Returnable Item of the Week: the BR "Lounge" Cardigan

You have been so helpful with my recent shoes dilemma, that I have decided to ask for your opinion each time that I need to return something but I'm not decided about it. Maybe this will even become a "weekly" post, since I buy enough stuff that I can return at least one item per week.

This week the questionable item is the BR "Lounge" cardigan (item 646386), pictured below:



It retailed for $79 and I bought it some time ago for a great price ($41.99). I used to buy a lot at the Gap and Banana (but especially the Gap) because of their 90-day return policy. A three-month span allows you enough time to find out what you really like and what you won't wear, while it's more difficult in a month, especially if you buy ahead of the season. In fact if I had to add another shopping rule it would be "Don't buy too early in the season" because you might not like it any longer when the time has finally come to wear what you bought months before. But of course the risk here is regretting not buying it if the style solds out.

Anyway, I have to make up my mind on this, since the ticket is almost "expired".
It's a sweatshirt cardigan with a tie instead of buttons, shawl collar and kimono sleeves. I bought it mainly to wear it with summer dresses and especially this one that is one of my favorire dresses EVER:



It's a DVF dress that I bought two years ago at a Barney's warehouse sale. I had just returned to work after my maternity leave and I bought a size 4. I should have bought a 2 (the 0 in DVF is too small for me) but besides the fact that from time to time I have to look down to check if my boobs are still inside, it doesn't look too big. I wear it a lot in the summer during the day but I was looking for something to wear it with in the evening. This cardi had the perfect mix of coolness and elegance but I forgot that the dress already has a belt, so I can't wear it belted under the cardi. This is how it looks with the two ends of the dress' belt tied and left down (I mean without making a bow out of them):



The workaround goes unnoticed and I like the result. With a small clutch it could be a real nice evening outfit (with heels instead of flats).
Here is the cardi with another dress:



So, why I'm debating if returning it or not? Because I'm not sure that I'll get a lot of wear out of it with anything else than this dress (and maybe another one or two). The thing is that I'm not sure that I like it with pants. For exemple, with black jeans:



I like it better with white jeans:



It would look great with rolled-up vintage slim-fit jeans (that I don't have), flats and some very simple jewelry. I saw a girl wearing it this way and she looked effortlessy chic. But it looks like I can't reproduce the same effect with the clothes that I have. Or maybe I'm being overly critical, I don't know.

So what do you think? A keeper or not? I should also add that I regretted not buying the Jcrew similar cardi last year (or it was 2007?) I would like to hear from you, especially if you own this cardigan or the Jcrew one!

My First Crewcuts Order

Yesterday was my daughter's second birthday (we spent it at home due to bad weather) but her birthday party will be this coming Sunday and it was only once we were back from Bermuda that I started to think to her outfit for the occasion. The plan was to visit the Soho store this week, which is the only store in NYC to carry the Crewcuts line, and buy the first Jcrew dress for her birthday (I admit that this is a birthday present for me more than for her)!

Well, guess what? When I called to check the opening hours, I found out that the Soho store was closed for renovations and will reopen this Saturday. Saturday I will definitively be too busy with the preparation of the party to go shopping plus it seemed a little bit too last minute even for me (I am one of those people who, no matter how early they start something, they always manage to finish it at last minute, not to say late).

So the only option left was to order from the Internet/catalog but it was already Tuesday and by the time that I made my choice and was ready to order it was Tuesday night so I was feeling a little bit anxious. Anyway I called and ordered three dresses because I wanted to be sure to have enough options. I didn't want something too dressy (the party has an Elmo theme - she just loves Elmo) just a cute little dress that she will be able to wear to playdates and in the summer evening if not at the playground.

I place my order and ask about the 3-days express delivery because I wanted to be sure that the dresses would arrive by Saturday, but the SA told me that even choosing the 3-days delivery my order would only arrive the next Tuesday and this would cost me $21! Now, I don't want to use the term Crewless because the lady (actually a girl if I have to judge from the voice) was very nice and seemed to knew very well their stock even if she was clearly unfamiliar with their delivery options. I asked her twice if she was sure because I never used the express delivery before and one week didn't really rhyme with "express" to my ears; so in the end I just went with the free standard shipping because it happened in the past that my orders would ship much faster than expected.

I went to bed (and dreamt that we were going out with the Obamas, not sure if Jcrew was the connection between me and the Obamas, but it's very likely, even if I don't remember Michelle's outfit in the dream!) and the morning after I saw in the order confirmation email that a sales tax was added to my order, when in the state of NY we don't pay the sales tax on clothes with a value below $110.
I wasn't really upset, I just wanted them to admit the mistake and refund my credit card. While I was at it I explained the situation with the Soho store closed and the fact that a week for an express delivery didn't seem a proof of a good customer service.

I'm going to post the reply because I think that this is a good exemple of what Jcrew should respond to their customers who complain about an order:

Dear Emanuela:
We sincerely apologize for charging sales tax on your recent order. A credit of $5.78has been credited back to your American Express credit card. This credit will appear within one or two billing statements. Your order shipped from our distribution center on May 13, 2009 and may arrive in time for her birthday party. Regular shipping normally arrives in four to seven business days. The UPS tracking number for your package is: 1z6v86420357354008.
We are sorry to hear that you were unable to purchase your daughter's birthday dress from our Soho store, due to the store being renovated. We regret the confusion about our express service. Our 3-day express service for an extra $7.00, guarantees the delivery of an order within three business days. The 3-day express would have guaranteed your package to arrive on Friday 15, 2009. We also offer a 2-day express that guarantees delivery within two business days for an extra $15.00 charge. Saturday express delivery is also offered for specific zip codes for an additional charge of $25.00.
For the inconvenience, we would like to offer a free regular shipping on your next order. If you order by internet, please email us your order number and we will credit the shipping. If you order by phone please refer to order 1012283701.
If we can be of further assistance, please let me know by responding directly to this email or through my contact information which I have provided below.

I think that it was supercool from their part that they have not only expedited the shipping on my order without any additional cost (my order went out in 12 hours) but also offered me free shipping on the my next order as an apology.

Anyway, the package arrived today. I was super-excited and when I opened it I had another pleasant surprise: my first hand-written "Mickey card" with their "committment to their loyal customers statement". I don't know if they add this to all the orders that are shipped out because I haven't ordered from the Internet since the holidays but it was nice to receive it:



Maybe this means that I made to the select list of customers and will receive the Red card the next time?
Back to the package, this is the first dress that I opened, as it is the only one in the misty lavander color that I LOVE on my daughter (I think it's the best color for her):



It is a very simple shift dress (in fact it's called "Girl's cotton ruffle-neck shift dress, item #14811). I tried it on my daughter and as expected her blue eyes almost turned to lavender while she had it on. I love it and I will surely keep it but it runs a little bit big and I'm not sure that it will make a good party dress.

The second one is the perfect party dress and for a mere $35:



This one is called "Girls' cotton courtyard dress" (item 12924). It also comes in Misty Lavender but unfortunately it was sold out in a size 2. This is my fave but I don't see many other occasions when she could wear it as we don't have a courtyard lol.

The third one, the "girls' cotton courtyard dress" (item 12924) was disappointing. I choose the Sweet cataloupe color as this one didn't come in lavender:



Besides the color (that I'm not sure I like for my daughter), it isn't very well made IMO. It looks like the sewing around the waist is going to crack up after one wear and it's the same price than the courtyard dress. Not worth it to me, this one is going back (unless I try it on my daughter and she looks so cute in it that I decide to keep it).

So as of Friday night the candidate for the party is number 2. However, I have also bought a "birthday girl" tee (with a cupcake) and a little ruffle miniskirt at Gymboree today (they are having a 30% off F&F event, if you need a code let me know), so I'm going to decide at the last minute. Maybe I'm even going to involve my husband (I'm sure he will choose the cupcake tee).

Have you ever bought Crewcuts? Did you have an experience with Customer Service at Jcrew that exceeded your expectations?

Dear Havona (part 3: IRL pics of Bermuda)

So, in case you were wondering, I did come back from Bermuda (sigh), I'm just late with the posting and catching up on everyone else's blogs as this is a crazy week for me (yes, even stay at home moms can have crazy weeks, although I agree that it's a different crazyness from the crazy weeks at work) bacause tomorrow is my daughter's second birthday and I have to plan everything for her b-day party on Sunday, which I'm clearly behind in doing because you know how it is when you're back from a vacation, even short: tons of laundry, the mess that you left before leaving to clean out, etc. My Internet connection is not collaborating either because it has been VERY slow and I had to start over twice. All this to say that this post is going to be shorter than I would like, but better short than nothing at all.

Back to our trip, we had a FANTASTIC time and the island was beyond expectations. If you live in the Northest, it's perfect destination for a short vacation. First of all, it's only a 1.45 hours hop from NY; second, the high season goes from end of May to September, which makes Bermuda a much better vacation spot than the Caribbean where it's too hot in the (our) summer; third, it's truly BEAUTIFUL and the beaches are among the most amazing that I have ever seen. The only problem is that you cannot rent a car, so be sure to stay in a hotel with a lot of amenities and possibly a shuttle service to the main beaches/major attractions if you don't want to be stuck or wait hours for the public bus (which apparently is not very reliable in the summer months).

But enough with your travel agency reccomendations, even if is the only kind of advise that I can give you. I surely can't provide any packing tips because my suitcase was full (and I mean FULL) of clothes that I didn't wear, except for the Havona and the two outfits that I had carefully put together around it.
The thing is, I didn't expect to spend so much time on the beach. I don't know what I was thinking when I packed but I looked at the forecasts and they weren't very encouraging (showers and T-storms for four straight days) so I took many long-sleeved cardi and shirts because I wanted to be sure not to be cold. On the other hand, I didn't pack ANY cover-up or sundress in the eventuality that the forecasts would be wrong (can you believe it?) and I took only two t-shirts with me! Plus, I brought too many evening outfits, but this wasn't my fault because I thought that we would dine out every night, while we only went to the restaurant at the hotel the first night and then we dined at our friend's house on Friday and Saturday night (we had three kids and it was easier).

Anyway, I survived my suitcase catastrophe and spent 4 wonderful days. I'm going to share some pics but I have to warn you that they are family vacation pics, so they are what they are.

The first two days, before moving to our friends', we stayed at the Elbow Beach hotel, which is part of the Mandarin Oriental group. My husband's company paid for it, so I have no idea of how much the room could have costed but it was surely on the expensive side.
The hotel has a main room building on the top of the hill with the pool, two restaurants and a bar (with an exceptional view), plus many smaller "cottages" spreaded through the beautiful grounds that go down to the beach.



Our room was located in one of the cottages closest to the beach:



As I said before, the first night we left our daughter with a babysitter and had a romantic dinner at the hotel's beach restaurant, which, by the way, is the only restaurant where you can have dinner on the beach in the entire island!
I wore the Havona for the occasion, with white long pants and a Jackie-style cardi that I bought at Ann Taylor Loft (where I normally never shop) a few days before leaving. I had read about this cardi on the Three Sparrows and Some Sparkle blog but I forgot about it until I happened to walk by a ATL store in my neigborhood and saw that they were in promo (1 full price, 1 free) and that it came in a turquoise that looked exactly like the turquoise in the Havona. So I decided to give it a try and it turned out to be the PERFECT cardigan for the Havona for $19.50 (MMM, if you're reading, this is for you)! So, thank you Sparrow!
I was dying for my husband to take a picture of the entire outfit but I didn't want to ask because he would have immediately guessed that it was for the blog and I wasn't supposed to think about the blog. I didn't want to ruin it, so I shut up and this is the only picture that I have to show you (you can't see the bottom but you get to see my face for a change):



It was almost dark when the picture was taken but I can tell you that the Bermudian turquoise sea was the perfect backdrop for the Havona.

We spent the day after playing and relaxing on the beach (it was very sunny and warm and I got a nice tan), then we checked out and went to our friends'. We dined at home with the kids, so no outfit to show.
On Saturday we went back to the beach (the kids were very excited) where we spent most of the day. Our friends are member of a tennis club with private beach and a restaurant with a view to die for:





As I said I didn't pack any sundress or cover up but luckely I had my goldfish tee and the seaside chambray shorts (one of the best buy ever) so I managed not to look like a complete moron (please excuse my daughter in the picture but is the only one that I have where you can see the tee):



We spent a cozy Saturday evening at home talking and drinking wine after the kids went to bed but for Mother's Day our friends had a planned a magnificent brunch in the garden of their villa (they hired a catering service and everything was just perfect) and I wore the Havona again, this time with JCrew shorts and Tory Burch thongs. I had tons of compliments on the outfit and even my husband, who normally rolls his eyes when he sees that I'm wearing something new, was impressed:



My daughter was adorable in a Gap chambrey dress, but she falled just few minutes after this pic hitting her forehead very hard and that was the end of it for her (she passed out exhausted after much crying):



In any case we were leaving soon (our flight was in the early afternoon) so we reluctantly went back to our room to pack the last few things and get ready for the ride to the airport.

We really had a fantastic time and I can't wait to go back. I've also felt definitively in love with the Havona and I think that I will wear it in many different occasions for years to come.

Have you ever been to Bermuda? Would you consider it for a vacation now?

My Gift for Mother's Day Has Arrived

Mother's Day has a special meaning to me as my daughter was born the day after Mother's Day 2007 but my labor started on the day before, so I like to think that I became a mother on Mother's Day, even if technically it isn't true. What a better way to celebrate?

Anyway, one of the good things of motherhood is that we are the ones who get the presents on Mother's Day. Last year I had a Jcrew "coupon" (hand-written by my hsuband, something like "Coupon valid for an item of your choice at Jcrew"), but this year I had the opportunity to buy an expensive perfume that I wanted for a very long time for a third of the price, so I told my husband that I would take care of it if he didn't mind (he didn't, I think that he thought that the trip to Bermuda was enough as a present).

I was expecting this perfume as my birthday present last year (it's from a French "parfumier" not very well known here, Annick Goutal), as my mother in law, who lives in Paris, was staying with us for the summer and I thought that my husband had "ordered" her a bottle from Paris because I had left several clues. I was so disappointed when I found out that there wasn't any perfume hidden in her suitcase for me (when she told me I still couldn't believe it and I asked her to show me the suitcase. She was speechless...) that I cried like a child in front of her, I had a real breakdown (I know, it sounds so childish and stupid, but I'm an only spolied child and I alway got surprise presents for my birthday).
This happened on my bday, so it was too late for my husband to run and buy it (it is sold in a very few places, like Saks) and my bday was a real disaster, especially because he hadn't ANY OTHER present for me ...

So, a few weeks ago I received an email from one of the several online sample sale sites I subscribe to, Editor's Closet, informing me that they were having an Annick Goutal sample sale and they were selling a "L'Eau d'Hadrien" gift set with a 50 ml bottle of parfume and a small sized bottle of body cream and shower gel for $39!!! The perfume itself normally sells for $85 at Saks, so I immediately clicked on it and bought it, even if I had sworn to never buy again from this site because I had a very bad experience the time before (ten days after my credit card had been charged, I found out that not only the items that I had ordered hadn't shipped yet but that one of them, the most expensive, wasn't even available. They refunded me but still, what were they waiting to tell me?)

But this time everything went smoothly and the package arrived some days ago. I opened it because I wanted to be sure that it was what I had ordered and also because anyway I couldn't bring it to Bermuda, where we are spending Mother's day...

The gift box itself is beautiful, black with golden butterflies:



I have already found a place in my bathroom (which has golden fixtures) for it as it's the perfect size to store my necklaces, that were crammed in a smaller box.
Here is the content:



Eau d'Hadrien is the perfect summer fragrance to me, the smell (a "combination of lemon and grapefruit underscored by basil and cypress to capitalize on the burst that citrus can give to fragrances") reminds me of the Amalfi Coast, where you can find the most beautiful lemons ever.

My daughter loves creams and perfumes, she always wants me to put some on her, but of course I don't want her to smell like an old lady. For the time being I let he play a little bit with the bottles:



For those of you who are mothers, are you expecting a surprise present for Mother's Day or did you buy something for yourself? I would like to know what's on your wish list!

This is my last post before Mother's Day as I'm packing for Bermuda and I'll leave tomorrow morning very early. I'm not sure that I will have time to reply to your comments by I will surely do when I'm back!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

My Love Bird is Dead, so I bought a Goldfish (tee)

Around a month ago, the first Sunday that the weather was nice enough to go outside without wearing a coat, I had the bad idea to wear one of my favorite, if not my favorite, tee under my fleece hoodie jacket to go to the park. Really, I don't know why I wore this tee instead of just a plain tee since we couldn't even SEE it under the hoodie and my husband was dressed very casual, I guess that I was just happy to be able to wear it again after all those winter months.
The tee was a Tory Burch "Love bird" tee that I bought myself last summer as a birthday present (I'm a summer girl). It retailed for $90 (or maybe $97) but I got it for half the price and I simply LOVE(D) the fabric (it's the same cotton than the Jcrew cut-flower applique tee but less clingy) and the bird (which wasn't printed but embroided with a dark brown thread). Plus, I bought it at the Tory Burch boutique itself knowing that it was for my birthday, which made the shopping experience quite special.

I use the past tense because that day of a month ago my daughter was playing with the zipper of my jacket and a little piece of fabric got trapped in the zip. For the life of me I couldn't take it out, the zip wouldn't bulge. I called my husband and neither he could have the best of it (he is very good with his hands). So, at some point, I just pulled the tee and the hoodie apart and made a BIG HOLE in the tee.I mean a big hole, not something that you could hide or sew.
I can't do a BEFORE and AFTER because I don't have pics of the tee before the accident but the pics of the AFTER speak for themselves:





I couldn't be mad against my daughter (as my husband put it, it was my fault for letting her play with the zipper), poor thing, and life went on, I changed myself (put on the plain tee this time) and went off to the park.
But the following days I realized that I really missed my love bird, so I decided that I had to replace it with a new one. I immediately went on ebay to see if could get the same one, but I had no luck. I also checked the Tory website but it was longtime gone.
If I couldn't get my love bird back, I needed to find something similar but after many trips to Jcrew, Old Navy and the Gap (and even more high-end stores) I was desperate. No graphic tee could ever replace my love bird!

Then, one day, I made an encounter with the Jcrew "golden fish" tee. OK, it isn't the same thing but I had a "recognition" feeling when I saw a L in a store like I had finally found the successor of my love bird. I hadn't paid much attention to this tee when it came out because 1) I still had my Love bird 2)I was much more excited by the zebra beaded tee that came out in the same release. Plus, having paid $68 for the zebra I wasn't in the mood for putting any money in another tee.
Of course it was sold out in my size and the fact that I hadn't seen any other in my numerous trips to Jcrew lately made me think that it was sold out everywhere in the city, so I did it a "we will find it" right away with the red phone and two days after I received an email by Jcrew that told me that they had found it and would ship soon.

More than 10 days later the package arrived and, no mistakes, it was my goldfish (should I say "golden goldfish"?). It was funny to see that it came from a store in Carmel, CA (the store label was printed on the box), almost as if they had fished it out of the ocean for me.

I haven't worn it yet but here it is:





I was a little bit afraid of its sheerness, especially after seeing a girl in the subway wearing it with (I guess) a black tank under it (the effect was horrible but I can understand that she didn't have any other underwear on hand to wear, it happens). It is sheer for sure (it's in slub cotton) but I bought a S instead of a XS and wearing it with a nude bra or tank it's OK.

By the way, I still wear the love bird tee around the house. My daughter must have been a little bit shocked by the whole zipper situation because now she always wants me to put on the "tee with hole". I just have to remind myself that it has a hole when I venture outside the apartment to throw the garbage!

Do you have a story like this one, where you watched one of your favorite clothes die young? Do you have the fish tee?

Help Me to Decide What to Keep (Part 1: shoes)

OK, I've realized that I've spent WAAAY too much with the red card. As if the red card wasn't enough, I went to Lohemann's yesterday to buy a new bra (and keep away from Jcrew and any last-minute temptation) and came out with 3 pair of shoes (and no bra, of course)! And I'm not talking about $15 shoes! The less expensive costs $89and the more expensive $179. But these are Sigerson Morrison shoes that retailed for $450! And I LOVE Sigerson Morrison, especially the summer collections, I always try to go when they have the big summer sale (sometimes in July) but the problem is that even at 50%-60% off most of them are still uber-expensive.
However, I didn't want to spend $390 in shoes, so now I have to return at least one pair before my husband notices on the Amex receipt, two pairs would be better, but really, I can't decide, they are one more beautiful than the other. So, I need a little bit of help here.

Here is the first pair, the less expensive. This is the only pair that I kind of "need", to replace a pair of Steve Madden silver slip-ons that bite the dust at the end of the summer last year. I have two golden sandals, but I need a silver pair after I finally decided to return the JCrew crystal capris of my post here (I came to realize that even if they had crystals they still looked like beach flip-flops and in no way like evening shoes. So, I'm still dreaming about those Giuseppe Zanotti...).

Here they are on the floor:


And on my feet:


I'm not sure that the pics make them justice, they are less "bold" than they look and they will look great with summer dresses.

The second pair is a pair of flat that reminds me of the Marc Jacobs "mouse" flats. I think that they are adorable but I'm not sure if I can wear these with many outfits. This is the pair that I'm less sure about, maybe I don't love them THAT much but I love the IDEA of them:



On my feet:


And the last pair, the more expensive ($179 but I had a 15% off coupon). OMG! I can't believe that these eneded up at Lohemann's. I kept an eye on them all the season last year and I couldn't get one pair on sale (they were gone in my size after the 30% off markdown, which wasn't enough). There is a catch, though: they are a half size too small (I'm a 7 and these are 6.5). I don't think that it's really a problem (the lenght is just fine, as Sigerson Morrison shoes tend to be long) but I have to say that they are a little bit snug (I didn't feel it in the store but only at home) and I won't do a marathon with these.

Floor view (did I mention that I need a pair of silver shoes?):


Air view on my feet:


Oh, please don't tell me that I have to return these ...

This is urgent as I have to decide by tomorrow morning and your input is much appreciated!

Pink is the New Black

First of all, pink is not my favorite color. If I had to chose I would say that navy is my favorite color, along with the green of the "bon voyage" tee (emerald?)
So, I'm a little bit surprised myself by the fact that many items that I bought recently at JCrew are pink (or as they say, "shell").
As you already know I have the Cate slingbacks, the rosette tee (btw, I have returned the white one and kept only the pink one) and the glass-bottons cotton cardi. Another recent acquisition is the Georgia cardigan in warm blush, which is more peachy, but still pink.
And yesterday I went to Jcrew for the LAST time and bought (among others) another pink item, the cafe capris in warm blush that were on sale for $19.99 (or $14.99 with the %25 off).
Maybe they aren't the best-fitting pants ever but for the price I can forgive them and the effect is pretty nice anyway.



BTW, I'm wearing the $6.80 F21 necklace that Gigi made us discover in this post and that I bought from her (what a great necklace for less than $10, thank you Gigi!):



The specific reason why I went back to Jcrew is that I kept thinking about the Monterey linen skirt and I wanted to try another color before expiration of the red card.
This skirt is a pleasure to wear, and I think that one of the reason is the fact that I can slip my hands in the pockets and pull it up and down. I don't know, it's difficult to explain, it makes me feel like I'm six years old but in a good way.
Since I'm not (six years old), I'm going to wear it with my "pearls" and my Cate:



Of course I couldn'resist and while I was there I also bought the featherweight cashmere crewneck cardi in spice olive (for $74, as I told the SA that they were in promo before, so they looked up on the Internet and even if one color was on sale for $99 they applied this price anyway), two perfect-fit tanks (I know that I would have regretted), another skinny belt to wear with the Havona (gold) and a pair of high-heel flare jeans (white).

And with this I AM DONE Mickey, I'm not going to spend one more cent at Jcrew in the next three months. It's a promise (unless you give us another card).