SRIPES PART II

I bought so many stripes in the last few weeks I had to split this post into two parts. And they are still coming in! American Apparel has a lot of stripe tees and sweaters right now. This sweater is one of my favorite! I love to wear it with a really chunky feminine crystal necklace. The J Crew crystal brulee necklace it a prime example and I, by the way, have ordered three of them when J Crew had the 25% off . I want all the colors they are Amazing!

I like to mix girly accessories to this sweater to keep it from looking too boyish or frumpy.





Bought this J Crew sweater when they had their big sweater sale. Wore it with my new J Crew
crystal brulee statement necklace! It's hard to see sorry not a good photographer.


sweater J Crew
necklace J Crew
shoes payless!



The American Apparel Saint James knock off shirt pared with Bebe tux blazer. I love my new Bebe tux Blazer I wanted to glam it down and I think it looks pretty good with a casual stripe. This would work well here in Oregon.

blazer Bebe
J Crew necklace
American Apparel shirt
payless shoes!

SARGENT STRIPE

During a recent 30% off sale items from J Crew I went a little crazy buying up stripe shirts. Then I just couldn't stop, some of which haven't even arrived yet! They add such a fresh and preppy look to all of my blazers and jackets and I don't own many or any prints. This J Crew sale shirt I loved so much but it is about 2 sizes to big. I think it still works as a slouchy casual look.

shirt J Crew

Bag Kate Spade

shoes vintage J Crew

Add an old J Crew Lexington blazer.


Another J crew sale tee shirt. This one in navy and white.

I love the Saint James french stripe shirts they sell on the J Crew website but they are spendy and you never know how they are going to fit. I found the exact knock off at American Apparel!

I wanted to see if you could layer prints and it seems to work. Stripe with animal prints.

The shoes are one of my fall boot purchases, by Alexa Chung for Madewell. They are such a great neutral, not too high and the staked heel more wearable.

shirt American Apparel

Jacket J Crew

shoes Madewell


part II next

STYLEMINT TEES

In my need for new basic tees I discovered Mary Kate and Ashley Olsens new line of "affordable" tee shirts, Stylemint. I had a discount coupon to try them and I was pleasantly surprised. They are really soft and a little more dressy than my usual Target and American Apparel tees. The fit is really good I just wish they were a little longer to cover my old butt.

This is my favorite graphic tee of the bunch. The color is a good athletic grey and the crew neck is not too high, just low enough to see some collar bone. And the logo " Almost not crazy" well my kids will tell you is almost true.

It works well with the usual day/casual look but also to funk up a dinner with the hubby look.

stylemint graphic tee

J Crew denim jacket old, above. J Crew sequin jacket, below

Gap pant

Ralph Lauren bag vintage

Nine west shoes

This is the low v-neck Abbot Kinney in white. Nice and slouchy but really low.

Missoni for target sweater.

Joe's Jeans

The Prince tee is a basic crew neck but they did the neck just low enough to give it a more feminine feel.

I'm also showing off my new favorite pants. I was looking for a Audrey Hepburn type black pant and found a perfect one at the Gap. Its the skinny crop pant. It feels like a big bandage of heavy spandex just holding everything in. soo comfortable! Anyway back to the tee review....

Ann Taylor jacket last season

prince tee

gap pants

J Crew flats

This is a longer scoop neck called the Michigan tee. It's cut longer on the sides and is a heavier cotton.

Balenciaga jacket

Joe's Jeans

Nine west shoes

And if you are wondering about fit, I think they run small, at least around the chest area. I am wearing a 2 in all but the Michigan, above. If you are small chested then they will be more slouchy on you but I am a D cup.

This is the Abbot Kinney tee again but in a Cabernet color. I am loving this for fall.

Rhule sweater

Joe's jeans

RACHEL ZOE VS 3.1 PHILLIP LIM

I received the 3.1 Phillip Lim camel cropped coat and it is truly beautiful. So well made so many details very couture and well worth the money. But it was too boxy for what I was looking for and it's more outerwear than blazer which is what I was looking for.



I also pre-ordered the camel military jacket by Rachel Zoe and was going to cancel it but it shipped before I got around to it. To my surprise I loved this soo much! I even returned the Burberry moto jacket I got a the Nordstroms Anniversary sale as I could not afford both.
And besides I have so many leather motorcycle jacket I just couldn't warrant buying another one especially at that price. I don't have anything like this and I go nuts for the military look.



It's well made but not as fine as I would expect from a 525.00 jacket; it seems more like 350.00 to me.

In it's defence it has a superb fit and is made from a nice light weight wool. The color is a perfect camel and I can't get over the detail on the sleeve, soo gooood! It looks sort of Burberry Esq, no?Also, I had a bunch of nordstroms notes to knock down the price which sealed the deal.


Ultimately this was still not the classic camel blazer I have been looking for but won a spot in my collection none the less.

BANANA'S!

FALL PURCHASES

Every year I hit up the Nordstroms Anniversary sale for new fall finds.This year I only bought 3 things. Vince sweater coat, J brand waxed black cropped jeans and J Crew flats.
This sweater coat is soo cozy and this is my second pair of J brand waxed jeans. I love how these jeans look more like a trouser, sort of Audry Hepburn.

I also bought this Burberry knit and leather moto jacket. I just love it! But I probably won't keep it because I already have so many leather motorcycle jackets and I really love this Rachel Zoe camel military jacket too....and I can't afford to keep both.

paired the J brand pants with an old Abercrombie fisherman cardigan.

Got out some of my old dresses and realised they are a bit too short for my comfort level with out black tights. Tried it with the sweater and men's belt.

Abercrombie sweater

Kate Moss for Top shop dress

J Crew men's belt

Tory Burch clogs

Dior sunglasses

J CREW FALL LUST AND MUST LIST

We all yearn for J Crews legendary Wool Oxford blazer circa 2007 and for the first time I think found a comparable solution to this and other items that have reached fashion myth status.

LUST J Crew has come out with some good blazers this season. No, we will no longer see the quality and style of years past with the exception of the "collection" pieces but at thousands of dollars you might as well buy designer!

The J Crew hacking jacket in midnight blue is as close as we're going to see to the Oxford. I would run as fast as you can to your local fabric store and get some awesome gold buttons to replace the lame ones this comes with. I have done this to blazers before and I swear it will make an enormous difference! DO IT!!

MUST

LUST This is from the fall Balenciaga 2007 show and the many die for blazers from this line were the inspiration for the Oxford blazer. Just go to style.com and check out the fall 2007 Balenciaga rtw show and you will see what I mean.

I was sooo excited when I saw the J Crew Academy stripe schoolboy blazer. I have loved and seen many stripe prep blazers before but could not either afford them like the Balenciaga above or could not find them online. I had a gift card that had been burning a hole in my pocket waiting for a special item to use it on and this is it! It should be here next week, I hope I'm not disappointed.

MUST



Next is a dress from the Chloe fall 2008, still soo pretty. I realized J Crew had one with a similar feel to it.

LUST
J Crew floral Maisie dress.
This has a real basic shape but could be fixed up easily with a chunky men's leather belt or a great military jacket. I would love to own but it's really over priced for what it is and at nearly 400.00 I'll wait until it goes on super sale.

MUST

I am always looking for a good cape cod fisherman sweater.

J Crew's Fisherman's Henley caught my eye but I will have to see it in person before I get too excited.

LUST

MUST I also found some good ones that I may like even better than J Crew's.

These are from Abercrombie and Fitch but once again need to see them in person to see if the quality is any good.

They both have a very vintage, Marilyn Monroe feel to them.

FALL PREVIEW

One of my inspirations for fall is the "Dude" from the movie The Big Lebowski. His sweater is a vintage Pendleton and made here in my state, Oregon.

You can find these on ebay pretty easy but they'll cost you. This one is for sale right now from the ebay store Fasin Frank. I will own one someday just have to wait for the right one to come up.

My next fall pick is from Textile by Elizabeth and James. I love love this look.

I will own these jeans!!! I love the jacket too but I have a similar sweater that would work.

The one below is by Ruhle( RIP) and it will look sooo good with these jeans! I love that the color is not a bright red but a soft brick red, so much more wearable.

I die over this fir vest by Elizabeth and James fall 2011 line. The whole line is very Bohemian lux!

love this shirt by Textile by E and J.

Amazing tee with leather sleeves!

Elizabeth and James

Love the jacket!

E and J

This is from the Elizabeth and James show room. I will take one of each please!

I have been looking for a camel jacket since last fall and I think I found it with this 3.1 Philip lim

coat. I love the slight military feel and the cool detail on the sleeve. I have this on pre-order at Nordstroms. We'll see if it works, you never know until you try it on.