Easter Ensembles, The Full Story

Well, so I started with a simple idea for Easter. I would wear my new J Crew gateau skirt with the sun yellow silk-linen vneck sweater.

Original Easter Choice by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy tank tops

Reality set in. Baby, it's cold outside! Ok, switch gears... Navy cashmere sweater, bright yellow bib necklace to brighten it up, and white trouser jeans. Spring-y but still warm. And I don't have to be *that* dressed up for church if I so choose. (See... when I put this together last night I seriously thought I would be wearing it.)


Easter Sunday-04/12/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew tops

Then hubby got dressed and went with a sport coat, so I really felt like I should go with a dress or skirt.

Easter-Church-What I Actually Wore by HeidiGblog featuring Banana Republic jewelry

There was no way I was going in bare legs, since I am always cold. So I threw this together, which I wore to a cocktail party for Valentine's Day (went with more subdued make up, obviously, and swapped patent pumps for black flats).

I love this dress. It feels so Tory Burch-ish to me. I plan on living in it later this summer with my flat black sandals. The material is a little stretchy, nice and light. And E thought it was a good choice because, in her words, "the middle looks kind of like Easter". I'm not sure what that means, but ok.

And I got to wear my Target ribbon-pearl necklace, which is always a fun piece. IRL pic at right.

Then after we came home, I was actually still chilly from the Easter Egg hunt at church, and we were just doing dinner at home, so I swapped the church outfit for the navy cashmere femme sweater and the yellow necklace - just with jeans and red flats.

Wearing Today - After Church Outfit - 04/12/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Forever21 flat shoes

Much warmer, and still semi-festive, or at least the necklace is. I do admit that I put on boots to walk Lucy because it was windy, too. I am *such* a wimp. This is the perfect outfit for chilling on the sofa, watching golf, maybe taking a little catnap.

Have you ever napped to golf? Especially when it's cold outside? And all the sound, from the announcers to the crowd noises, is all so soothing and and slow and relaxing? And it's always sunny and pretty and warm on the TV? It's the best. Golf naps are always so refreshing!

Happy Easter to all!!

J Crew Silk-Linen Vneck Sweater and Linen-Cotton Seaside Pants

Presenting 2 of my "updated" DC JCA Private Shopping Purchases. The Silk-Linen Vneck Sweater (#12961, orig $59.50, curr $49.50) and the Linen-Cotton Seaside Pants (#13053, $69.50) And again, thank you, Mickey, for the 25% red card!

If you remember, I originally got the sweater in sweet cantaloupe, which just wasn't the color for me. Although if I ever get called in somewhere for a photo shoot, I'll remember it because the color was so much better in photos than I felt like it was IRL. I really loved this sweater with the gateau skirt, so I definitely wanted to exchange it and get another color. And I successfully resisted the urge to get it in the slate which I did like. So - sun yellow it is. And what a great sweater for a day like today - it was sunny, rainy, cloudy, thundering on and off all day long. Happy Spring Break!

If you are looking for a summer sweater, I highly recommend this one. The fit is great. I got a M and it fits close to the body without being skintight or bulgy. Definitely needs a cami or tank underneath as it does run a bit sheer. I like the length on this one - it's not as long as a lot of their sweaters and other tops. While I do love long, as you have no doubt noticed from past postings, it is nice to have a not-quite-as-long length, which is why it works so well with the skirt (probably my Easter Sunday outfit). It says Dry Clean, but I will plan to hand wash this one, as I do with just about everything else.

Let me tell you about the Linen-Cotton Seaside pants. I tried these on that Sunday but did not get because I was too into the cocktail capris. But when I tried the cocktail capris on again at home, I just didn't love them. The waist felt a bit big, and I was concerned about how they would work if I lost a little more weight. So I decided to return them. I may try them again another time, who knows...

But when I returned the capris, I tried on the Seaside pants again, in Stone. These are such a me-in-the-spring-summer pant. Bad news first, they have a 32" inseam - so I just rolled the cuffs up twice and I really like them like that. In fact, after I wash them the first time, I am going to tack the cuff into place. Makes it feel beachier, more casual - more like my daily lifestyle. They definitely require a fitted top, or a fitted underlayer tucked in. But they will be so fab for the rest of spring and through the summer. I am already envisioning them with my Bon Voyage tee and the short sleeve cardi in navy on the next warm day...

Nice, light linen/cotton blend, so they aren't too insane with the wrinkles. Machine washable - love that! Fit wise, I would suggest your normal size or sizing down. They loosened up a bit during the day. But a belt would take care of that - and I never felt like they were sliding down - they were just way comfy.




Spring Break, Day 1 - 04/06/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Forever21 necklaces
The accessories are all subs, I need to take an IRL pic of the green bag.

And as far as other activities on Saturday's "Adjustment" Day:

I returned the ON sweater jacket of Sadness.
At JC, I returned the

-Ruffled Tank (just wouldn't lay right under my personal stash of sweaters)
-Cocktail Capris (see reasons above, plus ice cream cone effect in original pics with metallic shirt)
-Sweet Cantaloupe Silk-Linen Vneck Sweater (exchanged for less vomitous-on-me color)
-Gray Bangle (hadn't worn it yet, which was a bad sign, so bye-bye)

And it (mostly) balanced out at JC with:

-Nicky skirt ($15 after red card!! plus it looked good as opposed to when I tried it on 10 lbs ago)
-Jackie cardi in Misty Lavender (need one of these, esp since returning the ON sweater jacket)
-Linen-Cotton Seaside Pants
-Silk-Linen Sweater in Sun Yellow

The other big news was that I finally saw the Cricket Cardigan that I have been coveting in person! There was one on hold behind that counter that had been a return. And you know what? I didn't totally love it. It was the navy, and I think I would actually like the natural/golden olive one more - but I already have a natural sweater jacket from BR last year, so that would be too similar. So I am actually happy that I never got it. (yay!)

So here's the final tally from the DC JCA Private Shopping Event (with next Saturday's adjustments)

-Cotton Atelier Jacket in Navy
-Molten Metallic Perfect Shirt in Metallic Khaki
-Silk-Linen Vneck Sweater in Sun Yellow
-Jackie Cardigan in Misty Lavender
-Cotton Scoopneck Ruffle Tee in Navy
-Cotton Sateen Gateau Skirt in Light Pewter
-Linen-Cotton Seaside Pants in Stone
-Nicky Skirt in Navy

Final Purchases Out of the DC JCA Private Shopping Event by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew jackets

Lots of great basics that I need, plus some fun pieces to spice it up. Thoughts?

Have you tried the silk-linen vneck sweater or the seaside pants?

Let Them Eat Cake - the J Crew Cotton Sateen Gateau Skirt

The J Crew Cotton Sateen Gateau Skirt (#13464, orig $88, curr $69.50 online & in store). I have been dying to try it since reading about it on Gigi's blog for several reasons - 1) JC's minis are too short on me and 20" sounded like a good length, 2) I don't really do pencil skirts since I prefer flats, and 3) hello, machine washable. So I tried it on at our DC JCA outing on Sunday, and got it. I got my regular pant size, a 10, but I think I would like to try an 8 when I go to the store to do returns. It's loose on the waist, which I like, so the hips don't bell out too much, but we'll see - I should probably double check the size.

When I tried it on in store, I realized that for me and my extra long-femurs, I would like it with something out, not tucked in, and that something would have to hit at the right spot. So before making the decision to keep or not, I pulled out a ton of stuff to try it with. Lucy cooperated by napping on the bathroom floor after a long walk, so I was productive but quick (hence the shoe/necklace repetition you see). Pardon the discoloration on my left shin, I still have an 8" bruise from tripping over the indoor dog fence a week and a half ago. It's a lovely shade now.

#1 - With the navy ruffled scoopneck tee I got Sunday (still deciding on the tee since I got the ruffle tank in navy, too)

#2 - With a white shirt. Didn't like the pics of this because it's so pale. But in the mirror, it looked good. Would be even better with some cute sandals and a semi-tan (since I live in SPF 70 in the summer). Maybe a (gasp) belt. Would have to get a belt, though, since I don't really have any. And yes, a cami - like I said - quick.#3 - With the silk-linen v-neck sweater. I am still returning the sweater, but love the cut with the skirt, so I will be looking for a new color, definitely. This made up my mind about what to do with the sweater.

#4 & #5 - With a plain gray tee, and then that tee and a Jackie cardi. Like both of these.

#6 - With my silk-bow critter applique tee from Fall. Like this pic, but the bow is cream and not so sure about it with the light pewter skirt - would be great with the champagne skirt, however.

#7 - With the short sleeve v-neck cardi in navy and a navy tee underneath. Likey ok.

#8 - With my Summer 07 anchor tee - think this would be great with some better accessories and silver sandals.

First of all, yes, I really should have cut my head off in these pics because it would have made it shorter, and that would have been appropriate with the cake comment. And I need to get hubby to re-load some software so that I can combine pics in 1 line. Besides that...What do you think? Is it a keeper? I would love some feedback on which looks you think work or not. And if you have some styling suggestions, I would love to hear them. I would love a black turtleneck with it next Fall and some black pumps. (Again, please realize that I was quickly swapping tops and was just grabbing 1 of 2 pairs of flats, so pardon the accessorizing here)

Some J Crew Alternatives to the Sweet Cantaloupe V-neck Sweater (your opinion does count...)

Help.... Ok, so I just can't keep the J Crew Silk/Linen V-neck sweater in the sweet cantaloupe (per reasons mentioned in last post). I really like the fit, so I am planning to see what color I can exchange for in store. But I am browsing the Final Sales section (I love you, 30% off FS!!!) and I found a couple of alternatives, all of which fit the requirement of something BRIGHT, not neutral. So I am asking for some opinions. And also some info, in case you have any of these and can clue me in on fit. They say fitted. Size up or down? Please don't tell me TTS, because I am M/L, so I have to go one way or the other.

First - the Tipped Argyle Cardigan (#13124, orig $98, FS $69.99 + 30% off). Love the sun-pewter-charcoal combo. Usually I size up in cardis. What do you think?












Next the Henley V-neck Sweater (#99824, orig $68, FS $39.99 + 30% off). I like the bright tangerine and the key lime.












Or should I go with the Silk-Linen V-neck in another color. Thoughts???

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.