Made by Me File: The Joy of the Red Coat.

Before I start talking about the joy of making the red coat, I encourage you to visit the post I wrote up at Fabric Mart first, especially if you are a sewer.  I am sure it would be fine to replicate, word for word, and photo for photo, that post here, but since this blog is more focused on style, fashion, and garment reviews, I am choosing to leave the bulk of heavy sewing info there.

I am choosing to focus here instead on the journey I took to getting to a place where I made up a fully lined, fully tailored red coat in a month's time.  :-)

The back story here is important.  I wrote to Fabric Mart and told them I would love to make a coat for my January make.  I always enjoy picking out my projects with them, but most of the time the projects are not so involved.  Usually I'll make up a dress, or a top and pants, but I tend to not sew up intense projects as they don't really fit in with my hectic school and life schedule.  But dang it, I really wanted to challenge myself, so I said to myself I could figure it out and make it happen.

I asked what coating they had in stock and they mentioned that they were getting in a red wool, and if I was interested they would send it my way.  After looking at, I leaped, even though I wasn't fully convinced that the red would be "classic" red enough.  It definitely didn't look like a yellow-based red (which I usually wear, it suits my warmer complexion), but it didn't look like a blue-red, either, which I know would look horrible on me.

It ended up coming and I fell in love since it was indeed a true red, with no additional tones of blue or yellow.  The color is one of the four universal colors all people can wear, regardless of skin tone.  Looking at that universal color chart, it's true.  I normally can't wear purple, but the one purple on the list is the only shade of purple that doesn't make me look ill.

Deciding on a coat shape and design took me FAR longer than you would think it would.  Especially considering that once I had figured it out, I knew immediately what to do.  I hemmed and hawed over which design I wanted for a week or so.  Did I want a double-breasted trench, did I want a full a-line skirt on the coat, did I want a more modern shape like a cocoon?

It wasn't until I put on my Alabaster Tweed coat from J. Crew that I realized my design was under my nose.  Even though I didn't use a shape or coating like the Alabaster Tweed one, I decided I was being silly not looking through my coat closet for inspiration.  After all, you all here (especially if you have been reading for years), know how much I love my coats.  We may not wear them all the time here, but I adore them all, and wear them every chance I get.

If you have been reading the blog for long enough, you'll know exactly where I went to find my design inspiration, my Sybil coats, and my Bella jackets.  Ever since I started sewing, I knew that one day I would want to try and make my own version of these and get them in my wardrobe, but with my personal measurements and aesthetics leading the way, not one of J. Crew's designers making those choices for me.

And I do fully realize I am being derivative here, but at least my version is a bit different, especially in the lower half of the coat (the Sybil is a more straight up-and-down shape).
 

So I stopped my constant searching through my coat patterns and ebay for the "perfect" coat choice, and decided on the two coat patterns that would come together best to suit me and to realize my vision of the red coat I had in mind.

Vogue 8626 is a pattern I had seen over at Sewing Pattern Review a couple of years ago, and when I saw it, I swooned.  It was so pretty, feminine, and yet regal, at the same time.  And it was out of print.  It took me a few months, but eventually one in my size came up on ebay, and I bought it without hesitation.  The only issue I had with the coat was the design of the collar.  I don't know if you can tell, but when the collar is buttoned, it makes a weird pointy collar jut in one direction, and the asymmetry is too much for my eye, and I knew it would bug me if I made it up that way.

McCall's 7024 is a pattern I had seen when it came out and bought it as soon as possible.  I loved the collar because of how much it reminded me of the Sybil and the Bella.  Really the rest of the jacket is fine, but the collar was what I most wanted.  Though it is designed with a drawstring, I knew I could probably (and eventually) figure out what to do to omit the drawstring and have it properly stand up.

I had to make a muslin to ensure I was using the correct measurements, and thankfully, they were pretty close to right.  I did note that I needed to change up the way the side pleats on the back laid (they favored opening up to the center pleat and it didn't look right on me, so I chose to turn them into box pleats).

I am pleased that Vogue 8626 has cup sizes.  I have a very small bustline, 32B if I am lucky, and I have noticed that any pattern that doesn't have specific cup measurements built in will often manifest themselves in a bit of wrinkling above my chest below my collarbone.  The same thing happens when I wear a bra that is too big (which is a lot of the time, it is really hard to find a 32B bra that doesn't have underwire).  This coat has an A cup bodice, and it is a dream fit up there.  Seriously, hands thrown in the air, waving around, kind of fit.  I know fuller-bust ladies get a lot of attention for having to make FBAs on their clothes, but for those of us who are wee-er up there than average, have to do the same thing if we want a good fit.  People notice it less when things don't fit me properly since it doesn't mean gaping plackets or straining streams, but I get really bothered by those darn wrinkles.

This doesn't mean I am going to take on the challenge of the small bust adjustment every time I sew anything for my top half, but for tailored garments I darn well will.  It is worth the effort!

BTW, the belt above is called a Martingale belt.  I always just called it a "half-belt at the back," but now that I know what they are called, I am gonna throw that term around like it's hot.  LOL.

So the collar, the most important portion of my coat in realizing my vision...turns out the McCall's 7024 is a great dupe for the Sybil coat.  It is nearly the same.  The Bella is a bit off, as the Bella collar sits on a faux collar stand.  The way I made it stand just so was to interface the non-pleated side with fusible hair canvas on the bias (wanted it on the bias so it would be more easily molded when I was steaming it, on the straight grain I would have had a few more struggles to shape it since the straight grain prevents any stretching).

The buttons.  Well, it turns out that even though I had chosen a near match for the Sybil coat (they seriously are the same buttons as the ones on my other coats, but red), I wanted to use a flatter, variegated reddish button instead.  Now it fully is a coat that is "inspired by" but not a samesy copy.

Now that I have published this post I can actually start wearing the coat out and incorporating it into my ootd postings here and at Instagram.  Yes!  (I have to wait until the post publishes over there before I publish here.)

I know that some of you might have questions, so if you do, I encourage them.  Maybe some of you can even make your own versions of the Sybil/Bella?  I would love to see some more of these out there in the world of sewing.  :-)

OOTD/Review/Made by Me File: Pretty in Pink Rainbow/Roses.

Hi!  Happy Saturday night.  Yes, I know it is Valentine's Day.  I only ever celebrate it by dressing up in festive outfits.  With the boys of this family having their birthdays in February (well, March for Angus), Valentine's Day is WAY down on our "must do" list.  Mardi Gras gets way more attention than it, too. 

But I still have a big crush on the pretty pinks/reds/ivories of the day, so here are two outfits featuring those gorgeous hues.

Outfit one first, then (as promised in this post) the review of the Rainbow Knit sweater, and third, the outfit that also features a very recent made by me.

Day: Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Where:  Rex's Birthday Party!

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I really really love these Turner pants from J. Crew.  My husband made fun of them the first time I wore them and said no words today.  Success!  He has grown used to the pale pink elastic cuffed wonders.

The sweater was more than adequate to keep me warm, but I did make sure to layer it with this pretty tulip-printed Liberty shirt from J. Crew from a few years ago.  The Eliza coat was actually plenty cover for this morning, it is only recently that the winds have picked up and the snow has begun (it looks frightening out there, I have never seen snow blow sideways!).

Cool Factor: (3.75 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) I don't know, it is an all pink ensemble.  Granted, it is appropriate for the day, and I was at my kid's birthday party, but yeah, I don't know if I can't rate it any higher.

The heeled loafers are a fun neutral, not quite silver/not quite pewter, they helped ground the all pink ensemble.  So that helped.  Plus the coat is getting quite a bit of airtime from Boden over at their facebook page (they celebrate *other* bloggers, lol, example one, and example two). 

Anecdote of the Day:  Wheelchair bound, we weren't sure if Rex's birthday party at the laser tag place could still go on, but yep, they were all ADA compliant, so we were able to wheel him around in the actual games.  I sucked, though, because the loafers have a slippy bottom, and he DESPERATELY wanted me to push him up the steep ramp in the game.  He weighs a lot, as does the wheelchair, and I was slipping.  I don't even know where my brain was when I dressed this morning, hello!  I have actually played laser tag before and have worn tennis shoes, but not today.  He blames me for his poor ranking (8th out of 20?).  His daddy propelled him to a much better ranking (3rd of 20).  We now have the one example of Mr. Dina's white tennis shoes being the better option.  :-D

Rainbow Knit Sweater.  Size 6.  It features a curved hem, contrast hem, and very long sleeves (they are long on me, and I have really long arms).  The fit does get looser as you wear it, I changed out of the button-up upon returning home, and it has stretched out so that the back and front are a bit looser so the sweater is hanging a bit lower.  But is an all cotton knit sweater, so no surprise there.

Back View.  I don't have the usual horizontal lines at my mid-back the way I usually have on almost all of my tops.  That is a small feat, and I am thrilled at this fit.  And it is great the length of the sweater hits at my upper hip, which means I don't have to worry about it being too tight at my tush.

Close-up. I know there are no greens in the sweater, but I really like the tulip print with the stripes.  It just worked, somehow.

I wrote up a written review yesterday of the Rainbow Knit Sweater and I have more photos of the beautiful Eliza coat here.



Eliza Coat and Rainbow Knit Sweater.  Neither is close to selling out, but the Eliza coat can be worn now, whereas unless you will wear the Rainbow Knit sweater *now* and later, you can wait for a better price on that one.

Day: Thursday, February 12, 2015.

Where:  Rex's Valentine's Party at school and his birthday dinner.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) It is a made by me dress, Simplicity 2246, which is a Lisette pattern for shirtdresses.  I chose to make the more fitted silhouette (view a), because darn it, I can make adjustments to suit both my smaller upper body and larger lower half, so I don't have to go for the more full-skirted version.  Yes!  So on the fit side, it wears well.  I do wish I had a better time with the hem, and if it could be just an inch longer, I think I would be more comfortable with it.  My main issue with this outfit is because that night the winds came and the temps dropped to 20 F, OMG, and with the wind chill, it felt like 4 F?  I don't know, it was B-A-D.  And yeah, the Eliza, so pretty, and the rose print rayon challis, lovely, but not the right outfit for those temperatures.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) This look had its fans.  I like it on me, but it may be too twee or feminine for some.

Anecdote of the Day:  Rex is not back at school, and won't be for a couple of weeks, but we were able to arrange for him to come that day so he could see his friends, get his cast signed, exchange Valentine's cards, etc.  I was so grateful for the school for getting the classroom set up so he didn't even have to go down the stairs (the other 2nd grade teacher is on the same level as the ramp so she gave us her classroom for an hour).  It really meant the world to him, he was in such great spirits after leaving the party.

For those of you interested, you can check out more on how I made the dress (there is a lot of information for sewers there) at the Fabric Mart blog.  This was my make for the month of February, and let's just say I was pretty excited to make a festive Valentine's look for my blog post this month. 

Hope all of you have a very happy Valentine's Day!

Made by Me File: Vintage Simplicity 7984. The Little Red Dress that Could.

UPDATE (10/1/2014): Voting is now open.  :-)  If you so desire, send a vote my way!

Tonight's post will be twofold--first will be the "red dress" story as required by the Fabric Mart Fashion Challenge for week four (read more on it here).  The second part of this post will be more on the construction of this dress (fabrics used, pattern info, changes and alterations, etc.)

Here I am attempting my best impression of a 1960s pattern model.  I feel like I look so jaunty.  LOL.

This dress is based on a 1969 Simplicity Pattern, 7984.  You can view an image of it here.

I don't wear much red.  At all.  I am a spring colored kind of lady, so spring greens, yellows, and oranges are much more my speed, so when I read that we would need to make a little red dress and have a good story on where we would go to in the LRD, I was *just* a bit freaked out, to be honest.

The one red dress I own is a gorgeous J. Crew dress from a few years back*, and it seems to be in the one color of red that suits my complexion, that red that has a lot of yellow in it.  Unfortunately for me, I had only one yard cuts of any red that was similar in hue and that meant that any dress I would be making would have to be a LRD with some red printed material thrown into the mix.  Fortunately for me Julie's Picks (a subscription swatch service at Fabric Mart) included this very pretty poly charmeuse in an abstract animal print that is the same red as the red solid fabric I had on hand.  Score!

And since I am a bit wary of wearing solid red near my face (barring that one red dress from J. Crew and this top), I figured a pretty two fabric dress would be just the right answer to my LRD dilemma.

*I almost forgot this red dress--also a winner, but again, not a traditional blue-red.

So where am I going in my little red number?  Well...and this is freaking me out a bit to admit this...my hubby and I are at #13--that's right, 13 years of marriage, this October 13th.  (13 on the 13th! Hey!)  So like all my red dress in the past, and the red blouse of the same year, I am going to do something darn special while wearing it.

The J. Crew dress was worn out in Paris, the red top was worn to a French restaurant, and this lovely red frock will be worn out (I am hoping!) to a nice dinner out to a steak restaurant where I can get some amazing cut of meat AND a glass of red wine in the same exact shade as my dress.

I wish I could go to Paris in this, but I will settle for someplace nice here in DC or Alexandria.  ;-)

Of course, why limit a dress that I spent (countless, yeah I stopped counting) hours on to one special occasion?  Why not go out for another?

Since I didn't make this in time for my reunion last year, I think I should plan another get-together with all my high school friends this year so I can show it off.  LOL.  Well, and see all my buddies again.  ;-)  I am thinking it would be pretty great to have another dressy event, maybe drinks and dinner out?  Tysons Corner is halfway for most of us, and they have some pretty great restaurants we could all meet at and catch up.

(And laugh a LOT.  Turns out all those times I lamented not getting on with some folks at my kids school, etc., it was because I really need people in my life like my old high school friends.  I miss seeing them everyday.  They're good people.)

But of course what would I be if I didn't manage to at least try and make a piece that could also be worn to mass or teaching?  Yep, add a cute jacket or cardigan and you have a work appropriate look.  Yay!  LRD multi-tasking.

DETAILS OF SIMPLICITY 7984:

These instructions are what I wish all companies would do nowadays.  Print the details all on one page, clearly, with great line drawings.  I never get confused using vintage patterns.  They also print one size per envelope, so if you are a straight size in one garment (fortunately this one I was a straight size 12, with some tweaking), you only have to use one pattern envelope, and don't have to fiddle around with a gazillion size lines.  What is in the envelope is exactly what you need.

Since I am a short-torso, wide-hipped, yet small-chested lady, this dress pretty much fit everything I needed in one go.  It featured a fitted bodice, an empire waist (which actually falls closer to my real waist, so yeah!), and an a-line skirt.  It is a very sweet pattern.  Though many patterns today are nice enough, the detail and little extras in this one make seeking out vintage patterns worth it.  Even though I didn't end up adding a button to the collar or sewing on belt carriers, it is nice to have that option.  I did add the sash, though, and even made it double-sided so it could be worn two ways for two different (sort of) looks.

I LOVE any pattern that includes back neck darts.  I know I could just add them myself to modern patterns, but for easiness, it is good to have them there ready to go.  Necklines almost always fit me better with neck darts.  The Burda 7137 I made in week two features back neck darts, as well.

Though the pattern didn't include lining pattern pieces or instructions, I knew to wear this in winter with tights would necessitate the sewing of a lining.  So I cut the bodice and skirt pieces out of an acetate, sewed them up, and carefully attached them to the dress after installing the collar.  I would like to act like I did it, no problem, but I am not a liar.  It was HARD.  The neckline was easier for me to attach the lining to, but I got all confused at the armholes.  I figured it out, but ended up having to stitch part of the armhole shut by hand since I couldn't work out how to completely machine sew the armhole lining to the armhole main fabric.

I also hand-stitched the lining to the zip.  It takes a long time to do that, but I watched the awesomeful show Sleepy Hollow with my hubby while sewing.  Have you all seen that show?  As a history teacher I was a bit mortified.  But I laughed my you know what off...

For all of the problems the lining gave me at the armhole, it did turn out well, so yippee! 

I do want to mention that I did a square shoulder adjustment on this pattern and I have to say this may be one of the best fitting bodices I have ever sewn.  I am so stoked to have something fit me so precisely!

Fabric Used:

1. Julie's Pick Abstract Animal Print Poly Charmeuse in a red/black/silver/white used for the bodice and pockets.

2. Red Stretch Corduroy from Fabric Mart (remnant) used for the skirt and half of the sash.

3. Black Textured Cotton Canvas from Fabric Mart (remnant) used for half of the sash.

4. Ivory Acetate for the lining.

I mentioned this in the other post today, but this dress reminds me a lot of the Vestiges Dress from Anthropologie, which I do own and love.  I guess I was inspired partially by that.  I look at Antrho catalogs and think, "hey, how can I make that myself?"

I am a sucker for pockets, so even though there was no instructions or pocket pattern piece, I used the same one I used for the first challenge for this dress and it worked very well.  I love little surprises, so I made the pocket from the same material as the bodice.

Okay, that's all for tonight.  By tomorrow the blog post with all of our creations will be up.  Voting is now open here!  I haven't won any challenge yet, and though that is never my goal (really love being challenged, because hey why not?), this week's prize is pretty darn good, so there you go.  ;-)

Have a great night--talk soon!

OOTDs: Lots of Pants. Lots of Tops. Part One.

In my neverending backlog of outfits, I have a ton of really casual looks that include pants and tops.  (Exciting stuff here, lol.)

Anyhow, over the next two days I will publish them so I can be caught up at least partially.  ;)

Onto the outfit of the day purge!

Day: Tuesday, February 5, 2013.

Where: Preschool Run and Angus's Little Gym Class.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I love the overall comfort, but the 7FAM jeans are a bit loose and a bit low, so they kept needing to be hitched up, which isn't all that comfortable when you are running around after a baby in a baby gym class.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I think it looks pretty cool, if a bit derivative.  I didn't end up wearing the shearling vest, since I thought it read a bit too late 1970s.  I also sort of felt like the shearling vest was a little much for a preschool run.  That said, I would like to try the complete ensemble to go to a museum or out for drinks.

Lots of folks complimented the outfit (top photo), I think the bling on the tank drew them in...

Anecdote from the day: Nothing really to report.  Seriously, just another average day for our average family.  :)

Day: Monday, February 4, 2013.

Where: Out to the fabric store to pick up patterns and fabric. Plus Chipotle, yum.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I was having kind of a fat day that day, which means though the jeans look decent enough on me, I felt like I was just barely fitting into them.  It's on days like these (during the winter, especially) that I wish that elastic waist jeans were an acceptable form of fashion.  ;)

The brushed cashmere popover* was awesome, though.  It was cold and kind of windy, but I didn't need an additional piece of outerwear, this was just enough coverage since the woven cashmere textile is thick enough (and double faced, so it is super soft against the skin) to protect from the elements.  Keep in mind I am talking about VA cold and windy...folks in Canada, you all definitely should not be wearing this by itself for your cold and windy.

*I had been watching this item all fall for a break in the price.  Even at its original sale price, it was very expensive.  When J. Crew offered an additional 40% off, I decided it was worth the semi-splurge since it could be both outerwear and a sweater in my wardrobe.  I bought the extra-small which is fine for my frame, but I do have to undo the bottom two buttons near my hip.  I would have tried a small if it had been available, but I am perfectly happy with the extra-small. 

Cool Factor: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) I think the outfit looks pretty cool.  I love the grey with the cobalt blue and aubergine.  The floral lace jeans are likely on their way "out," but I think the look overall is modern and fun.

I ended up putting my hair up later that night, and when I looked in the mirror, it appeared I had a haircut.  My hubby would never be okay with me cutting my hair that short, but I think with the deep swooping side bang, the shorter hair would actually look okay on my frame and face shape.  Which sort of surprises me.  :)  I would love to try it some day, and not just in this "faux" way, but I think it will take a few years of wearing Mr. Dina down. 

Anecdote from the day: I ended up walking away not with patterns I needed but patterns to make the kids pjs.  I also picked up a pj pattern for me.*

Chipotle was awesome.  I noticed it was taking Mr. Dina a ton of time to get the food, but figured it was some sort of "let's be patient" kind of situation, but in reality, the folks were screwing up our orders.  But none of that matters because once we got our food, we ate and enjoyed.  Halfway through eating the manager came by and profusely apologized for the problem and gave us THREE free kids meals for the future (one for Angus, even!).  Considering that it wasn't that big of a deal to us, we were blown away by how well they handled the small problem.  :)  Chipotle for life!

*I have since made the pj bottoms for me. Oh, are they ever oversized, will definitely make them smaller for the next time.  You will see photos soon enough.  I have also made the pj bottoms for CW (turned out great).  I think I may be making the pjs for Rex today.  :)
 

Day: Saturday, February 2, 2013.

Where: Mass and a Luau Party at Rex's school.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Even the gorgeous Sixties Heels felt comfortable.

However, it was insanely cold that night, with icy/snowy precipitation, so this is why I wore something this easy and casual to church and a school party.  Rex's school is next to the church, so the walk over was fairly okay, but by the time we left, there was even more slushy bits on the road.  Fortunately the leather on the shoes were okay, glad I decided against suede.  :)

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) Well, it is a pretty outfit, and the lemons sort of read Hawaiian to me, lol, but since it was an outfit decided by the weather and not by the events, there really isn't much to say about it other than it did its job.

Anecdote from the day: Rex has a girlfriend at his school.  Her mother informed me that she has been in "like" with him since the first day of school.  It is now February and she has taken to hugging him, laughing at all of his jokes, walking next to him, and sending home love notes (which I have kept, OMG, they are so cute!).  At the school luau, she chased him around the room, again and again.  Her mom and I just lol-ed.  Very sweet.  Rex, btw, has made her a bookmark and has said he may marry her.

Also from that night...I think our priest is great, he and I went to the same high school (he is far younger than me, though, sigh, old age creeping in)...but I ask you, how comfortable would you be speaking with him while PSY's "Gangman Style" is playing in the background, with the words "H-E-Y Sexy Lady" seemingly louder than all the other words of the song?*

*On a related note, right after CW was born we went to the school's Oktoberfest celebration and the priest there at the time was talking to me about something when Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young" song was playing in the background.  How, and by whom, was it decided that was a good song to play at a Catholic School event?  I mean really!  :)

Day: Friday, February 1, 2013.

Where: Out with my brother to have fun with the kids.  Also wearing a ton of red for "Wear Red" day.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I can finally wear the cafe capri in kaleidoscope dot!  I bought them when pregnant with Angus, but I was unable to wear them until just recently.  Unlike what everyone else said, the pants did not run big for me, in fact, I should have sized up.  (But now that I am getting down in weight a bit, I guess it's okay I bought my "size.")

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) I am giving it a 4 because I wore my red with pride.  I take women's heart health seriously and think no matter who you are, you should wear red on February 1.  I even made Angus wear red. 

I think had I worn this outfit on any other day, I would downgrade it to a 3 because it is a bit matchy-match/preppy to be cool.

Anecdote from the day:  A lady at the coffee shop said, "I LOVE your pants!"  I happily said, "thank you, and they finally fit!"  She replied back, "that's awesome."  I love girls who love clothes.  :)

Okay, that's it for today.  I am fixing to comment back on my backlog of comments at the last week's posts.  I like Saturdays that are lazy, since that means I can be a bit less lazy.  (Weird, right?)

P.S. Before I go, I wanted to let you all know that Boden "pinned" a photo of mine (the still shot of the Pointed Mary Janes I reviewed in this post) to their Pinterest "How We Wear" page.  I am super excited and very grateful!  Thanks to Keeley for letting me know!!!  :)

Boden: Last Catch of the Day Picks!

Happy Friday!

As promised, today is the last day of the "Catch of the Day" promo over at Boden.  Since most of you already know the deal with the Catch, I can get started, but if you need more information about how the Catch works, head on over to my Monday post.

Today is a real hodgepodge of everything, and I think Johnnie saved the best for last.  They have included many items that were already available on other days, but there are many new items up for offer that were not available at the extra savings before.

Onto the picks!

Cashmere V-Neck Jumper.  I wanted to include this bright red (true red) version in my picks today because February 1 is the beginning of National Heart Month, and the official "Wear Red" day.  Since I have personal reasons to promote heart health, I definitely make sure to incorporate some red in my wardrobe on February 1.  This sweater is the exact right sweater for the day.  :)  (And it is part of the 25% off Catch promo!)

Cashmere Crew Neck Jumper.  This peach sweater is a beautiful color, perfection for spring, but still keeping you toasty warm when spring hasn't quite sprung.  I have the dark pink version from last fall and did a review on it here.

Not all colors are part of the promo, but with five at the promo price, there might be one in your favorite hue.

Casual Pintuck Dress.  I am surprised they threw this one in the offer, since this style of dress is a best seller, season after season.  I am partial to this dark denim version, but the baby cord versions are really pretty, too (the mint is lovely on Edda in the model shot).

Off Duty Sweatshirt.  The color I own (and reviewed here) is not on sale, but the grey and blue are in the promo.  It seems to be a love/hate kind of item, with really no in between.  I am clearly on the love side, but can see why it might be a hate for others.  That said, this 25% off is a reasonable price, and based on its infamy/popularity, I think it will be a best seller that will eventually go to low stock and then out of stock.  (As long as you find the right size for you!)

Wedge Desert Boots.  This was the one I was most surprised by...I fully expected that these would sell out, not be on promo.  However, it could be that the ladies are waiting for a good discount before biting.  (The other spotty version is not in the sale, btw.)

Leather Clogs.  Since most of us can wear Johnnie b. shoes, I have included two pairs from the promo.  This pair I actually bought during the preview.  I like them a lot since they remind me of Salt Water sandals.  Two things about these clogs, though.  That pink up there in the photo?  Yeah, that is subdued.  In reality, those puppies are BRIGHT A@@ DAY GLO PINK.  I love that color, but they are eye searingly bright.  They run wide, too, but not enough for me to exchange the 41 for 40 (I wear either size depending on the style of shoe).  (I also wear a 9.5 in J. Crew, fwiw.)  The 41 is exactly the right length.

These clogs also come in a silver metallic leather.

Tassel Loafers.  These Johnnie b. shoes are a favorite of one of my favorite bloggers, Louise (What Lou Wore 365).  They are very cute, versatile, and well made.  They are also a great price, especially with the promo.

Skinny Graphic T-Shirt.  I am always a fan of graphic tees, especially ones with surly birds on them.  Take my advice and do not size up since I have found the graphic tees from Johnnie b. to run large.  I would buy a size 13-14 for my short torso/32B bust.  (I also wear a size xs in J. Crew tees.)

Okay, that's it!  Do you have any final picks from the last day of this sale?

Also if you need free shipping, you can click on the coupon in the sidebar or use the one below.