Musings on the Mountain

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Insta-OOTD: Week in review (two days early!)

It is a short work-week for me since I am taking off half of tomorrow and all of Friday to travel to my brother's graduation ceremony in New Orleans. It is going to be a whirlwind trip! Here are my outfits from the first half of the week:

Monday:

LOFT Color pop canvas jacket

J.Crew double-serge wool pencil skirt

J.Crew vintage tee

J.Crew fabric mary-janes (eBay)

Tuesday:

Old Navy shirt (this color sold out but others here)

J.Crew Belle skirt

Target wedges

Wednesday:

J.Crew silk polka dot tee

J.Crew Seersucker pencil skirt (cheaper Factory version here)

Kate Spade pumps

***

Like many of you, I also splurged during the surprise Kate Spade sale yesterday. Here's what I have on its way (that I'm making my "birthday present to myself"!) I can't wait to see it...how pretty is this color?

Hope everyone has a great week and weekend! Thanks for stopping by.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Insta-OOTDs: week in review

Here's my outfit round-up from the last week.

No outfit for Monday! I mean, I got dressed but I forgot to take snaps of it :)

Tuesday:

J.Crew factory Charley sweater in apple

J.Crew factory end-on-end camp shirt

ASOS skirt

Bandolino Adivas

*Appropriately enough, I wore an apple print on Teacher Appreciation Day. Not even planned (and I didn't even make the connection until I got home from school!)

Wednesday:

Madewell Softshade sweatshirt dress

J.Crew perfect shirt

Bubble necklace (eBay)

J.Crew Mona pumps

Thursday:

J.Crew Blythe shirt

J.Crew abstract lattice-print pencil skirt

Banana Republic necklace

Rowen Montagu wedges (early bday present from my mama!)

Friday:

Loft dress

Gap denim jacket

Toms crochet shoes

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Thanks for reading.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Insta-OOTDs: week in review

Monday

Banana Republic back zip denim shirt

J.Crew Jardin skirt in apple print

Bandolino Adivas

J.Crew belt

Tuesday

All J.Crew:

Schoolboy blazer

Perfect-fit tee

Neapolitan pencil skirt

Valentina pumps

Wednesday

J.Crew Cecilia dress

J.Crew Jackie cardigan

Anthro band-over-band heels

Thursday

J.Crew schoolboy blazer in canvas

Anthropologie striped empire day dress

Indigo by Clarks pumps

Friday

Anthropologie Melora dress

Gap jacket

Clarks flats

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Out of Print clothing review: The Great Gatsby mania!

I have professed my love for Out of Print clothing many times on this blog. They make tees, bags, tech accessories, stationery, etc with early-edition or artistic-rendered book covers on them. The company is one of my favorites because they combine my love of clothing and my love of literature into one awesome product. Plus, they donate books to communities in need for every purchase you make.

Additionally, as anyone with a pulse knows, The Great Gatsby movie is coming out soon (May 10!), and I could not be more excited. I have a feeling that Baz Luhrman's version will do Fitzgerald justice and tell the story in a beautiful way. Plus, Leo...sigh.

Out of Print has a bunch of Gatsby-printed items available right now (check out their Gatsby shop page HERE). Here are some of my favorites:

First edition women's tee

First edition tote

iPhone cover

Women's tee

1945 cover edition women's tee

To my great excitement, Out of Print sent me the Gatsby sweatshirt to review. I love, love, love this sweatshirt! Check out some pics with my thoughts below:

I guess the look I was going for here was "ooh, so comfy..."???

Size: I ordered a size xs since the sizes of the sweatshirts were unisex. This was the correct size as it fits me perfectly. I'm not sure about it stretching out/shrinking over time yet, but right now it is the perfect size.

Material: This is made out of the softest sweatshirt material you could ever imagine. I seriously did not want to take it off. The inside is fluffy and warm and the outside is soft and plush. This sweatshirt feels and looks like a high-quality item.

Color/design: The first-edition Gatsby cover is iconic. I mean, don't all of you remember reading a book with this exact cover in high school? I do, and the books I use to teach with still have the same cover as well. This top will be one that people stop and recognize when I wear it out of the house. I love the deep blue background. It actually looks quite cute with the seersucker pencil skirt, no?

And oh yeah, I will be that girl wearing this to The Great Gatsby movie when it comes out. ;) No shame, right?

I highly recommend this company and their products. I've been a huge fan of their tees for a while (I own an embarrassingly high number of them) and now I'm a huge fan of their sweatshirts. I kind of want the Hamlet one next! Check out their site and let me know what you have your eye on.

*Disclaimer: Out of Print sent me this product to review, but opinions are all mine.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

J.Crew Review: No. 2 pencil skirt in Seersucker

J.Crew's seersucker pencil skirt is an item that I've regretted not getting in the past. Last year's version had an exposed zipper in the back (which I didn't like), so I only felt comfortable getting on super-sale, and I don't think my size ever popped back on sale after it sold out.

This year, the exposed zipper is gone, and they've added some contrasting piping along the waistband giving this skirt some additional visual interest. I decided to try it during the 25% off promotion + free shipping; here are my thoughts!

No. 2 pencil skirt in neon-piped seersucker

Back view

Hello. Check out my flass.

Shot of the lining

(Wearing with Banana Republic back zip denim shirt and Bandolino Adivas)

Size: I ordered my usual size 4. Probably because of my recent weight loss, it is a little loose on me, but not so much that it hangs. I don't think I would want to go down to a 2, especially since this fabric doesn't have any give. I like my pencil skirts with some eating room, if you know what I mean! ;)

Material: I've always loved seersucker fabrics, especially living in the South where it can get stifling hot. I wasn't sure how I would like this particular fabric, given that it is 100% cotton with no stretch; however, I was pleasantly surprised at how flexible and light the fabric was. It is not stiff or too thick. In fact, I think this seersucker is lighter than last year's version, the way seersucker should be! Of course, the skirt is also lined, this year in a shiny, silky poly liner that was very comfortable and made the skirt just slide on.

Design/colors: I love that the stripes in the fabric are a darker, navy blue rather than light blue. This gives the skirt some definition and versatility. Sometimes the lighter seersuckers can look almost white when the stripes are too light. As a very pale person, I need some color on my body! The strip of neon around the waistband is darling; wasn't sure how I'd like it, but I welcome the color on this skirt. I don't think that will make this skirt hard to pair with other clothing items, but I guess time will tell.

Overall: I adore this skirt and am really pleased with its construction, fit, and look. I really think this will be a versatile piece for me. Keeping!

What do you think of the No. 2 pencil skirt in seersucker?

Friday, April 26, 2013

J.Crew Factory fitting room reviews

I stopped by my local J.Crew Factory store on my way home from work today (totally not on my way, but you know how it goes...) to try and beat the crowds that would inevitably descend on the store with the 50% off promotion going on this weekend. Here are the few things I tried:

Tailored boy blazer in linen

Wearing: Size 4

LIKE

I suppose this is the factory's iteration of the schoolboy blazer. I almost like how it fits better than the retail version. This color is a gorgeous turquoise that immediately caught my eye in the store. The buttons in front were a little wonky--not sure if you can tell in the pics. I don't need a new blazer going into the warmer months, but this one was very nice.

Skimmer pant in dotted chambray

Wearing: size 4

LOVE

You all know I don't normally wear pants, much less capri-style pants, so it should shock you that I tried them on AND loved these! I don't know if it is the working out or this particular style (or both) but these pants were so cute. They will be perfect with a brightly colored top and some wedge sandals. Purchased with the 50% promo--woot!

Pencil skirt in exploded eyelet

Wearing: size 4

LIKE

This skirt has been getting a lot of love from many of you ladies, and I agree that it is a great piece, especially for a factory piece. The color is fabulous and the fit is spot-on. The only thing that held me back from purchasing this skirt is how the eyelet pattern formed a shadow on the front where the lining pulled away from the top layer. I don't know why this bothers me, and I know it shouldn't, but I much prefer eyelets like the retail pinwheel version, where the eyelets are sewed on tight, causing no gaping from the lining. I may purchase this if I can get it on super-sale, but for now I will pass!

7" printed chino short

Wearing: size 4

PASS

Much like I don't normally wear pants, I don't normally wear shorts, but the polka dot effect did me in. I loved the combination of mint and sweet little dots. However, these looked bad on me, bunching oddly in the front. I also think they are slightly too long on me, making my short legs look even shorter. 4 or 5" is probably my sweet short spot, if there were one.

What are you eyeing at the factory store? Will you be shopping the 50% off sale this weekend?