In The Navy...for Fall? Featuring J Crew Classic-Stripe Tissue Tee

I have been on a navy tear lately. Not sure why...I usually think of navy as the ultimate spring color. Maybe it's all the back-to-school-ness? Or maybe I've been feeling it because of the new fab J Crew Classic-Stripe Tissue Tee(#20019, $32.50)? It's one of the new arrivals at JC, has been in store for a couple of weeks and actually appeared online last night with the other new arrivals. (Yay for Polyvore clipping - although Dina's pic that I was using was pretty darn good, I must say, so props to her.)

What can I say about this tee? It's absolutely perfect. I have been looking for this tee for at least 2 years. First of all thanks to jmpb for first alerting me to the striped tissue tee and then taking pics (what a doll!). I believe I mentioned this before, but the very first one I tried on had the twisty-side seam thing going on, so make sure you try on before purchasing if possible! The 2nd & 3rd are just fine in terms of side seam. 2nd & 3rd? Oh yes...if you recall, I purchased this tee with 2 of the new sequin beaded tees (that I later returned). The SA put them all in the bag together, sans tissue. So when I went to put on my new fab striped tee, I had it on about 10 minutes when I noticed a small hole in the middle of the shirt around the belly button. Now, I'm an innie, so it wasn't that. It was from the sequins on one of the tees I got. But I was able to return/exchange without incident, thankfully - or I actually would have coughed up another $30 to get the tee, it's that perfect. But let it be a lesson in packing with sequins & beading...

Back to the tee. Love love love. Nice long length in the body & the sleeves. Fitted but not restricting. Fab neckline - nice scoop, with navy banding around to set it off. Classic. Simple. Perfect. Wow, I am blubbering - but this is probably my fave fall release item so far. Well, tied with the merino striped sweater and the Minnies. I took an M and there is still plenty of room in the midsection. And the stripes help camouflage and lumpiness - trust me, I always check for lumpies.

I wore the striped tee on Monday with jeans and the Atelier jacket. Plus the dangling crystal shapes bracelet and navy patent ballet flats. Later in the day, when I realized it was really cold, I swapped out the jacket for my navy Wellesley cable turtleneck (the antecedent of the Cambridge cable). Love the layered look with the stripes peeking out of cuff & hem. I also loved how this looked when I held it up to my charcoal and beechwood Michelles. Plan to wear lots this fall - maybe into winter if I get the right scarf. (Remember this at right from Glamour's JC fall preview?)

Polyvore from Monday:

10/12/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

More navy fun for fall...all lumped into 1 collage. See, I'm getting better at this - I saved it *with* text this time.

Tuesday was a perfect fall day. Really and truly. Sunny but with a crispness in the air that screams Autumn. This is my first Tissue Turtleneck from J Crew (#17656, $39.50). But I can promise you it won't be my last. I'll probably hold out for special pricing or a discount before I acquire more, but that will give me a chance to do a proper road test on this. Love the spicy olive color but I don't remember if they had that one in store. For a warmer day, this was a great top to layer with a cami, jeans, and some fab accessorizing. I kept it simple with my Hawthorn necklace from Anthro. It will be a great underlayer when it's colder.

Last Friday...maybe the last truly warm day for a while...pulled out the navy short sleeve cardi. I really hope JC has these again next spring because I will definitely stock up on some more. Such a great piece for the warm/cool days. I paired it with French Market tee and golden hickory cafe capris. I love how the capris pick up the gold in the tee.

Last pic...gosh, back in September...this is fun because I hardly even take pics with full outerwear. This is how you jazz up one of my standard outfits of navy vneck sweater and jeans. Add yellow jacket and olive scarf & sneakers. This was a soccer day outfit. Layers and warmth at the neck. I took the pic with jacket since I've worn that exact sweater/jeans combo a million times over - but it shows how much wear you can get out of a classic item. And I'm still not bored with it because it makes a fab backdrop for accessories.

Last 3 Polyvores:

10/13/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

10/9/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

9/26/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy

Wearing Today...and on past #100

It's getting late, but it's not yet midnight here, so it's still technically Tuesday. Happy Cinco de Mayo to everyone. So I'll start with non-wardrobe. I picked up this salsa (Sweet & Spicy Summer Salsa from Tostitos) this weekend at Target. And I opened up today for a festive little afternoon snack. I was so impressed - so yummy! It's savory, sweet, smoky, and spicy all at the same time. I will definitely be stocking up on this salsa to keep around the house. And I don't usually really like pre-made jarred salsas. I would highly recommend trying this one. Just wish I could have had a beer with it...

On to today... I was headed up to school in the morning to help with Kindergarten Orientation (when the incoming Kindergartners and their families for the fall come in to get evaluated, get all their forms turned it, etc.). And they all just looked so little!! Either that or my 2 kiddies just got huge when I wasn't looking.

And since I can either freeze or boil at school, layers were the way to go. So I pulled out an old outfit, swapped out some accessories, and I was ready to roll. Navy Atelier jacket, gray BF tissue tee, and jeans. Newly added - the twisted crystal necklace paired with my grandmother's costume pearl chain, and the F21 domed flower ring.

After K Orient, I headed to the mall to do some Mothers Day shopping and then the grocery. And then back home to do some work. I will admit to changing out to a big huge comfy sweatshirt just before picking up the kids at the bus stop, but this is what I wore most of the day.

Polyvore for today:

Wearing Today - 5/5/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy tank tops

J Crew Canvas Atelier Jacket...yes, again.

First, let me add a dash of spring to your day. Here's a pic of some gorgeous daffodils & forsythia that my hubby brought back with him from his trip Mon/Tues. The client got them out of her own garden. I was thrilled because I just love both of those flowers. I have some daffodils in the yard, but clearly need to plant more bulbs in the spring so I can harvest at will. I also need to yank out some transplanted "builder" bushes and find a space for forsythia. (No, I will not take pics of me in the gardening overalls.) They have brought sunshine and such a beautiful scent into my whole downstairs. The sunshine is especially nice today since it is *pouring* outside.

Personal training at 12:30 today, so no nice outfit yet. Will post later today. I'm thinking it's a library shawl cardi kind of day. (see note on pouring rain above)

But here is yesterday's and yes, pulled out my new Atelier Jacket (that I yes, posted on and wore 2 days earlier). It was the perfect thing to top my (yes, again, tissue boyfriend vneck) tee and dark (again, Chicos) jeans since I had to go into the office for a quick meeting before meeting hubby for dinner. So the J Crew returns/exchanges have to wait a little longer, since I couldn't leave the puppy in the crate too long. (Per the puppy trainer, we want the puppies to succeed - excellent advice!)

Back to the topic at hand... I added my pop of yellow with last summer's Anthro limon*** necklace (I never remember the end if it's limoncello or limonade), but looking at the picture, the necklace doesn't show up at all on me with the vneck. That part did look better IRL, I promise. But I'm thinking crewneck next time with the necklace. And I did cuff up the sleeves of the Atelier and I love the pop of green that shows (thanks, Gigi).

And of course, because I was freezing by the afternoon, I swapped out the jacket for a big, comfy fleece sweatshirt for the bus stop and puppy playdate.
So yes, the jacket is emerging as the early favorite from the Dc JCA Private Shopping Event on Sunday.

Wearing Today 04/02/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew t-shirts

Today's Outfit and the First Set of JCA Outing Purchase Reviews

What a pretty day we had here. Sunny and 60 degrees. Ok, I spent part of the morning in sweats after taking Lucy for a seriously long walk after the bus stop and then had to get some work done. But when I finally did get officially dressed for the day, she passed out on the bathroom floor (for any new readers - this is my 3-month-old Labradoodle puppy, so it's ok), so I had a little time to do some quick try-ons of my DC JCA Shopping event purchases.

First of all - the outfit for the day. I was dying to try out my new Canvas Atelier Jacket (#13105, orig $148, curr $89.99). Remember I had my 25% crewpon (thank you, Gigi for the terminology), plus I got a J Crew card, so I got an additional 10% off - which together worked out to be about 33% off. End price $$60.76. Yippeeee! I really needed a nice spring/summer jacket. I anticipate wearing this one a lot. I added some turquoise beads for color (they were my grandmother's) along with my basic white tee and jeans. But the beauty of the outfit is how quickly I was able to swap jacket & shoes for hoodie and crocs for E's soccer practice - bringing Lucy and tramping about in the woods next to the park.

Here is my Polyvore: (Fun stuff! Love Polyvore.)

3/31/09-Out and At Soccer by HeidiGblog featuring Crocs flat shoes


And on to the other items...

Don't have a heart attack. This might be a little too exciting for you... Ok, I know, so boring, but so basic, and necessary. (basically awesome, I say) I went ahead and got a Boyfriend Tissue V-neck Tee in white (#11657, $29.50 online, but $19.50 in store). I know it's sheer, but I'll be wearing a cami or tank underneath anyway. Have I mentioned in the last 5 posts how soft these are? Well, I'll say it again. Love.... Anyway, I will probably wear this as much as anything else. And promise I'll accessorize it to within an inch of its life. Is that ok? And see, left on the turquoise beads that I wore today. So there's a little color.... Yeah, I know, lame. But me likey.


Next up - the ruffle favorite tank (not online anymore) in navy. I think this will be a really great layering piece. I like the ruffle - it adds detail, but not too much so that it misbehaves under other tops (bunching, etc.). End price $13.16. What do you think? Worth it? I think I will regret taking this one back. 3-Penny Princess had one on in putty at Sunday's event and it was way cute. It will definitely add a little something instead of the usual tank or cami. So I am thinking I will probably keep it. Will try on with some other tops to make a final decision.


The last item in this batch... we have the silk-linen v-neck sweater (#12961, orig $59.50, curr $49.50 online FS). End price was $40.16 on this sweater. I was and am still very iffy on this one. I love the fit. It's nice to have a not-long sweater for a change. I really loved the fit - in M. What don't I like? 2 things - (1) dry clean only (machine washable is the main reason I tried the gateau skirt - to be reviewed later this week) even though I know I could hand wash, and (2) the color. I'll be honest, I love orange. But this sweet cantaloupe just isn't it. The color is too faded/muted. My IRL picture actually makes it look more vibrant than it is. Here is a better pic of what it really looks like. And um, I hate to say it, but I have thrown up and had it be this color, and unfortunately, that's what it makes me think of, which is a pity. Plus, hello - more on sale now than 2 days ago. I wonder if it is also marked down in store. I am thinking I will take it back and see if I can get another color, especially on sale. (Sorry, Dina, but I promise I'll get a bright.)

More pics to come over the week. I'm cooking up a fun outfit for Girls' Night tomorrow.

What do you think so far? I am totally open to feedback, except negative feedback on the Atelier jacket since I already cut the tags and wore it. If you hate it, be honest, but realize I can't do anything.