Join the Fun... with Purse Pals

Blog Update - after my personal success of Peace for the Holidays, I am attempting to incorporate that more into my life. Unfortunately, blogging ends up shuffled to the side sometimes. My top priorities continue to be Health (including adequate sleep) and My Family. Work comes in second since it does help pay the bills and...to be honest...I just can't do a crappy job on something because I really hate to let people down. Oh, the guilt. And work has involved some busy hours lately. But I only have so many hours I have on this project and I won't keep up this pace forever... It will slow in time, and I will blog as I can because I do love it and I do miss it. But no more excuses from me...just wanted to let you know that's the new norm here and now I will stop my whining because I am boring myself.

Couple of news-y items to discuss today. It seems like everyone else is catching up with us, fellow JCA & PV fans.

First, Robin Givhan, our Pulitzer Prize-winning (seriously) fashion editor at the Washington Post, penned the Fashion Moments part of the Post's Best and Worst of 2009. 2009 Best Fashion Moment #4?

J. Crew and its creative director, Jenna Lyons, show the world modestly priced fashion that's good enough for an audience with Queen Elizabeth II.

Works for me! Don't think I would go with the Vintage Slim jeans in worn-in wash for that occasion, however. (BTW, yes, that article was from December 20. At least I'm within 30 days.) (Jenna Lyons photo credit - New York Observer)

Although, if you are hiking in Arizona, jeans are probably a good idea. Did you see this? Denim may thwart rattlesnake venom? But again...maybe the worn-in wash isn't the best for that outing either. Go for something without holes. But when you mom/DH/SO starts hassling you about those expensive designer jeans, you can tell them it's just for your health (see note at top of post on health being a priority).

Next, how many of you get Rachel Zoe's daily email newsletter- The Zoe Report? (Love her show!!) Her style and mine don't exactly mesh 100% (duh), but she's always lots of fun to read and it's interesting to get a different perspective. And if I don't have time to read, I can always hit delete. You can sign up for the newsletter on her website.

But here's the fun part - did you know that RZ (or one of her staff) looks at Polyvore? Ok, she might not be a Poly-whore like some of us, but quite a few of her newsletters on different trends refer readers to Polyvore. For example, a 12/30/09 post on "Warrior Princess" - i.e. embellished headbands - the email included this Polyvore link and tag: "See how embellished headbands completed the always fab looks on Polyvore.com."

Granted it was just a search on headbands, but hey...someone in Camp Zoe is watching. But um, yeah, I'm pretty sure she's NEVER hit on one of my PVs...ya think? (Rachel Zoe photo credit - petite.about.com - this was the preppiest pic I could find. If you want the prep, you go with Brad.)

And finally...you know, you can always find J Crew in unexpected places...like on the shoulder of your daughter's friend's dad when you drop her off for a soccer birthday party. Yep, my new Purse Pal, Mr. snaphappy was sporting his wife's Selby satchel. (She ordered her own after coveting mine and fantasizing about stealing it. *That* sure would have been awkward at the bus stop.) So...it just goes to show you...you never know where you'll find J Crew.

I did have to show Mr. snaphappy how to hold the purse correctly - most men are just not born with the knowledge ingrained, apparently.

(photo credit to the talented and always fun snaphappy who has promised to try to join us at our next DC JCA outing)

Back in Black - J Crew Selby bag & Tango Tank, and 212-Sephora OPI Polish

**UPDATE TO POST - I am still working on how to click on the collages to enlarge, but I added detail on the necklace/pin combo.

Happy Halloween!!

Appropriate post for Halloween, no? I'm up because I can't sleep and my stomach hurts from all the junk I ate yesterday. (Must get Lucy out of cone so we can get back to using Gentle Leader and regular walk schedule before I gain 20 pounds and my legs fall asleep.)

So here's Friday's outfit... with lots to discuss.

First up, I'll bore you with the details of the day. Halloween costume parade outside and classroom parties at school today. Way important to layer as it was chilly outside but those classrooms turn into mini-saunas with the kids running around partying, plus all the extra bodies (parents). And then I got to count out oodles of cash to room parents to reimburse them for the class parties since I'm a volunteer coordinator at the kiddies' school. Let me just say how nice it is to have Halloween a day after all the craziness at school. Very good for my sanity and everyone else's.

Now that you understand the environment, the outfit makes total sense...staring with the Viscose Tango Tank (#20061, $49.50). I had posted on it back here when I first got it at the store, and was maybe on the verge of returning it since I hadn't worn it - but I realized how perfect it is for days like today when I know I am going to need to strip down to very light clothing, but still want to look good with the layers on top. Gigi did a great review here, with links to lots of other blogger reviews as well. I love when she does that - it's so helpful to see an item on so many people and get everyone's different perspective.

I took an M, and got the heather gray, which is not online. I will say that I am mega bummed about the name change, silly as it is - I loved the name "Cupcake Top" that printed out on my receipt. Yes, I am a sucker for the cute name - probably why I hoard nail polish - they have the best names! If JC ever comes out with a garment named for my darling daughter, E, I will probably have to stockpile it.

But back to the tango top - which is a cute name in its own right - the fit on this is fantastic. The brilliance of it is that there is an empire waist seam around the top, so it's fitted right under the bust, and then follows the line of the body much more than some of the other ruffled tops have, meaning it doesn't add pounds. Plus, because it's viscose, not cotton, the ruffles themselves are a bit thinner and drapey-er - so they lay much better under cardis, etc. When the weather gets colder, I will probably layer a long sleeve tee or even a turtle underneath for warmth. And come spring/summer, I plan to wear it even more.

To layer on top, I chose my charcoal Michele - well, it's actually last year's BR version of the Michele - same cut/fit, but it's a teeny bit more substantial/thicker than my beechwood Michele - I really like that. Not seen is the usual yellow short Loft trench (which I love with all the gray). And then black Minnies and some black Target flats.

Necklace wise - I wore a double strand of F21 faux pearls with the J Crew Velvet flower pin in dark slate (#19374, orig $29.50, curr $14.99). I got mine from the "candy jar" in the front of the store. I'm sure I'll wear it as a brooch sometime, but for now, I plan to use it mostly to pin together random necklaces, a la JC catalog. But I think I'll stick to 1 or 2 necklaces, not the editorial 6 or 7. I just pinned the necklace over the 2 strands. (Thank you, cheap F12 necklace that has lots of space on the strand because it made it easier for me to do.)

And then the bag...isn't it pretty? Yes, I have officially abandoned the Campo camp for Selby-ville. J Crew Selby Satchel (#18260, $275 - I got the black on sale for $149.99) DaniBP nailed it in her comment on my last post, talking about the black and natural leather combo. That's what I really love about the bag - I think it softens the black and makes it more versatile - both season-wise and outfit-wise. Not that black isn't uber-versatile on its own, but I think it stretches it some. The full-price dark caramel that they show online is gorgeous also...just not priced quite so nicely. Regarding the straps - perfect. The handles easily go over the elbow or even the shoulder without too heavy of a coat, and the long strap works great for a cross-body look. I'm sure you can sling it over your shoulder, too, but hey, I've only had it 2 days.

The bag is lined in tan cotton, so guess what? You can actually *see* what's inside the bag - love that! I think the size of the bag is perfect for me - holds lots of stuff, but not too much. Yesterday it had the usual purse stuff, SLR camera, water bottle, bag of candy pumpkins, magazine, stack of multiple papers - and it still zipped closed just fine. I have over the years discovered that regardless of actual size, I need my bags to be "landscape" instead of "portrait." If the height exceeds the width, I won't be able to find a thing. The satchel has the usual zip pocket on 1 side and 2 stuff pockets on the other.

And now onto the fun polish...black again. This was a last-minute addition to my Sephora F&F order. (Have you done that yet? 20% off everything through Nov 2 - code is FF2009). The color is actually called 212-Sephora, created in celebration of Sephora's new 5 Times Square flagship store. (oooh, I want to go there....) It's only available at that store and online. The color is described as "smoky black with iridescent, gold, and copper glitter." Perfect Halloween polish? Oh yeah. I think this would be a very fun New Years polish, too. Oh, who are we kidding...I'll be sporting it on and off all fall/winter.

Polyvore from Friday:

10/30/09-Halloween Parties at School by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Polyvore from Thursday when I started carrying bag but didn't get pics - but you know me, I'll be wearing this outfit again sometime:

10/29/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Oh, and here's today's planned outfit for Halloween...we'll see what I really end up wearing...

Planning for Halloween by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Hope you all enjoy your day of tricks & treats!

Still Nuts About Navy

Yes, still loving the navy this week. And last week...this post includes last Friday's outfit which did not qualify for the last cardi party post. You know, since it wasn't a cardi and all that... But I think my current navy phase is entirely due to the J Crew classic stripe tissue tee (#20019, $32.50) and the tissue turtleneck tee (#17656, 39.50). They are such great fall pieces - I love the color (navy...duh) and I love the weight - soft but not too-too thin - and they layer up beautifully.

Last Friday, I pulled out my J Crew cashmere femme sweater from last winter. How many of you have this? I love love loved it last year. Love love love it again. I took an M, and if anyone wants to sell an M in another color, let me know. I really should post that on the JCA weekly exchange but well...yeah, I'll get to that. Not much blog reading this week, as it started on a real down note since Lucy was not able to shed the cone of shame. Her stitches came out, but the patch of skin above the incision that had razor burn from them shaving her tummy had gotten infected as well and even though she couldn't get to it by chewing (thanks to the cone of shame), she was able to scratch at it with her back paws - which we realized too late and it started getting worse because she was able to scratch at the (sorry to be so gross) scab to get most of it off, so that infection just continued. At least we did get the stitches out, so we are in 1 more week of cone - and now she needs a tshirt 24/7 to keep her from being able to get at it with her back paws. Funny as it sounds, we both were really down about it on Monday and Tuesday...but we have both adjusted and bounced back. We go back to the vet on Monday and I hope hope hope we will be cone & tshirt free after that. I won't actually ask you to say a prayer for my puppy, but feel free to keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer for my sanity. thanks.

Back to the outfit...honestly, I was looking for another way to show off the JC heirloom floral earrings that the lovely Summerilla passed on to me. I do really like them with the navy. However, just adding the garden pearl bracelet wasn't enough to jazz it up (esp when the bracelet is clasp-forward in the pic). I think the earrings alone were definitely more glittery in person, so I wasn't sure about adding a necklace. But photo-wise, it definitely needed something else. Ah, live & learn...that's one reason I take the pics - I learn from them too.

Polyvore from last Friday:


10/23/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Then again on Monday, more navy in the form of the tissue turtleneck tee, which I love with jeans and the cami peeking out at the hem. This time I added the confetti necklace, which I really liked with the turtle. I asm so glad I got that necklace. I believe those are the Chicos boyfriend jeans - way comfy for a day where I spent a good chunk of time at the computer working adn the rest of it moping around about the fact that my puppy & I were sentenced to 1 more week of cone-dom.

Polyvore from Monday:



10/26/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

And on Wednesday...


Striped tee again. Have I worn this once a week since I got it? I'm definitely dropping its CPW (cost per wear) fast. I really could wear this about every other day. Since it was warm on Wednesday, I layered it with my navy short sleeve cardi and then added some necklaces to chunk up the neckline a bit. And I even wore my hair up (just for you FFM), which interestingly enough, works better since I got 2+ inches chopped off the ends.

Polyvore from Wednesday:



10/28/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Where's the navy train headed? I don't know...but much as I love these pieces, black may be taking a more predominant spot for a little while. Why?

Reason #1 - (hello, Halloween on Saturday)

Reason #2 - 212-Sephora polish - funky, but love it - mani'ed it tonight - pics soon, I promise.


And Reason #3, for those of you who haven't seen my Polyvores today/yesterday - this little lovely arrived at my doorstep on Wednesday....


J Crew Selby satchel in black (#18260, $orig $275, black on sale for $149.99) Can you believe I actually didn't have a black purse in my closet? I mean, I'm certainly not a bag hoarder - just a nail polish and mascara hoarder, but I actually didn't have one in black. More on the bag later - it's lovely, must post pics. I will say this - perfect!

Why am I up this early? That crazy puppy is running around the backyard with, I believe, a green tomato in her mouth. At some point, she realized that "balls" grow on the tomato plants by the side of the garage. How convenient for her. (Detached garage in back - no, I don't have tomatoes growing in my front yard. Seriously....) I'd just like to go back to bed since we have kiddie Halloween parties at school tomorrow.