New Arrivals Purchases (and Styling Ideas)

Last Saturday I met up with some New Yorker JCAs at the Rockefeller Center store for a morning of shopping fun. I generally shop alone as my best shopping pal (my mom) is five thousand miles away, so it is a nice change to shop in the company of other ladies who share the same passion (should I say obsession?) for JCrew clothes. We were welcomed with coffee and donughs by the nicest of the PS and we were given a 20% off incentive on all our purchases of $125 or more and it clearly worked because I broke my rule and spent much more than I wanted to (even if I knew that that would probably happen). But on the other end I didn't make impulsive purchases: I bought almost exclusively what was on my list and I'm pretty sure that I will get a lot of wear out of everything. A surprise hit among the other ladies (that I didn't buy for myself but liked on everyone else) was the Linen-silk city pant that got many criticisms on the JCA. They were very flattering and so comfy!

I didn't have my camera with me so I can't show you pics from the fitting room (I couldn't even take a pic of the group of ladies); on the other side, I tried all that I bought once at home and I made an effort of styling most of pieces, so you'll get an idea of how I plan to wear them.
What I liked of these new arrivals is that I can easily incorporate them in my wardrobe and mix them with pieces that I already have (and I don't wear often enough).

Let's start with the vintage bateau top (24484) that is backordered in my size in both the camel and pewter colors until mid-June on the website. The top finally arrived in stores and I bought it in both the in-store hot pink color and the camel. I rarely buy multiples but these have a very different flair in my opinion. The pink one it's a very fresh and easy top for spring to wear alone with jeans and a navy cardigan or raincoat (this is actually the only fitting room pic that I have because I had tried it at the Collection store as soon as it came out and then bought it on Saturday with the 20% off):



The camel one is more versatile and can be styled in different ways. As soon as I tried it on, I thought of my still unworn denim safari jacket from last summer and I hoped that they would work together. Not only they work but I love the outfit:




In the catalog the tee is styled with the tiered brique skirt, so I tried it with a couple of skirts that I already have. First with my white linen Monteray for a stroll in the park or an icecream with friends (can't wait, can't wait):



Then, with a white pencil skirt and a safari jacket (this is a linen one from Theory) for a more sophisticated look:



The third pairing features another new arrival which has been recently discussed on the JCA blog and seems to be one of those "love it or hate it" item: it's the metallic beach cardigan (23159). Obviously, I'm part of the "love it" crowd as I bought it in the golden camel color. The golden is much prettier than the silver IRL (which is darker than on the website pic and in fact not silver at all, but more of a dark petrol kind of grey) and works as a neutral for the day (it's great with khaki):



It doesn't feel itchy to me (much less so than the mohair cardigan from the fall) but I wouldn't wear it on a beach. Here is with another controversial item, the tie-dyed Wednesday skirt (25003):





Of all my purchases, this is the one that I took a risk with. To be honest, this skirt isn't easy to pull off because of the high elastic bandwaist. I loved the print in the spring Lookbook, then was disappointed when the March catalog came out and we got to see the elastic bandwaist (I thought that it wouldn't work on me), then fell in love again when I saw it in store and tried it on.
It is not excessively short but definitively needs a very fitted top and a belt like in the Catalog because the fabric tends to poke out at the hips and add weight even if it hasn't pockets. Because it has a little "tribal" flair, I tried it with the Theory safari jacket:



I really see myself wearing this outfit A LOT in the summer.

The other two purchases that I made are maybe less exciting for you to see but again, it's something that I'm going to wear a lot for sure.
The first is the Featherweight cotton long cardigan (23007). I have been wanting one of these since they made they first appeareance last month because they are like a summer version of my beloved Michelle cardigans, that are really a staple in my closet. I had a hard time to pick up just one color and in the end I bought the slate one because it goes with many outfits and the color is very flattering on me, but I'm going to pick some other color when they go on sale. I bought my regular XS but you might want to size up if you wear your cardigans buttoned up:




BTW, even if it's a pretty basic cardigan I totally felt like Jennifer Aniston when I was taking the pics in this cardigan, probably because of the color (see rule number 1 = totally worth it).

The last purchase is the Heathered microrib jaspé hoodie (23331) that everybody has been raving about. I had bought and returned the zipped version last winter because it felt too thin at that time of the year and I thought that it was something that I could wait to buy, but it makes more sense for spring. The fit is very flattering and it's certainly soft and comfortable. I happened to be wearing the crystal symphony necklace that day and I really like how it dresses it up a bit:



Last, I bought the belt that you have seen in all these pictures (I don't think that it's available online but if you're interested I will provide the style number) which is worth to pay almost FP (like almost all the JCrew belts) because as you could see it can really transform an outfit, and one of the floral scarves to wear with my "new" ruffle-collar trench coat.

What do you think of my purchases and the outfits that I have shown? Is there anything that you would buy for yourself? Anything that you dislike completely? Please share!