Two OOTDs and The Stained Glass Cardigan is Back

Hello everybody, I hope that your weekend is off to a good start. I don't have much time but I did want to say hello, so I will post the pics of two outfits that I wore this past week and also review very quickly the factory version stained glass cardigan that I bought before the holidays, in case you want to get it with the current 40% off.

The first is nothing to talk about, really, but it is just a pretext for me to proclaim again my unconditional love for the heather cobblestone color. I am obsessed with this color and I wore the cashmere turtleneck so much that I just bought the crewneck cardigan too (the price was irrestible). However, it is kind of difficult to pair it because it isn't exactly grey and it isn't brown, just a grey with some brown in it, if that makes sense. I couldn't really wear it with any greys (especially charcoal) until I tried it on with the faded cement toothpick cords from last year. For some reason this color picks up on the grey component in the cobblestone and makes it look more grey than it is. See?



The second outfit is more put together (meaning that I put more effort into it) while still being casual. The cardigan is the BR fair isle cardigan (worn over a cashmere shell in natural) and the pants are a pair of ripstop cargos from the summer (the receipt says "solid ripstop Anne pant") that I found at my B&M two weeks ago for $12. They had a rack of weird stuff from the summer, as if a truck from FS had just dumped its content in the store. Go figure. In any case, that was good for me because I have been trying to catch the safari pants in black on sale forever and these are pretty close, and the fact that they are not cropped make them weareable all year round.



The necklace is another great find. For the life of me I can't remember the name but I almost bought it this summer when it went on sale. Then I saw it in store and thought that it looked cheap. Well, at least if it looks cheap I can tell myself that it was cheap ($12 as well). The SA told me that it had been hiding in their basement for all these months and they had just put it back on the racks. It is a little bit tarnished but for $12 I will take it ;-).



And now the factory stained glass cardigan. I loved this cardigan last year when it was in the B&M but to me it was the perfect resort/summer cardigan and I was really bummed that it was made in merino (it is too hot here wear merino in the summer). So when I saw that they had made a factory version in cotton I had to have it. I ordered my Jackie size (a S) and it fits perfectly, even if it is not stretchy as the Jackie since it is 100% cotton. It is a weightlight cotton (some of you would probably find it flimsy) but that's OK with me. I just love this print and I am taking it with me on my next vacation in two weeks:




Did I mention that I bought these matchstick on a popback for $14? Sometimes popbacks ship and that was one of those case (I sized up from my regular size and they fit perfectly).

That's it. I will talk to you next week!

Inspired by The Catalog: Lolli Pants and Cobblestone Sweater

I really thought that I would let the last 25% off promo go, because I already took advantage of the one before, and the one before and the one before that one. In fact it looks like this season there has always been a promo around and I think that in the end I didn't buy anything FP (actually I did buy one or two things and I was able to return and rebuy them for a lower price).
But of course they got me again. What could I possibly need more than what I already have? The lolli pants, apparently! I have to say that they didn't strike my fancy when they came out an made a buzz on the JCA. But I really, really like the following look from the holiday catalog and when I realized that I could easily reproduce it, withstanding the lolli pants (now sold-out online), I had to have them:



At first I thought that the model in the picture was wearing the cashmere turtleneck in heather cobblestone, that I have and is the only cashmere turtleneck that I bought this year, but she is probably wearing the heather orchid as the cobblestone is a "fall" color that went on sale and isn't offered anymore (so glad that I bought it with my Mickey card). In any case the effect is very similar. My pumps are the grey Juliet patent and suede heels from last year:



I don't have the Bonbon coat (I don't need another coat but I really like this one), but I have the Script from last year in a similar neutral shade:



I have to be honest: I wasn't completely sold on the pants because the bright dahlia is a shade that is not in my usual color palette and very unusual for pants but they are really growing on me. As you can see the retail version doesn't have a zipper at the ankle and has a cuffed hem. I am not sure if the website version and store version differ or the pic in catalog shows an older version that didn't make it to production (please chime in if you have them and you bought them from the website). Even if I knew about it, I was a little bit shocked when I first saw in person that they are unlined and very thin. You would think that a pair of pants that comes out in the Holiday catalog when half of the country is under the snow could be a little bit more weather-appropriate and lined. However, they are flattering like that and NOT ITCHY AT ALL (no worries, I have sensitive skin on my legs). I bought my usual size 0 and I find them TTS to a little bit big.

I tried a few different outfits/color combinations with them. The first is very similar to the cobblestone turtleneck, the Olive top in dark charcoal. This top is one of my favorite JCrew pieces, as you probably know if you are a regular follower:



I have only another item in my closet in a similar color as the bright dahlia. It's the cashmere v-neck cardigan from last spring (this is the one that I paid something like $35. I am still kicking myself for letting the navy and the black go, also because the yarn is thicker than many sweater in the current offerings). The color was called bright plum and it is a little bit more intense than the color of the pants. I think they work together exactly because they are very similar but not the exact same color. What do you think? Too much of the same? Little Red Hat effect?



Of course it works with a black top. I reorganized a little bit my closed yesterday and found the silk posy top from last year, that I had completely forgot to have (you know, it was under a cardigan). I really, really love it with the pants (of course I would wear black shoes):





The cardigan is the Dulphine open one. I am a little bit on the fence about this one. I like that it's very slim and short for us petites but it's more casual than I thought and the fact that it is sheer means that it doesn't look good over tee shirts. Thoughts?

Another dress-up look, with the silk ruffle cascade jacket in wild blackberry (navy) from last year (this is up for sale, BTW) and the crystal symphony necklace:



This last look is a little bit hazardous. I am sure that it would make a great holiday catalog look, but in real life? Too harlequin-esque? The color of the satin soiree jacket has more green in it IRL than it appears in the pic though and the contrast between the two bright colors is nicer than here:



I like that they are an unusual but still wearable choice for the day and they easily dress up for the evening. I can't wait to wear them this holiday season.

What do you think of the Lolli pants? Which one of the outfits above do like better?

OOTD (Casual Cobblestone)

This post is for mrs.anketell who requested some outfit ideas for the Dream draped v-neck sweater (aka "Yoga" sweater) in heather cobblestone. I posted a couple of outfits here (it looks really nice with the carmichael popover) but I wore it today for the first time in the real world (the world outside my bedroom where I actually need to wear clothes). I have to say that if I still LOVE the cobblestone color, I realized that there aren't so many colors that I can pair with it (at least in my closet) as it's not quite grey and it's not quite brown. In the end I chose the semplicity of a white painter tee.

In my opinion, if you are going to wear this sweater with a simple tee you need a necklace to prevent it from going totally casual (not that there is anything wrong with casual. As you know I am casual most of the days). I decided to try the Northern Lights necklace in gunmental, that I bought a few weeks back when the stores were running a 25% off promo on jewelry (after seeing it on Andrea from The closet chronicles. Glear blog BTW, check it out if you haven't yet). I had a hard time in choosing betwen the golden one and the gunmetal and I went with the gunmetal because I have a lot of grey sweaters/tees for the winter.
Anyway, I think it looks great with this sweater:




For a look a little bit more sophisticated, you can wear a Victoria cami or other ruffled-neckline cami. I love the Victorias because they add some pizazz (is it really a word?) without adding bulk (but I don't wear them alone, only under cardigans). They still popback on the website and if you happen on one in your size I wouldn't hesitate to grab it, especially in a light color (they are even worth paying the shipping IMO if you don't have anything else to add to your cart):



While I am at it, I wanted to show you the Cashmere zip cardigan that I got yesterday with that crazy sweater promo that the stores are running (must resist buying 42 cashmere sweaters). I got it in the heather saddle color (which is as camel as you can get at JCrew this season) and I love it. I am happy to announce that this one doesn't suffer from tight sleeves syndrome and it hits me below my hips. This is my usual XS and I can even conceive wearing a long-sleeved shirt under it, yay:





Are you taking advantage of the sweater promo? Are you buying JCrew cashmere this season?

A Few More New Arrivals

A quick post on a (very) few new arrivals that I hadn't tried on last Saturday. I found my "MUST HAVE" item from this rollout and it's a store-only for the time being.
It's a dream sweater (dream like the blend) that is a pullover but it has an opening in the front like a double-breasted cardigan. It comes in the beautiful heather cobblestone, which is maybe the best color this season so far (I know, for us who love muggy and hearty tones). I saw it for a brief moment yesterday while I was at the Collection store to make some returns and I couldn't stop thinking about it. That's my definition of MUST.HAVE. NOW.
Here it is, in XS:





It also come in burnished olive and a pink that I haven't seen IRL. The name on the recipt is "Dream Yoga sweater" and the style number is GY6877. It retails for $88.
I would have preferred if the arms were a little less tight so that you could wear a long-sleeve blouse under it, but the XS fitted so well that sizing up wouldn't have been a good idea and anyway it is going to look great with a tank under it. A few days ago I pre-ordered the Khloe Jacquard Cami in (guess?) cobblestone because I needed a ride-along for free shippinga and this cami was the new arrival that really caught my eye during the first (gasp, we are at the second one already and it's barely August!) fall rollout and the stores haven't received yet (I will report back when I receive it, after the 8/17 shipping date). The two should look smashing together.

I know that there are people who have sworn off the dream blend, but I am a fan. It is very soft (more pleasant on the skin than merino) and piling is not an issue for me. It's a little bit like wearing cashmere but without the price tag. If you have a different experience don't hesitate to share.
Just to be sure, I also tried the new cashmere crewneck in the same color, that was my original choice/option when I started to want something in heather cobblestone, but I actually preferred the dream one over the cashmere (because of the style I must admit). Anyway here is a (partial) pic (this is the XS, I found it a little bit tight in the arms):



In reality I was trying to take a pic of the Herringbone bell skirt that someone was asking about on the JCA and I had regretted not trying on the last time that I was in the store. I really liked the fabric an the color but the length and the elastic at the waist don't work for me (it's too young-looking, even if I know that some of you will say that I can pull off the mini length). Here I was already sizing up to a 2, so don't be afraid to size up, there is room for it.

Last new arrival that it tried is the Lace panel tee. This tee is very pretty IRL and almost worth its $42.50 price tag. However I am incapacitated to buy a tee FP at the moment, I have tee nausea after seeing all those graphic tees languishing for months in the sale section of the B&Ms. Maybe in a few weeks I will be ready again ;-).
Still, this one was tempting, very flattering and new:




What do you think of these new arrivals? Do you share the enthousiasm for the heather cobblestone color? Dream hate or love?