Wednesday, December 9, 2009

An Even "Skinnier" Alternative, plus Pics of the Knox

As I have mentioned time and again, I am a big fan of Chico's jeans. Even at JC, I find the waistband is too low plus too big leading to muffin top plus big gape at the back. Sure, I could get jeans tailored, but I'd rather find a pair that fits really well to start with. I blogged about the Chico's Platinum Denim Slim Leg Jeans a couple of months ago. And I have been loving them...but when I ordered, they no longer had the blue washes in the 35" inseam, so I just grabbed the regular inseam in store and have been wearing them cuffed with flats or tucked into boots.

New Find - even skinnier jeans from Chico's. I'll admit right up front that I was bold enough to try these because (1) they actually had my size - 0.5 - in the 35" inseam in the "Rinse Wash" - now of course, they are sold out and (2) I had a 50% any item if purchase is $50+ - usually the threshold is $100 - so I got these for half price. Behold..Chico's Platinum Denim Ultra Slim Leg Jean ($69). I think even my sister would be impressed at how skinny these jeans are.

Speaking of my sister - a huge Happy Birthday to my twin & birthday-mate. I can't think of anyone I'd rather share a birthday with, other than Donny Osmond, which we do - and when we were 10 years old, that was just so cool. And since I can't sleep, it's 2:34 am, which is about 2 minutes after you arrived, and 1 minute before I did. Those blissful 3 minutes when our mom thought she would only have to deal with 1 baby. Ah, the days before ultrasound...

Back to the jeans...I am very happy with the fit. I like the higher waistband because it kinda holds everything in so there's no muffin top or gaping. I do realize that on some, this waist would be too high, but on my rectangular form, it works. I took a size 0.5, which is supposed to equate to a 6 (yeah, whatever), but I find in their stretchy jeans & pants, it's best to size down because they will stretch out.

I still need to experiment with which tops work best. A long cardi is kind of a no-brainer. I had on the tango top with a long sleeve tee layered underneath and just wasn't feeling it this morning. The biggest pitfall to avoid is the Stacy & Clinton ice cream cone effect, aka ICE. (ICE where the top part of your bottom half is really wide, and your pants narrow down to really skinny at the bottom - your ankles may look tiny by comparison...but your behind - by comparison - looks huge. ICE is best managed through trouser or straight cuts.) But I think these are workable by choosing the right top half. And even if I only wear these with long sweaters & tees, hey, they were under $40 - so I'm not complaining.

Yesterday, I opted for my BR Michelle-twin, a white open neck painter tee and then piled on some gold/sparkly necklaces including the should-have-picked-one-that-doesn't-snag twisted crystal with my dangling crystal shapes bracelet. Simple, yes...but it really suited my mind frame and you know the drill - toss on the yellow Winnie coat and the outfit goes to fab immediately.

Polyvore for today:

12/8/09 - What I really wore...
12/8/09 - What I really wore... by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew




And on the subject of charcoal sweaters...melissa molasses asked for an IRL pic of the J Crew Knox sweater jacket (#18172, orig $132, curr $49.99 in store). This sweater is sold out online, but still pops back. Most stores seem to have a number of them back in the sale section. I stalked this one for a while, waiting for the price to drop.

I haven't yet gotten a pic when I've worn it as an actual outfit - but here's the pic from just after purchase. Love the sweater - very warm. It's a very tight knit, so it's less likely to snag. And (not pictured) even though it's double breasted, it still looks very cute open. I was paging through the JC Oct catalog and the model was wearing it open...but I can't quite remember what else she had on though.

I took an M. It's not tight, but I feel like it's streamlined enough to not be boxy. The sleeves are plenty long. You could consider sizing down in this, depending on your shoulders. I think the sweater is very versatile and plan to wear it a lot this winter. The only thing that I'm still working on is the best neckwear when the sweater is closed. A regular "shirt" would be great. But I feel like it needs something extra when wearing with a tee - but I haven't figured out which necklace works well, or if a scarf might be better. In fact, the last time I wore it, that was vexing me, so I just wore it open. Ah well, plenty of time to experiment.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Heidi, I received my knox yesterday, and thought the same thing about the neckline needing something with a tee. The supernova necklace worked the best for me so far. I like this sweater open or buttoned, or the first two buttons. It's really cute.

Anonymous said...

Love the jeans they look good on you, wise move to buy jeans that fit you right from the start, I had my Matchsticks tailored at the waist and they took them in too much, talk about a tight squeeze!

On warmer days a long tee with a belt would give you the same look too.

Unknown said...

Happy birthday Heidi! I hope you have a great day.

Kristin said...

I'm so glad to be seeing pictures of the knox on people! First slastena now you. I got mine back in Oct and I love it too. I needed a thick warm sweater and this fits the bill! One of the catalog pictures was over the paisley dress and it looked so pretty.

Question for you - since this is a double breasted sweater, you can actually wear it open, fold back the edges and button it in place that way (see the Lasata jacket at Anthro for clearer directions). However, because JC did not do the same number of buttons on each side this look will not be symmetrical. Is that "artistic" or "dumb" to wear it like that (this is where my fashion sense fails me)? Plus, I would worry too that folding it over might cause wear at that spot. But it might be an interesting option.

And I see Birthday Wishes are in order! Happy Birthday! Now you have to update your sidebar! ;) (I turned the same age as you back in Oct)

Meredith said...

Happy birthday Heidi!!! The skinnies look fab on you : )

dinagideon said...

I suck, suck, suck. Happy Birthday one whole day late. Ergh!

I will make it up to you...when we get together next, lunch is on ME! ;)

You look so cute in the chico's straight leg, very flattering!

dinagideon said...

Okay...what is WRONG with me? I think I need a calendar...today is Dec. 9, not yesterday. Phew!!!

Lunch is still on me.

Anonymous said...

I forgot to say Happy Birthday Heidi in my earlier post!

OneFashionistaDiva said...

i agree, i like jeans that are highter on the waist as well. i'm so over the low rise jeans! i really adore that winnie coat...thinking about buying. please let me know how it wears and if it's a pretty heavy coat. could you do a post on it?

melissamolasses said...

Thanks for the IRL pics of the Knox cardigan. I've been wanting to see it on someone tall!

Happy Birthday to you are your sis! Are you identical?

post-fab princess said...

Love the skinnies with a longish cardi! You look fab!!! Those are super jeans.

I also really like skinnies with tall boots - and it can sometimes combat any ice cream cone effect - not that YOU have to worry about that!

And happy belated b-day. You've mentioned having a twin before but I think I forgot that - so neat!

Ann said...

First of all, happy birthday!! Hope you have a great day!

Second: I appreciate your review of the jeans. I recently got some from Loft (Modern Slim) that I like, but I'm interested in trying the Chico's ones due to the higher rise. Will have to track them down in the store, as most sizes seem to be sold out online.

Finally, thanks for the comments on the Knox. I bought it when it first came out and was really excited about it...but just realized that I still haven't worn it and was considering returning it. Maybe I will have to try it on again and reconsider--your comments reminded me why I had loved it in the first place. It looks great on you!

Kathy said...

Happy Birthday to you and your sister! I cannot imagine being surprised in that way! I share a Birthday with Valerie Bertinelli, she is just a few years older.

Woobie said...

Happy Birthday HeidiG- I hope that your day was special. I must confess- Chicos has never done much for me, but the jeans have me re-thinking this for future reference.

fabumom in nc said...

Hi Heidi, happy birthday to you and your sister. I hope it's been a wonderful day for you. I share a birthday with Ann from the Today Show.

Thanks for the info on the Chicos jeans. I'm going to try them since I've been looking for that style for some time. They look fabu on you!!!

C said...

those jeans look nice... the last time I was in Chicos, all the sizes were 1,2,3..... and the 1 was too big, so I have not been back. Is there really a size 1/2 ? Are there more sizes?

I loved last year's Target skinny jeans, but they do not exist any more :( ... Kohl's has Vera Wang Skinnys (like) and Elle Skinnys (did not try).

Slastena said...

Happy Birthday, Heidi! wishing you the best of the best of the best and then some more! I am so jealous of you having a twin, doe sshe looke like you?:)
Skinny jeans are gorgeous on you and you look so radiant. Loving the Knox jacket on you.

HeidiG said...

thank you all for the birthday wishes! I truly appreciate them all!!

cdp - I'll try just the 1st 2 buttons on the sweater - great idea.

casual-crew - yes, a long tee would work fine, too.

Kristin - I was thinking last night that I need to update my profile, but hadn't gotten to it yet. :) I love love love the idea of folding back both flaps - I hadn't even thought of that. You are right that the button holes aren't symmetrical - but I bet you could have a tailor add the other 2 and it would be fine - and they wouldn't show if the sweater were closed. To prevent wear at the folding spot, you could just make sure you store it with the flaps flat. Great idea!! I will have to look into this.

dina - hehehe, but yeah, we need to make plans.

OneFashionistaDiva - I love the Winnie coat. It doesn't have the Thinsulate lining, but I think it's plenty warm. And with a cozy scarf, you're all set. I did do a post on the Winnie but it was a while ago - here's the address:
http://headtotoewithheidi.blogspot.com/2009/11/winnie-love.html

melissamolasses - no, thank you...for getting me up off my hiney and getting some reviews churned out. :)

PFP - you are so right - some killer boots totally balance out the ice cream cone.

Ann - Good luck in finding the jeans - I would highily recommend calling customer service to do a store check - saves you travel time - I have even had them look for a Tall size before. and I hope you enjoy your Knox sweater too!

Woobie - with Chicos, their tops don't fit me as well - it's hard to find them long & lean - theirs tend to be shorter and boxier on me. But I do have a fab faux fur collar cardigan of theirs from a couple of years ago that I am probably pulling out for a brunch tomorrow.

fabumom in nc - good luck with the jeans! See my tip above for Ann on calling CS.

C - the Chicos sizes go down to 0, which corresponds to a 4. The tops and elastic waist or knit pants only come in the whole-number sizes. The jeans and other zip/fly pants (for lack of better term) come in the half sizes. They have, in the last year or so, been carrying more of the smaller sizes, I have noticed.

Slastena - thank you! My twin is not identical. Almost as tall, thinner, blonde hair, blue eyes - Claudia Schiffer-esque. So physically we are very different, but we do have very similar mannerisms. The photos of my sister, mom & I where we all have our heads tilted at the exact same angle...very funny.

Summerilla said...

Even though I already said it - Just wanted to wish you and your twin sister another HAPPY BIRTHDAY!