Sweater Weather: A Few New Sweaters At JCrew

I stopped at my store yesterday to make a return and they were putting on the floor some of the new items that rolled out last week on the website. I am a bit shopped out but I am looking to replace a few sweaters that I threw away because too worn-in or too short. I haven't bought any winter sweater except for cashmere in a few years and all of a sudden I feel like wearing wool, so I had a look and took three sweaters with me in the fitting room.

Disclaimer: Dear JCrew I don't know how the following happened. It wasn't my intention to snap illegitimate pics in the fitting room but I must have inadvertently pressed the camera button of my phone. I must have been in a new arrivals-induced trance because I really don't remember doing so. Just to let you know, in the unfortunate case that you are taking legal action, I will plead temporary mental incapacitation (I think I won't have any problem to demonstrate that given my recent shopping spree during your 25% off promo). Now my sense of blogger duty tells me that I must post these pics, for the community's sake. I can't keep this information just for myself, I hope you will understand. I am very sorry for all the business and profit loss that my posting could potentially generate, but let's be honest, if that happens it's a bit of your fault too (on the other end, if you notice a sudden increase in orders for the items that I am going to enthusiastically review in this post, and you are finally willing to give me a bit of credit for that I will happily forward my bank account for you to deposit a small percentage of the sales generated by my otherwise unpaid advertisement)*.

So the first sweater that I tried because I had actually put it in my cart and thought about ordering it with the 25% off is the Colorblock wool turtleneck sweater. I LOVE the look of this sweater and the name of the sweater (WOOL sweater) and the description made me think that this was a 100% wool, cozy turtleneck. Exactly what I was looking for, right? Well, no. As soon as I picked up this sweater I knew that this couldn't be 100% wool. Just to be sure I looked at the fabric content that confirmed my suspicions:

Now how can a sweater described as 100% mercerized wool contain such a high acrylic percentage? I would have been mad had I ordered it.
I was even more bummed when I tried it on because the fit is good, thickness non-withstanding. This is the XS:

Ok, enough said, let's move on to the next one. I promise it's going to get better. I wasn't particularly interested in the Farmyard Fair Isle Sweater when I saw it on the website, but it is really cute IRL. It is a blend again but it isn't itchy and looks and feels good on (it feels almost sweatshirt-y). This is the XS, fits TTS but if you want to layer you can go up a size probably since the opening hasn't a lot of give (it closes with buttons in the back but personally I would want to be able to pull it over my head):

I think this one is going to sell out fast, especially if another promo comes around. It is reasonably priced and will make a really cute Xmas present (a bit too cute for me but really cute if you are into fair isle and little animals).

The third one was love at first sight. It's the Merino turtleneck in abstract diamond print. This one caught my eye when it came out but usually I am not a merino person for two reasons. First reason is that my merino sweaters in the typical 14-gauge of the JCrew sweaters don't last me very long. I don't know if it's because I need to wash them more often than my cashmere (they seem to retain odors more easily and I have to wash them after one wear) or because I still haven't figured out how to wash and take care of them in a proper way but they look ratty and develop holes pretty quickly (not to mention that they usually shrink). Second reason is that I prefer the feel of cashmere on my skin than merino. Bottom line: I am not a big fan of merino but the pattern and colors on this one are so special that I am ready to take a risk.
The color combo is just stunning (the background is navy and the pink is darker than in my pics, like a bright dahlia) and I like that it has a ski vibe to it and looks causal if worn with jeans but is elegant at the same time and can be worn under a jacket for the evening.
I went with my regular XS. It is a bit less fitted than on the model but I took shrinkage into account so I didn't size down (plus I don't like the look of too-fitted merino sweaters):

An outfit with the Lolli pants immediately came to mind. I took a few pics of the outfit this morning but my camera died right after so I cannot post them right now but I can tell you that the sweater is a perfect match in terms of color and also style and it is a great outfit.
If you like this print, it also comes in crazy pants. I reviewed these in the previous colorway (size down in these).

What do you think of the new crop of sweaters? Any that you are interested in?

* This is a joke

Factory Chessboard Mini And OTTD With The Swiss Elk Tee

Good afternoon! I (finally!) received my factory order the other night and I am going to post a quick review of the two items I ordered, the Cheesboard mini and the Swiss elk graphic tee. I wore the elk tee right away today, a sure sign that I love it!

I was a bit nervous about the mini, after reading reports that it is very short and not 17" as stated on the website. I usually get away with minis but I have a couple that are 14" and shorter and now feel VERY short. So, just to be on the safe side, I ordered both a 0 and a 2, hoping that one will fit.
I tried the 2 first and that was the good size/length. It is 15 1/2 and isn't too short on me, as far as JCrew minis go. For reference, it is the same length as my navy tweed mini in a 2 and it has two inches of hem that you can let down. However, the natural color is much darker than what I was expecting, it isn't a off white/natural but a tan/camel; in fact it is an exact match of my cashmere cable sweater in camel from last year that I was wearing the day I received the package:

Also, as others reported, it is quite thin (much thinner than the double-serge pencil), so not exactly for the coldest days (on the positive side it is lined in acetate). I think it is going to look adorable for the weekend with some thick thights and boots, so I am going to keep it.

The elk tee on the other side is much whiter (and red) than expected. I went with my usual XS and it fits perfectly if a bit big (don't size up). It is a great winter tee and I love that it says simply "Gstaad, Switzerland '67" at the bottom of the elk (the graphic is quite big):

I was trying it over my pajamas this morning (as you could see) and I ended up keeping it on for the day. I just threw on my champagne toothpick cords and the Corrinne sweater (a favorite of mine) and I was ready to go:

I couldn't have been more appropriately dressed for the Wollman rink in Central Park where my daughter is taking ice skating lessons (usually during the week but we had a make up due to the recent snowstorm). The athmosphere at the Wollman rink is really of a ski resort so my elk tee was a hit among the moms, especially since today it was so warm that I ended up taking all my layers off (pardon my pic, this is the best that I could do by myself):

In case you are going to the Wollman rink at some point this winter, be prepared to drink this:

Apparently Donald Trump owns the Wollman rink and he wants you to know!

I hope your weekend was a good one, any questions, let me know! Anyone else wearing the swiss elk or ice-skating?
More on ice-skating tomorrow!

Black & White: Part 1 (Daywear)

I have mulled over this post for quite a while, since the summer in fact! Precisely since I went to a cocktail party at the Milly boutique back in July to preview the first Fall collection ("Fall 1", for the insiders).
You probably know that I love Milly almost as much than JCrew and if I were a rich girl I would have the whole collection gift-wrapped and delivered to me (and I would sport opening the packages in an ad that would say "Yes, THAT rich"). Strangely, I like her Fall-Winter Collections more than the Summer ones, even if I am more of a summer clothes kind of girl.
Anyway, the Fall 1 collection was (is) a black and white colorblocking feast with pink-ish pop of color and at that cocktail party I fell hard for a few pieces but due to the prices (unfortunately I am not "THAT" rich) I had to think about them, make a wishlist and hope that they would go on sale and I would be able to snap some up. That didn't go exactly as I had hoped, when the collection came out (at the time of the party they only had samples at the store and some of them were available on pre-order) I was in Europe and they sold out in the blink of an eye. All the collection was completely swoon-worthy but in particular I had my heart set on this sweater:

Halas, when I had saved enough money to get it it was sold out everywhere. Boo! I religiously stalked various sites hoping that it would popback and one day in October it came back in stock at Milly.com. I am on the Milly VIP list and one of the perks of being a VIP is that I get 10% off all FP orders and free shipping so I pounced on it.
The leather collar and cuffs are completely detachable, so that's a plus. I have paired it with black and various colored bottoms (that I will show you in another post) and it looks smashing but I really wanted to give in the colorblocking concept and pair it with a white bottom.
Ideally, I would have loved to get the Delphine swirl skirt that Bloomingdales and other department stores also carry in a (sold-out) non-leather version, but that one is not going to pop back in my size, I think.
I tried it with my factory felted wool mini from a few season ago and while I certainly like the look, I don't feel like wearing this skirt outside anymore (I am not even sure that I actually wore it outside, ever). It is obscenely short and the only thing that comes to my mind now (for the Fifty fans out there) is the "demonstration" that Mr. Grey carried out to show Anastasia that hem of her dress was too short, aka too close to her panties. Enough said.

That's why I finally decided to order the Number 2 pencil skirt in double-serge wool in antique white, even if I am not much of a pencil skirt person anymore, if I ever was. This was to me a "cheaper" alternative to recreate the look of the Milly collection, especially with the 25% off. I vaguely thought about ordering the current version of the felted wool mini but in the end I thought that a few inches weren't going to make a big of a difference and I can still use my factory version indoors (strictly in presence of family members only!).
I ordered a 0 and right out of the package I was a bit disappointed. But I always receive my packages at the very end of the day when there is no natural light and sometimes I try things with pajama bottoms and slippers on, so I decided to reserve my judgement until the day after and a proper try-on.
I actually understood what I didn't like. I didn't like the fit with a shirt or a sweater tucked in because my waist is much smaller than my hips and the skirt is awkwardly tight on my hips and loose on my waist and it creates a visual "step" at the sides. This is probably due to my body type and not a flaw in the skirt but I think it isn't super-flattering.
However, the more I tried it with the Milly sweater untucked (it is a very fitted sweater that looks great both tucked in and untucked) the more I liked it:

It looks a bit serious in the pics above but I REALLY liked it with black tights. Plus, who am I kidding, it is already too cold to wear clear tights. That's the look I was going for:

And if these are ever going on sale they will be mine:

3.1 Phillip Lim Ava D'Orsay Pumps

I think this pencil is versatile enough for me to wear it with a number of tops and a little bit of extra fabric on my legs will be welcome since this winter is going to be a cold one apparently.

The other thing I was hoping it would work with this skirt is another Milly piece that was an old love of mine but I just bought. I have been obsessed with the Marzia bow jacket that came out in Fall 2011 but I missed on it when it went on sale and then it was gone, gone, gone. I kept checking the website for months and I also have a search set on ebay but it never popped back. So my heart literally stopped when I saw it at Saks two weeks ago during the F&F. Apparently they have brought it back (and with the 20% off to boot). I bought a 2 but because they had no size 0 in store to try and I really wanted it to work, I ordered the 0 as well on the website. I had a very hard time trying to figure out what size to keep but in the end I am going with the 2, even if it is a bit looser and longer than the 0. The 0 looks good per se and it looks probably better than the 2 with dresses (because shorter) but I can't wear it with a thick sweater under it (it gapes a bit when closed) and I don't want to feel uncomfortable. It surely looks great with jeans and pants:

The good news is that the color of the pencil skirt is an exact match of the ivory trim of the jacket. I don't know where I am going dressed like this but it is a more conservative option that is good to have:

This is the size 0 with the mini, if I dare:

But most likely I am going to wear it with pants. Look, it can also become part of my new uniform (under a puffer):

I wanted to show you more black/white combinations but my packages (with more white) has been delayed again, so you will have to wait until next week for the second part of this post (on evening black and white outfits). Stay tuned!

What do you think of white/black colorblocking? Are you in love with Milly? By the way, I haven't returned the Milly jacket yet. If you think I should keep the 0, please let me know (I have still a bit of hesitation because it is an expensive jacket that I plan to wear for years)!

JCrew Fitting Room Reviews: Odds and Ends

I still have quite a few fitting room pics that I haven't showed you and my packages have been delayed due to the snowstorm that we had here yesterday (that's right, a freaking snowstorm) so instead of the post that I was hoping to write today, I am going to post some odds and ends pics (there are a few items that I haven't seen reviewed yet so I hope it will help some in case you are considering these with the 25% off promo that ends tonight).

First, the Perfect shirt in ivory tartan. This one isn't a crisp cotton like the perfect shirt in tartan, it feels like a lightweight flannel (the description on the website is a bit confusing IMO). In any case it is very soft and comfortable and fits TTS:

I liked this shirt but I have the original tartan one and the buffalo check one too, so enough plaid for me!

Next, a couple of cashmere sweaters. I wanted to try the Collection cashmere pocket sweater because I was hoping it would work as a tunic. It is a long sweater, but not exactly a tunic. The patch pockets look a bit marsupial, IMO. I didn't liked the ribbed neckline (I prefer more open necklines or tnecks). Fit is TTS, this is my usual XS:

It's a cozy sweater, but again not enough to make me even think about putting $300 towards it (I would reconsider if this one comes down to around $99).

The next one is the Collection cashmere ribbed square-neck sweater. I liked this one better and some colors went on sale. This is a very plush sweater, in a 5-gauge knit and again very long. This is the iced lilac, currently on sale for $199:

It is a nice color but for me I would go with the caramel or the navy.

Another sweater that I quite liked is the Dream colorblock elbow-patch sweater in the red/grey colorway. This one was so soft that initially I thought it was a cashmere sweater. Maybe they changed the composition of their dream blend? In any case I think that the fit is great and it feels great on, this is a XS:

As you can see the back is all red (it is an orange-y red and not a red-red). I have a similar grey cashmere so I am not interested in this one but I would consider the navy/green colorway on sale.

And now, the very talked-about Harley of Scotland Fair Isle sweater. After years of buying cashmere, I miss a good lambswool or shetland sweater. I am not sure if this is lambswool since the description says "wool" but I would assume it is.
I saw both the colorways in store and I prefer the navy one, the pale blue washes me out and is less versatile IMO. This is the XS and while it fits TTS, it is cut more traditionally than the JCrew sweaters (it isn't slim in the body). I think it is a nice sweater to keep you toasty on the ski slopes or during a blizzard, but nothing very fancy-looking:

Last, I could finally try the Cafe capri in winter white that I was very curious about. These are as white as it gets for non-summer pants, the winter white color is a uhm, whiter white than the antique white color, if that makes sense. So maybe it is the color but even if they are lined they are still very thin for winter and at first I was completely turned off by the pockets showing through the fabric. I tried a size 2 because between the unforgiving color and the lining I preferred them not to be tight in the slightest. I think it was the good call and they look good, better then expected in fact:

Even better with heels:

I liked them but I would be freezing if I was wearing them today. They feel even thinner than the other cafe capris that I have. However, a white bottom for the holidays in on my wishlist and I might order them at the last minute before the promo ends tonight. I did order something else that I am undecided about, so I will ask for your precious advice tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Are you contemplating any of these with the 25% off? Do you miss shetland/lambswool or you are a cashmere addict?

OOTD: Bye Bye Fall, Winter Is Here

It is suddenly very cold around here. Yesterday I was in denial so I stubbornly wore my Loft peacoat, which is becoming my favorite jacket ever, but by the end of the day I had to admit that it isn't warm enough for the current temperatures (even with a thick sweater like my Claudie Pierlot under it) and chilling wind, so this morning I switched to my Wintress puffer.

This is what I wore yesterday (Fall gear):

This outfit got me a lot of compliments probably because the bag tie everything together. I had this bag for some time but I was undecided about it. In case you are wondering it isn't a Celine but a Pour La Victoire and I bought it on FashionFix.com, which is the website where Saks sells discounted merchandise from previous seasons. So I got it for a very good price (below $200), given that the front panel (the camel-colored part) is calf hair and the bag is all leather. I really like the colors because the black and the camel go with almost every coat that I have (except for my navy coat but I have a navy bag in case I really want to match my coat and my bag) and it is very difficult to find a camel bag. I wanted a bigger bag for winter (I usually carry a small tote in the summer, like the mini Brompton or a Longchamp Le pliage but I now I need something bigger to carry around all the winter "in cases" for me and my daughter, like scarves, gloves, snacks etc.). I also wanted a tote style, as my previous winter bag, a Tory hobo, drives me crazy for everyday use (I seem to never find what I am looking for in a hobo). So it really fits the bill in terms of praticality. What bothered me was that 1) it really tries to look like a Celine, which I hadn't realized at first and 2) it has two zippers that start on each end on the top and that stop where the handles are sewn, so that the center part closes only with a magnetic snap. I find it kind of silly and I am not sure why they didn't make the zippers go all the way through:

Well, actually I know why but I think it could have been done differently. You can wear the bag with the top corners out (which make it bigger) or tucked in (which make it smaller). See the difference below:

Anyway, in the end I decided that it didn't bother me that much and it was exactly what I was looking for and for a decent price so I carried it yesterday for the first time and I am very happy with it. In case you are interested in this bag or a similar one, Gilt has a few Pour La Victoire in this style.

This is what I am wearing today (Winter gear):

My Wintress puffer is from last year and I really love it. It is cozy but not too bulky and I love the tie-belt (I am wearing a XS). I also love the shiny gold hardware that makes it a bit more elegant.
Under the puffer I am wearing a cozy JCrew sweater. I can't remember the name but it is from two years ago and it is one of my favorite sweaters. I regret not buying the other colorway it came in (a heather grey) but at that time I had a Gap that was very similar so I thought it was redundant (the Gap is now a "wear inside only" thing):

I am in love with this belt. It is new and comes from Brooke Brothers, of all the places. I have been looking for a wide black belt to wear at my waist with some knit dresses (one in particular that was a real steal and you will see soon) but so far I hadn't found anything that I really liked (they were all too plain or too trendy). I don't know if I ever told you but I live literally a block away from a Brooke Brothers boutique and I had NEVER set foot inside until the other day when I saw this belt in the window. I was afraid that it would be real croc with a price to go with it, but it is just a croc print and they were having a promo so it came home with me. It is still expensive for a belt (it is priced at $98) but hopefully it will last me for years, it is classic enough. As I said I bought it to wear with dresses but I really like how it looks on a fitted sweater too. I think it will look great over a pencil skirt:

Thats' it ladies. I have a few packages coming this week, so I will have a few reviews for you.

Have you switched to winter gear yet? Are you a tote or a hobo kind of gal? Any Brooke Brothers fan out there?