Movie Night Outfit

On Saturday night my husband and I went to the movies. This is the first time since our daughter was born THREE YEARS AGO that we pay a babysitter to go to the movies (we went a couple of times when my mother in law was here). The fact is, we never found a movie that in my husband's view was worth paying a babysitter to be seen. He can enjoy a good drama or art movie but when it comes to actually choose something to see it's like nothing is good enough for him. I, on the other side, am a movie junkie (and I go to the movies alone or with girlfriends whenever I can) but I cannot see an action movie without falling asleep. I immediately loose interest and I cannot follow the (simplest) plot. I know that action movies are made exactly to dispense the viewers from using their brain while watching, but apparently it's something that I can't do. So thank you Christopher Nolan for coming up with an action movie where brain activity is actually required.
Yes, we went to see "Inception". Not exactly mind-bending as some reviewers said (I think that the "Memento" from the same director, was more successful in mixing the different levels of reality, so that you could never tell if you were in the present time or the past) but certainly WAY above your average blockbuster summer movie. Not to mention the performance of a quite inspired Leonardo DiCaprio and the hypnotic Marion Cotillard.

Anyway, even if we were just going to the movies, it was a special occasion and I wanted to dress up a little bit. But we had also planned to have a bite before the movie at the newly opened "Shake Shack" in our neighborhood (a burger place with incredible lines if you have never heard about it) and I didn't want to feel overdressed.
So I wore my Drexel plisse skirt the "cool way", with a tee and flats and golden accessories. It turned out to be one of my favorite outfits ever, also thanks to the Sequin Peek-a-Boo sequin tee that I had bought earlier in the afternoon at the Loft with the F&F coupon. The website pics don't do this tee justice. The detail of the sequined pocket is really nice and sparkling and even if we have seen sequined tees before, this one is very well made. At 19.50 before 30% it was also a very good deal (but it's now $15 on the website) and I bought it in the fall olive color, a color that not only is very flattering on my skin tone but will transition very well into fall:



Here is the entire outfit with the accessories (yes, I wore again my tacky bracelet, which is quickly becoming my favorite summer bracelet):




I also wore the small Thompson tote in gold (not pictured). When I go out with my husband I rarely take a bag with me but because I am always freezing from the AC at the movies, I needed it to carry the scalloped zipper cardigan in black that I bought during FS (I would have worn it in the street because it really completed the outfit but it was too hot):



Have you seen "Inception"? Did you like it? Do you have any of the items in this outfit? Please share!

Have a good start of the week!

End of the Week OOTDs (Wearing Color Against the Heat)

If you find yourself in a desert and you ask a bedouin (if you have the chance to meet any), he will tell you to wear black to protect your body against the heat (and even if this seems a counter-intuitive advice, because black absorbs light, just trust the bedouin in the desert because he knows better).
But when it's really hot outside I am suddenly in the mood for colors (sorry bedouin, I live in NYC and we have AC: no need to create an AC system with my loose-fitting black clothes and my perspiration). So I have been wearing lots of colors this week and I am going to share my OOTDs. Enjoy!

Wednesday, wearing an old Jcrew chino skirt (circa 2007), Gap tank and Jcrew necklace:



Yesterday night, date night with hubby (we went to a very nice reastaurant in the neighborhood with an even nicer terrace). Wearing the Jcrew Piazza dress in aqua, ATL necklace, Stubbs and Wooton espadrilles:




I had a melon Jackie in my bag but it didn't come out during the evening. It was so hot, even at 11 pm. I took a pic anyway:



Today. Wearing last year's JCrew pavillon pique dress with a Theory tubular cami:



And in all these pictures, wearing my OPI pedicure (as you see I like color on my toes too):



Have a nice weekend and stay cool!

OOTD (Lofty pieces)

Hello everybody! I hope you had a great weekend. My mother in law arrived last Saturday from Paris just in time for Father's Day. We went to our favorite Mexican place on the UWS and then to the Flea Market. I didn't take a pic of my Father's Day outfit because it was very similar to one of my Easter outfits that you have already seen here, but with white shorts instead of the denim pencil skirt (however the poly H&M nautical top wasn't such a good choice yesterday because it was very hot, almost 100).

However I did take a pic of the outfit that I am wearing today. I am wearing Loft from head to toe (almost), for a change from JCrew. The tank is from last year but the knit skirt is a new purchase. I had been eyeing it but as a rule I never buy full price at the Loft. There is always a coupon or a price reduction around the corner and when I miss out I generally survive ;-).
The skirt was reduced to $34.50 from $39.50 but because they were having one of their 40% off sales weekends I ended up paying $20, which is about the price that I was willing to pay. I like the shape and that it's not very short as my other (JCrew) skirts. It's the perfect skirt to wear to the playground or the beach and I am in full summer mode!





I also went to the Gap, where they were running a similar 25% off sales promo. They had great stuff. I bought a little cardigan very similar in concept to the Jcrew moto torque but not as heavy:





Actually I was more interested in the other color that it comes in (a charcoal) as I already have a couple of khaki cardigans but I thought that I can exchange it later for the same price (it was $28 with the the 25% off) if I find one (on Sunday evening the store was a complete mess).

Among the new arrivals they had yet another striped tee that I highly reccomend if you are not all striped out yet. It is very cute (especially on skinny jeans) and comes in navy and white. And it's only $19.50 (full price). I love the Gap!



It is not often that we have family here and it is like being on vacation for me. My daughter and my MIL are best buddies already (they are playing dominoes together right now) and you bet that I'm going to take advantage of it!

Have a great week!

Stripes again and a ATL find (two, actually)

So I am on a stripe kick and I wore my camel tee again on Tuesday. I feel very elegant in this tee. Actually I feel like a mini-version of Jenna Lyons, who has been seen sporting this tee to parties and events everywhere (I don't get the same feeling with the pink one). I had my dangling disc necklace on from the midnight dress try-on and I really liked it with the tee, so I kept it (plus, it was completely tangled with my hair and I didn't have time to un-tangling it):



Speaking of necklaces, I stopped by ATL yesterday to check their current offerings (as you probably know they are running their F&F event, 30% off now through Sunday). I didn't find anything in the clothes department (I am not feeling the love for ATL this year, it's very deja-crew) but I got two necklaces that I really recommend to anyone.

The first is called Long silvertone paillettes necklace and retails for $39.50 (before the 30% off). It is a great necklace for the summer, very shiny and most of all silver-toned (and you know how difficult it is to find a silver-toned necklace). It is pretty casual and it looks great with a simple tee (but I also see it with a maxi-dress for example):



The tee that I am wearing here is the Linen-cotton soft v-neck tee in irish moss that I had ordered to wear with the Pastiche pencil skirt. I bought it FP as a ride-along but lucky me it went on sale a few days after, so I got it for the sale price (thanks to price adjustment) without the hassle of stalking the website (colors are selling-out quickly). I already have the heather grey one and I plan on buying more colors. I simply love this tee!

The other necklace is more dressy and I don't see it currently on the website. It is in clear Plexiglas and reminds me a little bit of the JCrew "chandelier" necklace from last summer, but without the huge size (and the price tag). I really liked the idea of a clear necklace like the chandelier (it goes with everything, right?) but that one simply didn't work on my frame. This one is VERY pretty on a dress, especially a dress with a bold print like the Lilly Pulitzer or Liberty of London ones where there is already a lot going on with the pattern.
Here is with the Piazza dress from last summer in the beautiful aqua color, bought for a few bucks last winter (which makes think that I should wait for the midnight swiss-dot one to go on super-duper sale):




If you want to call a store, the reference (SKU) for this necklace is 87208023 and it retails for $34.50.

Happy shopping!

ATL New Arrivals

OK, this one is the last one, I promise, no more "New arrivals" posts for a while.
Last week I also had time to check out the new arrivals at ATL (it wasn't planned, is not like I was dieing to see their new arrivals but I was taking my daughter to the playground and she fell asleep in the stroller so I ended up there) and took some pics in the fitting room in case. Because of the F&F promo starting tomorrow (30% off the entire purchase and free shipping if you spend more than $125 with code FRIEND30) I'm going to share the pics with you.
As always, the lighting in the fitting rooms was just horrible so the colors in the website pictures are actually more true to life than those in my pics. Sorry for that.

I was quite impressed with their dresses. The first that I've tried is the Printed Sheat Dress that retails for $79.50. I've tried a 0 in regular sizes and as always with ATL dresses it was a little bit roomy in the chest area (but perfect elsewhere):



It has pockets (which I like):

I don't wear sheat dresses but the print was beautiful. It also comes in a blouse with puff sleeves (cute as well):



Second is this Printed Squareneck Dress . This looked cuter on the hanger than on me but they only had it in Petite and I couldn't find my size (XSP), so I tried a XXSP that was clearly too small:



I didn't like the squareneck (and the big straps) and is one of those dresses that I immediately felt pregnant in because of the empire waist, so I will pass.

The third dress is my favorite, truly a beautiful little dress for early fall. It's the Print Dress with Pleated Neck. It's a knit dress and it retails for $59.50. This one doesn't come in petite, so I've tried the 0 in regular:


It has a self-tie belt around the waist (the website says that it's removable, but I haven't noticed when I tried it on):




This is the detail of the pleating at the neck:


It will be hard not to buy this with the 30% off but I'm going to try as I don't have many occasions to wear this kind of dresses.

I also tried a couple of tees. This one reminds me of a Jcrew one that I have from a couple of years ago (it came in grey and white with a beautiful beading) and it's called the Vine graphic tee:



They only had a S left, that's why is a little bit shapeless.
They also have their vesion of the corsage tee, called the Placed petal tee. The petals are in chiffon and are placed lower on the neckline than in the Jcrew corsage tee. The Jcrew one is much better IMO but this comes in other "fall" colors:



The only thing that I think I'm really going to buy during this promo is this scarf:



The colors (the blue and the purple) are much more brilliant IRL and remind me of a Monet painting. It's called the Peacock scarf and it retails for $34. I almost bought it the other day but it was so hot that I didn't dare buying a scarf FP.

I think that ATL did a really great job with their "brushstroke" prints and I invite you to check these items out if you happen to be near an ATL store the next days.

Are planning to take advantage of this promo? Anything that you like?

The ATL Denim Maxi-Dress

While we are at ATL, I wanted to share another find from two weeks ago. Well, it's not really a "find" in the sense that the price is higher than anything I saw at ATL so far, but luckily I had my $25 off card to spend so I got it for cheaper.
Actually, I did the silliest thing: I went in to return the V-neck ruffle dress that I have blogged about in one of my previous posts (I couldn't find a XS petite and decided that the XS regular that I had bought was too big on the chest) and also to see if I could spend my coupon (it was the last day) but after browsing a few racks I didn't find anything worth it (it had to be a full price item and I had to spend $50 minimum). So I returned the dress and the SA took out the coupon that was stapled on the ticket (I had "earned" the coupon with the purchase of the dress) and put it aside in a drawer.

Of course, just when I was about to take the door my eye was caught by this beautiful denim maxi-dress. There was only one left and it was a 0. I expexted it to be too big or long but when I tried it on I really, really liked it. I have a hard time finding maxi-dresses that fit me well, ie are not too long and I don't look pregnant in, and this one fitted the bill.
But I hesitated because the price tag read $79 and I had just said bye-bye to my $25 off coupon. So I decided that I would buy it only if the SA at the register gave me my coupon back (it wasn't won in advance because while the store manager is very nice but wasn't there, the SA are pretty harsh). While I was in the line I reharsed my little story (which was true but she could have said that because I had returned the dress I wasn't entitled to the coupon any longer; to which I could have responded that I would have waited to return it had I known. Still...). Anyway, the SA was nice enough not to give me a hard time on that, so I got it for $54, which is a much better price.

I like that it's in a dark denim wash, but not black. It has a double-tier on the bottom but it's not overwhelming:



It's in a very soft and lightweight denim, so it doesn't feel heavy to wear. In the pics I have styled it with the Jcrew pearls and glass necklace and espadrillas in a neutral tone, but it's going to look very nice with gold accessories to brighten up the dark color (I'm waiting on a pair of Tory Burch gold corks that should go perfectly with it):


I really like the fit on the bodice:


I have looked up the style number on the website but it says that this style "is not available online at this time" couldn't find it (I only found the Tiered Chambray skirt (style #233631) in the same fabric). Last Saturday when I picked up the "rose" tee, it was still full price.

Do you like/wear maxi-dresses? Do you like this one?

A Great Find: the ATL Rose Chiffon Tee

You know that I normally don't blog on weekends but I couldn't wait until tomorrow to share my latest find with you.
I have great news for those who are still eagerly looking for the rose chiffon tee on ebay or the JCA exchange. Look no longer: ATL has come up with its own version of the tee and it's almost as good as the real thing. And you won't spend a crazy $130 only to find out that you don't really like it; you will spend $34.50 maximum (less if you have a coupon) and you will have 60 days to return it (they are going to change their return policy as of July 5th). Here it is:



I saw it yesterday on the table of the new arrivals and immediately took it to the fitting room. Luckely I had my camera with me. I've looked it up on the ATL website and didn't find it.
It comes also in black and the black one is nicer than the Jcrew one IMO:



OK, the flower is a little bit less abstract than the rose of the Jcrew tee (in fact I'm not sure that it's a rose), but the overall effect is the same. The cotton is a lightweight cotton like the one of the boyfriend tees, which makes it more of a summer tee. It has a twisted neckline fabric like the Jcrew Twisted slub jersey V-neck tee, which you can like or not (personally it's the only thing in this tee that I don't like that much):

.

The natural color is darker than the Jcrew one (as usual the lighting in the fitting rooms is just horrible but I will post other pics soon). I tried an XS in regular sizes and it fitted me perfectly, I'm not sure if this comes in petite:



I bought the natural one because I'm planning to wear it under a black cardigan but if you like black tees, it is really cute in black (I know, I'm repeating myself). I don't own the Jcrew one and I don't want to pay ebay prices for it (I didn't noticed it when it came out in stores, before it became the IT tee, so I didn't get it) so this one makes the deal for me.
I'm sure that this one is going to sell out as soon as word of this tee comes out in the blogosphere (I'm uninfluential of course but if for exemple one Alexis writes a post about this tee it's going to disappear from the stores in matter of days).

What do you think? Knockoff or great surrogate of the real thing? Do you have the "original" Jcrew one?

Coming up, another ATL great find ...

A Great Find: the Sleeveless Ruffle-Neck ATL Dress

My daughter woke me up at 6 today and it was already pouring. If you have kids you know that those days when it rains like hell and you wake up with the perspective of staying at home all day trying to entertain your little one(s) are the longest (the time just doesn't seem to go at same speed) and by 9 I was already bored to death (and that was after placing a $159 order at Jcrew.com). My daughter must have been bored too because she wanted to go outside. Outside where? I ask. Park? She replies. But it rains, I say showing the rain pouring outside the windows. She understands rain but she insists. Let's go. I explain to her that the only place where we could possibly go involves mommy trying stuff and her watching and it's not going to be a lot of fun for her. It looks like anything is better than staying at home with mommy today, so I prepare her for our expedition (thank you, thank you, thank you for saving me from boredom). We can only walk few blocs because of the rain, so our destination will be the Gap and ATL.

We stopped at the Gap first to check out the dresses. If you have missed it, Gap is having a "25% off all dresses" promo only this weekend (for women, babies and kids).
Surprisingly, they didn't have many styles. I gave a try to the Empire waist tank dress (#655030):




Sorry, as you can see I was lazy and I've tried it with my jeans and wellies but you get the idea. This dress retails for $39.50 in store but it's currently 29.50 on the website and comes in this color, black, bright pink, purple, yellow and white. I didn't like it on me (maybe is the color but the black and white were sold out) but it's worth checking it out if you're looking for an easy dress for the summer. It felt very comfortable and it's a great combination of fabrics: the top is in a knit cotton and the skirt is in woven cotton, which makes it a little bit different from the other dresses.

Then, we went to ATL. I "discovered" ATL not more than a month ago when I went into one of their stores for the first time to look for their cotton 3/4 sleeves Jackie-esque cardigan. I was really surprised with their clothes and I have now added it to my shopping path. The prices are good (today I found that their prices were better than at the Gap) and they have great basics.
Anyway, I came back for a tank that I had already tried on when I bought the cardi. I was waiting for it to go on sale but the white was sold out in my size so today I decided to buy it FP ($24.50). The SA insisted that I try "some color":


But I prefer a neutral color and got the grey:

This tank screams "summer" to me. I can't wait to wear it with a pair of white linen pants. In the same spirit, it looks nice with the ATL knit skirt (reg. 36.50, on sale for 24.50):



When I was in line at the register, my eye got caught by this dress:


It's called the "Sleevless dress with ruffles V-neck" if you can call this a name (style #233795). It cames in black, brown and lilac rose, which is similar to the Jcrew flamingo pink. The store only carried the black and the pink and I tried bot the black and the pink in XS:






I got the pink one. The lightning was horrible in the fitting room and it's a total different color IRL:




It's a really cute dress and it retails for only $39.50. The fabric is a nice stretch jersey (93% cotton and 7% spandex). This was the first time that I tried an ATL dress and I think I'm a petite but this particular one was sold out in petite so I got the regular size. I got it anyway but I might go and look for a petite in another store. The best part is that they are giving away a $25 card with every $50 spent (on full-priced items) through Sunday. So now you know what to do this weekend lol.

Have a nice weekend everyone!