everlane v-neck tee review

In recent months, I've been working through the items in my current closet, taking a mental inventory of what I have, removing pieces that are no longer worn, and thinking about the pieces I'd like to add. One of the big staples that I was missing was a white tee shirt - something so simple, yet apparently so difficult to find the "perfect" version for me. There were certain things I wanted in this tee:

• I didn't want it to be semi see-through. I wear these tanks under everything I wear, but I don't want them to show.
• I don't want a clingy material. I have enough going on in the torso area that I don't want wrinkles to be added
• I want a full sleeve, not a capped sleeve. Shorter sleeves tend to cut across the thickest part of the arm, which only emphasizes the thickness. I also don't want them to be skin tight.
• The v-neck needs to be deep enough to elongate the upperbody, but not too deep that it shows too much cleavage. I also didn't want the tank underneath it to show out the top.
• I would prefer there wasn't a pocket on the front. My chest is fairly large (for reference, I wear a 36D), so a small little pocket on the front would look comical.

Seems like a lot of wants in just a plain tee shirt, but I'd rather have one shirt I am comfortable wearing than five where I only like parts of it.

I first heard about Everlane from Jess about a year ago and was intrigued by what they were offering - simple and classic basic pieces with designer quality at not designer prices. I don't really like ordering clothes online that I can't return easily, so I didn't order them right away. Over the last few months I tried on several tees from a variety of stores. I didn't alway takes pictures because they were pretty disappointing, and only fulfilled a percentage of my requirements. For example, the J.Crew Factory tee on the left (sorry about the terrible picture quality) has long enough sleeves, but the neckline was too low, and the fabric too clingy. The J.Crew version on the right had the right neckline, but was see-through in real life, and also too thin/clingy.

Eventually I was sick of trying on a bunch of tees that just weren't working, and ordered two shirts from Everlane - the v-neck tee in white and in muted black. I ordered them Wednesday evening, and I received them today, Saturday.

These tees fulfill all of my preferences - the right neckline, the sleeves are longer and not skin tight, the fabric is soft, not clingy and not completely transparent, and best of all, they are appropriately priced at $15 a piece. I would prefer about 1.5 more centimeters of fabric on the sleeve, but overall I am very very pleased with this t-shirt. As a reference, I'm usually between a medium and a large in tops, and I ordered the large from Everlane.

As far as longevity, I obviously do not have any personal experience yet. Lauren, whose opinion on clothing I highly respect, swears by these tees and can speak to the longevity of the quality.

If you are interested in testing these tees out for yourself, you can create an account here. You get free shipping if you order 2 or more items, and they offer more than these tees so it's definitely worth taking a look around (I kind of love this tote bag, and maybe eventually will try this silk shirt).

cold spell + J.Crew Button Front Dress Review

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!

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]

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 :(

behind the blog: aj wears clothes

I am so excited for today's Behind the Blog. AJ blogs at the aptly titled AJ Wears Clothes. Yes, she's adorable, has really cute fun clothes, and looks gorgeous with both long and short hair (brat), but she's like...really funny. If you aren't following her on twitter, you need to. She tells it how it is, and if you are a blogger, you'll find yourself nodding and giggling at the same time about everything she tweets. AJ has also recently started a new Friday link up called Friday Favorites - basically you just show how you've re-worn something that you've worn recently which I think is awesome because it really shows you how versatile clothes can be. And now, the questions!

Tell us what motivate you to start blogging. Were you following a lot of personal style/fashion blogs before you started blogging?

trend salad

I tend to think that I'm not a very "trendy" dresser. I've said that usually by the time I warm up to trend, it's already over so I choose not to participate at all, which is great for my wallet but can be a bit boring sometimes. I liked the idea of floral pants and so when I found this pair for under $12 at Target a few months ago, I figured that was the time to try out this trend (which at this point had already been around for at least two years). I was driving to work this morning after taking these pictures, thinking about my outfit when it dawned on me that I'm a trend salad today. 

Statement necklace? check

Chambray? check

Ridiculous printed ankle pants? check

Please tell me you'll forgive me.

Shirt: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Pants: Target [save | splurge]

Necklace: Ann Taylor Outlet [similar]

Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington [exact]

Shoes: Old Navy [similar]

linking up with wiww.

the worst time of the year

 

While most bloggers (and non bloggers too, I'm sure)right now are springing for joy about the warm weather, pulling out their cute little sun dresses and fun shorts, I'm here cursing the weather. The worst time to have clothing regulations like mine (covered legs, closed toed shoes), is when it gets hot outside. It's fine at 7 in the morning when it's still like a chilly 60, but then when I'm walking out of work at 4:30 after spending a day in a chilly concrete room, and you're just hit by HEAT, you just curse your job*

Luckily, I'm out of the concrete windowless refrigerator in less than a month. NO CLOTHING RESTRICTIONS FOR SIX WHOLE WEEKS. I can hardly wait...except I've come to realize that I don't really own any summer clothes. For the past 6 summers, I either worked as a camp counselor (gym shorts and t-shirts), as a traveling band member (gym shorts and t-shirts), or I've worked in my current job. I own 1 pair of jean shorts (that are at least 4 years old), 1 casual skirt (this J.Crew Factory one), 1 casual dress, and a handful of tees. While my current budget for the month is pretty much gone, next month I really need to find a few summer staples. I think just a few pairs of colored shorts (think this blue color or this red color), a few comfortable and light tees (you guys all keep raving about these so I'm going to have to go test them out), and a few summer dresses (ones with thicker straps because girlfriend doesn't do strapless bras - this one is adorable, and this maxi is pretty close to what I've been looking for) should be enough to get me through summer. Of course I've been keeping an eye out while out at Goodwill, but the only things I found last weekend were this amazing vintage dress I plan on wearing to every wedding I go to this summer, and a blazer. Not exactly beneficial to the summer wardrobe, but adorable nonetheless.

What are some of your summer staples? Any hidden gems I need to know about?

Sweater: Gap 

Jeans: Urban Outfitters [exact]

Watch: Fossil [similar]

Shoes: Old Navy [save | splurge]

Purse: vintage Coach via Etsy [current style - see restoration here]

* I really am grateful to have a job. I'm just poking fun ...ish.

sponsor love: work clothes, i suppose + giveaway!

Today I'd like to introduce you to Bri, even though if you've been following my blog for any time at all, you've already met her! Bri blogs at Work Clothes, I Suppose. Bri lives and works in Seattle in marketing, and is such an inspiration for those of us who a more casual dress code but still want to look pulled together. The look above (seen here), is one of my recent favorites of hers, and is a great example of her style - polished, youthful, and age appropriate. I always make sure to participate in her Third Thursday Threads link up, where she gives us an assignment and then lets us show our outfits off. Bri is here today to give away this awesome floral wrap watch from Urban Outfitters. Just enter the Rafflecopter below!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Would you like to sponsor Franish? All you need to know can be found here!

P.S. Congrats to Karla D for winning the LAJ giveaway. I tried emailing you but it got bounced back so please send me an email!

bachelorette!

 

This weekend I made the trip down to Milwaukee for my friend Carrie's bachelorette party. Carrie and I lived two doors down from each other in the dorms our freshmen year, and we've stayed friends since then. Carrie has been with her fiancé for 9 YEARS so we are all excited that they are finally making it legal! It was great being with all of my closet girlfriends from those years - even though I haven't seen some of them in years, it was like nothing has changed even though so much as. Look at what babies we were in 2006!

and now - getting better with age :)

For her bachelorette party, the plans were to do a bit of outside grilling/drinking, and then going to the Eric Church/Kenny Chesney concert. I'm not really a country girl at all, so I wasn't sure what to wear. I figured the biggest belt I own is a good start ;) In the end, it didn't really matter what I was wearing because we had so much fun. I was surprised how many Kenny Chesney songs I actually know - that's what you get for growing up in small town Wisconsin! At the concert, I found out through instagram that Pamela, who blogs occasionally (come back girl) at Ginger Girl, was also at the concert so we had a quick meet up! She's so sweet and I hope she finds some time soon to come back to blogging. 

Shirt: Forever 21 [save | spend | splurge]

Jeans: American Eagle [exact]

Belt: Gap [same style]

Necklace: made by a friend's sister

Bracelets: Forever 21

Shoes: Sam Edelman for AE [retail version]

via instagram, where you can see more of the shenanigans. like penis straws.