Finding Chanel at the Gap

I meant to post this yesterday as part of the "Wednesdays at the Gap" series but I had a crazy day and my husband came home early from a trip and took quarters at my computer desk (and I can't complain as he's the one who brings the money home) for the rest of the afternoon until we went out.

In any case I went to the Gap with my 40% off coupon to check out what they had (I missed the 40% off everything promo that they had in stores on Columbus Day as my daughter was sick and I could barely walk) and I found something absolutely AMAZING.
Let me introduce you the Pleated bow skirt. Actually I had already noticed this skirt online and almost put it in my cart when they had a 30% off promo last week but because of the fabric (100% poly) I didn't dare ordering it without seeing IRL first. So I was happy to see it in my store yesterday.
At first I was drawn to the ochre color (which is TDF IRL and certainly more unusual than the black one). Here are the pics that I took in the fitting room but let me say that they don't do the skirt justice because 1) I didn't have the appropriate top and 2) I still had a wrap around my calf from last Sunday injury (which thankfully is healing by itself, today I can almost walk normally) which isn't very sexy:




But let's be honest, where I was going to wear this skirt? It's very pretty but dressy and I tend to wear dressy skirts only in the evening, so I thought that I would probably get more wear out of the black one, which was also a little bit more flattering (again, not the best top to show it off):




The skirt is incredibly well done for a Gap garment (which are usually a little bit cheap in the details like stitching etc.). The fabric really has a silky feeling to it and you wouldn't say that it's 100% poly:




I paid $35 for it (with my coupon) but it looks like I paid much more and I can bet that nobody would say that it comes from the Gap.
That evening I was to attend a class cocktail party held at a NY art gallery and as I was trying to figure out was I was going to wear (initially I thought that I would be condemned to wear pants because of the my calf but the wrap came off while I was taking a shower and it looked like I could walk without) I immediately thought of pairing this skirt with the JCrew bow top from last year that you have seen recently in another post. I tried to wear this top with a black pencil skirt but the outfit was a little bit too serious (not to say funereal). It looks like this top and this skirt were made for each other: the skirt brings out the playful character of the top managing to keep it very elegant. In these pics I had untied the bow so as to wear the top untucked:




I thought that I had taken a pic of the entire outfit, but apparently my camera's battery died before (and I am too lazy today to re-wear it just to take a picture). In the end I wore the top tucked in with a black long cardigan, tights and red lipstick (and the same Miu Miu pumps). Both the top and the skirt have a Chanel feeling to them and the outfit itself was very Chanel-esque (and also perfect for the occasion as it turned out that everybody was wearing black. That's NY!)

I would recommend this skirt to anyone (especially those of you who feel let down by the length of skirts at Jcrew this year as this one hits above the knee but is not a mini).
Have you seen this skirt at your local Gap? Are you considering it?

Saturday Housewarming Party Outfit

This Saturday we went to New Jersey (Jersey City) for the housewarming party of our friends who got married in Seattle last spring.

The party started at 4 to allow for couples with children to bring them. I really, really wanted to wear one of my newest purchases, the Tiered silk ruffled cami, which, incidentally, is a "hidden" item in the sale section. You have to type "Tiered silk" to find it, go figure.
When I tried this top in store last week I immediately fell in love with it. I felt very gracious in it, like a ballerina or a little bird. The color is black but only the wool panel in the back, grosgrain belt and straps are black. The silk charmeuse ruffles themselves are more of a midnight blue, which is a navy tinged of grey.
I haven't tried the dress but besides the fact that it is still FP I think that the wool all the way down in the back is going to be too form-hugging and maybe even sheer as it is kind of a lightweight fabric.
The top is very easy to wear IMO. It looks good alone with black pants/jeans (I am wearing last year toothpick in dark raisin rinse):



but is also super-cute peeking out from a cardigan or jacket:




In the end I didn't wear it because it was too dressy for the occasion (not to mention that it took us an hour and a half of public transportation to get there) and in fact the other guests were very casual. I wore my Talbots tee instead, with the Loft clear necklace from this spring. I always get a ton of compliments on this necklace and it's true that it's really pretty and unusual:



Our friends apartment is on the waterfront and they have an amazing view of the Hudson River and the NYC skyline on the other side. This the view from the walkway between the train station and their building:



I was carrying an Anthropologie bag with a present for our friends. I rarely visit Anthropology and I think that I have never made a purchase there (at least not clothes) but the last time that I have been there (in the summer) I saw in the home section these adorable Storybook romance dishtowels and I though that they would make a great little present for newlyweds (if for example you have not been invited to the wedding but you want to send something or, as in this case, you are invited to a housewarming). I was happy that they still had them in the store, they made the perfect present.

These are the last few hours of the 25% off card. I feel a urge to go outside and take advantage of it for the last time but I have spent way too much already and I am stuck home with a sick daughter AND a calf strain (that I have inflicted myself yesterday while playing frisbee in the park. Hopefully it will heal by itself but because of Columbus Day I couldn't even see the doctor today).

Have a nice week.

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 Outfits from the Past Week

I have a few cute outfits that I wore last week to share.

I wore this one at the beginning of the week (don't remember if it was Monday or Tuesday but it was definitively before the rain came) after school. I am not a legging person but this tunic-dress is too short to be worn without something underneath, even for me. It's a cord dress from Old Navy and made some buzz in the blogosphere last year. They have a similar version this year here that you can see on Gigi and also a drawstring-waist version. I could have sized up but I ordered it without trying it on and by the time it arrived it was completely sold out. Thus the leggings (I wore it without the belt):





The next outfit is pretty unusual for me. It's a knit dress by Zara and I think it's the only knit dress that I own. It has been hanging in my closet for years (bought it before baby) and the neckline now is very low as the fabric stretched out. I wore it Friday morning to a "coffee meeting" at school. I wasn't sure how the other moms would show up so I thought that a dress was a pretty neutral solution (in the end it was very casual but I didn't feel too dressed up anyway). I paired the dress with the JCrew whirling ruffle cardigan from last year (which is exactly the same color and texture of the dress) and the blossom belt that I just bought on supersale (after stalking it for quite a long time):



It was very dark in my bedroom that morning, so I also took a pic while I was in the fitting room at JCrew where you can better see the details:



It was raining so I topped the outfit with an old classic trench (also by Zara) and a vintage Hermes scarf (that my aunt had offered my mom years and years ago and my mom gave to me):





I always get a "Inspecteur Clouseau" feeling when I wear this trench (any long trench actually). For years I fantasized about buying a classic Burberry trench but then I realized that it's not for me, I am just too short to rock this look (but at least the Zara one keeps me dry). I will let you guess about the boots that I am wearing (post coming next).

And on Saturday night I broke out my new wool crepe cropped pants in bronzed twig to dinner with friends (love them). It was warm, so I didn't wear a jacket but only a cardigan. The top is the ribbon-front top from last year that I can finally wear because I finally found a cardigan long enough (the Loft v-neck cardigan) but not too long on me as the Infinity/Eternity one. I also broke out the BR heels. I have to say that these are not the most comfortable heels that I own, actually quite the opposite so I will save them for short walks. My husband thought that the heels were "funny" (he also asked if it was normal that my pants were that short. Guess he doesn't quite get the concept of cropped pants):



Have a happy Tuesday!

Wednesdays at the Gap: 30% Off Edition

You have probably heard by now that Gap is running a two-day 30% off promo that ends tonight (code SAVEBIG), so I went in to try a few things to show you while my daughter was at school (full schedule this week, yay!)
I didn't buy anything as I am trying to do the opposite of what many who haven't received the JCrew 25% off card are doing: I am grateful and I have decided not to shop anywhere else but at JCrew until expiration of the card. Because I am overspending at JCrew and at least I am not spending also at the Gap ;-).

I have to say that I saw/tried very few things that I would buy for myself. In fact the Mariner top is my top pick and the only thing that I would be tempted to buy:




It's more a sweater than a tee, made in a thick cotton like the Saint James that was sold at JCrew. It runs a little bit small compared to other Gap tops IMO as I was trying a small in the pics above. It's a great piece for the price, especially with the 30% off.

Another cute sweater is the Shoulder zip pullover. This one is pretty popular on the website and almost sold out in this color. The fabric is very similar to the JCrew side-zip seatshirt and I liked that the zipper is golden and not silver. I am trying a S as they didn't have a XS (I would need a XS in this one):




Then the Cascade ruffle cardigan, very similar to Jcrew dream open-collar cardigan, but less overwhelming IMO. Is a cotton-modal blend, and it is quite substantial. It was FP in store but it's on sale on the website. You can play with the collar and it looks nice belted:





I also tried the Ultrasoft v-neck (merino?) sweater. I tried it only for you as I don't wear v-necks. Fits TTS. This is the XS and it was just a tad short IMO:



I am a fan of Gap blazers so this time I tried the Tipped tuxedo jacket. The piping is not a felted wool but a sweatshirt-like cotton. I am trying a 2, which is my regular size in blazers:





It's a fun and well-made jacket with nice details. However, I didn't like that it's one-button, because you can see that much of shirt between the button closure and the pants:



The top that I am wearing with the jacket and the sweater above is the Ruffle lip-printed top. Very cute print and fun top. Not extremely flattering but we have seen worst in tops at JCrew and I like that the ruffles are only on one side. Hre is a close-up of the print and the ruffles:



The Puffer jacket is the long-sleeved version of the Puffer vest that I own in the brown mustard color and I have been wearing a lot. Like the vest it is very thin and if it's OK for a vest I think it's going to be too light for a jacket. Trying a S in black (I would buy a XS in this):




I tried some tees but the only one that was vaguely interesting is the Zipper tee. It has a zipper-like trim around the neckline and a zipper in the back that you can actually unzip to make the tee looser:



However, I found the fit of this one unflattering with the two seams that along the sides (it was also extremely long):



But my best pick for this promo is actually a BR one. I went in because I had half an hour to kill before pick-up and I fell in love with the Fair isle sweater jacket. The website pics don't do this sweater justice. It is really beautiful IRL and the color seemed more cream/black than the navy pictured on the website. This is the XS:



It's so soft and cozy, the perfect winter/holidays sweater. If they were still running a 40% off promo at BR I would probably buy it but $140 is just too expensive (of course you can get it online with the 30% off - which comes to $98 - until midnight).

By the way, I have great news for those living near a Gap store: the 40% off one regularly-priced item Wednesday coupons are back! The promo starts tomorrow and goes through the end of October. If I can get more coupons I will give them away, so stay tuned.

JCrew Fitting Room Pics, October Catalog (Part 2: Misc.)

This is the second (and last) part of my post on the October catalog fitting room pics.

First, the Drapey bateau tee in olive white ash. You have already seen it on me in a previous post but I wanted to post the fitting room pic where you can better see how it fits. This tee comes in XXS but I have to say that the XS was already a little bit snug. The S has too long sleeves so I went with the XS but I would consider the XXS only if you are really tiny. The fit is very different from the vintage boatneck from the spring, much more fitted. The material is a cotton/linen/modal blend and if soft I didn't find it THAT special:



Another top that in my opinion runs a little bit snug is the Haya sequin sweatshort. This one is AWESOME IRL if you like the concept of a sweatshirt with sequins and you aren't sequined out. I personally prefer it to the Jaspe sequined slouchy sweatshirt because the fit is less slouchy (and also because I am not a big fan of merino). Here I am trying a S as my store was out of XS and I really liked the fit, but again the sleeves were too long. I didn't buy it because I would like to compare with an XS and also because I am hoping in a tees and knits promo before the 25% card expires as I find $135 a little bit steep for a sweatshirt (even if covered in sequins):





The Lace tee had caught my eye when it came out on the website so when I finally saw it in the store I tried it on. I was disappointed, it was very boxy on me and sheer but I have to say that I saw several SAs wearing it and it looked nice on them, so if you like it and feel like spending $110 in a tee (it's not really a tee though) I would say to give it a try. This is an XS (you can see my bra and my pants):





Speaking of tees, my store had a tank version of the Bici tee, in an ivory/cream color. It fits TTS and it was $34 (I believe):



Next, the new Dream zip henley that I grabbed in black. I liked it more on the hanger than on maybe because of the color. This is a XS and fits TTS:





This is the only sweater that I tried on as I still have to wear my heathered lumiere ruffled cardigan and my dream draped v-neck sweater in cobblestone (that I could re-buy for cheap).

The next one took my heart away. It's the incredibly beautiful Elena shift dress. Unfortunately (for my wallet) it fits me perfectly and I have been looking for a dress like this for a very long time so even if the price tag is kind of obscene I think that I am going to cave with the 25% off (it's on hold for me at the store and two nights of sleeping on it didn't bring any resolution). As you can see I went and tried it twice already:





In case you are wondering, this one is not sheer (it has two slips, one to provide coverage and one for the nude effect).

Last, more reasonably priced (so to speak) and affordable item that I think many if you will like. It's a scarf that just came out in store in beautiful fall colors:



I didn't buy it because it was $59 but I might go back and get it before card expiration. If you need the style number I have it somewhere ;-).
By the way I am wearing the Wooly ribbed turtleneck which is really soft but also very sheer, at least in this fog color (I placed the scarf strategically as to be able to show you the pic of it).

What do you think? Do you own or are you tempted by any of the items that I showed you in this post?
This 25% is really working for me. I kind of look forward to its ending ...

Have a great weekend everyone! Again, if you have urgent questions, you can email me at crazyaboutjcrew@gmail.com as I don't plan on coming back before Monday evening.