OOTD: The Carly Dress Goes to (Mid)town

So it wasn't that difficult to download pics on this computer after all. I have a review of a new item coming up but because I have very little time I'm going to show you my outfit of the day.

This morning I went with my daughter to the Rockfeller center to meet my parents neighbors (of all people) who know me since I was a little girl and are here on vacation. When we left, the air was still frisky but I knew that by lunch it would be very warm (HOT in fact). It was the occasion to break out my Carly dress! I have to say that I didn't like this dress the first time that I tried it on, probably because I tried it in the amethyst color instead of the grey (which is much more flattering on me); but after seeing and liking it on many JCAs (especially Dinagideon and DaniBP) I decided to give it another try. By then, the grey was almost sold out in stores but luckily I found one in my size after a few tentatives. Well, I am very glad that I changed my mind on this dress because I really like it and it's perfect for my lifestyle (I think that the grey is more casual than the amethyst, which for me it's always a plus).

As many have said, this dress needs a belt, which is fine to me. However, what I find a little bit challenging is wearing a cardigan with it, because of the fabric (a chino cotton) and of the ruffles that tend to bulk up under it. I tell you, I tried almost every cardigan that I have and wasn't satisfied with any of them. In the end the "less worst" was this Theory open cotton cardigan, which is a little bit chunky itself so less prone to let the countours of the dress show underneath:





I tried the belt over the cardigan, but it added weight and accentuated the "cupcake" shape of the dress.
Anyway, it's definitively prettier worn by itself (or the right jacket). And don't you think that my BR purse is perfect with this dress and this belt?



In case you are wondering, I didn't go out barefoot but I was wearing a pair of BR grey perlarized ballet flats from last year that I wore to (almost) death (very comfy). As usual I took my shoes off before/after taking the pics.

For those who own this dress, what do you wear your Carly with? Did you find a cardigan from the current JCrew offerings that goes with it (I would be interested to know)?

Our Easter weekend has already started (my husband came home earlier), so I don't think that I will be able to publish anything else before Monday.
I hope that you all have a Happy (and sunny) Easter!

Meet My New Bag (no, it isn't a Vuitton)

When I blogged about my bag dilemma, I omitted to tell you that a designer bag that I would have happily exchanged my BR for (let's call it my "dream bag") existed; just, it wasn't a Vuitton. My husband can be very obstinate and the deal that he offered me was only valid on a Luis Vuitton.
Many of you were surprised that I couldn't find a Vuitton that I liked but the reason is that there was another bag that I simply LOVED and have been lusting after for a while and I'm not greedy enough to let my husband buy me an expensive bag that I'm not in love with. It really seems like a waste of money to me.
So I dropped it and I started to wear my BR purse and I have to say that I'm pretty happy with it: it's the right dimension and it's a carefree bag, plus it goes with many coats that I have.
But I must admit that I would find myself browsing the Internet to catch a glimpse of my "dream bag".

OK, enough with the suspence: my dream bag is the Marc Jacobs "The Single". For those of you who are not familiar with Marc Jacobs bags it's a quilted cross-body that retails for $525 and comes in different colors/leathers. I wanted a plain leather one because it is the only one that comes with a chain strap (while the other styles come with a leather strap). It is in a price range that makes it almost "affordable" but if I can spend the same amount of money in different, smaller purchases, I always have scruples to blow more than $150 on a single item (I know it's silly, but it is what it is). So I have been watching every single Marc Jacobs bag sale for more than a year (Gilt, RueLaLa, you name it) and I think that I have missed my big occasion to buy it on sale the day after Xmas at Saks (I arrived at Saks too late and I didn't even think of checking the website before going).

So when a friend of mine gave me the coupon for the Bloomie F&F event I thought that I would give it a try. I had been at Bloomingdales during President's Day weekend to try the Tory Burch shoes and I had stopped by the Marc Jacobs corner to check it out (again). At that time they only had the studded one (in a weird color), which wasn't my first choice so I was almost sure that I wouldn't find it (this time I had checked the Internet first).
But they had it. Classic black. Plain leather. Chain strap. The 20%coupon applied and I had my gift card to spend plus an old return (2008 old) that almost covered for it. You agree that I couldn't leave it at the store.

So meet my new "Single". In my opinion it is the most Chanelesque bag out there (because let's face it: Chanel it's out of my league). The leather is the softest and most luxurious:



It is roomier inside than the BR and the JCrew charmed mini-bag. I like that even if one day I buy a bigger wallet (my Prada is one of the smallest wallets on the market) I will still be able to stuff it in the bag:



And the style? Classic, I tell you, and like a Chanel it will never go out of style:





Now, will I wear it to the playground? Certainly not, at least at the beginning. The "instructions for care" are pretty clear: "Due to the delicate nature of the quilting, we recommend that you treat this item with care. Avoid getting it wet (ie avoid sprinklers at the playground and don't let your toddler come close to you with a watercan full of water. If she wants to jump in a puddle, don't try to dissuade her and just run away), as water stains may occur. Avoid overexposure to direct light (ie, don't stand in the sun waiting that your daughter has finished examining every leaf or insect that she finds on her path) as color fading may occur. If it has frame, we reccomend that you use the frame gently (ie, don't let your toddler pull on it to obtain your attention when she has a tantrum).

So no, I won't wear it to the playground on a regular basis even if it might happen that I go out to run an errand and I end up at the playground (in those situations I guess that I will be a stressed mom). But because my husband ultimately didn't pay for it I'm entitled to keep the BR for my everyday life and I will wear this one mostly to go out with him (or alone). I don't have to wear it every single day as it is meant to last alifetime. And a deal is a deal, right?

I bought something else at Bloomingdales but, yes, you guessed, I will leave it for another post.

Ready for Aspen (with Jcrew)

Not that I'm going anytime soon. When we lived in Paris we used to go skiing once a year, typically in January (when it's the coldest and the snow is the hardest, an idea of my husband), but since we have moved to the US my husband has been on a few skiing "business" trips alone and I never felt like trading our annual winter vacation in the Caribbean for a week in the mountains. The reason is that I'm a very bad skier, terrible actually (even if I have been skiing since I was 8 years old) and with the age I have become more and more scared on the slopes, so I don't really enjoy skiing any longer. The last time that I have skied, in Val d'Isere (France), I have been "rescued" by the ski patrollers after dark because I was too scared to move and I have been subject to the humiliation of going down the slope securely attached WITH A ROPE to my rescuers. That's how bad I'm.

However, I miss the alpine atmosphere a little bit and from time to time I dream about a snow vacation, specifically a vacation in Aspen (there is no way that we're going skiing in Europe as we never go back in the winter months because of my husband job). In my case dreaming about vacations always involves an outfit component (like, seeing myself in Aspen in a particular dream-induced outfit) and it gets dangerous when the dream comes true (in terms of the outfit).

So basically, me in Aspen is what I pictured when I saw this beauty a few weeks ago at my local B&M:



It's the Belted clouds puffer jacket and I wanted to write about it during the SECRET SALE promo (I had already bought it) but it disappeared from the website for a couple of weeks. I thought that maybe, like me, you hadn't noticed it, even if it's featured in one of the Jcrew newspaper ads.
Let me tell you the reason why I didn't notice it. Well, in the first place, I wasn't looking for a puffer. If you are a long-time follower you know that I'm a "summer clothes" girl, I love summer and summer clothes MUCH MORE than fall/winter clothes. However, I have a weakness for puffer coats. I own 3 (2 of which are Moncler) and I have been on the fence of buying another one many times but the price of well-made puffers generally turns me off (I'm an impulsive buyer sometimes, but not of high-priced items. If something goes above $150, I generally have the strenght to resist and Moncler jackets, the ones that I prefer, go well above $500) so the old I DON'T NEED ANOTHER ONE refrain worked so far.
The second reason is that I don't really care for a puffer in this color. I have seen it in real life and it's a really odd yellowish pink.
BUT OMG! Have you see the other color it comes in? It comes in glazed pecan ladies, maybe my favorite Jcrew color after the dark charcoal. And shiny glazed pecan is even better than glazed pecan. It's to die for.
So when I saw it in my local B&M, I HAD to try it on. And of course I LOVED it. Plus the price wasn't bad at all for a goosedown (90%) puffer. AND (bonus) I had a $25 off coupon.
Here it is:




The fit is really great on me (I sized up to a S as the XS was really tight across the chest), but it could be a tad short on taller ladies and the belt detail really adds something. It isn't bulky as other puffers can be and it's kind of lightweight, but the fact that it's made $90 down makes me hope that is going to be warm.
So need it or not, it is now in my closet and I can still dream about Aspen but I can also wear it every other day this winter (and give my gold-beige Moncler a break). Now, if only it could be REALLY cold, like very soon!
The funny thing is that last year around Thanksgiving I made what I can easily classify as one of my most impulsive purchases ever and what I purchased is something that belongs into the same mountain dream. I feel pretty ashamed telling you this but I really purchased this ultra-expensive Moncler bag knowing that I would never wear it in my "real life" (it's huge! And there is no way that I can wear this while I'm with my daughter. Which is 90% of my awake life) but that it would be perfect for well, a vacation in Aspen (OK, to be honest, there was also a super-deal factor because I paid around $350 for it, down from $1100). And I'm not a bag addict at all, I rarely buy a new bag and when I do, I really ponder over it.
Well, the good thing is that now I have a puffer to go with it (it's almost the same color) and maybe I can start to wear it, at least during the weekends (now that I think about it, can you imagine how many Jcrew goodies can I stuff in this bag, unseen by my husband? Maybe even shoes!)

Do you own a puffer by Jcrew? How do you like Jcrew puffers compared to other brands? Have you ever been in Aspen?