Grocery Shopping is Bad for My Wallet (and now even more)

OK, I might be the only one doing this but each time that I go grocery shopping I can't help myself from "converting" the money that I end up spending in stupid groceries into Jcrew items that I could have bought instead. Two gallons of milk, one salad, three tomatoes, some cheddar cheese, a bag of apples = $35. That's insane, especially if you think that all that you put in your shopping cart will last about two days, while a Jcrew cardigan on sale for the same price if not less will last ... well, at least one season. Now, I know that the reasoning of grown-up, responsible people (see my husband) is: because groceries are so expensive, but necessary, you have to save in other unnecessary departements, like clothes. But on me grocery shopping has the opposite effect. Each time that I take out my credit card to pay at the supermarket I think: this is so not worth it compared to all those Jcrew beauties that are on sale now for a third of this.
I'm actaully eating that Michelle cardigan that I left behind for $14.99. So I generally leave the Food Emporium eager to spend the equivalent at Jcrew, especially if there is something that I'm coveting and is on sale. Food Emporium, you are the biggest enabler of all.
What saved me so far is that Jcrew is too far from the supermarket and the bags generally too heavy and by the time that I drop the bags at home, life catches up on me and I make peace with the Food Emporium.

So it's with a mix of excitment and fear that yesterday, as I stepped out of the Food Emporium with my load of $50 groceries, I saw the sign of a new store opening soon on the opposite side of the street. Something in the green colors was very familiar. You have guessed, it's a new Jcrew store, the first Crewcuts store in the city to be exact. And it's opening. Just in front of my Food Emporium. So, I'm bracing myself for some serious damage to come as my daughter, as you know, has just reached the age to wear Crewcuts.

Am I the only one out there thinking like this? Please come out and share (I won't tell your significant other what your secret thoughts are!)

Returnable Item of the Week: the JC jersey strapless dress (opinion needed)

This pictures-taking-while-trying-outfits hobby of mine that I have started for fun really helps me to realize what looks good on me and what doesn't. It's like going shopping with my mom or my best friend (which I can never do, sadly, because they both live in Italy).

For exemple, a couple of weeks ago I bought the sorbet striped cardigan without trying it on in the store (the line was too long). What attracted me was the low price ($29.99) and the fact that it was available in the color that I liked, which was sold-out on the Internet. However, once home, I put it on quickly as I used to do before starting the blog, ie with what I was wearing at that moment and without really thinking to the whole outfit, and decided to return it because I found that it wasn't anything special and also too lightweight to be useful as a cardigan. But a couple of days after, I was browsing all my favorite blogs and I saw Shannon's (of A Bigger Closet) post about the same cardigan (in a different color than mine) and thought that she looked really cute. So I gave it another try, this time armed with camera and different bottoms.
First, I tried it with a pair of GAP boyfriend chinos:



The problem here is that I cannot wear these chinos any longer, even belted, because as you can see they are too big for me now (BTW, they are a size 4A and they are on sale for $15 in case you're interested). So, I would need to buy another pair of chinos to wear this look, but in case I decide to buy a pair of the Jcrew ones when they go on sale, I take mental note that I could wear it with them (I know, this is kind of silly but I know that one day I will replace them).
Because of the light weight, which I initially thought of as a downside, it crossed my mind that it would be the perfect cardigan to wear with shorts. So I tried it with two of my favorite pairs of shorts, a white pair by Theory and the JCrew chambray seaside ones:




I think that the last look is really adorable and this is when I realized that this cardigan is a keeper, especially for that price (not to mention that it's also perfect with the tiered ruffle skirt).

On the other hand, last week when they were running the free shipping promo, I gave in and bought the jersey strapless dress that went on sale for $49.99. I had tried the papaya one in store and thought that it was too beachy for me (as you know I don't live anywhere near a beach and halas, we don't own a summer house in the Hamptons just yet), so I ordered the grey charcoal which is more suited for the summer in the city.
I really liked the color (especially paired with the spice olive!) and the weight of this dress but when I look at the pictures that I took, I have mixted feelings:




My first reaction when I saw the first pic was "Is that me?", and I don't mean it in a good way. I look matrony and it's not a look that I usually try to achieve. So if I have to trust these pics I would return it. However, I really wanted to like this dress so I decided to try it again without the strap and wearing flats (which is the way I would probably wear it most of the times). I can't show you this second round of pics as they don't want to come out of my camera, but I realized that what bothers me in this dress is the lenght. I think I would really like it shorter (one or two inches above the knee).

So the question now is, keep it and take the risk of having the alteration done or return it, since I don't like it the way it is now?

Those of you who have this dress, how do you like the lenght? Do you think this dress is worth the alteration? I would love to hear your opinion! Also, do you take pics of yourself when you buy something to help you to decide what you really like? Or you trust your best friend/mom better?

More JCrew New Arrivals

Saturday I went to the Rockerfeller Center store to return some stuff and I could sample a few more new arrivals that weren't available at the Madison Collection store. I'm sharing the pics with you.

They had a new "cascading ruffles" tank, that retails for $35. Several colors available, I tried the lavender and the slate:



It was cuter on the hanger than on me, a little bit boxy IMO. They also had the soft tee ruffle top (item 16068, it retails for $39.50) that has been available on the website for a while now but I hadn't the chance to try on yet. It's very cute but it runs really big (you would think that they had learned from the past). Trying a XS in fresh melon:



I liked this new jeans shirt-jacket, the fabric is very soft. But the price is on the expensive side ($98). I tried a 0 with the tweed mica mini to see if it could be worn in a sophisticated way:



Not really ... Then I tried this pencil skirt, which was selling very fast. They didn't have my size and actually the only one left was a 2:



They also had a pair of 3" shorts and a cardigan in the same pattern (BTW, the fabric of the shorts and the skirt is textured, not printed). In case you're wondering, the pattern is composed of lezards eating each other's tail (but it looks like a geo print from afar):



I have noticed that they have re-issued many items of the past catalogs in new colors. The Monterey skirt now comes in a light blue and beige vertical stripes pattern:



And the short striped cardigan now comes in navy (very cute):



I think I'm done with the new arrivals. I didn't buy anything this time. If you have any questions I will be happy to answer. Have a nice day!

My Outfit of The Week

I hope that the rest of the summer is not going to be like the past week: rainy, foggy, totally depressing. It reminds me of the first summer that I spent in NY: we used to live in a high-rise rental building near Grand Central and our apartment was on 38th floor. We were constantly surrounded by fog or living in a cloud (you couldn't see anything out of the window) and it would pour every day. And I mean every single day. I lost at least 4 pairs of shoes to the rain (I wasn't equipped with wellies, nobody used to go around in wellies in Europe). And one day, out of desperation when it started to rain after I had adventured outside in a pair of brand new flats that I was dying to wear, I fastened two plastic bags around my ankles (shoes and feet inside the bags) and I walked home like that (I had some funny reactions along the way, but I saved my shoes).
That was 6 years ago and I haven't seen another summer like that one since. So I really hope that this week's weather is not going to be a taste of the upcoming summer.

Anyway, this week I wore this outfit non-stop:



Basically my terry cardigan and jeans. I already owned one of these in white that I paid almost full price (totally worth it IMO) and I scored this one last week for $19.99 (when it went on sale I looked for another one but my size sold out very quickly everywhere). I don't remember how this color is called, but it goes with everything. The fabric feels softer than my white one, not sure if it's a different wash or what.
So, I would just change the tee and change my flats for wellies in case of heavy rain. I also wore an "evening" version of the outfit for my movie night with a girlfriend on Monday, with the luxe pleated top from this fall:



If you still don't have this cardi, I really reccomend to get one while there are still some in the stores, I promise you'll get a lot of wear out of it, especially for the current price.

Happy weekend everyone!

Calling All the Petites: Help Needed in Petite Sizing (Urgent!)

Last week I ordered two pairs of the cocktail capris, one in the summerweight chino version and one in the colored-chambray fabric. I had tried them in store a long time ago but the colored-chambray ones in my normal size (a 0) were GIGANTIC on me, so I ended up buying the summerweight chino (in dark charcoal) that were more fitted, although still a little bit loose (but nicely-slouchy loose, not I-am-clearing-wearing-a-size-too-big-for-me loose).
However I decided to return them a few weeks later because they were still full price and the idea that maybe I should have got the petite instead was bugging me (but as you know they don't carry petite in store, so I couldn't have tried them anyway).

So I was waiting for the price to go down and an occasion to order them on the website and the occasion came last week when I ordered the sateen soiree blazers. I had to reach $150 to get the free shipping and these fitted the bill.
I ordered the 00 (regular) in the summerweight stretch (the same ones that I had already bought in 0) and the 0 petite in the chambray-colored, which are now on sale for $39.99. Of course Jcrew loves to play games with us JCAs and the day when I placed my order the rose color wasn't available, so I ordered the sand (which I don't like that much but I figured that for that price I would give them a try). The day after, the pink popped up in my size (in all the sizes actually) and I was also regretting not ordering the strapless jersey dress that everybody raves about in dark charchoal (I tried it in the papaya color when it was FP and didn't get it because I felt that I wouldn't get much wear out of it for that price) so I placed another order that should arrive today.

The first colored-chambray pair and the summerweight chino arrived with the soiree blazers. In fact the dark charcoal pants that I'm wearing with the jacket in the pictures are the summerweight chino cocktail capris in 00. I would say that they fit me perfectly but I miss a little bit the slouchy look (I know that these are not supposed to be slouchy but I like slouchy over tight). I'm going to post again one of the pics that I have already used in the soiree blazer post, but now you should focus on the bottom lol:



I like them but I have the feeling that the price will go further down (I paid $59.99) without them selling out, so I'm on the fence of returning them (thus showing my husband that I am a responsible wife. When he finds out that I placed two orders in the same week for more than $300 he's going to freak out AT THE BEST but I think that if I show him that I placed the $179 order only to get the satin soiree blazer for the incredible price of $39.99, I will get away with it).

On the other side, the colored-chambray ones that I ordered in a 0P left me completely puzzled. I mean the 0R was really big, they were almost falling down to my knees but these are too small. Small like in "I can barely pull them up my leg let alone close them" small.
It's true that I am kind of a novice in petite sizing, especially Jcrew, but I thought that the rule was to size up one size in petite if the problem with the regular size is the lenght. So if a 0 regular is too long, I should take a 2 in petite. Now, since these were generally way too big in the regular size, I figured that the same size in petite would work. Apparently it was a mistake, unless it was a defective pair that they sent me (but I will find out soon as the rose pair arrives today). I can't absolutely remember if they came in 00 as the summerweight ones, but I haven't seen any popback in 00 (and I was stalking them pretty closely) and I vaguely remember thinking that it was weird that the sizing was different in the two fabrics.

Now, I wanted to re-order them yesterday with the EXTRA20 code but the 2P was sold-out and of course it became available once again today. I don't want to place another +150 order unless I'm absolutely sure that this is going to work out. The other option I'm thinking over is to return them to the warehouse and request another size instead, so basically exchange them. I have never returned anything by mail (always in store) and I'm not sure of how it works. Since I used the free shipping code, is the return shipping fee on me or on them? And the new item is shipped for free or not? Any light that you can shed on this is much appreciated.

Do you think that a 2P would fit me? What's your experience with Jcrew petite sizing in pants? Do you have the cocktail capris in petite? Thanks for your help!

JCrew June New Arrivals: Fitting Room Pics

My daughter and I just stopped at the Madison Avenue Jcrew store to checkout the new arrivals (not that my daughter cared, but what could she do? It was naptime for her and the wait for the fitting room was so long that she falled asleep in the store, yay).

I wasn't impressed with the new merchandise but I have to say that I rarely am (I typically need some days to digest the new arrivals). I was hoping for some color but there were a lot of neutrals again. The only noticeable change in this mini-collection is a shift towards navy (solid and prints).
There were a couple of new blouses that I didn't particularly like (one a little bit in the paesant style and another one very similar to the twisted cap-sleeve top but with an added necklace in the same fabric - or was that a belt?)
I picked up the pieces that I liked the best to show here but I wasn't convinced that I was going to buy any of them.

First is this silk tank, that retails for $98 (tried a 0). If 'm not wrong it was featured in the June preview slide show that Alexis uploaded on the JCA blog some time ago. It's nice, but I'm not sure why they decided to put it into production for the summer because it would have made a nice pre-fall piece (the brown is a little bit darker IRL than in the pics if I remember well). Unless it is a pre-fall piece, but I'm not sure that people are going to buy it before August when we start to think about our fall wardrobe. Anyway, this is not a fitted top and doesn't have a zip:




Another item that was featured in the same slide show is the mini pictured below. Seriously cute. It has 2 pockets cut on the front and I loved the contrast between the two shades of blue (the one in the background is a little bit darker then how it shows in the pics. I think that it is what is called "prussian blue"). The lenght is just right (not too short) and it's well priced ($65). I almost bought it, but then I realized that I rarely wear minis in my real life (although I really like to wear minis in the fitting room lol). I tried a 0 (the good thing of checking out the new arrivals early is that they have all the sizes):




By the way, as a top I'm wearing the Podna Brass Band tee. They had just received it and I wanted to see what all the fuzz was about (as expected, I didn't like it but if you're looking for this tee they have it).

Then I tried this cardi, which retails for $88. It's cuter in IRL than in the pics because my camera tends to accentuate the white component. This print comes also in shorts and in peep-toe heels. Actually I'm not totally sure that it's part of the newest arrivals but I hadn't noticed it before. I'm trying a S:




And now the item that I really liked. A new version of the cotton perfect shirt in a light blue (the color code is CNA, can't figure out what it means. Help Gigi!) Perfect fit, perfect color, perfect fabric for the summer (very lightweight cotton with a satiny finish). If you have been disappointed by the seldvege chambray shirt, you must try this one. It's not a jean shirt but a nice replacement of jeans for the summer.




I bought this (the price is $78 and it was flying off the shelves). I don't think I'm going to change my mind as it felt really great, I almost wanted to wear it out of the store!
The new jewelry is also great but I'm probably going to write a different post about it (there was a rectangular-crystals necklace that I'm already regretting not buying and I might go back tomorrow).

What do you think? Do you like any of these new arrivals? Have you seen them in person?

The Sateen Soiree Jacket

Today I lived in the fear that the UPS guy with the first of the two Jcrew purchases that I made last week wouldn't show up before 6 pm. Normally I'm the one who receives the packages, even late, but I totally forgot that I had a movie night with a girlfriend tonight and I had to leave at 6. My husband agreed to come back from work earlier so that I could go and when the package didn't arrive at noon (UPS makes two deliveries a day, one around noon and one in the late afternoon-early evening) I started to sweat. If you have been reading this blog for a while you know that my husband doesn't necessarly approve of my spending habits, especially when it comes to Jcrew so I really didn't want him to get the Jcrew box instead of me. I don't order on the website very often because he can immediately see what I buy on the credit card online statement (by the way, not to channel Sophie Kinsella's Becky, but couldn't credit cards companies give us, wives and girlfriends with illecit spending habits, a break and NOT mention on their statements what we spend on in the most embarassing details? Like it wasn't hard enough to smuggle shoes in the apartment, they have to tell our husbands that those $300 spent at a mysterious Chuckies went in a MIU MIU pair? Thank you Amex for getting us into troubles. Seriously, is there a class suit against Amex for violation of wives privacy that I can sign up for? If not, it means that the world is ruled by husbands...)
Just when I was trying to come up with a backup plan for the delivery (a plan that would only work with the complicity of the doorman), the UPS guy showed up (around 4) and saved my day.

Anyway, I ordered two sateen soiree jackets, one in spice olive and one in slate in two different sizes, a 0 and a 2. I had tried the spice olive in store when it was $99 and although I really liked it, I wasn't ready to spend that amount on a jacket because I don't get to wear jackets very often. It's funny but at $39.99 the same raisoning becomes an enabler (hey, I don't have many jackets, I should wear them more often, I should buy this one) and I pulled the trigger. In order to get the free shipping I also bought two pairs of the cocktail capris in a petite size that I couldn't try in store (the regular 0 was way too big on me).

Now, I thought that it would be useful to post a quick review of the sateen soiree blazer as many JCAs mentioned it in the "sale watch" post last week and there were different opinions about it (it seems to be a love it or hate it item). I tried it on very quickly this afternoon to post IRL pics in case some of you want to take advantage of the 20% off coupon, which makes this jacket even more of a bargain.

First of all, this was the first time that I have ordered a jacket from Jcrew and I was impressed with the wrapping and the fact that they came on a hunger (you are maybe used to it but I didn't expect that). The jackets were in pristine conditions and clearly they had never left the warehouse before:



The details are beautiful, look at the lining with the pink inserts (the inside of the sleeves are also pink, actually a bummer that it'is not supposed to be shown):




Now the fit. The most important thing to know about this blazer is the lenght. It is short (that, and the fabric, is why it's supposed to be an evening jacket, I guess) and if you have a long torso it might not work for you.
Also it's not very fitted through the waist but the overall look is very nice because of the shortness. I know that it looks plain on the website pics but it definitively has a little something, it's a fit that you don't see quite often. Here I'm wearing it with the stretch cocktail capris:



I put the Cate slingbacks on just to show the proportions (I know that the color is not good):



In store I tried it with the orange gateau skirt and the ensemble looked gorgeous. It works well with a full skirt IMO. The closest that I have to the gateau skirt is this cotton-taffeta A-line skirt from early fall 2008, but really, the effect is not the same:


The fabric wrinkled a little bit during the pic session, which means that it will definitively wrinkle a lot if you wear it for an entire evening. Which means that it will probably need dry cleaning after each wear to look fresh. If this really bothers you, this jacket is not for you.
Regarding the spice olive color, because of the tissue (sateen) I find it a little bit lighter than the same color in the cardigans. It's more light chartreuse than spice olive if you master the Jcrew color palette lol. I didn't try the slate on because the 0 is clearly my size, so I'm not going to bother (plus, I think that the spice olive is more of an unexpected color for this kind of jacket and it contributes to its charme).

I urge to try this jacket, especially now that it comes to the price of a tee shirt. For me it's definitively worth it a try.

Do you own or have you tried this jacket? What do you think?