Notes from the Dressing Room- All in the Fabrics at J.Crew

I had a few hours to roam around the mall on Sunday before I got trapped in the house by hurricane Sandy. I certainly caught up on lots of sleep, episodes of Law & Order:SVU and the best part is the power didn't go out. I hope you guys on the East Coast managed to stay safe and dry.
You know I had to stop at J.Crew and check out the goods. Here are a few reviews:

Dream Colorblock Elbow-Patch Sweater in Flax Cabernet, $98.00, available here

Cafe Capri in Red Tartan, $168.00, available here

I've been a bit leery of buying sweaters lately because I want good quality ones that don't get the fuzzies soon after its first wearing, but there was something interesting about this sweater that made me give it a try. It has one color in the front and a different color in the back, it has a trim around the wrists and the best part are the elbow patches. I have a thing for elbow patches, lol. I get the smart professor vibe from them. Overall, I would say this is certainly a fun piece to have in the wardrobe. The length is good, it's something different, the elbow patches actually fit at the elbow and this particular color pairing would work well with lots of colors. BUT, the fabric was itchy (not overwhelmingly so, but still itchy and that's never good in a sweater) and I hate the cropped arm length (they couldn't shell out for a few more inches of fabric?). I tried this on in my regular size for sweaters (L) and it fit pretty well. There was room and it wasn't form-fitting, so size according to how you want it to fit. Overall, I like the concept of this sweater, but its feel and "short"comings did not make it worth the price for me.

It must be time for the holiday-esque pants. I felt cocktail party ready in these pants. Now I love the cafe capri pants and these are essentially the same pant in a print, but I am so tired of capris at J.Crew. Am I the only one? Can I get a full-legged pant one of these days? These pictures make me look like I'm wearing pants that aren't the right length. The wool felt soft, I didn't have the itchies when I put them on, the print is great and it would be perfect to dress up and down depending on the top. Sadly they weren't perfect. I feel like the pattern makes me look wide around the hip area, the fit was a bit baggy in the back and it would be much nicer if it was more tailored. I tried this on in my regular size and it felt too big. There was almost an inch of extra fabric in the waist and you guys can see the extra room in the leg from the picture above

Chiffon Top in Hothouse Floral, $138.00, available here

Toothpick Velvet Jeans in Rustic Brick, $110.00, similar here in other colors available here, tall version of this color available here

This blouse is getting a lot of love in the Crewniverse and it is certainly a lovely top. The vibrant green color mixed in with the darks make it great for fall/winter and there are several different colors that you can pull from the top to match with your skirts and pants. The blouse fit very well by skimming the body (not tight, not loosey-goosey), but there was a bit of an issue for me. The subtle pleating details at the top made it not lay right in the bust area for me, so busty gals be cautious about sizing. I tried this on in my normal numeric sizing, but I have a feeling if I sized up, the fit would be too blousey. Although taking it in would be a relatively simple thing for the tailor to do, I just didn't love this top enough to buy it and make it work for me. It is nice though!!

Velvet pants?? Don't mind if I do!! I absolutely love the velvet Schoolboy blazer, but have never added one to my closet, so I thought these velvet pants would certainly make a nice substitution. This color is a nice rusty orange, mainly orange but with undertones of red. Similar to the modern red color but not as vibrant and the darker tone made it much better suited for the fall/winter season. Even though there is more red in the blouse, I still thought the color of these pants worked with it. I tried these on in a size up, but I also tried my normal size in a different color. I would say sizing up worked better for me in terms of fit in the waist and hip area. There was some pulling across the front in my normal size, but it's hard for me to say whether they would end up stretching because I've never worn velvet pants. Again these are cropped, but they don't seem to look so high water like the plaid pants. These are a thumbs up and will be going on my wishlist.

 Long-Sleeve Tweed Dress, $215.00, available here

I've waxed on poetically (or not so poetically) about how much I like tweed, so I decided to try on this lady-like tweed dress. I had visions of looking Jackie O classy, but the real outcome was not so good. I love this tweed, it has a metallic sheen to it and all of the details definitely make it a pretty dress, but I seriously felt like I was wearing a straitjacket. I think the light color and the fact that it is fitted with no give helped to even put that thought in my head. The tweed is pretty thick on this dress, it has a fitted and defined waistband, the sleeves are bracelet length and the hem is at a modest point on the leg. All great qualities! It just didn't look right on me. I think it needs to show a hint of skin somewhere because it feels too mature. I sized up in this dress to accommodate my bust and waist. That was a better call because as I mentioned before, it is designed to really fit. Overall, very pretty, but not quite right. I'm sure it would look fabulous on some lady out there.

This shopping trip ended up with no purchases although I was tempted by a pair of shoes in the sale section. A big part of that is the fact that I haven't been enamored with the latest rollouts, but I've been trying to be good about not buying because I'm headed back to the J.Crew Clearance center this weekend! I've hoping to encounter some fabulous goodies (fingers crossed). If not, I see some velvet pants in my future!

What do you think of these items? Do you have any holiday outfits ready to go or will you be headed to the stores for the right outfit?