The Complete Collection: J.Crew Fall 2011 RTW

Click on the image for higher resolution. Enjoy ladies.

{Photos via Style.com}

J.Crew Fall 2011 Lookbook

Just a quick note to let you all know that The Pursuit Aesthetic posted a few pictures from the photo shoot that took place yesterday featuring Fall 2011 J.Crew clothing. I am in love with a lot of the pieces, there’s leopard print, stripes, orange, incredible accessories... I am a happy girl and I cannot wait for Fall.

To see the rest of the pictures go to the The Pursuit Aesthetic page. In addition to these images, you can see the photos posted by J.Crew on twitter here.

{All Photos via The Pursuit Aesthetic}

Card Clothes

I thought I'd share a few of the items I purchased with the 20 percent off $150 card since there's still time if you received the card to go get some of these or, if you didn't get one, perhaps this review will help you when the items pictured go on sale.

The photo includes the Avenelle Cutout Wedges in Burnt Sienna (36272). I was with the lovely Kate who tried these on and not only did they look great, but she said they were incredibly comfortable too. Based on how great they looked on her, the comfort, and the fact I had no suede wedges in this color, I gave them a try. Thanks Kate. They are seriously comfortable yet fabulous. The color online is slightly lighter than the true color. Also pictured is new cafe capri in desert (34629). I haven't worn these yet b/c it's been annoyingly too cold, but they are very comfortable and the cut works for my body. I like to show my shoes when it gets warmer (will it?) and these will do the job with heels or flats. I also bought them in the amazing Cedar Plank color, my favorite new color for pants.

Finally, the last item shown is the Madras Schoolboy Blazer (36125). I recently bought the Schoolboy Blazer in Herringbone in the heathered charcoal color (37852). I needed a grey/black blazer for warmer weather since all mine are too heavy/hot, dark and long (more boyfriend style). Believe it or not, I never liked the ones I had tried so I never had any interest in the schoolboys but once I found one in a fabric that wasn't so restrictive as the versions I tried in the past, I realized that I really liked it, and I decided to try another. Either you love this one or hate it. Some like chocolate and some vanilla. Whatever. Some may prefer to try madras by going for it in smaller doses like the madras shorts (38758) or choose an item that you can layer a cardigan over like the new madras perfect shirt (37207). Both are good options if you do like madras but want to dip you toe in and not take the full plunge. I have enough perfect shirts and a pair of madras shorts that can't be worn to work so it was time to go big or go home. I have vintage v-neck tees in a few colors (24500) or a white button down that will work nicely under this blazer. It has so many colors in it that it works with a ton of my pants and skirts ( it looks adorable with the cotton bell skirt 36116 in toffee that I have). It also works with my korkease (similar to the Cleos from last year) and my gold metallic Sperry's (20508 at JC but cheaper elsewhere). I figured that all of these items can be worn on their own and can be worn to work or on the weekends so I'm happy with my purchases. Hope this helps someone. Have a great week.

J.Crew's Official Blog

J.Crew has officially entered the blogosphere.

Click here to pay them a visit. :)

A few alternatives to the J.Crew Mackintosh Kilmany Coat

As I was looking through the most recent pictures on the J.Crew website, I fell in love with the Mackintosh Kilmany coat. The color is perfect and I think it would be an incredible trench coat to wear during the Spring. However, the price was a little too much for my budget, so I would either have to wait for a sale or I would look into getting another red coat with a price tag more friendly to my wallet. So as I looked around, I found a few choices. I am still trying to decide on what coat to get, but in the meantime, I decided to share my finds with you.

Enjoy!

From left to right:

Forever 21 Inspector Trench Coat

Kate Spade Elena Trench

Calvin Klein Cherry Cotton Belted Trench

New J .Crew To Share with You - From LSS

Hi! Hope everyone had a great weekend.

I wanted to share of few of the my recent purchases. The first up is the Lace-Over tank (36954) in an xs (usual tank size) in smoky charcoal. I wanted the lady lace popover (38409) in the heather soft grey but the store didn't have it and it was more expensive than this tank. Also, in my opinion, they look fairly similar and the tank is more more wearable for me since it's not merino, doesn't have long sleeves like the Lady Lace Popover and I can layer it. The color was also a good choice b/c I felt like it's more seasonless and I'm a little messy too so light colors get ruined quickly. I plan to wear it with blazers or a cardigan now to work and alone when it gets really warm on the weekends. For my lifestyle, it works for both. Keep in mind, it's hand wash only and this isn't one I think you can tuck in. It doesn't drape well. It looks better untucked b/c of the stiffness of the lace. It looks like it does in the catalog (pg. 25) which isn't a close fit. It stands away from the body and it's long. I think they tucked it up in the catalog shot. Also, I'm not quite 5 ft. 3 and the model is an amazon compared to me so it could be a little of both. Anyway, it fits great under the arms and the chest but a bit long/big in my body but not terrible. I think I'm sticking with the xs b/c I like the fit in the chest/arms. I had a discount but it's well-made and less costly than the Lady Lace Popover if you want some lace in your wardrobe.

Next up is the end-on-end camp shirt in navy (23870) in a size small from J. Crew Factory. I got it when Factory had a 30 percent off sale. I would have paid full price though bc I am obsessed with button tabs on sleeves and I like the perfect shirts from Factory. I have a chambray shirt from Factory that I love with the same tabs so I thought this would be a perfect warm weather version of the chambray. As you can see by the crease, it's right out of the package. I LOVE this shirt. You can wear it with black bc the stitching is very dark and the color isn't really navy. I wore it the next day with a black suit and a white tank and a black and rhinestone necklace. It will look great with white jeans and a white tank under it when it gets warmer. I recommend that you wear it open a bit with a tank and a great necklace with it.

Last up is the shimmerveil cami (39833) in a size 2- page 62 in the catalog. I like the Shimmerveil tee (39834) a lot and had a really hard time deciding but my friends said that the tank looked better. It was also cheaper which always helps with my decisions. They didn't have a zero to try but I like the drape at the bottom in this size and my friends said it looked good. I like my tanks on the slouchy side and not tight anyway. I'm wearing it with a white cami here but it's not a must but I always like to wear a tank. It makes me feel more comfortable at work and prolongs the cleaning process. I plan to wear this with something over it. I don't like it without something over it. I tried it with my black boyfriend blazer, my trouper pants and black Alecias and liked the look. Even with my discount this was expensive but I loved it and I had nothing like it already. I wouldn't have bought it without the discount though.

I also got two pairs of the new cafe capris (34629 - not pictured) in dark seaweed and black. I have a hard time finding bottoms b/c I carry my weight in my hips and bottom. I didn't have any pants in seaweed that I can wear to work and I needed a lighter weight pair of pants in black for when it gets warmer. I loved the fit and the pockets didn't bother me at all. I usually hate pockets but these lie flat I guess. I plan to get more colors when they go on promo or sale. When I find bottoms that fit, I get them in multiple colors. I didn't think I'd like the Cedar Plank color but I did.

Hope this helps even though the photos aren't great. Until I train my cat to take photos, these will have to do and I had fun doing drafting it. I need the photo skills of the rest of the Crew.

Have a great week.

Review: J.Crew Factory Printed Sylvie Skirt

One thing I love about the J.Crew Factory store is that it provides me with the opportunity to get my hands on items I missed from previous seasons. I particularly loved the Sylvie Skirt in the Desert Rose color but my size sold out very quickly last Spring. :(

Fast forward to about 3 weeks ago. My bloggie friend Lacey (aka LSS and contributor to this fabulous blog) pointed out that it was available at the Factory store and that she had ordered a couple of these skirts in the solid colors and really liked them. So I was quick to place an order. The verdict: I love it. The quality of the cotton is great and the elastic waist is super comfortable. It sits a little higher in the waist. Now I just need for the weather to get a little warmer so I can wear this cute skirt.

Hollywood Sighting: The Maritime Dress

Actress Sarah Paulson attending The Independent Spirit Awards 

in J.Crew's Maritime Dress ($78.00).

And I believe those are the Cleo Platform Sandals from last year

(see dinagideon rock them here)!

Madewell: 20% off codes up for grabs

Hi ladies!  If any of you are Madewell fans, I have two 20% off codes (uniqe codes, so can only be used once) that I won't be using, so are up for grabs for anyone who subscribes to this blog who wants them!

The codes are good through March 8th.

Please e-mail me at truecrewlove@gmail.com if you're interested!

Update: Both codes have been claimed!