Tennis Rehab

Last Monday I had a funny encounter with Nina Garcia that I couldn't wait to tell you about but then I got home and my mother in law called me (from Paris) with the alarming news of the Boston attacks. All of a sudden fashion and my outfit of the day seemed like a very unimportant thing to worry and talk about compared to the brutality of what had happened and I just didn't feel like blogging for a few days. Not to be preachy but I think the effect of this kind of event is to remind us that while we focus on our mundanities, things of an entire different nature are happening very close to us and we should take a moment to put things into perspective. What's a popback in the light of the Boston bombs?

I am back today not only because, as they say, "life goes on" but also because I have been planning this post and outfit for a long time, so I didn't want to miss the chance to blog about it now that the moment has finally come to wear it (maybe, if the weather cooperates).
You might remember that a while ago I bought the JCrew :tennis" dress on super-duper sale with the intention of wearing it at my daughter's school Spring Benefit. You might also remember that the plan was to take the dress to the tailor and have the skirt taken in as it was a bit too poufy and big for my taste. This is how it looked:



Well, the school benefit is tonight and for some kind of miracle I didn't forget to take the dress to the tailor early enough to have it ready for the event, so I wanted to update you on the outcome and show you the outfit that I am going to wear (if it doesn't start to pour). This is something that my friend DaniBP would call "frock rehab" (hence the title of this post, which is a wink at Dani's blog. Dani, if you are reading I hope you don't mind!) with the difference that I paid for the alteration what she paid to have her dresses entirely relined in silk (more, actually). Oh well, at least I had paid very little for the dress.

So this is the dress after rehab. The poufiness of the skirt is gone and even if I would have wanted it a little bit more fitted at the waist (which is actually almost an imperial waist), I decided that it was too risky with this kind of fabric because it could create unflattering wrinkles. It is good enough!




While I was taking these pics I realized that I didn't have fancy navy shoes to wear with the dress, in fact I don't have navy evening shoes. As you can see I was wearing my navy Nine West, which are a knockoff of the Valentinas, but the heel is a little bit low and the un-shiny leather dresses down the dress a bit. So I decided to look for something dressier.
I went on Zappos (that Godsend of us last minute persons) and after much deliberation I ordered a pair of inexpensive Nina that had a bit of sparkle. They arrived and I was a bit disappointed: not only they are at least half a size too big in my regular size (I can't keep them on my feet) but they looked a bit "mumsy" on. Basically, not my style at all and while I could make them work for this specific occasion I don't want to keep a pair of shoes that I don't like per se (they are also a lighter navy blue than the trim of the dress):




They are kind of fun though and if the heel had been a bit higher and the style a bit sexier I would have kept them:



Even if I wanted it is too late to order another pair (even if Zappos has the fastest shipping on the planet, they can't make miracles) but there is a small boutique around here that sells Vince Camuto and I remembered seeing some kind of navy pumps. I was actually thinking of their patent sandals (a knockoff of the YSL Tribute) but they didn't come in navy. They had a pair of decently priced high heel patent pumps though and I thought I would bring them home and try them with the dress. The style is very similar to the NW/Valentinas but the heel is much higher (not a good thing in general but this is an exception). Granted, they don't make an enormous difference compared to the NW and they don't seem very comfortable but they are more party-appropriate, so I will decide at the last minute if it is worth to wear them:







If the shoes are a bit of a headache, the jacket is a no brainer, I am going to go with my navy "goes with everything" structured silk jacket by the Italian brand Violante, purchased at Searle a few years ago (a staple in my closet and probably one of the best fashion investment that I ever made):





As far as jewelry goes, I ordered the navy studded necklace from the factory website but I am not sure it will arrive in time. If not, I will go with a white pearl strand.

That's it. What do you think of this frock rehab? Do you think it was worth it? Which shoes do you think I should wear?
Please share!

A Few Banana Republic Reviews

A mix of boredom and hangover took me to Banana Republic this past weekend. My husband and I went to a dinner party on Friday night that involved very little food and a lot of (good) wine, so the morning after we were both hangover. After spending part of the Saturday like a walking dead at home, I forced myself to go out in the late afternoon to breath some fresh air. I had literally nowhere to go, since my husband and daughter were grocery shopping and I am not someone who would take a walk in the park, I need stores and cafes. The wind must have blown in the direction of my local BR, where I hadn't stepped foot in at least a year, because I suddenly found myself there. I could have just walked past the store as I usually do but a "40% off on your entire purchase" sign and the fact that I had nothing else to do pushed me in. At worst I would snap some pictures for a blog post, I thought.
Banana and my personal style are not a match so at first I found nothing worth it trying on. When I was almost walking out, I saw a chambray tee that looked promising and reminded me of last year JCrew chambray boatneck top (that I never got) so I grabbed it along with a skirt that I thought would be of "general interest" for my readers.
The shirt is called washed chambray tee and it is apparently out of stock online. It was a real surprise: the fit was awesome and it is a very nice color for spring, not too dark but not too washed out. It is made in 100% lyocell which makes it supersoft and comfortable to wear. At first I thought that the 0 would be too tight because I had a bit of a hard time to pull it through (it has a half zipper in the back) but the 0 was actually perfect one on, as you can see below:







I wouldn't have bought it at $69.50 probably, but with the 40% off it was a no brainer, it is going to look great with white denim and it looks more expensive than a Banana shirt.
The other item that I tried that day is the circle skirt. This one looked like a very easy skirt for summer (loved the fabric) but it is much fuller on than what it looks on the hanger or in the pics. The 0 fit well in the waist, which means it was the good size. It looks OK from the front:





but gives you a booty if you look at the back, probably because there is too much fabric (it is lined in cotton):


When I had already paid for the tee and I was heading towards the exit I noticed a white scarf in a beautiful gauzy cotton but I left it there because I didn't want to buy it just because of the 40% off and I also thought that it would be a good add-on to get the free shipping online in case.
But it wasn't online so when they sent me one of those 40% off "Wednesday coupons" yesterday I went back (on purpose this time) to get the scarf and try other stuff on for the blog.

I regretted not trying the thin stripe ponte dress the time before, so this time I made sure to take it to the fitting room. This dress is great, the V-neck is not too low, it isn't too short and it is made in a thick ponte fabric. It was a bit big in the center section on me but not terribly so. If I were in need of another striped/casual dress I would consider this one. I really liked this color combo, it is a bit unusual for a dress. This is the 0:




It has an exposed zide zip but it isn't very noticeable:



All in all a very comfortable dress that you can throw on and look polished in.
Another dress that I tried on, but only for the blog, is the Ponte knit square-neck sheat in the beautiful pastel green. I have to say, liked this one better on the hanger than on me, I think the square-neck looks a bit funny. Also, I am probably between sizes in this one. The 0 was a bit tight but I didn't try a 2 and I think it would have been a bit loose in the neck. Here is the 0:



Last dress, that I tried on whim and ended up liking a lot, is the circle print dress (I can't link to the website as it is currently sold-out). This one is very Boden-esque and I think you have to have the right body type to pull it off (it won't flatter busty ladies) but is really darling. I thought that $98 for 100% rayon is very overpriced and I don't really need it but I had a hard time to leave it at the store and I might get it with the next 40% as I see myself wearing it, it is a very easy dress (even if it is typically something that my husband won't like). The coral color is beautiful but it also comes in navy. The length was right on me but it would look more like a tunic than a dress on taller ladies. This is the 0:



I also want to mention that the vertical stripe skirt is almost a perfect dupe of the JCrew seersucker skirt. I tried a 0 on for you so you get an idea. It fits well, if a bit tight:



(this peplum top is the one that Wendy ordered and thought looked terrible and I just want to mention that it's not her, it's the top. As you can see it doesn't look good on me either. This is a 0).

And now a pic of the scarf that was the mean reason of me going back. It is very hard to find a white cotton scarf for a decent price and I have been looking for one. It also comes in a mint green:



The pants are mine and the tee-shirt is the luxe-touch tee in a beautiful peri color that I don't see online. This "luxe-touch" material is a bit clingy but I really liked the color and I think it was flattering (I wouldn't buy the white because of the clinginess):



I didn't know if I really needed another tee but I decided at the register that I do ;-).
I have another pick but I forgot to take a picture. It's the tie-front blouse. This one caught my eye because last year I tried a Comptoir des cotonnier tie-front blouse almost identical that I never got because it was awfully expensive. It turned out that this one is on sale for $25.99 in store so I had my revenge ;-). You will see you soon. I got the navy one but I might track down the white one too. It fit TTS (went with a 0 but it just fits, I will probably go up a size if I buy the white one).

That's it! Have you tried or bought something at Banana recently?Do you like any of these picks? Please share!

OOTD: An Army of Flowers (Spring Is Here!)

Good afternoon everybody! I am so excited to announce the official arrival of Spring in our parts of the country. Today it is finally WARM and SUNNY, yay! We had a Spring preview last Friday that caught me a little by surprise but didn't last enough for me to ditch my coat for a spring jacket because Saturday it was back to freezing cold again.

But today is another story, as I was expecting it to be warm so I could plan my outfit accordingly. Even if when my husband told me this morning that it was going to be in the 70s today I could hardly believe him, it actually turned out to be true. To celebrate, I decided to wear flowers, an eternal symbol of spring.
I bought the Old Navy version of the Liberty perfect shirt in Margaret Anne a couple of months ago after reading this post over at Gigi's and it has been sitting in the return pile all this time. Then this past weekend I saw someone wearing the Jcrew one and I seriously considered ordering it with the 30% off given that in the meanwhile it had gone on sale but in the end it seemed silly to order something when I had a less expensive version at home, especially since I am not a flowers person (that's the reason why I ordered the Old Navy one in the first place: I have always liked the Margaret Anne print but knowing myself I wasn't sure that I would like it on me or I would want to wear it enough to bring down the cost per wear).
Anyway, this morning I decided to give the Old Navy shirt another chance. The print is bigger in scale than the Margaret Anne and the colors are a little bit more loud, which is what I didn't like when I first opened the package, but they are VERY similar. I mean, from a distance you could totally mistake it for the Liberty one, don't you think?

At closer inspection, the flowers look more like wild flowers than in the JCrew version (pants are old Zara chinos):

I ordered a XS and the fit is good with no gaping at the chest, I would say it fits like a 2 in Jcrew perfect shirts (that I tend to buy in a 0 but I should really buy in a 2 if I wanted to be more comfortable).
Now, I still needed a topper and I didn't want to wear a cardigan/sweater so I tried a pairing that is a bit unexpected but turned out to be great. As you probably remember I have been looking for a military jacket and I ended up returning the JCrew factory version (which is back on the website BTW) because I felt that it was too big and didn't have the refined look I was looking for. Last week I found one at Bloomingdales (during the family and friends, post to come) that is very similar to the factory one but more tailored to my figure. It is also much softer than the factory one and the fabric is a solid army green (while the Jcrew one had a herringbone pattern). It appears to be sold-out on the Bloomingdale website but I am going to show you the stock pic because for the life of me I can't take a decent picture of the color of this jacket (the pics below don't do it entirely justice):

It is by Lily Aldridge for Velvet. While I know Velvet (even if I don't know anything by this brand), I had no idea who Lily Aldridge was. In case you too are curious, she is a Victoria Secret's model turned stylist.
Anyway, with all the discounts (there was a double promo) it came down to a few dollars more than what I had paid for the JCrew one so I was ha[[y with my decision of returning it.
So, here it is with the flower shirt (I am wearing a XS). I received tons of compliments on this outfit today (especially on the shirt, that reinforced the feeling that it was a good decision to keep it):

On a complete different note, did anyone watch the season premiere of Madmen yesterday night? I admit I was very tired and I could barely keep my eyes open but I felt it was a bit boring (except for the Peggy storyline). I think I am a bit over Don's midlife crisis that is becoming a lifelong crisis. Plus, I wouldn't say that the opening verses of Dante's Inferno really apply to his situation because he was never on the right path. I just wanted to shout at him "Get a grip, Don, you have a beautiful wife who loves you and you are screwing up again! What's wrong with you?" But I have never been a big fan of Don in the first place (totally don't get why women like him), I watch the show more for the other characters.
What about you, did you enjoy the show?

Do you have the Liberty perfect shirt Margaret Anne or the Old Navy dupe? What do you think of toughen up flowers with army dress?

OOTD: Mint and Blue

First of all, I wanted to say that I am sorry that I haven't commented back to my last posts yet, my phone is constantly out of battery and I am very little on the computer these days. I will try to reply sooner or later, thank you for your patience!

I have been craving a pair of bottoms in a minty green and even more so since I bought the bazaar popover. While I can certainly wear it with denim and navy chinos, I thought it would look very fresh with mint. However I didn't want to spend much as colored bottoms are probably going out of fashion soon and I regretted paying full price for my festival green toothpicks last year, that I got tired of pretty quickly. I found a pair of mint jeans at Joe Fresh for $29 and the fit is very close to the toothpicks (I bought a size 0) so that sealed the deal.
I wanted to wear them with the popover today as I was meeting a friend for breakfast but it was (still is) deceptively cold this morning. When I tried them on in the store I was wearing my pointelle cashmere V-neck sweater from last year and the blue of the sweater made a nice colorblock effect against the green of the pants, a little bit like in this JCrew tee (that I like a lot, BTW, but not for $45):



So I decided to wear the combo today IRL. I never buy V-neck sweaters because I don't like to wear button-downs under my sweaters but this one was love at first sight and I ended up buying it in two colors, this blue (can't remember how it was called but it is a gorgeous shade of blue) and succulent green, during one of those 50% off crazy end-of-the-season sales. Being a summer cashmere sweater it is made to be worn without a shirt, which is what I like about it. The v-neck is not very deep and not very pointy and I am comfortable with wearing it without a layer. It looked just a bit unseasonal today to exposed all that flesh because it was so freaking cold (I would have worn a scarf but I don't have anything in those colors):







I did try the pants with the bazaar popover:




Last week I received my factory crystal studs necklace that was waitlisted when I placed my factory order. This one feels a bit cheap (in terms of weight, not appearance) compared to other factory necklaces that I have but the spearmint color is beyond gorgeous (these pics don't do the color justice) and goes very well with the bazaar print (I bought it initially to pair with my casbah print perfect shirt):



This gave me the idea to add it on to my today's outfit:



What do you think of this mint and blue combo? Anything mint under your radar? Please share!

OOTD: Like an Easter Egg

I recently bought a "spring coat" at Zara on very deep sale. I was very excited as it looked very Chanel-esque to me but when I showed it to my good friend, partner in fashion mischiefs, she said that I looked like an Easter egg. Well, I still liked it and if it looks Easter-y, I will wear it on Easter, I thought.

Yesterday the weather cooperated, it was sunny and warmer than it has been in the last week, so I took it out to lunch downtown (my husband rolled his eyes when he saw me). What I like in this coat is that it has a very modern and streamlined silhouette, I agree with my friend that the fabric (that containes metallic threads) and cut could make it look matrony but it doesn't, in my opinion. And remember I paid the price of a JCrew tee shirt. I also plan to wear it out to dinner later in spring as technically I don't have a spring coat (it is lined in a silk-like material but it isn't something that you put on to keep you warm as it is very lightweight).
I wore it with a JCrew cashmere cardigan in a similar shade of pink:






So what do you think? If you agree with my friend it's OK, I will still like it and you ;-).

Happy Easter to you you all!