Notes from the Dressing Room- J Crew, Is It Vacation Time?

Although I usually avoid the mall this time of the year, I found myself wanting to take a look at what was in the stores last week. I only managed to make it to two stores before I was dying to be at home lounging on my couch, but I did spend a little extra time in J. Crew to check out the new arrivals and snap some pics. I walked into the store and thought, "the clothes sure do look summery."  Apparently, I did not get the memo that I need to pack for a vacation this month. If you are lucky enough to be heading to a tropical locale soon, the resort wear is out in full force so you should be all set with outfits.

Without further adieu, I give you a small sampling of what was on the rack.

Merino foiled-floral cardigan in Sunflower, $98, available here

Although, I love the abstract print of this cardigan, remind me to never wear a similar outfit. This looks so boring, but I do love the cardi. It fit well and had nice colors especially the brushes of gold. The fit is true to size, no issues with gaping and I think if paired with the right things, it could work for winter or spring. Thumbs up minus that price tag, $100 is pretty steep for a cardigan.

 

Shift dress not available online; (Style#37834 in Nightfall Blue, $178)

 

I think J. Crew's nightfall blue is such a beautiful, rich shade, so when I peeped this on the rack, I figured I'd give it a try. This was designed to be work wear, but with that plunging neckline, you might get a few stares in the office if you go sans a blouse/turtleneck underneath. On the other hand, the length is respectable, but I found it to be a tad tight on the top. This wasn't special enough to grab a spot in the maybe pile.

Scoopneck Painter tee in Cerise, $29.50, available in other colors here

Skirt disappeared from website! (Item #35987, color RTO, $79.50)

This is my "OMG, look how short this is" face

I have the Painter tee in other colors, but when I saw this orange, I was drawn to the table like a zombie to brains. I can't resist a nice, bright color. With a resolution to add more prints to my wardrobe, I gave the skirt a whirl. Umm, I love the pockets and the colors in the print, but this would have earned me a trip to the Principal's office for the finger-length and bend over test in junior high. I tried a size down and think this would work better in my normal size, so true to size. I'm not in love with the print enough to buy this now and save for spring.

Drapey stripe pullover hoodie in White Ash Charcoal, $65, available here

3" chino short in Modern Red, $39.50 (tag in store was $42.50), available here

Who wears short shorts? That would be me!!! It was that color I like again, so I had to try these on. Although the tag states that the color is modern red, these shorts are definitely more orange than red. I think these were nice and would love to wear them if they were a bit longer. The fit was tts and I thought it was a nice weight cotton.

The hoodie I also liked although stripes aren't necessarily my body's best friend. I don't know if the one I tried on was defective, but the pocket wasn't centered. You can also see that it was pretty long. This would be great for the weekend with some jeans and I could picture wearing this under a blazer. I was forced to try a size down, so I would say it is tts.

How do you feel about resort wear? If you aren't heading to some tropical island soon, would you buy something for the warm weather now?