Peony Tee, Peony Sweatshirt and Curator Pants in Fresh Kiwi

Yesterday I stopped at the Collection store for the first time after my trip to Miami. The new collection (the one featured in the March catalog) came out in stores while I was in Miami so I hadn't seen the new arrivals yet. Don't you love when everything is new in stores and you are not yet bored from seeing the same old stuff on the racks?
I had loved the Collection silk panel peony sweatshirt in the Catalog, so I was excited to see that one. However, surprisingly, when I was in store it was the peony tee that caught my eye. The peony tee is not available for pre-order on the website anymore but it will probably be released tomorrow so I am going to review it because it is going to be a big seller I think (in case you don't want to wait until then, the style number is 99196 and it retails for $45). My VPS tried to push it on me as a pre-sell but I wasn't interested in it at all until I saw it in store.
First of all, it is 100% linen. I personally love the feeling of linen tees but the drawback is that linen is sheer, even in darker colors. Second, the background color is creamy and not white (color code is PPR and I have no idea what it stands for). While in general I prefer white to cream for my tees, I think it is a better choice for this tee, it goes well with the botanical subject. Third, linen always stretches out, so my recommendation is to size down as much as possible, even if linen tends to be a bit unforgiving and tends to hug the bumps (I have a few linen tees and they all stretched by one size after washing them).
I got a XXS, which fits well but "just" fit and it is quite fitted around the belly. The length is good, it isn't boxy as some of their tees have been recently:





You can't really tell from these pics but even if I was wearing a perfectly nude bra it showed through a little bit. Also, it has a little pocket on the chest (if you zoom on the pic below you should be able to see it):



Now, for the purists out there, at the bottom of the tee there is a caption that says "Peonia moutan" and "TRIOMPHE DE GAND". Gand struck me as a typo and in fact it should read "TRIOMPHE DE GRAND". Not that I knew, I Googled it. It is quite funny that they added the caption as in a botanical illustration and managed to squeeze a typo in there but honestly, unless you live in a circle of botanists or experts in flowers, it shouldn't bother you. Plus, if you tuck it in nobody can see the bottom. I just wanted to mention it because I think it is funny.

Moving on, the sweatshirt on the other side was a disappointment. I forgot to check the fabric content but the fabric feels bizarre on. I went down a size as well because I had read that it fit huge but the XXS was very uncomfortable in the sleeves. As I said I like that fact that this is really white but the love ends here. I only need one peony in my life and I am happy with the tee.
Here it is in a XXS (I think if I had to buy it I would buy my regular size as I was uncomfortable in the XXS, but then the front panel would be too big and boxy, since it doesn't drape well):



I tried it with the Collection curator pant in fresh kiwi (that strangely weren't on the floor. I had to ask for them). As you might remember, I have the old version of the curator (from 2011) in a 00. These have two main differences: first, the side zip (the old ones had an exposed zip in the back) and second, they are LINED (or doubled). The material is also a heavier poly than the old ones (actually the old ones are 37% poly and 67% triacetate). With lined pants I usually go up a size and that's what I did when trying these. Here is the size 0 and the color is more neon-y IRL:





I had to agree with the SA that they look AWESOME, wrinkles aside. They are a bit slouchy in the 0, but that's the look, I think, and you really don't want these to be tight in the legs because this color coupled with the material will show every bump and lump. These might be a FP buy for me as they are quite a statement but they still look chic and I can see myself wearing them with black and white this spring. They look very...modern.

That's it for this first round of reviews pre-rollout. What do you think of these? Are you considering any of them? Do you think the curator are a good buy for me? Please share!

Two OOTEs with Velvet Toothpicks

We went out two consecutive nights this past weekend, which NEVER happens (even the doorman made a comment).
Both occasions were quite casual but my husband didn't want me to wear jeans so I substitute the jeans with the navy toothpicks in velvet.
On Friday night we were invited for dinner at one of my husband's collegues. He is very young and works in my husband's team and this is the first time ever that I play the boss's wife role. He was very nervous but his girlfriend, also very young, was very talkative and a very interesting person (she writes poetry and hosts a series of poetry recitals at some University).
In any case, even if I was the boss's wife, I didn't want to look too old or be overdressed so since we are still in February, MONTH OF LOVE, I thought that the heartthrob shirt would be the perfect choice. For some reasons, even if it has been established that the background is navy (still looks black to me), I never wore it with a navy bottom.
I really love this shirt, it always gets me compliments and I love the fit. I think it looks GREAT with the navy toothpicks (and navy cardigan):





On Saturday night we went out for dinner with a couple of friends. I was really looking forward to catching up, she was one of my best friends when my daughter was in nursery school so we haven't seen each other much this year and he is such a sweetheart. Since we were taking a cab to the restaurant I decided to wear the Electric plaid blouse with the matching Everly t-strap shoes. I knew that my friend would be more casually dressed (in fact she showed up in jeans and a simple sweater) but I couldn't pass the occasion up:






The necklace is one of the few non JCrew necklaces that I have. It is from Ann Taylor, a place where I never shop. I had seen this necklace at some point in the summer last year and thought it was really pretty (but expensive for Ann Taylor) and vaguely took note to come back during one of their sales but then forgot about it because I tend to forget things that I see in stores other than the Crew. When I bought the blouse and especially the abstract diamond necklace this Fall it suddenly popped back in my head so I looked for it on ebay and found one that was decently priced (it is called neon something and also come in a neon yellow). The color is a perfect match for the pink in the blouse (it is more vivid IRL) and really makes the pink pop. I love it and when I wore it with the abstract diamond turtleneck I got plenty of compliments.
My friend's husband was very generous in compliments but the best was when we got up from the table and he noticed that my blouse and shoes matched. He told his wife "Ohhh, did you see that her shoes match her blouse?" Don't you love when a representative of the other sex notices the effort? I am not even sure that MY husband had noticed (well, he did because I told him).

A few hours before, I had a silly domestic accident that could have gone very badly. I made pasta for lunch and I somehow missed the sink when I drained the water. Not sure what happened exactly but basically I poured the boiling water on one of my legs and I was wearing pajama shorts. Boy, it hurt and I went screaming into the bathroom, not sure what to do. I knew I had a "First degree" emergency cream somewhere but I couldn't find it (I found it eventually but it was a bit late), so I poured aftersun lotion on it. For the rest of the afternoon there was a big red stripe across my thigh and for an hour or so I thought there would be a scar but the day after it looked much better already (I still have a small red patch but I hope it is going away).
This is my first domestic accident ever and I hope that it will be the last one!

I have a few reviews coming up, stay tuned!

Miami Vacation Pics

So I just wanted to share quickly a few pics of my Miami vacation. As I said the weather was much cooler than expected (it started to warm up on Monday) bur really, I can't complain as we had a great time anyway.

We stayed at two different hotels, the first one was a golf resort near the airport (not much of a choice, my husband was there for work) and the second one was in Miami Beach. I had actually booked a different hotel, in South Beach and much closer to the "action" but a week or so before departure I changed my reservation and booked a room at The Palms, that in the meanwhile had become cheaper for a higher standard. I am so glad that I did! The hotel is outstanding, has a very intimate feeling while having all the perks and services of bigger hotels (SPA, pool service etc.) and, very importantly if you are staying in Miami with kids, it is elegant without trying to be "hip" (that means no loud music at the pool and no "partying" until late at night when you just want to sleep). The location is also ideal because while technically the area isn't considered South Beach anymore it is only a 5-10 minutes taxi ride away from all the South Beach restaurants and shopping and we never paid more than $10 for a cab. You can even walk to Lincoln Road Mall (around 15 blocks away but even my daughter could do it) and it is actually a very nice (and fun!) stroll because you can just follow the boardwalk along the beach (directly accessible from the hotel through a gate nested in the vegetation) instead of walking among the cars on Collins:

Don't let the sun mislead you, it was coooold

The hotel has a nice old world feeling to it with art deco details and a very lush vegetation all around. It is just very...soothing. I was enamored with the elevator mirrored doors:

The theme of the hotel is (guess?) the palms and they are everywhere, including the lobby:



The rooms were small but very well appointed. We were upgraded to a oceanfront room and this was the view from our window:

And the pool, while not very big, had once again a luxurious feeling to it, probably because of the nice touches like this big pot with palm in the background and the vegetation surrounding it:

The fanfare tank, one of my favorite swimsuits and perfect for Miami

My suitcase worked quite well, considering the unexpected cold weather. I didn't feel like I was missing something that I had left at home (this rarely happens to me). I definitely brought too much stuff for my daughter and I didn't wear all the outfits that I had planned to wear in the evening but that's only because my choices were limited by the weather, as I couldn't do without a jacket or a sweater. I didn't get to wear the Calypso top (it doesn't work with something on top of it) and even the persimmon shell (too summery for the weather) but the outfits with the fresco pants worked very well (and I could top them with my navy windbreaker, a plus). I could squeeze the Comptoir black and gold dress in my suitcase even if I thought I wouldn't wear it and surprisingly I wore it twice. I forgot to mention in my packing post that this dress is a bit big on me on top and I should take it to the tailor to take it in a little bit at the shoulders but I didn't have time to do the alteration before my trip. The problem is, like this it is very low-cut and a bit scandalous (as you will see in the pics below) but my husband said that "it is OK in Miami".
The first time I wore the dress to dinner at the steakhouse of the first hotel (that was in the middle of nowhere, so dining options were limited to the hotel restaurants or a mall nearby. After braving the rain to go to the mall the first night, when it was pouring, and ending up in a Chinese restaurant chain, the second evening we decided that the hotel Brazilian steakhouse will do it. It was actually quite good and definitely more upscale than the mall so I took it as an occasion to dress up).
The second time I wore the dress to one of the most amazing restaurants I have ever been to. Not talking about the food here (even if food was decent), but the place and the view took my breath away. The place is called Juvia and it is located on Lincoln Road Mall, in the commercial space attached to the famous parking built by architect Herzog and De Meuron at the end of the road. If you are in Miami, you can't miss it, it is an attraction per se if you love architecture.
The restaurant is located on the top floor and has probably one of the best views on Miami, especially at night (I knew the restaurant from reading about it on Opentable so I took my husband there just to have a look when we were strolling on Lincoln Road the first day and that's when we decided to come back for dinner). Same view during the day and at night:

The restaurant has an outdoor seating area but it was too cold to dine outside:

The inside of the restaurant is a wooden structure with floor to ceiling windows that give the impression of being in a glass box. Amazing 360 view, especially if you have a window seat. Our table was probably the best in the restaurant because it was in the corner:

I wanted to show you this pic back at the hotel because it shows the "grandeur" of the hall (note my daughter exhausted on the ottoman):

The only thing that I could have left at home are the scroll print shorts, but because I had bought them for Miami I felt like I had to wear them at least once. So when we went for a walk on the beach at the end of President's day I changed myself to take the pictures. I don't know if you can tell, but I was freezing. That's how the models shooting summer catalogs in the middle of winter must feel!

That's all I wanted to share. Anybody is from Miami or has been to Miami recently and had dinner at Juvia?

OOTD: Back to the Cold

I am back from my Miami gateway and was greeted with below freezing temperatures this morning. Not that it was THAT warm in Miami; in fact it was unseasonally cold until yesterday when we finally had a nice and warm day in the high 70s.

But that's another post. I just wanted to say Hi! and post my OOTD. Nothing better when you are back from a warm weather vacation and suddenly thrown back to the reality of winter than having a new sweater or coat to break out, just to fight the blues. In this case it's a sweater, that finally made its way to my closet after much stalking on my part. It's the cashmere herringbone sweater in the navy/mint colorway. I missed on it during the store 50% off final sale extravaganza at the end of January (when it was a mere $50) but one day it popped back on the website and luckily I was able to order it from a store for the last store price. Not as good as $50 but at least I didn't have to pay the crazy $199 website price.
As others have reported, this sweater has a very compact weave that makes it very cozy. I love the colorway, the mint is very subtle and looks great against the navy. At first I was a bit taken aback by the fit, as I remembered it more fitted through the waist, while it is a bit loose in my regular XS. Strange, because I tried a XXS in store (the only size left) and I could barely pull it over my head. However I warmed up to it and its slight "grampa" look. It makes me want to leave for the slopes:

That's it for today, I am going to leave you for the laundry. I will have a post on my Miami stay next, the hotel was OUTSTANDING and I went to a restaurant with an amazing view of Miami beach that I want to share.

Green, Blue and Stripes: A Miami Suitcase

So I am packing for Miami as I leave tomorrow with my daughter for a five-day vacation. I know, I know, I shouldn't be packing today, I should be all done with that but I am a last-minute person and this is something that one can't change (I am telling you just in case you are going to get married and your chosen one is a last-minute person and you think you are going to change him. Nope, sorry, he is not going to change). I started early, as usual, but I am one of those people who can finish something only under pressure, so here I am. I underestimated the task because as some of you will remember I went last year at the exact same time, so I thought I knew what to bring this time. Last year I took a lot of "in case" clothes that were way too warm (sweaters and even a wool dress for the evening) that I didn't even take out of the suitcase because it was SO hot, so I wasn't planning to bring any of that this year but it looks like the weather is going to be more unstable this year: a bit of rain the first two days, then sunny but cold on Sunday, then hot and humid on Monday and Tuesday. This put me into panic mode that translated into "I don't even want to look into that right now". Well, until this morning, when I HAD to do something about it.

The decision that I made is to bring my floral fresco café capris from last year and build my outfits around them. Some of this stuff I had already planned to bring but I had just thrown them in the suitcase without a cohesive plan. The pants are my Superglue! The advantage is that they are fun enough and I can layer on top in case it is too cold to wear them with a tee. The colors in the pants are green and blue and that works well with plenty of tops.

For example, if it's warm enough I can wear them with a sample V-neck tee. This is navy and is from Joe Fresh but I am also bringing a vintage cotton one in white (honestly, I like the Joe Fresh, that costs only $10, better but they were out of my size in the white and I needed a replacement for an old one that I can only wear to sleep now, so I ordered the JCrew vintage cotton with the last promo).





But I can add a featherweight cardigan (one of the few sweaters that I have in the green family but it works with the pants), and my Nolita jacket over it if I need (not pictured):





Remember when I met Tom Mora at a cocktail party and he suggested that I wear these pants with a striped top? Tom, if you are reading (which I am sure you are not), this is for you:



I am bringing the Petit Bateau top above because it is in a sweatshirt-like fabric, so a bit warmer than a tee. It works with the pants, I think, but I can wear it to breakfast or around the pool over my bikini (and of course with white jeans, my other pair of pants that I am bringing).
Very similar to this top is a dress that I have stalked for almost year. It isn't JCrew, it is a Juicy Couture (called Santa Monica, swoon) and I was already trying to buy it on sale on their website before my summer vacation last year, with no luck. One day it appeared on 6pm.com and the stalking started again. I was convinced that I needed a XS but at that time I was fixated on the green stripe colorway and the XS was only available in the cobalt blue (not to mention that it was also more expensive than the green). So I waited and waited, until the XS sold out in the blue too and the S soldout in almost all the sizes. When finally the price came down to around $50 I pulled the trigger on the blue, even if I was expecting the S to be too big. Well, not only it isn't too big but it is very short so I can't even imagine what the XS would have been. I can still pull it off, especially on vacation, but it is almost too short even for me. I LOOOOVE the lace-up detail:



Now, the evening is a big headache. I am going to take the persimmon sequin top but I had planned to bring a few lightweight dresses to wear barelegs. I even bought a Comptoir des Cotonniers dress on supersale with Miami in mind (an excuse to buy it because I had admired it from the beginning but it was expensive and I didn't know where I would wear it).
The pics don't do this dress entirely justice, as the contrast between the golden beads and the black is just stunning IRL. Very art deco, non?





Now, I am dying to wear it but I refuse to bring tights and I am concerned that it would be too cold to wear it like this. Also, if we just go for pizza with our daughter, I probably won't dress up like an art deco building even if it is Miami, lol. Not to mention that it takes a lot of suitcase space (that I am sharing with my daughter), so I don't think I am going to take if after all unless there is room to spare in my suitcase when everything else is inside. Thoughts? There is a little chance that we'll go out with grown-ups one evening leaving my daughter with our friend's babysitter but it seems a bit complicated, so I am not counting on it.
Probably it is a wiser choice to bring a "going out" top that can go from dinner (including pizzeria) to clubs:




You have never seen this top before but I had it for quite a while. In fact, it wasn't a top but a dress that I had bought on supersale at Calypso. It was originally very expensive (silk liked in silk ladies) but I got it for very cheap on final sale. The bottom of the dress was very ill-fitting but I really loved the top with the metal faux-necklace at the neckline so I had it shortened as a top. The jeans that I am wearing here are not the ones that I am bringing, they are bootcuts and this top need skinny bottom but I didn't have the time to retake the pics.

That's all I wanted to show you. I will end this post with a semi-related movie recommendation that I think some of you are going to like, especially if, like me, you have a girl's crush on Marion Cotillard. Taking advantage of my husband being away (he is already in Miami) I ordered on Netflix a French movie called "Little white lies" by Guillaume Canet (Mrs. Cotillard partner in life). It's a buddy movie, with a group of friends who spend vacation time at the (beautiful) beach house of one them, while another friend is between life and death in a hospital from a moto accident. It is a cross between "The big chill" and another French movie that I personally loved called "The man of my life" and that you can also watch on Netflix (but warning: after watching it Netflix will think that you have gay/lesbian preferences and will keep suggesting movies with explicit gay content, while it is more of a typical French movie with men characters who talk a lot about life and friendship).
Anyway, in "Little white lies" one of the characters is played by Marion Cotillard and she is breathtakingly beautiful in a very natural way. Because the tone of the movie is low-key she is wearing mostly tee shirts and shorts and she could be easily wearing JCrew (with a French twist). She has beautiful long legs which of course help her in looking terribly chic in a sweatshirt and flip flops but the movie gave me to throw away all the cover-ups that I have bought in recent years and just go with my old uniform of denim shorts and a tee:


These are coming, thanks to Marion

I will talk to you in a week and will let you know how everything worked out. And for those of you celebrating, Happy Valentine's Day!

OOTD: Herringbone add Polka Dots

A couple of weeks ago, while I was looking for a grey bottom to wear with my new gray Joe Fresh cardigan, I suddenly regretted not getting those Gap slim fit herringbone crops that I had tried back in October (by lack of better judgment on my part I got the pink ones that so far I haven't worn IRL, even if I tried a couple of great outfits with them). At my local store the sale stock was very scarce, as you can imagine but luckly I found a lonely size 10 that allowed me to track down a pair in my size. As you know at the Gap you can ask the SA to lookup the inventory of other stores and it turned out that another store (not so far was supposed to have plenty in stock in my size. I called the store and after being put on hold for five minutes they told me that nope, not a single pair in my size. Now, it is pretty useless to ask a SA on the phone if she is sure of something that she just told you, so I thanked and called another store whose inventory showed one pair (which is very close to 0 as far as chances that an actual pair will show up) and while they didn't have any they told me that the store that I had just called was showing 10 in my size. I know, right??? So I decided that it was worth it to go in person and put to good use my sleuth abilities to find clothes that are hiding in unconventional spots. Did the SA check all the manniquins? Fitting rooms? The windows? You never know where a pair could hide and you just need one. It wasn't that difficult, there was a pair right on the sale rack in my size and with all the discounts it came down to only $12. These gotta be the most flattering pair of pants that I own for that price.

Yesterday the kindergarteners at my daughter school had their first poetry recital. It was a big deal and since all the other moms and dads would be there I wanted to look a little bit more polished than in my usual drop-off uniform of sweatpants/leggings, so I decided to wear the Gap pants with the Blythe in polka dots and the Joe Fresh sweater. The problem with these pants, as with the café capris, is that you need to wear heels or at least flats for them to fall right and my feet were definitely cold in my heels but it was worth it because I really liked the outfit. I accessorized with my big pearl necklace (first I tried it over the Blythe's collar but I think the Blythe doesn't lend itself to be buttoned all the way up, so I unbuttoned it and let the necklace peek out from underneath):

How could I live for so long without an ivory belt?

The recital was the cutest thing and I was so proud of my little one, she was the first one to go and she recited her poem perfectly and in a loud voice, which of course brought tears to my eyes. I don't want her to grow up!
Once home, and while I was all dressed up, I switched the Blythe with the Tilda top, that I brought home the other day to play around with. I think this top is exquisite, my pics really don't do it justice. Anyway, since I had tried it under a blazer at the store, I wanted to show you how it looks under a sweater:

I think that I am going to hold on to it and try to rebuy on promo because with the tax this was almost $120, which I find a bit steep ($88 would be much better). BTW, I am "almost" sure that there will be a sitewide promo for President's Day. At least there was one last year, I remember because I was in Miami and I couldn't order anything. But don't take my words for granted, with the Crew you never know.

Ok, those of you snowed in, stay warm and safe (it was raining here ealier this morning but the snow is picking up again). Next week it will be all about my packing for Miami, so stay tuned for some (welcome) warm weather outfit! Have a great weekend!

Product review: Tweed-Front Tee

Quick post-review today of the Tweed-front tee. This is the tee that I pre-ordered after seeing it in the catalog. I love summer tweed and I love tees so this one called my name. Did I ever mention that I love navy? I am kidding, you KNOW that navy is a color I will never bore of. I ordered my regular XS, as I am very rarely a XXS in tees (more often in tanks).

So the tee arrived and while I like it I wasn't blown away. I find it a little ... boring? In any case the front panel is a light tweed made of a blend of cotton and silk that isn't scratchy at all (in case you are wondering the front panel isn't lined on the inside so you are wearing the tweed directly on your skin but really, it shouldn't bother anyone). The sleeves and back are cotton (I read somewhere that the sleeves are silk but no, it's a tee shirt cotton that isn't paper thin). It is a bit big in the body but it fits perfectly in the shoulders so I think that a XXS would be too small. I apologize for the styling, those are my sweat pants and they don't do the tee any favor. I am sure it will look much better with regular pants ;-).

When I saw it in the catalog it immediately reminded me of my terrazzo tweed jacket that as you know I have recently re-purchased after buying and returning in the summer. The tweed of the tee is sort of a reverse version of the tweed of the jacket as the jacket is white with navy speckles and the tee is navy with white speckles. I wondered how the two would look together and I think the tweeds blend harmoniously, thanks to the fringed neckline of the tee that picks up the chained fringe in the jacket:

As you can see the tee is short enough to be worn under a blazer without tucking it in. Here I am wearing it under my Theory blazer, which is pretty short:

But all in all I think that it is best worn wear simply with jeans and white pants (or even shorts). I am a bit torn because I think it is something that I could wear a lot but on the other side I don't think I really "need" it as I ha a lot of tees to wear casually and I am not sure it is special enough to make the cut in my (overcrowded) closet. I would keep it to wear with the terrazzo but I am not sure it is a good idea after all. Tweed overload?

What do YOU think?