Movie Outfit And Loft Family And Friends Picks

First, this is the all Jcrew outfit that I wore on Monday for my "date" with Ryan Gosgling (cotton Bell cotton skirt and postcard tank):

I always bring a little cardigan for the A/C (this is the bling one from two years ago):

The movie was stupid (even for a romantic comedy IMO) but Ryan was HOT. Enough said.

Second, in case you don't know, a Family and Friends event started at the Loft (and Ann Taylor) yesterday (30% off everything in store and online with code FRIENDS). I think that these F&F events are getting less and less attention because they have even better promos (like 40% off everything for a few hours or 40% off new arrivals or extra 50% off sales) and personally I hadn't bought anything at the Loft since the holiday season (excepted for the sandals that I am wearing in my previous post, that you can probably still find in some stores) but I broke down recently and I have two recommendations in case some of you want to take advantage of this promo.

The first is the Diamond Stamp Halter Dress which is now on sale and I have in the blue (sold-out) colorway (might popback). The website says that it's catalog only but I did see it in store before my trip to St. Maarten. I thought "cute" but it was only on a manniquin very high up and nowhere else to be seen in the store so I pretty much forgot about it. Well, while I was having a romantic dinner with my husband in a French restaurant in St. Maarten, of all places, a lady at the next table showed up in this dress and it looked like the perfect vacation dress on her. All of a sudden I was obsessed so when we came back, I ordered it online with a 25% off coupon and it just arrived (yeah, they must use donkeys as carrier at the Loft, never an order took so long to be delivered). The regular sizes where sold-out so I ordered a XSP, since I am almost always a Petite in Loft dresses (not that I have many, in fact I didn't have any before this one but each time that I have tried one, I found that a Petite was a better fit on me). Well, it fits perfectly and it's the perfect resort dress IMO. BTW, the website says that it's a cotton-modal blend but the fabric tag on the dress says that it's 100% cotton and it feels like cotton:

It's the perfect dress for a casual dinner on the beach. The halter straps make it a little bit dressier than your regular cover-up but you can tie them in the back if they bother you:

Definitively a great dress!
The other item that I would like to recommend is the Utility Shirt Two-For Dress. This one just went on sale on Monday and it is still available in all the sizes. It was a little bit pricey at his regular price but with the 30% off sales combined with the F&F code it is now a great price ($35).
This one reminds me of a Theory romper that I had tried two years ago and always regretted not getting. It is less "crisp" than the Theory one but the advantage is that 1) it's a dress and not a romper and 2) the shirt is very lightweight (it's rayon), so more suitable for our weather. I tried a 2R in store but I ended up getting a 4P, that was less blouson-y on top and more comfortable in the bottom. This is the 2R from the fitting room (the 0 was definitively too small):

I didn't see anything else that I would have bought but I like this one.

Are you taking advantage of this promo?

Weekend OOTDs and Best Alteration Ever

First, I just wanted to share two OOTDs that I wore this weekend and the weekend before.

The first one is the outfit that I wore on my shopping trip this past Saturday. This dress is "rare": it was a store-only dress from last year and it disappeared very quickly (it was called "Barbara", if I am not wrong). I didn't wear it much last summer and when a friend who just had a baby asked me where she could find it (as it is very forgiving and can easily hide a post-baby belly), I happely gave mine to her for her impending beach vacation. As a matter of fact I had more or less wrote it off but almost a year later, she gave it back to me all fresh from dry-cleaning.
So here you go (the belt is the factory braided one and the shoes are Loft):

I had lots of compliments on it (also wore it in the morning without the belt) and I am happy that it's back in my closet as this year I wear dresses more than I used to.

I wore the second outfit to two kids pool parties outside the city the weekend before. The skirt is Loft from last year (best pool/beach skirt ever) and the tee is Gap (buy it here). It's 100% rayon, which makes it very soft (I bought mine with a 40% off coupon). The hat is also Gap but I don't see it online (I got it on sale for $8):

As per the best alteration ever of the title of this post, I recently had the polyester lining removed from the sleeves of my JCrew rosevyne blazer from last year. Many times I reached for this blazer (that I LOVE, it's so summery) but the poly lining turned me off and in the end I wasn't wearing it. So I took advantage of my MIL's sewing talents and she did it for me.
Now the inside looks like this (the lining of the body is 100% cotton):

And on me, as I wore it last week (we had a day or two of break from 100 degrees temperatures):

Today is my MIL's last day with us (meaning the end of free babysitting). I am taking advantage of these last few hours of freedom (I know I sound like a prisoner that had been granted grace and has suddently to go back to perpetual jail, but if you have kids you can relate, I think) to go to a movie. I couldn't wait to see "Crazy, stupid love" this weekend but couldn't convince my husband to go with me (Ryan Gosling's byceps are not a reason good enough for him to see this movie, apparently, even if he loves Steve Carrel). I just love to go to a movie in a hot summer day, especially one with one of my favorite actors, and I can't wait (I am probably Ryan Gosling biggest fan, with or without byceps, after Dinster)!

Have a great start of the week!

Saturday Housewarming Party Outfit

This Saturday we went to New Jersey (Jersey City) for the housewarming party of our friends who got married in Seattle last spring.

The party started at 4 to allow for couples with children to bring them. I really, really wanted to wear one of my newest purchases, the Tiered silk ruffled cami, which, incidentally, is a "hidden" item in the sale section. You have to type "Tiered silk" to find it, go figure.
When I tried this top in store last week I immediately fell in love with it. I felt very gracious in it, like a ballerina or a little bird. The color is black but only the wool panel in the back, grosgrain belt and straps are black. The silk charmeuse ruffles themselves are more of a midnight blue, which is a navy tinged of grey.
I haven't tried the dress but besides the fact that it is still FP I think that the wool all the way down in the back is going to be too form-hugging and maybe even sheer as it is kind of a lightweight fabric.
The top is very easy to wear IMO. It looks good alone with black pants/jeans (I am wearing last year toothpick in dark raisin rinse):



but is also super-cute peeking out from a cardigan or jacket:




In the end I didn't wear it because it was too dressy for the occasion (not to mention that it took us an hour and a half of public transportation to get there) and in fact the other guests were very casual. I wore my Talbots tee instead, with the Loft clear necklace from this spring. I always get a ton of compliments on this necklace and it's true that it's really pretty and unusual:



Our friends apartment is on the waterfront and they have an amazing view of the Hudson River and the NYC skyline on the other side. This the view from the walkway between the train station and their building:



I was carrying an Anthropologie bag with a present for our friends. I rarely visit Anthropology and I think that I have never made a purchase there (at least not clothes) but the last time that I have been there (in the summer) I saw in the home section these adorable Storybook romance dishtowels and I though that they would make a great little present for newlyweds (if for example you have not been invited to the wedding but you want to send something or, as in this case, you are invited to a housewarming). I was happy that they still had them in the store, they made the perfect present.

These are the last few hours of the 25% off card. I feel a urge to go outside and take advantage of it for the last time but I have spent way too much already and I am stuck home with a sick daughter AND a calf strain (that I have inflicted myself yesterday while playing frisbee in the park. Hopefully it will heal by itself but because of Columbus Day I couldn't even see the doctor today).

Have a nice week.