OOTD with Cecelia Cami and Happy Halloween!

Today I am wearing my cashmere zip cardigan with the Cecelia cami in seawood. I have been eyeing this cami in this particular color since it came out but knowing that it is the destiny of almost all the JCrew camis these days to hit the bottom in matter of weeks, I waited and finally bought it the other day for $19.99.
I love this seaweed color and it goes very well with the color of the season (call it camel, caramel or heather acorn):





We had a few days of indian summer here (with temps in the 70s), but today we are back to a more seasonal weather. I like a Halloween weather for Halloween.
Speaking of Halloween, it turns out that I am going to put my bumble bee costume to good use as a good friend of mine has decided to throw a big party on Halloween (for kids and adults). My husband is going to be Napoleon (Bonaparte, not Dynamite) but shhh! It's a secret.

If you remember last Sunday we went to a Halloween parade and pumpkin sail in the park. The pumkin sail was really cute. Our friends had brought their carved pumpkin that we dropped off at a "pumpkin station" where they prepared it and put it on a floating device. Then we waited until dusk to see the pumpkins floating on the water. What we didn't know was that the pumkin trail was pulled along by a witch on a canoe boat:





And "our" pumpkin (or at least we think):



Happy Halloween to you all!!!

Mom's Night Out Outfit (Plus Another Chanel-esque Outfit with the Tori Factory Cardigan)

I still owe you pics of the outfit that I wore to the Mom's Night Out last Thursday. Before I show you the pics, let me say that it wasn't your regular Mom's Night Out. First of all, the moms of the entire school were invited and second it was held at one of the mom's apartment. Now who can invite the entire school in her apartment? Exactly. Have you seen "The Nanny's Diaries?". I am talking about that kind of apartment.
Knowing that, and knowing that I was going to meet a lot of new people I wanted to look classy without looking like I was trying too hard so I picked a top and a pair of pants that make me feel put together and confident no matter what. The pants are Theory and are maybe the best pants that I own and the top is the lovely Jcrew Olive top from last year:





I actually wore my real pear necklace instead of the one that you see in the pics (a Nordstrom Rack find) because the color didn't go that well with the Olive top IRL. I always feel at ease when I wear this top and/or these pants and the outfit contributed to my enjoying the party and the company without worrying about the appropriateness of my outfit (the other moms were wearing similar outfits. A very few showed up in jeans.)

The following is another outfit that I plan to wear soon to some kind of cocktail party (there are many to come organized by the school). It features the same pants, a blouse by Calypso that I bought recently on sale and the factory version of the Tori cardigan. The general look of the Tori is the same than the retail version; however it is very itchy and not nearly as soft (in the factory dream blend there is only a small percentage of cashmere compared to the retail version). I thought about returning it but it looks good with so many blouses that I am going to suck it up (also it helps that I bought it with the 30% off).
In particular the Calypso blouse is difficult to wear with a cardigan because of the exaggerated collar (as you will see), but it looks good with the Tori and I can even wear it with the cardigan closed and the collar out (the necklace is the knotty pearl necklace, currently in the sale section of the Jcrew website):




This is with the cardigan over the blouse and left open:



And this is the blouse alone, tucked in:



I am off to a curriculum night at school now but I will be back tomorrow with some pics for Halloween.

JCrew November Catalog New Arrivals Fitting Room Pics (Part 2: Misc)

This is the second part of the November catalog new arrivals post. To see the first part dedicated to the sweaters, clic here.

First up the much talked about in-store-only color of the Sunnie pencil skirt. I forgot to write down the color code but the style is the same as the Sunnie. It's on the short side of their pencil skirts (remember that I am only 5'2"). At first I really liked it but when I think about when/how I could wear it I realize that it gives me a "suburban mom" vibe (nothing against suburban moms but if I try to picture myself wearing it I see afternoon teas and school meetings or church and I don't do any of these). Anyway, it's a beautiful skirt if you have a lifestyle for it. I am trying it with the wooly ribbed turtleneck in bronzed olive but the merino turtleneck in the new light wisteria color is a perfect match for this skirt and brings out the lavender in the skirt:





You have already seen the plaid version of the bell skirt in my previous post. Here I am going to show you the taffeta marveille mini in black. This one caught my eye when it came out in the last rollout and I have to say that I LOVE it. It's a great (and affordable) skirt for the holidays. I saw the purple, the grey and the black IRL and I have a preference for the black one because I am not a fan of the grosgrain waistband and it is less visible in the black color. I yet have to see the navy one but I will probably go with the black. Here I am wearing a size 2 (I sized one up because I don't want it to be too shorts as I am going to wear it with heels):



And here with the Tweed Tatum jacket. I need another tweed jacket like a bullet in my head but I really, really loved this one (especially with this skirt) and if it goes down in price I will probably get it. By the way, it is basically the winter version of the Lollipop but the tweed fabric makes it less boxy than the Lollipop IMO. If you like playing matchy-matchy it's the same tweed of the Moss pencil skirt. I am trying a 0 here:





On the other hand, a jacket that didn't work at all on me is the Boutonniere blazer. I tried a 0 and the fit was off, so I tried a 2 and it was even worst. I think that the problem is that it is too high waisted for me. It looked so cute on the hunger though! This is the 2 in grey:



When I tried these they had the coat promo going on, so I tried the Double-cloth Dollop coat that I was curious about when it came out. Unfortunately, I found it a little bit unflattering (it made me feel like I had a big chest or a "bun in the oven"). This is a 2:



Another item that I was really curious about is the Linley chino. They look more like riding pants than chinos IMO (because of the diagonal stitch detail on the calves and the very slim fit) and they sit a little bit higher on the waist than your regular chinos. Here I am trying a 0, TTS:





I really liked them but will wait for a sale as I don't need another pair of casual pants and I like to wear cords more than cotton pants when it gets colder (these may be the last famous words though because these will work great tucked in boots).

What do you think? Ant must have for you from this selection or the November catalog?

JCrew November Catalog New Arrivals Fitting Room Pics (Part 1: Sweaters)

Good afternoon! I hope that you had a nice weekend (mine was great) and you are up for a "fitting room pics" post. I went to JCrew twice last week and tried a lot of stuff on that I hadn't the time to show you yet. I haven't bought anything from the new collection so far but there are at least a couple of items that are high on my wishlist and I will get on promo or sale.
I am going to break down the post in two parts as I have a lot of pictures and I'm going to dedicate the first part to the sweaters because of the current 20% off online promo that started today.

First up my fave, the Donegal cropped v-neck cardigan. Loooved this one, it's thick and the color is TDF. It's TTS except for the sleeves that are a little bit long. This is a XS but it also comes in XXS (but I think it would be too cropped in a XXS):



The next one is store-only so far. It's a very thick pullover in 100% alpaca and it retails for $168. The XS was a little bit overwhelming on me but it would look great on taller ladies (I have the style number if some of you is interested):



The Waffled cashmere zip sweater is pretty popular as some colors/sizes are already soldout on the website. I love the look of it but I have to say that it's really thin and it didn't feel like cashmere. Too bad because the fit is very slim (this is a XS and I wouldn't size down because it was already a little bit tight on the chest, at the zip's placement):



Another cashmere sweater that I tried on (and loved) is the keyhole one. I hadn't noticed on the website but it's really pretty and the ribbon tie in the back is just adorable. This is an XS (that I found to be a little bit slouchy, so for a more fitted look I would probably go with a XXS):



And detail of the ribbon tie in the back:



The skirt in the pic above is (I guess) a holiday plaid version of the bell mini, in store only so far (I tried a 2). I don't have the style number but I can found out.

Back to the sweaters, count me in the camp of those who have been "meh-ed" by the Alexie sweater. OK, it's not expensive and vaguely cute but it looks like a Gap in my opinion. Interestingly enough I didn't feel any difference at the touch between the solid color version (which is a dream blend) and the marled one (supposed to be 100% merino). This is a XS in the rope color (granted, I could have picked a more flattering color):



If you are not sequined-out yet, the merino sequined crochet cardigan is a great one, especially in this gold color (I haven't seen the black but it looks nice too). Again, this is an xs:



I have also seen (but didn't try on) the Montreaux cardigan (very, very thin), the tipped chalet cardigan (very thick) and the Corvara cable one (very thick too and quite nice).

Do you own or are you tempted by any of these? If you have any questions, let me know. The second part will feature a new in-store only pencil skirt, the Tatum tweed jacket, the taffeta marveille mini and more!

Easy Chic in the Morning, Bumblee Bee in the Afternoon

Yesterday I broke out a Zara skirt that I bought back in July and can be considered my first fall purchase this year (it was on sale thought, it must have been part of their spring collection even if the print is very fallish).

The skirt is a full silk skirt with a Hermes-inspired hound print:




It goes with a lot of colors that I have in my closet (especially gold/yellow/mustard) but yesterday I wore it with a black pair of tights and an old black Zara viscose tee (regretted not wearing a turtleneck because boy, it was cold outside):



The black tights and tee were a strategical choice as I had a very little time in the afternoon to transform into this:



Guess who's going to be a (big) bumble bee for Halloween this year? We had a Halloween party after school and my friend (the mom who was throwing the party) asked the moms to wear a costume too so I decided to be game. I am not a crafty person at all and this was inexpensive and kind of adorable to wear at a kid's party. This costume would have been perfect last year when my daughter was a bumble bee but we didn't have any party to go last year so I didn't wear a costume.
But, look who is here! Is that Minnie Mouse?



The party officially started the Halloween celebrations. Tomorrow we are going to the parade and pumpkin sale in Central Park (where you bring your carved pumpkin and you watch it sail in water the after dusk).

Have a great weekend all!

OOTD Featuring the Bayberry Flouncette Blouse

First, thank you so much for all the comments on my shoes dilemma ladies, I really appreciate you taking the time to give me your unbiased opinion. I almost reached a decision and will let you know soon (those of you who want to chime in but haven't yet, have still the time).

I have ordered the Bayberry Flouncette blouse during the last 30% off sale promo. I always loved the print (so fall-ish!) but because I am not much of a printed blouses kind of girl and I generally don't love collar-less shirts, I decided to wait until the price would get lower (I even resisted buying it with the 25% off card when it was $59 in stores). $27 was a price good enough to me to risk the final sale gamble, so I finally grabbed it and it arrived yesterday.
I love it! I have to say that this blouse is very pretty and feminine and also a perfect match for my toothpick premium twill pants (that I don't have many things to pair with because I don't have a lot of greens or purples in my closet).
The only thing a little bit annoying with the blouse is that the ruffled placket doesn't go all the way down but stops mid-way, leaving a (ugly) rectangle of sheerness between the belly bottom and the pants, as you can see:



So basically you need to wear a cami or something else under it (which I hoped I would get away without). I have a tissue turtleneck in dark slate from a few years ago that fits the bill but I am probably going to pick up one in the dark rosewood color to have another option (the dark rosewood should also look great under my yoga sweater in cobblestone. Hint to mrs.anketell!). Anyway, this morning I wore it with the grey one:



And then I added a necklace because it was a little bit too dark (this is from Fall 09):




Much better! My daughter (who is very much into beads and making necklaces right now) squirted when she saw it and asked me if she could have it when she is a grownup (I said yes). Then, she thought twice and asked if she could have it when she is a little girl (I said no but strangely she respected that and went back to her beads without shredding a tear). So cute, so cute...

I topped everything with my loyal downtown field jacket. Of course with this outfit I can't wear my "uniform" scarf, but did I mention that I have the umbrella in the same print than the blouse (I bought it before the blouse because I really needed an umbrella)?




While I was getting dressed I was thinking that I would like to add some green to my closet this year and once home I read a post that reminded me that I have a pair of green patent penny loefers by Prada that I had bought (or my parents bought for me) years ago and I didn't get to wear much. I am very happy to see that loefers are making a comeback this year and even happier that I have a green pair:



I tried them with my morning outfit but they are slightly brighter than the toothpicks and didn't work out together, so I created another outfit for them with the ochre toothpick cords from last year (I love these so much that I am regretting not buying a backup pair on super-duper sale):




You can belt the blouse with a skinny belt (but in this case I would go without necklace):



Do you have the bayberry flouncette blouse? What do you wear it with?

I have a mom's night out tonight. Stay tuned for the outfit tomorrow!

Nude Shoes Dilemma: Advice Needed!

Way back at the beginning of the summer I impulse-bought on sale a pair of high-end shoes that I almost immediately regretted buying, for two reasons. First (most important) reason: they were not my size but a half size bigger. I wasn't loosing them but you could see a gap of half an inch between the back of the shoe and my foot. The SA talked me into wearing them with pads and I was stupid enough to buy into his sale pitch.
Second reason: they are a beautiful pair of shoes but not something that I needed and they are expensive, even on sale. What I really liked about them (besides the fact that they are nude without being pinkish or tan which is pretty rare to find) is the fact that they are very classic and they have a very low heel, which (to me) makes them the perfect pair to wear with non-black party dresses (as I am pretty incapable of wearing a pair of high-heeled pumps without looking, and feeling, like a foolish woman).
They are by Bally, a Swiss brand that is maybe more well-known in Europe:







I wanted to return them but the problem was the final sale policy of the store. Luckily for me I used my Amex so after getting back from my vacation I filed a claim through my Amex return protection program and I finally received the go-ahead from Amex to send the shoes (that must be unworn and in the original packaging), which is the final step before they can refund my credit card for the amount that I paid (something like $250).

But in the meanwhile I caved and bought the Elena shift dress (which is almost sold out on the website, as I just found out!) I have to tell you that I am still a little bit in shock about the price that I paid (even with the $25% off) but it's the "cool factor" of this dress that I find quite special and very suited to my personality/lifestyle and I thought that if I were ever to buy a lace dress it had to be this one.
So what the Elena dress has to do with my shoes? Well, the shoes happen to be the perfect pair to wear with the dress IMO (when I am not in the mood to wear it with my motorcycle boots, lol) because they are exactly the same champagne shade of the dress lining. And quite magically I tried them today and they fit like a dream (no gap). Don't ask me how's possible that a grown-up woman's feet grow up half a size in a few months but I have noticed recently that many of my old shoes feel quite tight. OK, now if this is a known symptom of incipient menopause, don't tell me!

So as I am ready to put them in the mail and never see them again, I am hesitating and I would appreciate a little help ;-). You maybe see something that I don't see and that can help me taking the right decision.
I am going to show you the shoes with the Elena dress but this is not a post on the dress itself as I didn't have time at all to style it (but I think that less is more with this dress so there isn't much to style). I am perfectly conscious that these are a more springy alternative to black tights/black shoes but I think that that's how I prefer it (without tights or with nude tights) and I don't think that there is a better pair of shoes for it out there, also because the dress is pretty short and a higher heel would create a disproportion. The downside of lower heels is that they don't lengthen the leg as, say, a 4" Laboutin.
But enough words, here are the pics:






What do you think? Should I keep them or you think that I can find better? The only contender would be this pair but it feels silly to return a pair of shoes that I already have and go through the hassle of ordering another pair very similar if it's not to save money (and these are basically the same price). Obviously I don't plan to wear them ONLY with this dress (incidentally I think that they should also look great with pants, even if I haven't tried) but this is the mean reason for me to keep them.

Your advice is greatly appreciated!