OOTD and Quick Review of the Herringbone Schoolboy Blazer

Good morning and happy Saturday!

Before disappearing for the long weekend I wanted to post a quick review of the Herringbone schoolboy blazer since maybe some of you are considering getting this jacket with the current FABFEB promo.

But first, my yesterday outfit. We were expecting record high temperatures for the month of February (68 degrees) here in NY yesterday but it didn't feel that warm, especially in the morning, before the sun came out. I wanted to wear something cheerful and I picked my merino boyfriend sweatshirt in the honey color that is like a sunny day and always put a smile on my face.
Last year I used to wear this sweater mostly with the checkered navy shirt but I wanted to try something new and my eye fell on my tartan boy shirt from the holiday season. Someone once asked on the JCA for styling tips to de-holiday-ize (is that a word?) this shirt. Well, here is an idea (the pants are the twill toothpick in the green colorway, that are perfect with this shirt but any dark pant will do it):




How do you like it? A long gold-toned simple necklace would have been the perfect accessory to de-preppy-ize the outfit a little bit but I didn't find what I was looking for in my jewelry box (added to the shop list) and didn't feel like wearing something too bling-y in the daylight. So I went without one and I topped everything with the downtown field jacket.

Now, on to the schoolboy blazer. I tried a 2 in the beautiful aged driftwood color. The fit was perfect. I love how it looks with my jeans, perfect for spring:



And buttoned:


Someone had reported on the JCA a problem of scratchy fabric (from metallic threads) that made it uncomfortable to wear on the skin. At first I thought that this lady might have tried a defective one because the fabric is so soft at the touch (not metallic-y at all) that it seemed very unlikely that it would hurt anybody's skin in any way. I also liked that it looks more polished than frumpy, but still a little bit casual:



But then I tried with a short-sleeved tee to check the fit with less layers and I understood what she was talking about. It did itch in the sleeves, but again, no metallic threads whatsoever in the lining. It turned out that the problem is in the stitching used to sew the lining. It is really uncomfortable so be advised if you plan to wear this with camis or short-sleeve tees. Bummer! As I said on the JCA they should recall it and re-sew it. They probably count on the fact that there is no customer review feature on the website, so customers who don't know about a fabulous blog like the JCA will learn at their expenses. If it didn't have this annoying problem with the sleeves, I would say that it's worth paying full price. It's a fabulous staple that you will reach for in your closet again and again for years on.
Personally it's on my sale watch list. Besides the problem with the sleeves I have too of a casual lifestyle to justify paying full price (even with the 20% off) and have already two similar blazer from last year (the flower-y blazer that I don't remember how it was called and the Lollipop that I snagged on super-duper final sale).

What do you think of the herringbone schoolboy blazer? Is it on your wishlist?

Happy President's Day Weekend to all of you!

Thanksgiving Outfit and Who Won The Clash of the Tartans

I am stealing a few minutes before my husband comes home from work and we start the long Thanksgiving weekend to post the outfit that I plan to wear tomorrow. As last year and the year before, we are spending Thanksgiving with the family of an ex-collegue and friend of mine, whose parents host a traditional Thanksgiving dinner every year and have "adopted" the three of us as part of the family, even if we don't see my friend as often as we used to. My friend's sister has two kids (6 and 10) and my daughter is very excited to see them and play with them (they are very nice with her even if she is younger).

Anyway, the tone of this family gathering is traditionally casual and low-key (with the exception of the food) so it isn't inappropriate to wear jeans. Actually it is the perfect occasion to wear the Jcrew tartan boy shirt that I ended up buying with the recent 25% off promo (in store). I really, really, like this shirt but I wouldn't have paid $72 for it because of the limited seasonal wear. Waiting for a sale on this shirt is not a good plan (unless you want to buy it for next year) as not only is selling out but you are going to miss the holiday season, which is probably the only time of the year when you are going to wear it. With the 25% the price came down to $54 which is much better and most importantly I can start to wear it now. I must say that the SA gave me some sood advice when he said that it is a shirt that can come across as very masculine so it needs some bling to make it more feminine. I know that many of you found it pretty plain but I believe that it can be versatile with the right accessories and I am going to try it with the crystal symphony necklace. Even not accessorized, I like how it looks under a blazer, both a navy and a black one (more elegant):




Tomorrow I am not wearing a blazer though, nor a bling-y necklace. The Dulphine bling-button cardigan with its jeweled buttons is a perfect way to add some bling (duh!) to an outfit without wearing jewelry. I am in love with the black pine color and I must admit that I bought the cardigan mostly because of the color, as the knit isn't that great (let alone "heavenly"). Again, I wouldn't have bought it for $69.50 but $44 something is a price that I am willing to pay. It fits perfectly (in my regular XS size) and I like this year's v-neck version much more than last year's crewneck. The color goes perfectly with the tartan shirt and there is enough room in the sleeves to wear it over the shirt:




I can also wear it with the Talbots taffeta tartan skirt of my previous post, that I have ordered in a size P0. I am not sure about the ruffled tartan top yet, it could be too much tartan for me. In the meanwhile I am going to wear it with a JCrew cashmere shell (size XXS, to be fitted) and the bling cardigan:




If I don't buy the Talbots tartan top, the Clash of the Tartans ends with an ex-equo for me, as I got the Jcrew tartan boy shirt and the Talbots skirt.

I will be back after the holidays. I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Clash of the Tartans: JCrew versus Talbots

After what I told you in my last post you probably weren't expecting me to come back this soon but as a matter of fact this week I have time to blog guilt-free in the evening as my husband is on (another) business travel (and DD is sleeping tight and doesn't need me).

As many of you, yesterday I received in the mail both the JCrew and the Talbots holiday catalogs. As you probably remember I had decided to swear off Talbots after trying really hard to fit into their clothes. Well, I have to say that after browsing both the catalogs I was much more excited to go to a Talbots store than to Jcrew (where I went in any case to make yet another return). It takes more than a red background to make a holiday catalog look appealing and I think that Jcrew really missed this one. The holiday season is when you want to stock up on party clothes and feel elegant and pretty even if you have nowhere to go (just in case an invitation comes at the last minute). You don't want to be reminded that even if you buy those tartan tuxedo pants you will end up wearing them at home with your slouchy sweatwhirt (that is, in case you still have a sweatshirt not covered in sequins that you can still wear doing sweats). I am really tired of this styling and you know that I love JCrew. I still find individual pieces that I like but between the prices that seem really all over the places (seriously, who wants to buy a $265 sash?) and the same styles offered over and over I am ready for a break from the Crew.
There is actually only one item that I would buy in the entire Jcrew catalog and it's the tartan boy shirt. I tried it today in my regular size (0) and really liked it:




But it's a pretty casual cotton shirt and I am not sure if I want to invest in this one. Maybe I am just not preppy enough for wearing tartan in the daylight. In any case I hold off because I wanted to checkout the holiday collection at Talbots before making any purchase.

I went into Talbots with very little trust that I would actually like the clothes when I would see them in the store, let alone try them on. And in fact, as usual, Talbots greeted me with its retirement-club vibe. At first I had the impulse to take the exit without trying anything on as verything seemed bo-ring, even the most showy sequin top; but because I went there with the purpose of trying things on, I started to look through the racks and picked up a few things that had caught my eye in the catalog.
Now, what's surprising this time around is that I liked the items more once I put them on than on the hangers. I think it's an effect from Crewlade overdose.

My first pick is the Plaid pinch-pleat ruffle top. To be honest I would have preferred a non-ruffled neckline, but I really like the fit (it's flattering) and the fact that it's silk taffeta. I am trying a 2 (regular):



In the same spririt JCrew is offering the Eliza plaid tee. I would have been all over it (especially since I missed on the Phoebe blouse in 2006) but they cheapened it with the beading at the neckline and I didn't even try it on.

Next, these wool plaid pants that I don't see on the website, but are the same fabric than the Kate Fit Plaid jacket. They are fully lined and if I am not wrong they retail for $119. This kind of pants is too classic for me, but they are nice quality per se (even if not incredibly flattering). I am trying a 2P (I am typically a P in bottoms and a regular size in tops at Talbots) and I am not sure if they are supposed to be cropped or "ankle":



JCrew is offering the Cropped plaid tuxedo pants. These are nice and fully lined and more young-looking than the Talbots ones, even if some may dislike the cropped style. My store was out of my size so I couldn't try them on but they feel nice at the touch.

The ivory sweater that I'm trying with the Talbots pants is the Cashmere ballet-neck sweater. It is very plush (it must be a 7-gauge cashmere) and feminine. Personally I tend to buy cashmere turtlenecks and cardigans as opposed to pullovers but this is a nice one, even if a bit on the expensive side.

The next one is the one that I was most curious about. I liked it in the catalog but not when I saw it in the store (I thought "not for me"). And surprisingly LOVED it when I tried it on. It's the Plaid taffeta skirt. This also comes in 0P on the website but they only had the 2P in store (as a general rule they don't have 0s in store), which I think is my size anyway. I dared the combo plaid shirt/plaid skirt and actually liked it. It would look great with a black sash and a black cropped jacket and of course heels are de rigeur with a full knee-lenght skirt like this one:




Now, my holiday calendar is very busy this year. Not only my mother in law is coming for the holidays (which means more nights out for my husband and I) but I have four parties/occasions to attend already and they are all pretty formal. I am thinking that this skirt would be perfect for two of them at least, but I also have the JCrew marveille taffeta mini that needs to be worn (even if that one doesn't need a formal occasion and I can just wear it to go out for dinner). So for the time being both the top and the skirt are on hold for me at the store and starting tomorrow I can use the 25% off coupon that I found in the catalog to buy both. I am VERY tempted, especially because it's a classic skirt and I can wear it for years to come. I am afraid to say that JCrew isn't offering anything like this this season.

So, who do you think wins the clash of the tartans? JCrew or Talbots? Would you wear a tartan skirt with a tartan top?