Wearing Today - J Crew White Rosette Tee and Beechwood Merino Michelle

So last Friday, with my Mickey crewpon in hand, I hit up J Crew (again) before meeting my parents for lunch, and lo and behold, there were 2 nice stacks of rosette tees sitting on the front table, one of which was white. I had already been clued in on the white ones from Ema in her post, so they were on my radar. So I grabbed a couple sizes in white and went back to try on. I ended up getting the white, which I am just thrilled with! I sized up to Large due to the sheerness of it, so it's a little slouchy, but not slopping, IMO. And my mom, who doesn't shop at J Crew, loved the tee so much, we went back and got one for her (using my crewpon, of course).

I think this will be a perfect piece for me. I wear white camis, tanks, and tees so often, and this will just give some extra detail. And I wore it today, to go meet a friend for lunch. It was a chilly day, but I am totally feeling the spring vibe, so I paired it with white jeans and the Merino Michelle in Beechwood. I feel beachy, or beechy, not sure which. I did swap out the sandals in the Polyvore set for the Joley flats, since they had a little more coverage. (by the way - the white jeans lasted for about 6 hours, before I swapped them out for sweats - but I put them away clean to wear another day - so they were not done in by the puppy - yay!!)

Polyvore for today:

Wearing Today - 04/30/09 (I think) by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew sweaters

And here's the BIG question - I haven't found a pic of this tee anywhere on Polyvore or elsewhere to use on PV. Has anyone else? I don't think they even had white when it was first online. If anyone has a clue or can help, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!!

J Crew Slub Cotton Pleated Front Tank

One last quick review before the Mickey crewpon expires. The J Crew Slub Cotton Pleated Front Tank (#14948, $29.50). Don't know that I would have gotten this one without the crewpon; I probably would have waited for it to go on sale. But at about $22, I really liked it.

The tank comes in white, light pewter, light turquoise, and navy. I ended up getting the navy for opacity. The light turquoise was so so so pretty, but much more sheer. This is such a breezy lightweight top, and I didn't want to have to wear something underneath. And you can see the model's bra in the close up pic that shows the detail. And I love the pleated detail - very pretty - it's a woven fabric inset in the knit.

Fit-wise, I went with a Medium. I tried the Small, but it (actually, I swear, because this is very rare) pulled at the bust a bit. I can see this looking a little maternity-ish if you are busty, but since that didn't even happen to me when I had each of my two darling children, I didn't have to worry so much about that.

The top is definitely swingy, but still fit fairly close to my sides and then skimmed over my hips. Pardon the IRL pics, and I took it while trying on the new purchases yesterday. Dark jeans really don't do the tank any justice, but I was hurrying. I really see this with white jeans, khakis, cute shorts. Just nothing too full on the bottom. And the detail doesn't really show up in the pic (thus the catalog pics above). For $22, I will really enjoy it this summer.

J Crew Dressy Jersey Strapless Dress &

A couple of quick reviews since the Mickey crewpon expires tomorrow. Ah, we had a good run, didn't we, little red card? I'll miss you. But my husband won't....

The J Crew Dressy Jersey Strapless Dress (#14982, $78). Love love love. Seriously love. First of all, thanks to sparrowsandsparkles for first posting about this dress and the clutch (which I will get to further down). And also, I am barefoot because I was doing this upstairs while the cleaning ladies were downstairs and was swapping out clothes quickly. Lucy was dozing on the floor of the bathroom.

I live in dresses like this in the summer. And after they are done as dresses, they become bathing suit cover-ups. This one really is constructed better than the usual knit dress with boning at the sides of the bodice, the sticky sticky tape stuff at the top to help it not slide off your skin, and the fantastic & removable halter strap (seriously love that it's removable). I had tried the Sanur dress, and liked it - but this one is really much more me. I debated about the colors for a while. I loved the dark charcoal and the navy, but wondered if I should get a bright. Final decision was to go with the 2 darker colors because (1) they are my 2 fave JC colors, seriously, and (2) they make it look more like a dress, so I think that makes it more versatile. And (3) would be that the darker color makes it easier to get away without wearing a bra on the really really hot days. And since I had the crewpon, which made it under $60 each, I got both. But I will, without question, wear them that much.

Fit-wise - I took a Medium and there was plenty of room, so do NOT size up on this one - go TTS or a little down. I love the length - it goes to the top of my knees, and I think that helps it feel like more of a dress. The detail on the bodice is really pretty, too.By the way, you probably think I am wearing the same dress in both pics. The 1st one, without dress strap or rattan clutch, is the dark charcoal. The 2nd one, with clutch and dress strap, is the navy. Don't worry, I promise to accessorize, unless we literally just got back from the pool and I'm dying of heatstroke and I just need 3 more glasses of water.

And so onto the Rattan Clutch (#14665, $48). Love this. And $36, not too bad of a deal. I don't know about you, but I am tired of clutches that barely fit my BlackBerry and keys, much less my sunglasses - which are vitally important in the summer. Well, actually, year-round for me, but I'm not carrying this clutch in December unless I am on a fab vacation. I took a pic (below right) of what actually fits in the clutch - and I would say, quite a bit. I could choose between my entire huge wallet and BB, or the assortment below - BB, big sunglasses, lipstick, some cards, with plenty of room for keys, mints, mace, whatever you need.

The J Crew Jaspe Boyfriend Sweatshirt

Now when I see "J Crew Boyfriend", do I think of a dream date? Ummmm, no, not exactly. Yes, if you have read me at all, you know I immediately flash to my other love, the tissue boyfriend vneck tee. I am starting a cult, please join me. And yes, I did get it in breeze yesterday (go ahead and laugh, AppGirl), but I swear that's the last one (this season)...since the Mickey crewpon expires tomorrow.

But enough about the tee, I want to talk about the Jaspe Boyfriend Sweatshirt (#15229, $49.50). Ok, $50 is a bit much for a sweatshirt, but with the crewpon - less than $40. I may not have even looked at it, but someone mentioned it on their blog... and it's totally escaping me now because I always like to include the shout out, but if you remind me, I will update. Anyway, boyfriend cut? It could be love... or a total disaster, based on the photo. So I tried it on last Friday, and did love it. It's styled like a sweatshirt, but with a much leaner cut, and longer - which for me is always good. I got a Large so that it would be roomier and I would have enough room in the shoulders. The sleeves are totally long enough. (Thank you, Tall Jenna!)

It's not as thick as a sweatshirt and it's quite soft - so it makes a really good substitute for a sweatshirt. Or just a great long sleeve top to wear over a tank & jeans when you wake up and it's pouring and you really don't want to get out of bed but have to because the cleaning ladies are coming and the kids have to get ready for school and you have to take the puppy outside... But enough about me. It will be a great piece for the spring/summer/fall. And a long sleeve tee underneath, especially a fun color, like yesterday's yellow (speaking of which, this outfit is probably a let down after the yellow tee/navy skirt/bubble necklace combo, but it suited my purpose today).

I did up the glam factor with jewelry - Dina hoops, Anthro limon necklace, and H&M ring. I loved the yellow necklace with the gray sweatshirt, but I honestly don't think it photographed that well. Hmmmm.... The light in my room is really not the best for the pics, but I have yet to make the time to figure something else out. But now is not that time. So it was rainy, cool, spring day today - but good for my garden, for my newly planted tomatoes/peppers/herbs, for my new burning bushes, and everything else. And I got to wear a new sweatshirt, so I won't complain. (this time)

Polyvore for today:

Wearing Today - 04/29/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew tops

Wearing Today Featuring J Crew Painter Tee and Nicky Skirt

Another April scorcher today here in DC. Today's outfit features some major bargains lately at the Crew. First up, the Ringspun Crewneck Painter Tee (#12672, orig $34, curr $19.99) in a sun yellow, maybe? I think it's brighter than the sweet lemon online. (don't still have the tag) It was marked down to $19.99, plus crewpon = $14.99! And then the Cotton Taffeta Nicky skirt in navy (orig $78, on sale $19.99, plus crewpon = $14.99). I am loving the Nicky because when I first tried it on about 2 months ago, it looked awful on me. Now, thanks to the weight loss and getting into shape, a smaller size fits and looks fab. Yay! So I feel especially great with it on.

And then to dress up the boring tee & skirt - the Erickson Beamon Clear Beaded Bubble Necklace. Still love that piece - it's so fun. I will be wearing it like this a lot in the summer - to spice up a plain top. Plus some silver bracelets and a fun navy/silver bangle. Jewelry details at right. (PatinaCabachon is so good at posting those details!)

So today was my last day to use the crewpon, so of course, I had to go. Yes, I did get another boyfriend tissue vneck tee (I told you I would be getting Breeze before the card expired, so I did), plus a couple other things I'll be posting in the next few days. So lots of fun stuff to talk about. But it's time to head to the bus stop.

Here's my Polyvore for today:



Wearing Today - 04/28/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy tank tops

Wearing Today, Yesterday, Catching Up - Heat Wave

The big news is the weather. Yes, we're having a heat wave. Have you ever seen "There's No Business Like Show Business"? I love old movies.



First of all, I am totally delinquent on my blog reading, so I'll be catching up on that later this evening. Can't wait to see what everyone has been up to. I never even posted yesterday because I was just wiped out after all the family (including their puppy) left. It was so much fun. Kids had a ball, puppies had a ball, my mom loved seeing all the kids together, my dad loved seeing the 2 puppies together. I enjoyed visiting without having to leave home. And...ice cream cake Saturday night for my nephew's bday - yum!

So yesterday was hot...again. Ooooh, I think it might be summer! And what's better on a hot summer day than a soft, cool tshirt...like the J Crew boyfriend tissue vneck tee? And it was so hot, I bypassed brights and went right to cool neutrals. Gray and white. Visually it helped me cool down. The skirt IRL is from Target last summer - so comfy, so lightweight, so perfect with any tee. It's a standard travel piece, great for wearing while driving since it's already gauzy so wrinkles don't show, and it covers a hot car seat if the car has been sitting in the sun. And ahhhh, the beloved Liz gladiator sandals from Isaac Mizrahi at Target last summer. Seriously, he had to know when he named these, doncha think? I should hunt these on eBay, I love them so much. I lived in the bronze and black ones last summer. But you've heard about that before. (BTW - my hair only lasted about 45 minutes before it was up in a ponytail. Why wasn't I smart enough to start out that way?)

Polyvore for Sunday:


Wearing Today - 04/26/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy tank tops

And then today, sadly, we had to go to a funeral this morning. The father of a childhood friend of hubby's passed away last week. Makes you think...a lot. Hug your parents, hug your kids, hug your friends. We only have so long with each other, you know?

Back to the superficial since that's where I specialize, J Crew Cotton-cashmere bouquet cardi - perfect for bare arms inside a church in summer. The dress is from Ann Taylor Loft, fall 2007. It always makes me feel like Audrey Hepburn. It's knit, so it's insanely comfy, and I actually kept it on most of the day because a sleeveless knit dress seemed like the right choice....right up until soccer practice.


Wearing Today - 04/27/09 by HeidiGblog on Polyvore.com


And then for soccer at 5:30 and boot camp at 7:00 we have the "wearing later today" Polyvore. I love these skorts from Target. They are the best for walking - totally comfy, and look better on me than any athletic shorts I have found. I just wish I could find a bottle of water that large, because I would all over it today. No IRL pics because I just changed, and it's really not *that* interesting.


Wearing Later Today - 04/27/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy sleeveless tops

See you all out on the blogosphere!!! Last week for the Mickey card...who's headed to JC?

Wearing Today with IRL pics of Havaianas Thong Sandals

Quick post today.... Everyone up visiting. Puppies having a blast. Kids loving the puppies! Beautiful day outside.

Something fun - I am wearing my new-to-me French Market tee, thanks to MMM. It's so darn cute, love the cow, love the gray/navy/white/gold design, love the fit (my sister is probably proud that I am wearing a fitted shirt). And I figure it does take confidence to actually wear a cow on your chest... All good!!

And I finally pulled out the Havaianas thong sandals that I posted about way back in February when I first started. They are so comfy and the strap on the back keeps them on - so not as much strain on your foot muscles (wow, I sound like such an old man). And my mom got a pair of those also yesterday, so I will have to come up with another idea for Mother's Day.

Perfect day to pull out the J Crew Seaside Pants, too. They are so light and cool - and comfy. Again, I highly recommend..

And I also have on my gold hoops (you know, the one that dinagideon found and sent to me after I lost it in her car between shopping & brunch at the DC JCA event), which will now be known as the Dina hoops for 2 reasons:

1 - It illustrates what a lovely, kind, and resourceful person Dina is.
2 - It illustrates what a bumbling clutz I am. Seriously, who yanks out an earring putting her hair in a ponytail?

Polyvore for today:

Wearing Today-04/25/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy tank tops

And, of course, as promised, puppy pics to share. Lucy & Chase had an absolute blast and are expected to sleep very, very, very well tonight. Enjoy!!

Lucy looks twice as large as Chase in that pic above, but it cracks me up how they each have the other's paw in their mouth.

The Start of Summer (Wearing Yesterday...)

Sorry so late in posting. Hubby is away golfing this weekend and my parents came up yesterday to spend the weekend. My sister & family (& puppy) are coming up today to spend the night because (1) it's my nephew's 7th bday and he really wants to see his cousin for his birthday(so sweet!)...and visit the Lego store at Tysons, and (2) we want to get the puppies together. Chase, their springer spaniel puppy, is only 3 days younger than Lucy. Lucy is going to lose her mind when she has a puppy to play with non-stop for a day. Much as she loves balls and people, she just *LOVES* other dogs. So if I'm totally delinquent in posting/commenting/etc over the weekend, that's why. But I should have some cute puppy pics to compensate when I return.

It was gorgeous yesterday, so I finally got to wear my J Crew bon voyage tee with white jeans, as I have been picturing ever since I got that tee. And paired with the short sleeve navy vneck cardi, which I imagined as the perfect 3rd piece. And the new Target Merona Eleora flat sandals - which were comfy.

More to chat about later. I met my parents at the mall for lunch. After I showed my mom my new white rosette tee, we went back and got one for her, too. Any chance anyone has seen a pic online that I can snag for Polyvore (in white)? Otherwise, I'll be photographing it hanging on my closet door and clipping that pic. By the way, because of returns, I only net-spent $5 at J Crew, so I thought that was pretty good.

Polyvore of yesterday's outfit:


Wearing Yesterday-04/24/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Forzieri earrings

Hope you enjoy your weekend and have beautiful weather wherever you are!

Wearing Today - with J Crew Joley Flats!

Today is Take Your Child to Work Day. Excused absence if you send in a note ahead of time and complete a "packet." Since I mainly work at the kitchen table (not so interesting), kiddies and I went into the office so they could hang out with hubby. We work for the same company (how do you think I got the job, hehehe?). Seriously, though, it's a fantastic company and I particularly love the fact that I can do about 95% of my job from home and they understand that at 9:00 am and 3:40 pm, I have to be here for the bus. So I stayed through lunch and then bailed to hit Target and Lowe's on the way home. Yes, I was picking out plants (veggies, herbs, shrubs) in white jean and Joley flats. Which brings me to the wearing today...

I got my Library cardi back from the cleaners who were repairing a teeny hole in the cuff caused by (yes, today's she's 4 months old and isn't she cute?) Lucy. And it was breezy, so I though it would be good today. And thanks to inspiration from PoseyFord earlier in the month, I paired it with a blue oxford shirt. (Thanks, Posey!) And of course, the white jeans. Know how bored you all are with seeing me in dark jeans? Well, it switches to white jeans and khakis in the spring, so you'll be seeing a lot of them. We'll see how well that works with a puppy.

J Crew's Joley Flats (#11703, orig $128, curr $98 online, $79.99 in store, with 25% Mickey card - $60, love it!!). I got them in bronzed twig, which is a fabulous medium neutral. I think they literally go with everything. They were definitely the perfect shoe for this outfit. This is my first non-flip flop/sneaker J Crew shoe purchase. Most of the shoes are way too narrow in the toe box for me, but these are perfect. So if you have avoided JC shoes in the past for that reason, you may want to give these a try. I think they will be so perfect in summer when I want a sandal but my feet (esp heels) aren't looking so polished, because they basically cover your heel and the bottom part of your toes. (OPI's Light My Sapphire is on my toes right now.)

Finally, I had to wear my standard gold hoops since I just got in the mail the one I unwittingly yanked out of my ear in Dina's car at the last DC JCA outing - thanks, Dina!!

As I said in my Polyvore, I am just all happiness today. Got library cardi back, got missing gold hoop, new JC flats, it's all good.

Wearing Today - 04/23/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew tops

And I thought you would enjoy this... Lucy was "helping" me when I was taking pics. Here's a larger view of what I usually crop out... (shaggy dog = trim tonight)

Wearing Today - plus another *New* J Crew Tissue Boyfriend Vneck Tee

Ok, this is the last of the tissue boyfriend vneck tees (at least for now)... I got the parsley last Friday in addition to the flamingo - marked down to $19.99, plus Mickey card = $15. I guess it was more marked down since it's an older color. I really like this parsley color. It will be a great fall color, but I also like it now mixed with white, putty, cream, shell. (Y'all know how much I like these tees, right? I don't need to pontificate again, do I?)

Massage this morning (ahhhh, I think my muscles finally unkinked from the mulching this weekend) plus errands and then work and puppy time in the afternoon, until the kiddies came home. Now it's homework/snack time.

This outfit could definitely use some more accessorizing, but it was a chill day, and I think I get points for not actually wearing sweats. (Gigi - yes, I know I need a great pin on the cardi, but haven't found one yet...working on it...) Not to mention our crazy weather where it swapped between rain and sun multiple times during the day.

The Polyvore is not so great with this one because I couldn't find a great dupe for the sweater jacket, but here it is...



Wearing Today-04/22-09 by HeidiGblog featuring Geox shoes

Question time: I actually would have loved to wear my red patent flats today, but the problem is that I haven't switched out the green bag for the white. And it's April, not December...

The green purse IRL. I use a dupe for it on Polyvore:

The red patent flats IRL (again, I use dupes on Polyvore).

To me, Kelly Green + Red = Christmas Colors. These are way too close for me. What do you think?

Wearing Today (incl new Merino Michelle in Beechwood)

Ahhhh the love of J Crew's Merino Michelle cardi (#11659, orig $88, online $49.99-whatever, in store $19.99 and then 25% Mickey card!!) Seriously, folks, $15. How can you go wrong?

I picked up the beechwood on sale last Friday. Do I need another cardi? Probably not, but I actually don't have anything in this color, and I wore my charcoal BR cardi just like this one all the time this past winter, so I imagine I will enjoy it. Since I hate to have clothes hanging in the closet without being worn, I decided to pull it out for today as it's still a bit chilly. I paired with a shell bf vneck tissue tee (like these 2 colors together!), jeans, pearls, and some black mocs. I feel a bit Laura Petrie-ish in the cuffed jeans/pearls/loafers, but hey, it works for me. Yes, these are the F21 pearls.

Polyvore for today:

Wearing Today - 04/21/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew t-shirts

Keeping this short, because I got a lot of ("real") work finished and want to walk Lucy before picking up the kiddies at the bus stop. I want to share some info on the new shampoo & conditioner I found and discuss the J Crew shoe love, since I just got my first pair of non-flip flops/sneakers.

But I'll leave you with some Lucy pics from this morning...

You May Be Right...I May Be Crazy...

Yes, today, I wore white jeans... on a rainy day... with a puppy. (But it just might be a lunatic you're looking for...) Ok, I'll stop quoting Billy Joel songs. So here's the thing, you know I just recently ordered the J Crew chunky star cable popover sweater. And ohhhh, it's so soft (by now, you all know how tactile I am). So I was kinda waiting for a chilly, rainy spring day to try it out. And dark jeans just looked too winter-y with it.

So I'm not going to complain about the rain. I got so much gardening done this weekend in the beautiful weather we had. Would much prefer the rain today... And I got to wear the new sweater. Oh yeah, I do have a 17-week-old Labradoodle puppy...in the rain and the mud. Well, what can I say. The sweater was fabulous. And the white jeans made it until 4:00, so 7 hours of wear. And it actually wasn't muddy paws that did me in, it was some tummy dirt - didn't dry her off well enough. My bad. Jeans have been sprayed with Shout and are sitting in the washer soaking. They'll be fine.

So as I got dressed, I realized how many different accessories would work with the sweater. Oooh, this is going to be fun, come fall! It shows off bracelets really well, but I opted for no bracelets since I was up at school volunteering in kids' classes this morning. And quite a few of the chunky necklaces worked too, including the Erickson Beamon bubble necklace. But I chose a gold and pearl chunky necklace, detail at the right. It was actually my grandmother's (my mom's mom, who passed away this fall). The value is sentimental, not monetary. It works really well layered with the J Crew twisted crystal necklace. The full story is that after my grandmother passed away, my mom put together some of her costume jewelry for E to use for dress-up, and I actually swiped a few necklaces from the stash that are fun (like the turquoise beads I wear).

Polyvore for today:

Wearing Today-You May Be Right...I May Be Crazy-04/20/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy tank tops

And wet dog pic for the day: (BTW, she doesn't get to hang out on the bathroom rug anymore because today Lucy discovered the fun contained in a roll of toilet paper. Yeah... that was entertaining. One more door to keep closed.

Wearing Today (including new F21 ring)

Productive day - finished most of the mulching. 3 bags left for veggie/herb garden (not planted yet, although I did get it cleaned out, for some bizarre reason, started working on it when I went out with Lucy at 6:30 am). And still have 1 1/2 bags sitting on the side bed where I may or may not be replacing shrubs. Otherwise, 20+ bags laid yesterday and today. Yay me!

Once the mulching was over (for now), time to shower, change and get dressed. And a chance to pop on the new F21 ring that I just posted about. I love how it shows up even on the full-length pic. Such a fun piece.

The shoes on the other hand... not sure I lovey. I really wanted to wear sandals, but gardening is hard on the toes as well as the hands, believe it or not. So I went with the red patent peep toe flats. I think the color is ok, but would have liked a loafer better. The twisted crystal necklace is ok too, but I think some chunkier pearls would have worked better. Well, I only hit the park with the kiddies and the pup, and tomorrow is another day.

It's funny, the most boring part of my outfit - gray J Crew tissue boyfriend vneck tee and Ann Taylor khakis is actually the part I was happiest with - outside of the cool new ring. Yep - chunkier pearls, sandals, and maybe some bigger earrings and this would have been much better. Will have to re-try next week.

Here's the Polyvore set (earrings are actually Swarovski crystal, but look exactly like the Cartier ones in the Polyvore)


Wearing Today-04/19/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Forever21 flat shoes