Friday, May 24, 2013

cold spell + J.Crew Button Front Dress Review

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Remember how about three days ago I was bitching how it was so hot and I have no clothes to wear for that weather? Luckily for me, the temps have dropped about 30 degrees so we're right back into perfect weather territory - just enough to layer a little bit but not not cold enough to need a jacket. All you need is a fun scarf ;)

Unfortunately this weather won't last long until it gets hot again. After hearing about Everlane for over a year, I finally caved and ordered two of the v-neck tees (I was boring and just got white and black). Both Jess and Lauren rave about their quality and longevity so I'm excited to test them out. I'll be sure to report back once I receive them. I also stumbled upon this tee from Express (as seen here) and I think it'll be a fun casual shirt to have for the summer. I'm hoping to do a bit of Memorial Day shopping (mostly to get those last few pieces for school) but I'm also going to keep my eyes out for shorts. Ick. Budgetting Bloggers goes up on Tuesday so at least consider trying to stick to your budgets while all of the sales are temping us!
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Cardigan: thrifted
Tee: Hanes
Scarf: Target [exact]
Jeans: American Eagle [exact]
Shoes: Tory Burch, thrifted by my mom
Bag: Madewell [save | exact]
Watch: Kate Spade [exact]
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In other news, yesterday I went to J.Crew to try on this dress. I saw it in stores when we were in Minneapolis, and then I also saw it on Lauren and thought it was just gorgeous. I've set some money aside recently to buy a dress specifically for my work going away party / summer weddings / possible white coat ceremony that isn't a part of my normal budget. I wanted something versatile and appropriate for all of those occasions, and I was hoping this dress would be it. I even had a dream about it, so needless to say, I had high hopes for it. 
In the catalog it looks like it was knee length, but online it looks a bit shorter. I think this picture is a little bit misleading as well because it is on the shorter side of "knee length", at least on 5'9'' me. The fabric is thick, and the lining would prevent having to wear a slip, and of course the pockets are fun. I felt that the dress runs small, as I wear a 10 in both blazers and tops at J.Crew, and this dress is a 12. It's too tight in the chest as you can see by the buttons pulling on the chest, and leaves too much of the armpit area exposed. 

I think my problem with the dress is more on me than on the dress. I really really dislike my arms, and therefore a sleeveless dress obviously is only going to show those suckers off. I'm disappointed because I kind of hoped that wouldn't be the case in this situation (why, I'm not sure, it's the allure of the skinny models wearing the pretty dress!). It's definitely a beautiful dress in real life, and I'm envious of those who own it, but it just isn't going to be the one for me :(