Spice Olive and Orange (featuring the Jcrew Gateau Skirt)

I think I have mentioned in my "Sateen Soiree Blazer" post that the first time that I tried the blazer in store (in the spice olive color) I happened to have also an orange gateau skirt in the fitting room with me and I immediately LOVED the two together. At that time they were both quite expensive (the blazer was still $99 and the skirt $59) and I was looking for something completely different so I let them go, but I kept having flashbacks of that outfit and now I can finally reproduce it as I found the gateau skirt two weeks ago on super-sale.

So here it is:



It's super pretty IRL but I think that it works because they are both made in sateen and my shoes are the same color than the jacket (or almost). The two colors are enough, without adding a third one!

While I was taking the pictures, I realized that I can also wear a "pants" version of this combo (the cerise cafe capri are almost the same color of the skirt):




While we are in the subject of the spice olive color, I have a little funny anecdote.
When I bought my b-day party dress at Intermix, they also had a top in the same style (one-shouldered and with the big ruffle around the neckline). I tried it in white but didn't feel it and while I was in the fitting room I asked the SA if she could bring me the spice olive one. The SA must not have been a JCA because she looked at me with a puzzled air and then she muttered "Do you mean the green one?". Apparently, yes, I meant the green one. We are so used to the Jcrew color palette and their challanging names than sometimes we forget that spice olive for the rest of the planet is a "green".
I actually bought the spice olive, ehm green, top because I tought it could be nice under the soiree jacket and also because the price was very attractive (OK, also because a lady who was trying the black one looked at me as if she was going to jump on me and take it off me right away), but I regretted and I have since returned it through the Amex return protection program (it was FS).
I have taken some "souvenir" snapshots though that I want to share with you:



And here it's with the jacket (I didn't like it that much under the blazer and that's the reason why I returned it):


Do you like the spice olive/orange color combination? Would you wear it or do you think it's too much? Do you prefer the skirt or the pants version of my outfit? Do you have the Gateau skirt? How do you wear it?

A Week of Dresses

I realized that last week I wore almost exclusively dresses (with the exception of Saturday afternoon when we checked out the HighLine - I wanted to be comfortable in the subway and I wore a pair of very casual ON cropped pants and a tank). Maybe I was inspired by the post on day dresses by HeidiG, or maybe it's because it just felt nice to be outside in the heat wearing a dress. I don't go anywhere near an office, so my dresses are less "dressy", just easy summer dresses. Some of the pics were taken the same day when I actually wore the dress, some were taken today. So enjoy a week of dresses!

Tuesday 14th, concert-picnic in Central Park:

Maxi-dress by Romeo and Juliet, bought at Lohemann's for $29.99

Wednesday 15th, playdate in the park:

Petit Bateau dress (I know, you have already seen this one but what can I say, it's a pleasure to wear)

Thursday 16th, shopping at Jcrew:

Jcrew cotton pique Pavillion dress (as you can see I never had the alteration done, so I'm wearing it with a Theory tubular). I got compliments wherever I went (not only from Jcrew SAs!)

Friday 16th, lunch date at the Seaport with DH and baby:

Theory brown dress from 3 years ago (worn without bra)

Sunday 19th, stroll in the park and a movie:

I bought this sundress in Paris many years ago in a boutique in the Marais (neighborhood where I used to live). It's one of my favorite summer dresses, I just love the print and the cotton-lace details around the necklace and the bodice.

Monday July 20th, playground

F21 dress from a couple of years ago (I always get compliments on it and it is always mistaken for a DVF)

Look-Alike of the Week: the JCrew Wool Schoolboy Blazer and the Gap Shrunken Schoolboy Blazer

The weather today (more October than July) inspired me to write this post, that I meant to write since I saw the Gap Shrunken Schoolboy Blazer (picture on the left) in store two weeks ago.
It immediately reminded me of the JCrew Wool Flannel Blazer (right) which, as I just read on the JCA blog, is also featured as a Jenna's pick in the August catalog, due in store July 25th.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the schoolboy blazer, it's not something that I would usually wear (as a rule I stay away from any piece of clothing that has the word "school" in its name), so I never considered spending the $188 of the Jcrew version.
However, I have to say that when I saw the Gap version I had to try it on for the blog because it looked like a very well-made alternative to the Jcrew one.
Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me so I can't show you IRL pics, but I tried a size 2 (I couldn't try a 0 as it was already sold-out in that store) and it looked really nice (just the sleeves were a little bit long). I haven't seen or tried the Jcrew one, but for half the price (it retails for $98), the Gap is a much cheaper option if you're looking for something similar or you like the Jcrew one but don't feel like shelling out $200 for it.

As you can see in the side to side pics above, the Gap blazer looks almost 100% like the Jcrew one, from the cut (the Gap description uses the term "shrunken" while the Jcrew one reads "fitted", but the fit is the same), to the pockets, down to the metal buttons. The only difference is in the fabric: the Gap fabric composition is 50% Wool, 48% Polyester, 2% Spandex while the Jcrew one is 100% (flannel) wool.

It looks like the only color available now on the Jcrew website is the pearl gray pictured above but I'm pretty sure that they also had a navy or charchoal (while the Gap only comes in the color pictured above, called "dark indigo") which appears to be already sold-out.

Do you like or own the Jcrew schoolboy blazer? What do you think of the Gap alternative? Do you like the "schoolboy blazer" look in general? Have you been to the Gap recently and did you like the current offerings?

A Perfect Weekend

I hope that you all had a nice and relaxing weekend. My weekend was almost perfect from start to end and I want to share with you some of the things that I've done and made it special to me. So this isn't a fashion post, for a change but please bear with me (some pictures come at the end of the post as a reward).

Let's start from the end. Yesterday afternoon I went to a movie. I know, nothing extraordinary but I hadn't been to a movie in ages and I was someone who used to go three times a week (OK, this is when I was a student and I had plenty of time but even after I always managed to see a movie every week. This until I became a mother and of all the things that I used to do in my previous life that I can't do any longer, the freedom of going to the movies whenever I want to is maybe the thing that I miss the most). There is almost nothing than I love more than going to a movie on a hot Sunday afternoon. I love the contrast of the shining light outside and the darkness of a movie theater, it makes me feel like I'm entering a magic world, which is how the first movie-goers must have felt. On the top of that the movie was GREAT and put me in a very good mood for the rest of the day (and I can still feel the effect today). I went to see 500 days of Summer (Summer with a big S because it's the name of the character), the indipendent "romantic" comedy with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. First, let me tell you that I always feel weird when I see a movie with JGL (by the way, check out the excellent "Manic" and of course his groundbreaking performance in "Mysterious Skin") because he reminds me a little bit of my husband when he was very young, before we met (we met when he was 25): it's like seeing an old picture of him coming to life (weird, I told you). Second, the movie itself is like a breath of fresh air and ranks now second in my personal list of best indie movies about love (the first being "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and the third the underrated "Flannel Pijamas"). I won't tell you more, but I reccomend to go and see it if you have a chance, it will make you miss those days when you fell in love for the first time.

And now back to Friday and Saturday, we did a little bit of tourism in the city. On Friday my daughter and I met my husband for lunch (after a hour-long bus ride). He works downtown, close to Battery Park, but we chose the Seaport (a ten minutes walk for him) for our "lunch date". I haven't been to the Seaport in ages (can you believe that I had never been to the Jcrew store there? I had to check it out but it was very disappointing) and it was fun to be like tourists in the city where we live (for those who are not familiar with it, the Seaport is maybe the most touristy spot in all the city because it's all the way downtown and unless you work in the area - Wall Street is a short walk - the New Yorkers simply don't go there. It's like a small-town by the sea, with a mall and plenty of tourist attractions. But I have to say that I saw some nice, more upscale, restaurants there than there used to be and that made me think that maybe it could be worth it to go another time for dinner, when the tourists are gone). Anyway, we had lunch in a touristy restaurant (when you have a joung children you look for that) and after lunch (my husband had taken the afternoon off) we walked up to Soho where I could finally checkout the new Madewell store (that I found very expensive); then once home we watched "Superbad" on DVD (for the second or third time) and we went to bed early after consuming a frugal dinner (because we were still full up from the fried calamari that we had for lunch) . A great day already ...

Saturday was our ... ehm 11th wedding anniversary and we both forgot (partly due to the fact that we had a "double" wedding - we got married at the Paris City Hall on the 4th of July and then at the church in Milan the 18th of July - and as far as anniversaries go we never know which one to celebrate). My parents saved the day by sending a "Happy Anniversary" email and to do something special we took another trip downtown in the afternoon and we visited the HighLine, which is the new attraction of the West Side, not to say of the city (for more info, click here). The elevated promenade runs from Gansevoort st. to West 20th and has injected new oxygen into the Meatpacking district. I have to say that I was impressed with the HighLine, it is something in pure NY spirit that integrates perfectly with the urban landscape and that everybody can enjoy.
Also, I hadn't been in the Meatpacking District (at least during the day) in at least one year and it was quite amazing to see all the changes around, with the new scene created by the newly come Standard Hotel (pictured below):

Because it was almost 6.30 by the time that we walked back to the starting point, we started to look for a restaurant where we could have an early dinner, something not easy to find on a Saturday night in a trendy neighborhood if you are in the company of a two-year-old. But without looking too far we found this Mexican place just below the HighLine with a great vibe and yes, child-friendly, so we had our 11th anniversary dinner there. This is the sign of the restaurant (called "Los Dados"), in pure Meatpacking style:



The light at sunset there is just amazing. This is taken from the restaurant's terrace (you can see the people standing at the end of the HighLine):


And this is 14th St:



Sorry for the long post but I still feel energized from a weekend well spent and I just wanted to share. I will post the outfits tomorrow.

Have you been to the movies recently? Have you seen "500 days of Summer" this weekend? Have you been to, or heard of, the HighLine?

Current steals at a JCrew store near you

Yesterday I went to the Jcrew store at the Time Warner center (the closest after the Madison Av. Collection store by stroller distance) to return the lightweight denim trousers (thanks again for all the good advice). First of all, I was amazed to see how many sale items they have sold in one week. I was there exactly one week before and there was nothing or almost left. Second, there are some very good deals right now in the stores if you can find your size. The 20% off on top of the already reduced prices make them a real steal. For example, almost all the non-embellished tees (the boyfriend in all colors for sure) are $9.99 (before the 20% off); the shorts, even the more expensive ones like the colorblock, are $19.99. I even found a tiered-ruffle skirt for $29.99!

There wasn't much left in my size and I'm all shopped out but I couldn't pass this beauty:



OK, I have another straw bag and it's true that I don't use it much but it's smaller, which makes it unsuited for the beach. And for $15.99 (yes, $15.99 down from $68) it would have been a crime not to buy it (I figured that only the flower would cost as much or more).

I also picked up the Featherweight cotton V-neck cardigan (also known as the crystal-buttons cotton cardi) in white for $31.99 (it's still FP online). I have been waiting for it to go on sale since the moment I have returned the shell one, that I had bought with the Mickey card (I realized that I would have worn it with the rosette tee only). This is not a steal but something that I kind of "needed" in my closet (I don't have a white cardi for the summer). By the way, if you are considering the sea green color and you haven't seen it IRL, let me tell you that it's to die for: the color is exactly THE Tiffany blue and if I hadn't already the ATL cardi in a similar (but darker) green I would have bought it in a second (I had found one my size with a button missing).

Do you plan to visit Jcrew this weekend? Any steal that you want to share?

Have a nice weekend!

Unfashionable Item of the Week: the FitFlops

I heard about the FitFlops for the first time last summer, when my mother in law was visiting us (she lives in Paris). She told me that she had read an article about the "fit-flops" (she speaks a very good English for a 70-year-old French lady) but I thought that she had misread and that she meant "flip-flops" (I was like "are you sure? Because we normally call them flip-flops"). Because she isn't very up-to-date on the latest technologies and fashion styles, she was pretty confused and she dropped the conversation.
But one day I saw a big Fitflops ad and I had to apologize to her (on the phone, she had already left).

If you're familiar with the Fitflops you probably know that their slogan is "get a workout while you walk" and that they promise to tighten your leg muscles and your butt while you do whatever it is that you normally do in your life that implies walking.
I normally don't believe in the "miracle" solutions, but I must admit that I have been thinking of buying a pair lately as I walk A LOT in the summer, pushing around my daughter in the stroller all day long and I figured that it wouldn't harm if my shoes were more suited for the task (most of the times I'm wearing Havaianas, which aren't exactly "walking" shoes, let alone "workout" shoes, and I just can't constrict my feet in sneakers). I was a die-hard gym enthousiast when I was younger but I completely stopped before moving to the USA and even if I can't complain about my body, I wouldn't mind my legs and my butt being a little more tonic these days, especially if all I need is a new pair of shoes (or as the website puts it "just by wearing a pair of FitFlop sandals you’ll get more exercise while doing just exactly what you’re normally doing").

There are two problems though. First, they are ugly. I have settled for the "Walkstar III" in the silver color (pictured) as the least ugly and more "fashionable" of all (ie, that I could probably wear with most of my casual clothes), but still. Second, they are kind of expensive. When I walked in the closest shoes store that carry them to check them out, I was ready to spend $30. I wasn't expecting them to cost $59! That cooled me down a little bit and I decided to wait. But I can't wait too long as the summer is in full swing and you can't go around in flip (oups) fit-flops in the winter in NY.
The thing that bugs me is that even on the official website, they don't mention how long do you have to wear them/walk in them to see some results, which makes me think that it's all bull(...). I read some articles by journalists and experts who "tested" them and they say that the only sure thing is that they improve the posture. And they are very comfortable for the feet, which is not too bad (but again, for $59?)

So I would like to hear from you before making my choice. Do you have a pair of FitFlops and would you reccomend them? Are they really comfortable? And did your husband/boyfriend notice some effects on your butt? If you don't own them, is it a question of style or you just never gave them a thought?

Returnable Item of the Week: the Lightweight Denim Trousers

First, the commenting function is back to normal. Yesterday I had unwillingly blocked everyone from commenting by restricting the comments to "members of this blog" only. I'm sorry for that. I mistakenly thought that a follower was a member of the blog but when at the end of the day I saw that there were no comments to my last two posts I had a suspicion and I found out (by reading the Blogger Help) that the Blogger definition of team member was not the same than mine.
So now it's fine, you can comment again and also go back and comment on my yesterday's post if you have tried and still want to (still no anons allowed though, I need a break from them).

Now back to the subject of this post, I have been stalking these pants for a long time on the website and they are the item that I ordered along with the Chrystal Symphony necklace (BTW, I have returned it yesterday and the SA didn't even take it out from the box to see if it was the good necklace that I was returning!) when they popped back in my size two weeks ago (it was before the 20% off promo, so I paid $79 for them, with free shipping).
I had tried them in store when they first came out (you maybe remember it as I posted a pic), but decided not to buy them at that time because I was sure that they would go on sale later. However, my size (a 0 for those who are not familiar with my measurements) sold out pretty much immediately in the stores here and in many trips to different stores I didn't see any size smaller than a 6, so I decided that I would buy them as soon as they would make a popback on the website (they ALWAYS do, right? You just have to be there at the right moment. Like at 4 in the morning).

I have been looking for a lightweight denim pair for the summer for a long time and I really like the color (so summery) and the fabric (so soft). However, I'm on the fence about them.
Really, I can't tell if they look incredibly cool or just the opposite (like, workers pants).
The thing is that they have a flower power thing to them and they can look a little bit shabby. Also, as you know I'm pretty petite and wide-leg pants are tricky for us petites. So I have tried them dressed up and down and I like them more dressed up. But do I need a pair of jeans that I have to dress up to look good in? Jeans are supposed to be THE item in one's closet that you look good in when you DON'T WANT TO DRESS UP. Right? But maybe it's just an impression.
So here are the two versions, dressed up and down and I would like you to tell me what you think. If I decide to keep them, I will need to have the hem done (in the pics I wear platforms and I have rolled them inside a little bit but without pinning them).

First, dressed down with a white tee (this is the Slub cotton twisted V-neck tee, style 16090, that just went on sale. It fits TTS and I highly reccomend it):



See what I mean? The look a little bit shabby in this pic to me.
BTW I have bought my first boyfriend V-neck tee and I just have to show it to you. HeidiG, I know that I'm late to jump on the wagon but late is better than never, right? Actually this is my second one. I bought the first in the weathered stone color when they started to popup in the sale section of the stores (they had tons of them but I just found two XS) and I just HAD to have the warm shell one (that costed me another hour or two of stalking on the website, but I finally got it with the 20% off). So here it is (it's all wrinkled from the box but once steamed it will look just great):



I thought that it would be too big on me, but now I totally get while there are people crazy about this tee.
Back to the pants, I have tried them with the tuxedo-front cami and the dangling pearls necklace (you will see a lot of this one I think, I just LOVE it):



I threw on the Georgia cardigan in bistro orange that I just received with the boyfriend tee (got this one in FS with the 20% off, what a steal) and I'm surprised that the colors work well together (I was also playing around with the cardigan because I've never owned anything in this color. Not that it's a very common color):



And then, to push the dress-up look to the extreme, I tried them with my Chanel jacket (but I will have to change my platforms for heels):



I got you, right? Well, the jacket is not a real Chanel, it's an old Zara and it's just amazing. There is no other brand like Zara if you are looking for a well made knockoff. When I got this jacket (we were still living in Paris) I told my husband that it was from Chanel and he kind of had a hart attack. Then when I told him that it was "just a $100 Zara" he was super happy (I use this trick sometimes, and it ALWAYS work).

So, what do you think of the pants? Worth it $79? Do you own these pants? How do you style them?