Notes from the Dressing Room- Peeking in at J. Crew

I had no intention of going to the mall this weekend, but somehow my car steered me towards it anyway. I looked through the Anthropologie sale, spied some new arrivals at J. Crew, grabbed some lunch and left. That might be the quickest mall visit ever. Here are just a small sampling of new items that showed up at the Crew recently:

Plaid Boucle Tweed Jacket, $268, available here

The bright colors of this jacket popped out at me on the rack and I just had to try it on. Plus, I can never resist a tweed. Now, this blazer has a classic cut, is pretty well made, has fun colors and for once the sleeves are actually long (as opposed to the ever popular bracelet length they usually love for this type of blazer). It has a poly lining throughout and the length comes to the waist. I tried this on a size up and it was relatively fitted in the body, but the sleeves were a bit baggy, so I would say this is tts unless you are broader or bustier on top. The neon might be a bit dated come next year, but if you are lover of bright colors that shouldn't matter. Overall, I would give it a thumbs up, but it isn't for me because the cropped length does not work well for my body type and the price is a bit up there.

Cafe Capri in Silk Foulard, $228, available here

I've been on a mission to add more printed pants in my wardrobe since the infatuation started with my polka dot pants (check them out here), so when I saw these in the new arrivals, I was instantly intrigued. J.Crew has done this print in a cotton capri (on sale here), but the silk pair just seems a bit classier/dressier. The print is great, the colors in the pattern could make this work well into the fall, plus it has a classic and simple fit. Now, the silk on this isn't the silkier kind of silk but more of a raw silk so it has some roughness to it (but not in an itchy way). I'm sure that's to help it not get so wrinkly. Fit is tts. Overall, I really like these, but don't feel comfortable spending so much on a pair of pants that can't be worn year-round. Plus, the fit in the bum area wasn't ideal for me, but only because I would want a more fitted silhouette.

 

Lace Placket Tee in Cerise, $52, available here

 Linen Short in Safari Cat, $65, available here

Oh, how I wanted to love this top. Just look at that bright color and it has wonderful texture going on in the front. It has a bracelet length sleeve, the body isn't boxy or clingy, and the split-top opening shows just enough skin. However, despite the many pluses, I couldn't get over the fit in the shoulder area. There was a ridiculous amount of bunching going on that made it feel off and fussy. I should have tried it on in a different size to see if that would help, but I didn't. I did see another blogger's review of the same top and she seemed to have the same problem though. I just might have bought this if that wasn't a problem, but I had a feeling I wouldn't stop messing with the sleeve if I wore it. Sigh, let's hope it works for others because it is really nice. Fit is tts to slight big.

Now, I've tried on the safari cat print in the cafe capris and I loved them (see post here), so these shorts are pretty much the same with a touch less fabric. It's a nice, hefty linen, but not really scratchy, the shape is not clingy and you can't go wrong with that print. It's subdued enough to work with so many colors. I can only assume the fit is tts like the cafe capri because I don't have on my true size in this pic. This is a really cute short and my only complaint would be it should have about an inch more fabric to it. I'll have to pass on this one because I'm hoping to get the factory version of the capris, but this would make a great addition to other's short collection.
That's just a small selection of some items I tried on. There was one other very unfortunate top that was a misfire on all accounts and an interesting tank that I might consider buying, but my wallet was on its best behavior that day.

Is there anything in the new arrivals that you are interested in buying or have bought?