was fine to wait.

It fits exactly like all my other extra-small sweaters fit, great through the shoulders, a touch big through the neckine, and with enough ease to be comfortable overall.

It has a weird composition of rayon/metallic threads and poly.  It isn't soft, and it isn't especially warm, but it is fine unless you are a super-sensitive type person.  If you find wool sweaters itchy, this may be too much for you.

The length of the sleeves is really long, and the rib trim at the cuffs and hems stretch well, but bounce back easily.  The ribbing at the sleeves is extra-long, reaching nearly to my mid-forearm.

The sweater is a mid-length, so a bit long on my body, but that is likely good for most of you since I have a shorter torso.

It looked nice with the Lighthouse skirt.  It worked even better after I put the necklace on, since the subtle golden shimmer of the sweater worked well with the necklace, while the more platinum shade the base of the sweater worked well with the skirt.  Very pretty, all the pieces together.

It stayed tucked in all day, which is not always the case with sweaters.  I was pleased since I hate it when they come untucked.

This photo shows off the color the best I could capture it in the low light of today.  It is a sheer top, so you must wear proper undergarments.  I have on a very light colored cami, and it worked fine as a piece for modesty.

It really is very shiny, and goes with so many pieces in my closet.  I can see why this shade is nearing sold out status.  At $70 (after discounts), I would say it is money spent well.

FWIW, I had been looking at the Elegant Shimmer Sweater from Boden, and price-wise, they are very similar.  That said, I think this "neither cool nor warm" shade of metallic in the space-dyed works better for my skin tone, so I am glad I went with this one.

Space-dyed Sweater (that photo is a shopsense link, btw).  The color above is the same one I chose and it is out of stock in many sizes.  There is a gold shade, though, which is fully stocked.  They had a similar sweater two years ago (though looser) and it came in the gold.  I have that one in gold, and I suspect many other women do, too.  This unusual shade is not common, so I can see why this one sold well.

Okay, I hope you all have had a great Thursday!  We'll talk soon, have a great night!

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...

This One's for You, English Tea...Or How I Wore the Goldwyn Dress in the Fall!

I was just over at English Tea when I saw that she had purchased the incredibly beautiful J. Crew Collection Goldwyn Dress for a mere 20 dollars and some change. Good for you, girl. Nice!

I did not purchase my Goldwyn Dress for 20 dollars, but I did purchase it for 80, which is more than half off its original price. When I saw it in the May 2009 catalog, styled very simply with jeweled sandals, I was sold. Except that I wasn't. I could not justify the 185 dollars it cost, no matter how darn cute. But when it went to 99 dollars plus 20% off, I jumped right in. I was torn between a size 6 or 8. In the end (and this is how it works out sometimes), only a regular size 8 was left.

And it worked out just fine. I could maybe nip it in at the waist and shorten the straps, but in general, it looks perfectly nice on me in this size.

I wore it for our (8th) anniversary on October 13, 2009 (yes, I am one month late...figures). I also took pics of me wearing this, while doing the dishes (putting the dishes in the dishwasher) for my blog, Mid-Century Mom, but those aren't quite ready yet (but when they are...they will be funny)! (Hey, all I finally published the post!!! 11/15/09.)

J. Crew's Goldwyn Dress on a Date by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is the polyvore of the outfit. I wore navy Cole-Haans because they are kinda (said quietly so the kids won't hear) sexy, but I think next time I will wear something a bit "strappier." In my defense, it was sorta chilly out that night...but I feel like the navy is too harsh of a contrast for me to wear these pumps (regardless of how sexy).


Here it is without the cardigan. The navy pumps look pretty good here. LOVE pockets on a girly girl dress...so special.


Here is the whole outfit, belt, cardigan and all. Just no purse. The purse sat out of the pic. Next time, definitely going with a clutch. :) LOL. It is so hard to go anywhere with a clutch anymore, kids and all their little things (yes, I know, I was on a date) don't fit in clutches.

The contrast in the color of the photos is from the lighting. In the first photo, only the ambient light plus the flash were used. The second photo has extra lighting from the lamps, etc. plus the lighting, so the second photo is "warmer." The first probably shows the color of the dress more accurately.

I plan to respond to the comments from yesterday's posts later today!!! Seems blazers are my good friends. I like Ms. Eden and Mr. Schoolboy a lot more now. ;)