Sparkly Tops

My next two weeks are going to be heavy in cocktail parties, mom's nights out and holiday/birthday parties (I am counting 7 but there could be more!)
While I certainly have something to wear to each of these formal or less formal occasions, I can't help to be attracted by sparkly things at this time of the year, especially tops that I can dress down. I am usually more challanged in the casual events dressing department, I can't seem to find the right balance between showing up in my everyday clothes and be overdressed.
I recently purchased two tops with just the righ amount of sparkle to make me feel like I am wearing something special but without trying too hard to look festive (which is the feeling that I usally have when I am covered in sequins).
The first is the JCrew sparkle row cami. I have been late to jump on the bandwagon on this one and I didn't try it when it came out, mainly because it was expensive and I didn't think I needed another cami. When it went on sale I vaguely looked for it in store but my size soldout fast in NYC at first markdown. Then one day, when it was already deeply discounted and with 30% off to boot, it popped back in all the sizes/colors on the website and since FS had just went into its short hibernation period I pulled the trigger on the navy one (the other two colors would wash me out, I think).
Well, I don't know why I waited so long and almost missed on it, this top is a beauty. It is very pretty in a feminine and almost old-fashioned way and it is sure not to go out of style anytime soon.
The 0 fit me perfectly. I had tried a 00 in store and I could barely pull it over my boobs, so I would say that if you are a little bit busty you cannot size down in this one (in case it pops back).

This one can be easily dressed up (with fancy pants or a mini) or down with jeans and I plan to wear it to my class moms night out.

The other top is from the Loft and I feel like I found the Holy Graal of the evening casual tops. It is called Rhinestone Studded Sleeve Sweater and it appears to be sold-out right now in regular sizes (but was available in all the sizes yesterday). For starters is a long-sleeved knit in a cotton/viscose blend that will keep me warm without having to layer on my way to parties but won't make me sweat once there (I am talking to you confetti-stripe merino dress). Second, it isn't another iteration of the sequined tee/top like we have seen many times: the sequins (rhinestones, actually) are only on the sleeves and rarify towards the cuffs (it also has a bow-tie on the back of the neck). It is brilliant and it is a top that has a very cool vibe to it, I would totally see it selling for much more at Sandro or other "cool" brands. But being the Loft this is very reasonably priced at &59.50 and I got it for half of this price with their cybermonday promo (after regretting not picking it up on Black Friday).
This is the XS, but I could have gone with the S, there wasn't much of a big difference (I apologize if the pictures are a bit dim but it is very dark here today. Under the light the rhinestones really sparkle):

I am going to wear it with black pants to another moms night out in a casual place this Thursday.

My holiday party season actually kicks off tonight with a cocktail party at my daughter's school. I had planned to wear the outfit below with the polka-dots sequin tee (also because I am volunteering at the party and I thought it would be a nice "bartendering" outfit):

Top: JCrew

Collar: Marc Jacobs (it comes from the sonia cashmere sweater  (the tulle collar is entirely detacheable so you can wear it as a regular crewneck)

Skirt: Sandro

but it is snowing today so I am probably going to wear something more weather-appropriate as I tend to be cold. In fact I think I am going to add a fancy necklace to this outfit with the abstract-diamond merino turtleneck, that I wanted to show you in case you have the lolli pants or the bright dahlia cafe capris:

Not sure what kind of shoes I am going to wear though, since I am probably going walk in the snow!

Ok, that's enough sparkly tops to last me a few years. What about you? Did you give in the sparkle-mania?

Apres-Ski

Good morning! I hope you all got to spend a great Thanksgiving with your families and/or friends. I meant to write earlier but with husband at home for five days, the computer was never available long enough for me to write an entire post. So, happy belated Thanksgiving!

I did a bit of shopping on Black Friday and like last year I went to the Loft, H&M and Sephora. I also visited a JCrew store this time (mainly try on the pajamas), since I was in the Rockfeller Center neighborhood and my ps works at the Rockfeller Center store, so I stopped by to wish her happy holidays. I came home with three things (including a pair of flannel pajama pants) that I will show you in another post (I hadn't the time to take pics yet).

As I mentionned in a previous post I am in the mood for some new cozy sweaters this year so that's what I was looking for specifically when I visited these stores (well, with the exception of Sephora). I didn't like the JCrew Fair Isle ski sweater but I was looking for something with a similar apres-ski vibe to it.
Of all the places H&M seemed to have what I was looking for in over-abundance. I took these pics at the beginning of the week before the Black Friday deals/crazyness, so they might be gone by now.

This one caught my eye because of the beautiful pattern. However the nylon/acrylic content was too high and was very itchy, so a pass. I believe this one was $10 on Black Friday (reg. price $24.99). This is a size 4:

I really liked the next one and almost bought it. It is a cotton blend, so not that warm, but I really, really like the fit. This was sized XS-XL and I would take a XS (which is the size I was trying). The reason why I didn't get it is that it looked a little frumpy, you could see lines like someone had washed it and not dried it properly. This one is $39.99 (I "might get it if it is still there and I can use a coupon"):

I got the following one instead on Black Friday. One day I saw it from the bus in the window of the flagship store on Fifth but I couldn't stop and get off the bus. I looked for it in my store but my store didn't carry it. So on Black Friday I started my shopping by going back at the Fifth Avenue location and a nice SA took it off the manniquin for me after checking the size since it was the only one left. I guess it pays to get up early because the store was already open but still empty. I took it to the register without knowing the price (there was no tag) and it rang up at $49. Now, $49 is on the high end of the H&M price spectrum for a sweater but this one is a very nice sweater and for only $10 difference it is in a totally different category than the ones I showed you above. It is an alpaca blend, in a very tight weave, like my JCrew charcoal turtleneck that you have seen recently. It feels like something that a high-end retailer would sell for MUCH, much more. It was a size 2 which usually is too small for me at H&M but this one is an oversized sweater. I think it is supposed to be worn as outwear with layers underneath. It reminds me a bit of a Collection alpaca popover from two years ago that was in the $400 and I was never able to get. In any case, because of the oversized factor, it looks better belted. I love the colors, a very rich forest green with mustard-y pattern:

I already wore it yesterday (it is getting very cold around here) and it kept me warm in the chilling wind.

And now I want to show you the Madewell Apres-ski dress in ecru. I got this dress when Madewell had a 25% off promo a couple of weeks ago. Only a size Large appears to be available right now in both colors meaning that it is quite popular.
I cannot wrap my mind around this dress. I do like it but I am afraid I will end up wearing it around the house only, without venturing outside in it. It is 100% merino and not the fine gauge merino of the JCrew turtlenecks, a thicker merino that feels a bit like lambswool. I knew that the drop-waist could be tricky and it could give the dress a juvenile vibe but I was curious and ordered it anyway.
The good news is that it doesn't look too juvenile. I thought I had a lot of pics but I could only find one on my computer, which is VERY forgiving. I mean that this is how the dress looks at its best. I ordered a XS and it is true to size:

The drop-waist cuts exactly at my hips widest point. I don't have very big hips so it is still acceptable but keep it in mind if you are pear-shaped. It gently hugs my belly which means that after having a meal it tends to enhance it. You have to be in your best shape to wear this dress.
The real deal-braker for me is that it is a bit sheer. Nothing dramatic but if you wear tights (and from a dress called apres-ski you would expect that you are going to wear it in the snow or at least in cold weather that calls for tights) the top of the tights will show through in an unflattering way. This could be worked around by wearing a cami in the same color but it limits a bit its wearability. Also don't know what kind of tights to wear with it and in which color. Since I am a bit challenged in the tights department I would have to buy tights to wear with it (not a bad thing per se but it is going to take a while). So I haven't decided yet if I am going to keep it or not. If I was sure to wear it I would keep it because it is a good quality dress for the price.

That's it! Did you shop at H&M this weekend? What do you think of the apres-ski dress?

OTTD: Foxy!

So it's critter-mania this Fall at various retailers. Some of the critters, like the puffins, chickens, sheeps, doggies and now the kitties (new sweater at JCrew) are cute if a bit regressive, some others are just plain weird (see the rhino).

I have always been attracted to the fox of all the animals, especially after seeing "Fantastic Mr. Fox". If you haven't seen the Wes Anderson animated movie with the voices of George Clooney and Meryl Streep, among others, I urge you to rent it. It is incredibly witty and the drawings are so beautiful:

Luckily for me and the other fox fans out there, this could be the year of the fox in the fashion world. Both Tory Burch and Burberry had mini "fox collections". Tory's fox in particular bears a strange resemblance with Mr. Anderson's Mr. Fox. The fox was declined on various products (most of them now sold-out), from a tote to a cuff to fancy slippers (how could I miss on those!) and an iPhone cover (which is still available on the Tory website and makes me want to throw away my Samsung and run to buy an iPhone):

I went as far as going to the Tory boutique to try on the Samantha embellished sweater when it went on sale as I liked that little fox applique so much. Unfortunately this sweater wasn't worth the price tag, even on sale, it is a blend of wool/angora/nylon and incredibly itchy. I wouldn't say that I wouldn't be tempted to buy it for $100 or less but the original $495 price was absurd, even for a Tory hardcore fan like myself. If it were 100% cashmere I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat.

So I was extremely happy when I saw on a few blogs (thanks shopwithm and gigi!) that Old Navy had a fox critter sweater for the holidays. Even if a cotton/acrylic blend the price was too tempting so I decided to order it along with a few things for my daughter. I must have ordered it at the right time because it then sold out. Since I never order at ON and the few things that I tried on in the past seemed to run small, I ordered two sizes, a XS and a S to compare.
The good news is that the fox, even if more sketched than the Tory version is adorable and I really like the warm share of orange. The other good news is that the sweater is very soft and comfortable to wear, if not warm due to the fabric content but again, for the price I won't complain. The bad news is that the sizing is off on me, the XS was very big in an unflattering, sloppy way. I almost returned the S without even trying it on thinking that if the XS was too big already I would be swimming in the S but then when I realized that it was soldout and there was no petite to try, I decided to take it out of the plastic bag and give it a run for the money.
The problem with the XS is that it is too long on me but not long enough to be a tunic, while with the S (being the S even longer without being much larger) I can pull off the tunic look. The scoopneck is wider too, which I prefer because more flattering (it also better if you want to show off a necklace). If you are tall, you may want to stick to your regular size. If you are petite like me and you can't size down, you may want to try to size up like myself. If you have missed on this sweater, rumors are that it will be in stores this week.

This is the S with old matchstick cords:

This one is the XS, for comparison (I know it is difficult to see the difference probably but it is shorter):

The fox sweater looks great with the factory chessboard mini that you have seen on me before and this "could" be my Thanksgiving outfit.

Have you given into critter-mania? Are you interested in the ON fox? What's your favorite critter?

Sparkles and Cable

I swear I am not going to buy any party dress this year, not even if they have a one-day "all dresses for $19.99 including Collection" sale (one can dream). I have more party dresses than parties to go to and I want to get a bit of wear out of them.

Let's take a dress that a few of you will remember:

This is the (gorgeous) dress that I wore for my husband's 40th birthday party in LA (almost three years ago, gasp!) and I always thought that it would make for a fabulous holiday party dress, especially in NYC because it's like wearing the Crysler Tower.
However that didn't happen so far, it always seemed a bit over the top for any party.
This year might be the year when I finally wear it, thanks to the new Gatsby movie and subsequent "all that glitter" frenzy. All of a sudden it seems perfectly appropriate. My best friend is throwing a birthday party in December in a fab NY venue and I have also been invited to a Gala at the Metropolitan Club the week after so I am decided to wear it to one or the other occasion (I don't know what the dress code for the gala is yet).

In any case I was looking for a way to winterize the dress (also because while it still fits, my boobs are a bit squeezed in it and threaten to fall off it so I would prefer to cover the strapless part) and dress it down and that's when I stumbled upon the Collection handknit cable sweater. This sweater came out officially in the last rollout but it was already on the website during the 25% off promo, so I ordered it to try on since the stores didn't have it yet. I was hoping to recreate this look from the Michael Kors runaway, a chunky sweater on top and a sparkly bottom:

So the sweater arrived and the good news is that this is finally something that seems worth the price: it is a wonderfully heavy 100% wool sweater, not itchy, very soft in fact, and just a pleasure to wear. The bad news is it adds a lot of weigth to the chest/shoulder area, which you can see a bit on the model already, and the neckline could be more flattering. I could pass up on the fact that it isn't the most flattering sweater ever on the account that it is so cozy and beautifully made but unfortunately it doesn't work with the dress, which was the main reason for me to buy it:

The sparkle comes from the long beads that are sewn all over the cable:

What do you think? I could try to size down to a XXS (which is actually soldout right now) but I am not sure it is going to change anything. I could just wear my non-sparkly cable sweater over it and call it a night.
Speaking of my cable sweater, I am wearing it today with my new Theory blazer that I bought at the sample sale. The blazer is just one of those perfectly tailored Theory pieces and it speaks for itself (I didn't know what the word "tailored" meant until I tried Theory). I went with the size 2 because I can wear it now with a chunky sweater and in the spring with a shirt or a tee. It is that perfect "wear it with everything" black blazer that everybody should have and I didn't have yet (I still looove the double breasted one that I recently bought in store but it is navy and more suited for spring). The best thing about this blazer is that it is one-button but it covers the jean zipper completely when closed, which is a pet peeve of mine (I hate when blazer leave the pant zipper or worst, the button, uncovered. I am talking to you schoolboy!). Also notice the striped lining of the rolled-up sleeves:

I love this look, it's classic but also looks very me.

What do you think of the Collection handknit cable sweater? Any suggestion to dress down my dress?

The Camel Plaid Cafe Capris (Or, If I Lived in a Castle)

One of the things that I ordered during the recent 25% off at JCrew are the elusive camel plaid cafe capris. These soldout in a few days after they rolled out but I was lucky enough to catch a popback during the promo. I wasn't sure that the 0 would work because these are lined and I think that these year's version of the unlined ones runs smaller than last year's. In any case the 0 was the only size that was available when I ordered them so I didn't have the choice.

My first thought when I received them was "OK, but this is not camel". The color is more of a pale shade of olive green. Not that I dislike it since it is a color that is flattering on me and I have plenty in my closet but I was expecting camel since they are not called "Olive plaid cafe capris".
At first I didn't like them, they reminded me of grandpa pants. But this thought left place to this glorified version "If Audrey Hepburn had married an Englishman and she had retired in a British castle, that's what she would have worn to wander around".
Truth to be told, they are awefully cute. The fabric is a thick wool that UNLIKE the herringbone one is very soft and not itchy at all. And they are lined on top of that (I don't mind the wool cafe capri being unlined as they are lightweight but when the wool is this thick the lining is a must). So, well done JCrew.
They fit TTS, the 2 would have been too big. The thing that could bother some is that if you are not thin like a stick and you have some flesh around you hip bones, the straight lines of the plaid pattern will curve to follow your body contours, iykwim. This is typical of plaid pants but it is more visible in these because the background is light and the lines are dark.

Here are a few styling ideas. With these pants you can wear charcoal (the dark lines are charcoal and not black), black, white, ivory, olive, red and orange.
With an ivory sweater (this is from last year, can't remember the name but the color was "vintage champagne"):

With my favorite dark charcoal turtleneck (you can wear black instead but charcoal is softer):

If you have one of the olive cashmere sweaters from last year (or was it two years ago? Time flies!, that's a perfect tonal match for these pants. I like my pocket zip cardigan with a pop of red under it:

As you can see these work with a pair of short boots, in case you are worried about ankle exposure in the cold weather. The thick fabric makes them more suitable than other cafe capris to be worn with boots because the boot won't show through and the hem won't stick to them thanks to the lining. But I am short (5'2") so maybe this won't work on taller ladies.

With a blazer, for a "hunting" look. A hacking jacket in a red color would work great:

Where is my horse?

These are keepers for me. Last year I bought and returned the plaid ones that came out around the holidays because I didn't want a pair of pants that I would only wear a month in the year. These are a great alternative because while very cozy you can wear them all the season as they don't have "holidays" stamped all over them. I am almost sure that at some point they will popback in all the sizes, otherwise some stalking should pay off if you really want to get them.

What do you think of the camel plaid cafe capris? Are you interested in them? Do you think they look like grandpa pants?

In The Waiting Line

Remember this song by Zero Seven? I love that album, I listened to it ad nauseam. In any case I am in the waiting line at the Theory sample sale (which isn't that bad actually), so I am just killing time here. No fitting room pics today and no disclaimers, just in the waiting line ramblings...

I caught "The Notebook" on TV the other night. There are three movies that I cannot NOT watch when they are aired on TV, one is "Titanic", the other one is "You've got mail" and the third one is "The Notebook", with the latter being my favorite. That could say a lot about my movie tastes but in reality I am a movie junky, I can watch anything from very brainy stuff, to super slow-paced tales from obscure countries to silly comedies. The only type of movies that bores me to sleep are actually spy movies, I just cannot understand them, my interest is lost after the first scene when you have to figure out who is with whom.
So, the Notebook. Isn't it one of the greatest love stories (I know it has contenders, Zivago and all, but I just love love stories that end well, you know? Like with all the characters alive by the end of the movie and possibly living happily ever after)? I don't think it is only because of Ryan Gosling that I love this movie, even if he is a big part of it. I think the movie speaks to me. When I was a teen I had a similar experience, all-consuming and contrasted Love with a classmate my age. In my case the problem wasn't that I was rich and he was poor but that my parents thought I was too young and intervened. It was very dramatic, I had to change school and lost myself in books. We lived in the same city but I NEVER saw him again and for years my heart just stopped when I thought I had recognized him in the street. I am pretty sure he was heartbroken as well (I remember devastating phone calls), at least in the beginning, and I think we had something real even if were only kids. I often think what would have happened if we had met again, I am almost sure we would be married. That's why I love the Notebook, it's our revenge.

Ok, as you must have guessed if you are in my time-zone I had to stop my nostalgic tale when I got into the sale and I am already out now. I have been good and only bought a swearter (the cozy sweater that JCrew cannot give to me) and a (beautiful) black blazer. I can't believe that I left there the most gorgeous 100% cashmere camel coat that was only $250 (down from $1400), but I couldn't justify it because it was almost identical to my Zara one. If you are looking for a classic camel coat and you are in NYC, please go and grab it! A few prices that I remember: Pants were $105, sweaters $130, dresses $179, blazers $175, outwear $250, leather $350, fur $500. I might go back the last day when they typically cut prices (I was told that Sunday is the last day but I think they will slice them Friday or Saturday)

What's the movie that you cannot NOT watch when you catch it on TV? Any First Love story that ended well?
Any question about the sample sale let me know.

Sweater Weather: A Few New Sweaters At JCrew

I stopped at my store yesterday to make a return and they were putting on the floor some of the new items that rolled out last week on the website. I am a bit shopped out but I am looking to replace a few sweaters that I threw away because too worn-in or too short. I haven't bought any winter sweater except for cashmere in a few years and all of a sudden I feel like wearing wool, so I had a look and took three sweaters with me in the fitting room.

Disclaimer: Dear JCrew I don't know how the following happened. It wasn't my intention to snap illegitimate pics in the fitting room but I must have inadvertently pressed the camera button of my phone. I must have been in a new arrivals-induced trance because I really don't remember doing so. Just to let you know, in the unfortunate case that you are taking legal action, I will plead temporary mental incapacitation (I think I won't have any problem to demonstrate that given my recent shopping spree during your 25% off promo). Now my sense of blogger duty tells me that I must post these pics, for the community's sake. I can't keep this information just for myself, I hope you will understand. I am very sorry for all the business and profit loss that my posting could potentially generate, but let's be honest, if that happens it's a bit of your fault too (on the other end, if you notice a sudden increase in orders for the items that I am going to enthusiastically review in this post, and you are finally willing to give me a bit of credit for that I will happily forward my bank account for you to deposit a small percentage of the sales generated by my otherwise unpaid advertisement)*.

So the first sweater that I tried because I had actually put it in my cart and thought about ordering it with the 25% off is the Colorblock wool turtleneck sweater. I LOVE the look of this sweater and the name of the sweater (WOOL sweater) and the description made me think that this was a 100% wool, cozy turtleneck. Exactly what I was looking for, right? Well, no. As soon as I picked up this sweater I knew that this couldn't be 100% wool. Just to be sure I looked at the fabric content that confirmed my suspicions:

Now how can a sweater described as 100% mercerized wool contain such a high acrylic percentage? I would have been mad had I ordered it.
I was even more bummed when I tried it on because the fit is good, thickness non-withstanding. This is the XS:

Ok, enough said, let's move on to the next one. I promise it's going to get better. I wasn't particularly interested in the Farmyard Fair Isle Sweater when I saw it on the website, but it is really cute IRL. It is a blend again but it isn't itchy and looks and feels good on (it feels almost sweatshirt-y). This is the XS, fits TTS but if you want to layer you can go up a size probably since the opening hasn't a lot of give (it closes with buttons in the back but personally I would want to be able to pull it over my head):

I think this one is going to sell out fast, especially if another promo comes around. It is reasonably priced and will make a really cute Xmas present (a bit too cute for me but really cute if you are into fair isle and little animals).

The third one was love at first sight. It's the Merino turtleneck in abstract diamond print. This one caught my eye when it came out but usually I am not a merino person for two reasons. First reason is that my merino sweaters in the typical 14-gauge of the JCrew sweaters don't last me very long. I don't know if it's because I need to wash them more often than my cashmere (they seem to retain odors more easily and I have to wash them after one wear) or because I still haven't figured out how to wash and take care of them in a proper way but they look ratty and develop holes pretty quickly (not to mention that they usually shrink). Second reason is that I prefer the feel of cashmere on my skin than merino. Bottom line: I am not a big fan of merino but the pattern and colors on this one are so special that I am ready to take a risk.
The color combo is just stunning (the background is navy and the pink is darker than in my pics, like a bright dahlia) and I like that it has a ski vibe to it and looks causal if worn with jeans but is elegant at the same time and can be worn under a jacket for the evening.
I went with my regular XS. It is a bit less fitted than on the model but I took shrinkage into account so I didn't size down (plus I don't like the look of too-fitted merino sweaters):

An outfit with the Lolli pants immediately came to mind. I took a few pics of the outfit this morning but my camera died right after so I cannot post them right now but I can tell you that the sweater is a perfect match in terms of color and also style and it is a great outfit.
If you like this print, it also comes in crazy pants. I reviewed these in the previous colorway (size down in these).

What do you think of the new crop of sweaters? Any that you are interested in?

* This is a joke