J Crew Dressy Jersey Ruffle Dress

One of the Mardi Gras try-ons that did not jump into my bag and make it home. The J Crew Dressy Jersey Ruffle Dress (#13613, $88). I live in dresses like this in the summer. Dress, cami, knickers, sandals...you're good to go. Makes it easy to pack, too. The dress is very pretty and very comfy. I conjured up multiple beach outings and lazy afternoons on the front porch drinking iced tea. Laura, of Laura in Real Life (not be confused with my friend Laura, the leopard Dansko clog fan), had a great video review of the dress on her blog here.

I really like the longer length. Even on my taller frame with my extra long femur, it was still below the knee, but not dowdy. That extra length just made it a lot more appropriate for certain occasions. The fit below the empire waist was good, plenty of room, it didn't feel too clingy. I believe I did go with a large, instead of medium, because I hate the clinging. It did not set off any VPL or bump alarms.

The one issue I had was the low cut top. First I will wax poetic about the ruffles. They are so pretty. Here is a great closeup from the website (and it shows better in the gray) - so so so pretty. Unfortunately...and this really is because I took a large to make sure there was enough hip/butt room...it was so low cut on me, as you can see in the horribly blurry crime-scene-video-quality pic above. There is no way I would wear this without something underneath, or without pinning it, or some toupee tape (not that I have any), or....or.... So I didn't get it.

Of course, later now that I am on Lenten shopping ban, the perfect solution occurred to me. If you love love love the dress, but are worried about the low cut, voila...the strappy sports bra. It will give you some extra coverage, and may even save the need for a bra, and it won't show up as a VPL. What would that be - a VCL, visible cami line? By the way, I don't necessarily condone the white with pink trim under the dress; it was the first one I could find quickly. (Thank you, Target, you always have what I need!)

Bottom line... a no go at $88 when there were other items that I just loved. But I am hoping to snag it at some point later on sale. Now that I have my solution, I am on board! Of course, now that I've seen the parsley and gray online, color choice, hmmmmm.....

J Crew French Terry Double Zip Hoodie

It seems odd, with the approaching snow tonight, to be writing about the J Crew French Terry Double Zip Hoodie (item #12661, $49.50). Because that, my friends, is probably going to become my throw-on-top-of-everything summer staple. I tried it on over a few outings before I finally purchased. But I am so glad I did. (Mardi Gras purchase #3, and that concludes the J Crew portion of the Mardi Gras shopping.)

I got the dark charcoal but I included the model pic so that you can see the pockets and other features better. And I honestly debated about the color, as I liked both the light pewter and the white. In the end, I decided that a dark color would last a whole lot longer between washings, and I wouldn't be as concerned about setting it down somewhere.

I love the double zip, especially since it hits a little lower than the traditional hoodie. Plus that additional few inches in the length elongate the figure a bit. Us non-models can always use a bit of help in that department.

The fabric is very soft. A perfect weight for a spring/summer topper - not too heavy, but not too light or thin. It has pockets - always a bonus. And they're quite cute with the top flap and all.

One of the my favorite features about the hoodie is the collar - you can see it best in this picture - it has a full collar all the way around, with the hoodie coming out over it. Just a nice extra feature that your standard hoodie is usually not equipped with.

Size-wise, I took a large. Honestly, the large and medium looked the same, so I figured I would go with the large to allow a little extra wiggle room with potential dryer shrinkage.

And the sleeves. They are actually long enough. Amazing! (Remember, I did take a large.) But they looked really, really cute folded up in a cuff, so if you have shorter arms, that would work, too. The sleeve is finished in a

I wore the hoodie this past Friday with a shell tissue boyfriend vneck tee, jeans, and my new Clarks Clearlake flats (see earlier post). And I layered my Anthro typeset initial necklace with the JCrew twisted crystal necklace doubled for a little sparkle.

Aren't these shoes cute? I love them!

Dear Cashmere, I love you. XOXO, HeidiG

Mardi Gras Shopping Item #1: J Crew Cashmere Crewneck Tee in snow. Somehow this simple beauty was hanging on the (not additionally reduced :< ) sale rack, but it was $39.99. Apparently, it wasn't really supposed to be out there, but the universe was smiling upon my master plan.

Have I mentioned how much I love cashmere? Who doesn't... with the exception of some people with allergies and skin issues, and I am so sorry if that is you.

In honor of my no-shopping-Lenten season, I chose this as the outfit for Day #1. See, I haven't exactly gotten to the closet clean-out/reorg yet. Re: the sweater, what can I say? It's simple, clean, and maybe a bit plain - but it's just waiting to be spiced up. Today, I was feeling uncluttered so I went with a short chunky Silpada chain and cross, my trusty Chicos jeans, and the Mossimo Desta ballet flats. And my kelly green Gap corduroy jacket (that my babysitter actually has, too!) to top it off outside and brighten up the palette. Looking at the pic, I really should have gone with bigger jewelry or a scarf, and some fun shoes. So noted for next time...

The J Crew Zebra Tee

So you know today was my shopping Mardi Gras (before the Lenten shopping ban starts tomorrow). And interestingly enough, I bought less that I thought I would. Apparently,the universe thinks I am on the right track.

One of the things I did NOT buy was the famous J Crew zebra tee. I tried it on. And I will tell you, it runs small. It was cute, but it just wasn't worth $68 to me. For $68, a tshirt should make me feel like I could conquer the world. I will give credit where credit is due - the tee was definitely substantial and could support the weight of the beads. However, the gray was just not a great color on me. There were 2 other similar beaded tees. One was a crawfish on a shell (I think) tee and the other was a beetle on an orange tee. The beetle tee was really cute. I may have considered it had I not found other (and much better for me) options. And please don't harsh on the picture. I know it's not great. This was my first attempt at using my phone to take a dressing room pic, so please forgive the blurriness. The pics got better as the day went, I promise.

Here is the pic of the disturbing red-eyed zebra from the JC website. (They don't have the gray online, or the other tees, that I can see.)

What do you think of the zebra tee? When do you spend $68 on a tshirt?