j.crew reviews

Look for my Giveaway post tonight! Woot woot! And thanks for all the gift suggestions for Boyfriend's mother -- I took your advice and put together a neat little "gift basket" of gardening goodies. Boyfriend says she'll love it!

Poplin Bridget Dress, $138:

Hilarious. I ordered this dress out of curiosity about how it'd look, and well... It's going back. Once I stop laughing at how silly it looks on me, that is. I'm wearing my usual size 6 and it's definitely too tight across the hips. If you're pear-shaped like me, either size up or pass on this frock because it is not hip-friendly. The shoulder strap is too thick for my liking, and I think it makes me look strangely large up top. I tried layering under it like in one of J.Crew's product shots, but it was disastrous. I think the sweater I tried to put under it was too thick. If you want to give the layering look a try, I'd recommend trying a thinner under layer because the dress itself is pretty light.

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Stretch Double-Serge Pencil Skirt, $98:

Let me just preface this by saying that J.Crew has my heart when it comes to pencil skirts. I own 3 pencil skirts from J.Crew and I love all of them. In fact, I've worn one of them so much that the vent in the back came undone. Nothing a quick trip to the sewing machine won't fix, though. Anyway, this skirt is no exception to J.Crew's trend of pencil skirt perfection. The material is really thick, yet cool. I don't think it'll be a problem when the temperature rises. The seaming on the back is super bum-friendly and will make your derriere look amazing. I'm wearing this in my usual size Petite 6 in the photo but have since replaced it with a size Petite 8. The P6 was too snug across the hips for my personal taste, but if you don't mind some extra clingyness, go with your usual size.

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Laporte Drape Blouse, $59.99:

I was intrigued by the blouse when I saw it on the model. It had the potential to be lovely and Grecian-inspired. Instead, it just looks sloppy. The top looks nothing like it does in the product shot. It's poorly constructed and the drape is awkwardly sewn on. But that's not all. I'm wearing this in my usual size 2 and while the bodice fit, the waist is way too narrow. As I walked around, the blouse kept riding up like a petulant child who refused to stay put. The fit was also too weirdly boxy. I am not a fan. The only positive I can think of for this top is that the fabric feels really nice.

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Lightweight Trifle Cardigan, $88:

I fell in love with this sweater when I saw it online. I mean, hello, ruffles and school bus yellow? How could it go wrong?! Well, somehow, it did go wrong. Look at the second picture. See how the ruffle awkwardly stops midway down on the right (your right) side of the cardigan? What the heck? This just makes wearing the cardigan open look odd, like someone had run up and snipped off part of the trim. I'm a gal who loves to wear her cardigans open, so this is a total no-go for me, which made me kind of sad because I was so excited to wear this. Otherwise, the cardigan is really nice. I found the construction lovely, the color bright and bold, and the fabric lightweight and sooooft. Sigh. Too bad the abrupt ruffle demise ruins it for me.