JCrew Sample Sale: The Good

The JCrew sample sale in NYC has become a regular appointment for New Yorkers. I think they have been helding one every two-three months since the first one in January 2009. I went to that one and to another one this early fall, then I decided to stay away as much as possible because I tend to overbuy while I'm there and regret after. Also, as many have pointed out on the JCA blog, the prices are sometimes higher than final sale prices on the website (especially the shoes and the cashmere sweaters) and the general quality of the merchandise much lower (I'm talking about big holes, "sample" marked on the sweaters with a black marker etc).

However I was tempted to go to this one because they announced that they would have a lot of jewelry, some stock and also shoes (and I'm looking for some hard to find oldies). A friend of mine went on Tuesday at the opening and she said that it was worth it, so I went this morning while my daughter was at school.

When I walked in I was disappointed because they had only samples and there wasn't any current stock merchandise on the floor. Moreover, the dresses and the few jackets that they had looked like they had been around for at least a decade (they were all wrinkled) and were really unappealing. Honestly, thrift stores have stuff in better conditions. Second, it's true that they had much more jewelry that at the last sample sale and nicely displayed this time around, but a lot of them were charms bracelets and necklaces (including some very hard to find) and I'm not much of a charm person (but I know that some of you would have liked those and my friend bought many of them). I was hoping for some sparkle but they had nothing in the current styles.

So you would think that I left empty-handed. Well, after two hours of digging, I had a bag full of stuff. I found some pretty darn good deals, some that won't maybe look like a good deal to some of you but still are for me and a very bad deal (of course I didn't know that it was a bad deal until I got home).

Let's start with the good. Accessories were a good deal. Belts and scarves were $20 each and $30 for two. I got two belts (one is the skinny pyramid-studded in black that retails on the website for $36 and one is a plain black) and two scarves. The scarves are from the current collection and one of them is the very popular floral (aka potpourri) scarf in papaya. As you know I own it in the other color but I couldn't resist the fantastic deal (the only fault is that there isn't any Jcrew tag on it but, honestly, who cares). The other one is a fringed linen one in neon orange (I'm really liking this new shade). Being linen and fringed it can also be worn on the beach as a bottom cover-up (and the shade is very beach-y).

I also couldn't resist buying another two short-sleeved cashmere cardigans. I bought one in apricot last week during the 30% off promo and when I received it I kicked myself for not buying more and earlier when there were more color choices available. It was my first short-sleeved cashmere tee (I have an old Ralph Lauren short-sleeved cardigan but it's a little bit too small now) and it is just what I need to go through spring. Luckily I found a navy one (one of my favorite colors) at the sample sale and while I was at it I grabbed another one in natural (there were $45, pretty much what I paid last week on the website).
These are last year's (with the ribbed hems) and the fit is slightly bigger than this year's in my opinion. Anyway, now I can finally wear an outfit that has been on my mind for a while (I must have seen it somewhere because I'm pretty obsessed with it. If you have worn it and posted about it, let me know):



This is the natural one, with the floral scarf (I actually wore this to the playground this afternoon. The short-sleeve cashmere tees are great when it gets chilly at the end of a warm spring day like today):



I did buy two necklaces. One that I was pretty sure about because I regretted not buying it last year (I don't remember the name but you will recognize it as I think it still pops back every once in a while). Remember that I said that I needed a necklace to wear with my yellow merino boyfriend sweatshirt? Voila:



By the way, I had never noticed before that the beads are asymmetrical. If you own this necklace, can you let me know if yours is the same or if this is an irregular (not that I really care but I'm curious)?
The other necklace was an impulse purchase, but it's really growing on me and could be my best necklace purchase, after the crystal symphony. It's from a couple years ago, maybe summer 08; I remember the matching cuff but I don't remember the necklace (I wasn't much into custom jewelry back then). I tried it over the cashmere tee just to take the pic and it definitively has an outfit-transforming factor. I think that I'm going to wear it a LOT. The pendant is very substantial and in my opinion looks like real vintage jewelry:



The last thing that I bought and I'm happy with is an embellished tee (all the embellished tees were $25 and all the plain ones, including the few graphic ones, were $15 or 2 for $20). This one is one-of-a-kind, I think. The tag pinned on the inside says FA 08 but I don't remember it, at least not in this color. I like that it's in the same hazelnut color then the reindeer tee from this holiday season, but with another (non-holiday) embellishment (I'm not sure of what it is actually, a caravan maybe?):



I took a risk with this one because there was no mention of the size on the tag. I must thank my friend who pushed me to buy it. It is a little bit long and the neckline is a little bit low but otherwise it fits like an XS.

It is later than I though, so I will leave the bad for tomorrow.

What do you think of this purchases? Is there anything that you would have bought for yourself? Do you own one of the two necklaces that I bought? Please share!

The Long-Awaited Tory Burch Shoes Review!

If you remember this post, some times ago (I know, it was a looong time ago), during President's Day weekend, I took advantage of a pretty exceptional 25% off promo at ToryBurch.com to order some shoes. My heart was split between the Sallies (tumbled leather with a 2 1/2 wedged heel, available in an open-toe and a closed-toe style) and the Kitties (love at first sight, lower heel, but peep-toes and available only in black).

A comment left by Summerilla (who recommended the Sallies if I liked to wear high heels) made me cautious about the Sallies: from the online pics the heel didn't look too high but I can't do high heels on a pair of shoes that I plan to wear during the day (if you have ever tried to push a stroller in high-heels you will understand), so before ordering I went to Bloomingdales to try them on (or at least have a look).

Bloomingdales had only the open-toe version, in both the royal tan and the black colors. I tried them on and I found them very comfortable to wear. The wedged heel was very flattering on the leg, without being too high and the royal tan color was a much better color for this kind of shoes than black, in my opinion. Bloomingdales also carried the Kitties in gold (swoon-worthy) and seeing them convinced me that it was better to wait and try to get the gold or nude color on sale instead of ordering them now in black (as the Tory Burch website didn't carry the gold color, nor the nude).

So once home I ordered the closed-toe version of the Sallies in the royal tan color from the Tory Burch website, along with a pair of classic Thora thongs in silver (that never go on sale) as a ride-along to get the 25% off and the free shipping.

When the shoes arrived I was obviously very excited, but when I opened the box I was disappointed by the Sallies. I had totally forgot that closed-toe would mean round toe. I should have known better because I own another pair of Tory Burch pumps that I never wear because the toe is too rounded for my taste and the logo hits a nerve on my feet (they are otherwise absolutely gorgeous in a Chanel-esque way and I simply can't part from them).

Anyway, as all the Tory Burch shoes that I own or I have tried, they are TTS (they fit perfectly). As you can see, the heel isn't too high and the rubber sole made they very flexible and comfortable to walk in (I apologize for the quality of the pictures, I clearly need a tutorial on how to take pics of shoes):



They are also very flattering on the leg:



But I really don't like the rounded toe:



The peep-toe version cut just the right amount of toe and I liked them SO much more. So back they went. I plan to buy the open-toe version as soon as they go on sale.

On the other side, the other shoes that I ordered as a ride-along are a keeper. At $85 (price that I paid paid) they are quite expensive for a pair of thongs but besides the fact that I have saved not only on the price but also on the sale tax (I know that I sound like a broken record but avoiding to pay the sale tax, that in NY applies only to items worth $110 or more, gives me a special pleasure when shopping), there is a cost-per-wear factor to be taken into account because I KNOW that I'm going to wear them a lot. First of all, if you have never worn a pair of TB thongs, they are the most comfortable (and stylish) thongs ever because the footbed is padded and the sole is rubber. Second, I really needed a pair of silver-toned thongs to wear with dresses in the summer. So these really fit the bill.
The thongs are actually the reason why this post took me so long: I had taken pics of both pairs as soon as I received them but my pedi was in a real bad condition and I decided to save you from the pitiful sight of my chipped polish. When my nails were worth showing again I was lazy and procrastinated the task of taking the pictures of the thongs, so at some point the new pedi started to look like an old pedi. Finally, yesterday I went to the nail salon again AND as soon as I arrived home I took the thongs out of their box and photographed them.
So here they are, with my new pedi:





By the way, in case you are interested, I'm wearing a new Essie shade called "Tart Deco". It's a very pretty coral (not too orange), perfect for early spring. I highly recommend it!

What do you think of the Sallies? Do you own a pair of Tory shoes? Please share!

OOTD (Yes, I'm wearing Yellow, Not Green)

OK, I know that I should be wearing green today in honor of St. Patrick but I'm not Irish after all (and not much of a "green" person).

Instead I'm wearing my yellow merino boyfriend sweatshirt again. It is a gorgeous sunny day here and when I woke up I just felt like wearing yellow (plus I must admit I didn't realize that it was St. Patrick's Day until I saw strange people wearing green in the street). I am in love with this "honey" shade but I have to say that it looks richier on this sweater than on the ethereal merino cardigan, that also comes in honey (not that I own it, but I saw it IRL and I was a little bit disappointed).

Anyway, I thought that I would give the Liberty of London for Target Tiered Ruffle Keyhole Tank a try under this sweater:




I know, cute, you can go ahead and copy the outfit if you have both (it works better if you have long hair because it gets a little bit messy in the back, with the keyhole and everything);-). However I didn't wear it because I'm not 100% sure that I'm going to keep the tank. I find the ruffled neckline a little bit overwhelming (even worn backwards) and I have the dress in the same print coming my way. I think that if the dress fits well I will get more use out of it than the top in the summer. BTW, both the dress and the top are made in poly, not silk as I had previously thought (and wrote). However, it's a poly that does look more like silk than other styles in this collection.

But I did wear my BR purse (and it wasn't the first time). It's really the right purse for my needs (not to mention that I love it) and if my husband wants to offer me a Vuitton, he's more than welcome but I won't cry if he doesn't.

My husband is travelling this week, so you can expect another post this evening!

Weekend Recap (and OOTD with the Victoria Tissue Cami)

I know that I'm a little bit late in posting my weekend recap but am I the only one who's running late this week? I'm still trying to make up for the hour that was stolen from us this past Sunday (where idi that hour go?) I never like day savings time at the beginning: it feels weird to have dinner when there is still light outside, after all those months (but are they really many?) of darkness.

Anyway, there weren't joking when they said that it would rain all the weekend. Saturday morning we had a birthday party of one of my daughter's girlfriends, so out in the rain we went. It wasn't that bad yet and my husband was pushing the stroller while I was holding the umbrella (two things that I can't do at the same time while I'm alone and that make any rainy school day a nightmare). I wore the pink striped bateau tee to cheer me up and also because pink is a good color to wear at a kid's party (I didn't take pics because the outfit was exactly the same that you have seen in another post).
In the afternoon I went for a quick tour in the neighborhood (I had some errands to do, including a Jcrew return, that could have really waited a week) and that's when things got really bad weather-wise because the wind was just too strong to keep an umbrella open (and boy, it was raining). At same point I saw a lady who was almost BLOWN away with her umbrella, Mary-Poppins style, while she was crossing 3d Avenue). Anyway I made it home, even if the outfit below got its share of rain, especially the Minnie pants:





I was proud of the black henley cashmere and Victoria tissue cami pairing until I realized that this is exctly how the the henley is styled on the website. Oh well, I can live with that. I had been eyeing the cashmere henley forever, waiting for it to drop below my self-imposed threshold of $100 for a cashmere sweater. With the 30% off promo the price was even lower ($83 something), so I grabbed two (I was very grabby last week).
The Victoria cami is in a (I think) store-only heather grey (very sheer). I bought three colors of the cami when it went on sale and I finally decided to keep only this one to wear under cardigans. I realized that I don't like it worn alone, it has a weird semi-halter style that makes my shoulders look very wide. BTW, in case you have the Scalloped zipper cardigan you might need this cami. It was the only thing that I could possibly think of to wear with this (otherwise beautiful) cardigan, besides a plain tank or tee:


I ended up returning the cardigan (I had paid FP) which is now back-ordered until July! I regret it a little bit but if I came across it on sale, I will buy it for sure (it was so "me").

That's it for now. I will be back soon with a post n some of the new Jcrew jackets and the long over-due post on the Tory Burch shoes!

OOTD (Stripes, Camel and Black)

I wore this outfit yesterday morning on my trip to the Target temporary store. I felt so great in this outfit that when I was in the fitting room trying the Liberty of London stuff I was happy to put my JCrew clothes back and it probably contributed to my not overbuying when I was there (I was like "You don't need this stuff, look how great you look"). It was THAT good.

Actually I have to thank mrs.anketell that suggested in one of the comments to try the camel striped tee with black pants. And also my daughter who picked the sweater in my closet (it was "yellow day" at school and warm maize reads definitively as yellow to someone who just learned the difference between red, yellow and blue).
I'm getting a lot of wear out of this little cashmere cardigan, the mustard-y color is a good neutral and it doesn't wash me out as a paler shade probably would:



Part of the "feeling good" sensation comes from the pants. These are one of those perfectly tailored pants that Theory can make. They are slightly cropped and have "sailor" buttonhole details:



I don't wear them often because I bought them (at a sample sale) when I was four months pregnant and I sized up to a four (my regular size in Theory pants is a 0 or 2 depending on the style). I should have them altered in the waist now that I am my regular size again but I always procrastinate, so I need to wear them with a belt. I don't have a great non-jeans black belt (it's on my shopping list but I haven't found one yet) so I tried it with my all-purpose belt that I bought recently at Jcrew and it worked well with the colors of the tee and cardigan:



I'm going to try to respond to the comments to my last posts this afternoon (I really enjoyed the comments on my BR/Vuitton purse dilemma). Have a wonderful weekend all!

Visit to the Liberty of London for Target Temporary Store in Manhattan

As many of you I was really curious about the Liberty of London for Target Collection that hits the stores this Sunday (even if apparently some stores have already received some merchandise). I was hoping that they would sell some pieces of the collection online because I wasn't sure that I could make the trek to Brooklyn (our closest store) on a Sunday. I could have tried to convince my husband that toilet paper is cheaper at Target and that it was worth the trip (and then I could have maybe pretended that I had got lost into the store and disappear for half an hour?), but you see that the plan was complicated and there were chances of failure.

Well what is that they say, if Mohammad doesn't go to the mountain, the mountain goes to Mohammad (liberally translated from Italian). Last Sunday while I was reading the New York Times, I saw big had that announced a "sneak peek" of the collection in Manhattan (in Midtown) from March 10 to March 13 and because today was my free day (longest day of school for my daughter) I went to have a look after drop-off.

I wasn't prepared for this. They have put up a temporary Target store entirely dedicated to showcase (and sell) the Liberty of London Collection. The decor was just gorgeous, it was like entering in the world of Alice in Wonderland. Luckily I had my camera with me and I could take pics so you can enjoy a little bit of the show.

This is the entrance of the store, on the corner of 42nd St. and 6th Avenue (normally, there is no Target there, and I hope that they were also trying out the location for a future store in Manhattan):



The interior was a feast for the senses, with real flowers everywhere as a counterpart to the flowers on the pretty Liberty fabrics:



Those are umbrellas hanging from the ceiling (the umbrellas on sale were all gone by the time I got there):



They had a couple of these giant tea cups through the store:


This was the main display of the collection pieces:



The rack with the long dresses (againt a wall of hedges):


These bicycles were on sale for $199:



And the registers!



Some of the "hottest" items where gone when I got there (someone told me that yesterday, opening day, there was a line all along the block) and many of the tops were poly (looking like poly) and in some cases the combination of the poly fabric and the print reminded me of H&M. The line for the fitting rooms was extremely long because they only had five fitting rooms and customers were allowed as many items as they could possibly carry. In the end I only bought one thing for me, but the girls little dresses and tops were to die for (and generally better quality than the women's ones), so I brought home three for my daughter.

Ths is going to make a perfect party dress (for only $14.99):


And how adorable is this little romper ($11.99):


The only piece that I bought for me is a top in the same gorgeous print of the dress that is featured on the Target ad. By the time I arrived the dress was gone in my size (only L and XL were left), but I like the top as well. This one is in a heavy silk (not poly) and the price is $19.99. It it supposed to be worn with the keyhole on the front, like this:




But I think that I prefer to wear it with the opening in the back, like this:



The store wraps up on Saturday at the end of the day and then the merchandise will be shipped to the Target stores in the city. They told me that they are not restoking so at this point you might want to wait and checkout the regular stores on Sunday. Still, if you are in Manhattan, it is worth it to stop by at least for the "total Liberty experience" if not for the clothes themselves. It's quite impossible to walk out without buying anything, especially if you have a little girl.

Happy shopping!

OTTD (with a Special Guest) and New Purchase

Hello my dear readers, are you feeling springy? We are still blessed with nice spring temperatures here, which makes choosing an outfit a real pleasure after all those months of wearing the same outfit again and again (even if I a lot of clothes to choose from, at the end of the winter it gest a little boring)! I feel like I have won an entire new wardrobe!

Yesterday was a very important day for a lot of families with preschoolers in NYC. It was the day when everybody received the acceptance letters for the next school year and I have to tell you that a big weight got off my shoulders! My daughter was accepted into the nursery school that is just around the corner from our place and this is going to change my life as I won't have to walk half an hour a day to school (and back) as I do now. On the other side I really like the school where she is currently going (she is so happy there), and if it weren't so far I wouldn't have applied to another school and went through all the preschool drama again. If you're not in NYC you probably won't understand, the nursery school admission process is very particular to the city, apparently.

Anyway, I didn't know yet yesterday morning when I was getting ready for my walk to school, but the day was announcing itself as a great one already. For starters, it was unusually warm, even in the early morning, and I had plans to meet with a fellow JCA who happens to live in the neighborhood for coffee and a little shopping (returns actually) at the Collection store. That was a
lot of fun and I'm happy that I got to meet her through this blog!
I wore the pleated-chiffon cardigan in putty from last year, the "can't remember the name" cami also from last year and black toothpick jeans:



As you could see, we have a special guest today: my daughter was playing in the background (as usual) and she was so cute in her Stella McCartney for Gap wool minidress that I wanted her to be in the spotlight (while I usually try to crop her out):



I couldn't resist (mommy's heart) and took some pics of her alone:



It was the perfect weather to break out my long-coveted-finally-mine ruffled-collar trench. I haven't pics of the entire outfit but I wore the trench the other day to take pics of my new purchase (just replace the chinos with the toothpick jeans).
My new purchase is a purse. I have been looking for a small and easy to carry purse for-e-ver. It had to be a cross-body, so in case we have to take a bus or the subway I can carry my daughter AND the stroller (folded on my shoulder). But mainly I needed one for all those summer afternoons when we go to the playground after nap and I just need to take with me my wallet, keys and phone. I bought the Jcrew charmed mini-bag before Xmas but returned it because it was too dressed up for my lifestyle and also too seasonal (you don't want to wear tweed in the summer). Not that I disliked it but it just wasn't what I was looking for. Also the colors where a little bit difficult to pair as I don't have a lot of black coats/jackets (I have more in the camel tones).

So when I quickly walked into a BR store last Saturday just to browse what they had and I saw this small cross-body bag in a cognac leather and with a chain (bonus), I knew that I had finally found my baby. Moreover, they were running a promo where each customer was given a coupon and inside you could get 25%, 30% or 50% off the ENTIRE PURCHASE. It was my lucky day and I got 50% off! So instead of $98 I paid less than $50 (and it's a leather bag, not plastic).
Here it is:



It's small (same size of the Jcrew one) but I can fit my wallet, keys and phone inside:



By the way, this is the "other" watercolor floral scarf that I bought at the Jcrew event, for the reader who asked. I bought it to wear specifically with this coat:



Now, the fun part. When my husband saw the bag, he asked me if I had found it at Goodwill. In other words, he thinks that it looks cheap and why would I buy something like that, instead of a nice bag by Chanel or Vuitton? Well, I said, that's what my budget allows me, BR, Gap and JCrew and you get upset already if I spend what you think it's too much at Jcrew, I can only imagine the reaction if you saw a $2000 Chanel purchase on the credit card statement. After thinking it over, he came up with a deal: if I return the BR bag he will offer me a Vuitton in a similar style (it has to be a Vuitton). I thought he was kidding, but he really meant it.

Now my dear readers, I really like my BR bag, I think that the color and size are perfect for me and that I will get a lot of wear out of. I am almost tempted to keep it and let the Vuitton go. Am I crazy? I have to say that I haven't looked at the Vuitton catalog in a very long time but what I don't like in Vuitton bags is what all the people like, the fact that they are too recognizable as Vuitton. I don't know, maybe I have seen too many fakes in Italy but I'm not thrilled by the idea.
Trickery (pretending that I have returned the BR bag and wearing it behind his back) is not an option here as I'm sure that I will get busted sooner or later: you can't possibly wear a bag everyday and hide it each time that you come home.

What should I do? What would you do?

By the way, BR is offering 40% off a single full price item every Wednesday in-store only. You must present a coupon to get the 40% but I'm sure that they still have them under the counter so if you are interested in any BR new arrivals, make sure to ask and go in a Wednesday. For those who liked my Theory safari jacket in this post, they have a very similar style (even if the color is a little bit lighter and it's not 100% linen) for $98. I saw it in the store and it's very pretty (definitively the same fitted style).

Wow, it was a long post, I hope you enjoyed it! Happy Wednesday!