j.crew review -- the double-cloth townhouse trench

I ordered this a while ago because I just had to had to see it in person. But when it arrived, it was so hot outside that I couldn't even bring myself to put it on indoors because GOOD LORD I break out into a sweat just thinking about wearing it. So into the closet it went until the temperatures dipped down a bit last week...

...and then I could finally bring it out. Just to try it on. Because come on, guys, 70 degrees is cool enough to try this on, but not to actually wear it out. Ugh.

So I present to you, J.Crew's double-cloth townhouse trench!






Please excuse the weird outfit underneath it.

COLOR:
I got this in the "hthr majestic purple," which is more like a really royal blue in real life. In other words, awesome. But why it's called "majestic purple" instead of "majestic blue" is unknown to me.

FIT:
I'm size 6 in dresses, 2-4 in tops, and 8 in bottoms. At 5'2", I'm definitely petite. Anyhoodle, the point of all of this is to say that I'm wearing a size 4P in this coat, which is what I typically take in J.Crew coats. But it's tight. The buttons were pulling and the arm holes were cutting off my circulation, even when I went sleeveless under it. I'd wager that trying to fit a sweater under there would be impossible. So if you're thinking about ordering this coat in a petite size, I'd recommend sizing up from what you usually get if you have previous experience with J.Crew coats, or just using your dress size as a guide.

Length-wise, this hit mid-thigh.

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION:
The double-cloth material is thick and incredibly warm. I could have definitely seen myself depending on this when I still lived in Boston and had to brave my fair share of dreary New England winters.

Also, shiny gold buttons! As for the inside, the entire coat is lined with a matching color (no fun lining here, folks). The belt cinches the coat in exactly at the waist, creating a lovely silhouette.

OVERALL:
I ordered this coat again during the recent 25% off promotion in a bigger size, so hopefully that will solve the fit problems because the coat is incredible and I'd love to have it... as long as it fit correctly. If you're looking for a fun, colorful winter coat to add to your collection, I'd recommend this one!

PS. Pam, "captain's log" will come sometime later this week! ;)

j.crew reviews -- a whole mess of skirts

True to my word, I headed out to J.Crew this past weekend to scope out the new arrivals in my store. Unfortunately, my J.Crew never really has a huge selection of stuff, so my try-ons were limited (especially since my size is always out too, grrr...).

But, here we go!

Streetscape cape, on sale for $129.99. I saw this in the store and was curious as to how it'd look on me. The verdict: ridiculous. It feels very nice on, but I think a piece like this might work better on someone a bit taller. The length of the cape just kind of split my body in two halves, making my shortness even more evident. For those of you who are interested, I am a S-M/4-6 in tops and I'm wearing a M in the cape here.

***

Toothpick cord, $89.50. I'm wearing the color "bright persimmon," which is the exact same shade as those old Flintstones push-pops. I've always found these to run a bit small, so I recommend sizing up. I'm wearing one size up from my usual here, and it fit very comfortably. Also, note that these are not ankle length on me -- if you're 5'2" like me, these will fit like regular pants.

***

Liquid silk skirt, on sale for $118. As you can tell from Boyfriend's thumbs up in the first picture, he liked this one. I have to agree! I'm wearing the "bright dahlia" color, which is exactly like the hue shown on the website. It feels so lovely and light on, and the material flows away from the hips so that I don't think VPL (visible panty lines, anyone?) will be a problem. On my 5'2" frame, the skirt hit about 2 inches below my knees. Sizing down is possible with this skirt -- I'm wearing one size below my regular in this picture, and it fit just fine. The skirt wasn't available in my regular size to try on, so I don't know if it runs big or not. Judging from all the wrinkles that were on this already, I'd say one major downside is that it'll wrinkle easily.

***

Classic mini in felted wool, $98. Guys, mini skirts just don't work on me. But I tried this on for you anyways just in case some of you were interested. This is the "decadent red" color, which is more like a bright red-orange. I'm wearing my regular size 8 here, but while it fit in the waist, it was all kinds of way-too-tight on my bum and thighs. BUT, there is good news! This mini is a bit longer than the J.Crew minis I've tried on in the past, so while it's still a mini, it's also not too scandalous! The material is fairly heavy wool too, so I can imagine it being a great piece to wear tights under in cooler weather.

***

Flair skirt in double-serge wool, $108-128. I wanted to try this on in some other colors, but my store only had the "hthr acorn" color in my size, which is basically khaki. The material is lovely -- a thick, heavy wool with enough weight to hold its shape and pleats. I'd recommend sizing down, as I'm wearing my usual size here and it's kind of baggy. It was knee length on me. I also think this skirt, as a solid color, may work better on someone who isn't pear-shaped, as I found the A-line cut to be a little awkward on me. I found myself wishing it was flared out a bit more.

***

Flair skirt in plaid, on sale for $118 ($89.99 in my store). This is made out of the same material as the double-serge wool version of this. I'm wearing it in one size smaller than my usual size, and it fit perfectly. While I didn't like the A-line cut of the solid version of this skirt, I do really like it with a pattern, which I think somehow keeps it visually interesting enough for me not to notice the cut as much. Does that even make sense? Probably not, but the bottom line is: I like it.

***

Blythe shirtdress, on sale for $148. Before you look at the picture and rue the day you ordered the Blythe dress, know that I'm wearing 2 sizes up from my usual because that's all my store had and I really wanted to try this dress on. So no, this is not how your regular size will fit, not by a long shot. I also ordered the dress online in my actual size, so I'll do another review once that one comes in, but for now, here are my notes on Blythe: comfortable material, but reminds me a little bit of silk pajamas. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. The belt is a little awkward since the material is so flimsy. The dress went down to mid-calf on me, but it could be because this dress is way too big. I'll do a proper review when the other one comes!

Let me know if you have any questions about anything I reviewed!