Thursday, October 11, 2012

JCA "Help Style Me!" Weekly Post

This is the weekly "Help Style Me!" post, where we can share items we are having trouble putting outfits together with. Elaine (in this post) says it best, "You know, that thing you bought because you love it and you keep pulling it out and then putting it away without wearing it?"

Please share your J.Crew item (either that you own or are thinking about getting) that you would love help creating an outfit with.

Also, please help out by offering your styling advice. Feel free to include links to your blog (where you incorporated that piece) or to Polyvore (where you showcased an outfit with that piece). Thanks in advance! :)

51 comments:

  1. To see the navy tweed jacket with the café capri in navy tweed together as a suit, see here, the tie top in navy tweed with the café capri in navy tweed here.

    Please chime in with your styling ideas!

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  2. OK...I love the Allie dress! I already have 2 of them - the Floral & Red one...I'm wondering if I should exchange the red for the blue or navy? I love the Red but I love the Blue...Do I need 3?!?!?!

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  3. The Colourblock sequin tank in Sea Mist (http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/knitstees/tanksandcamis/PRDOVR~14302/14302.jsp). I'm thinking jeans and a navy or red blazer. But what else? Thanks in advance for your styling advice.

    K

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    Replies
    1. I wore mine with jeans and the Tippi Cardigan in Turquoise (PK6475) I am not real creative on matching colors HTH.

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    2. Looks really cute for fall with a striped button down underneath and straight/skinny pants. In store now they have the color blocked collection tank in maroon and black layered this way and it looks spectacular.

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  4. Wore the French Hen sweater for the first time yesterday! See styling ideas here:

    http://sequinsforbreakfast.com/2012/10/11/the-bird-is-the-word/

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    Replies
    1. Love if with the gingham shirt! Anyone know if the French hen sweatér is marked down in stores?

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    2. Still full price ($95.00)in my local store as of this morning.

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  5. Hi Everyone! I have reviewed and styled the Houndstooth Sweatshirt today on my blog. See the post here!

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  6. I always have trouble styling denim jackets but I was happy wearing recent J.Crew Stretch denim jacket with Gallerista skirt and striped top (see here). I really like the jacket and I think will work great with any patterned full skirt.

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  7. Not sure if this is the right place to post this question, but here goes:
    I have a pair of matchstick jeans from apx 2007 that fit me better than any jean ever. Of course JC decided to change the fit. Has anyone tried the "Straight & Narrow" jeans I see on the factory website? I am hoping to find a pair of jeans that fit like my '07 matchsticks!
    Thanks!

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  8. Mary, the "straight and narrow" fit is the same thing as the matchstick fit (if you go to a factory store, you will see that they are called matchstick). I have matchstick cords from factory, current season, and they are fitted at the top but the bottom is definitely a straight leg. I am not sure if that is what you are looking for. It may be worth a try though.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I'm trying to find a jean with a very straight leg. I've found that the current matchstick jeans seem to have a more fitted leg and the waist is different, too. Hoping to make the two hour trip to the factory store soon =)

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  9. OT: I logged onto my account just to get a pair of socks for my daughter and I have free shipping on my account. I guess it pays not to order much:) First time I have gotten this great perk! No minimum!

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    Replies
    1. i just signed in after seeing your post and i have free shipping too!

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  10. I just bought the white Bubble earrings on sale :) Are these best in summer or would you wear them year round? What would you wear them with? (I don't own the white Bubble necklace). All I can think of is white jeans, which doesn't help much in the fall/nearly winter. Should I save them for spring/summer or can you think of a way to wear them now? Thanks!

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  11. Miss JR, Yeah, Glad I could help as it says TODAY ONLY!!!

    Cate, Wear them year round with winter white. I am going to get them with my free shipping in both the sale colors. I mean, the two items I would buy are both sold out in my size; bummer and the rest of their clothing is so overpriced for the pool quality.

    Today I had attack of the prickly should pads again. Anyone else still dealing with this? I have ZERO time in my life to go to a tailor and I have 3 jackets from last year never worn. JCrew jackets/blazers really suck IMO. Would never buy another one as long as I live until this issue is completely resolved which basically translates into NEVER AGAIN.

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    Replies
    1. I've had this happen all the time with my herringbone schoolboys from this summer. I thought it was just me, but it's ridiculous and the prickly things are quite sharp. When I looked closer at them, they are not pins but almost sharp, stiff pieces that stick out on the shoulders. I have not had this problem with my schoolboys from this fall though.

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    2. Thx. For letting me know. Trying to decide if I can get them to poke out far enough that I might be able use some tiny sewing scissors and Clip them off so they might not poke as much.

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    3. I have had the prickly issue with the shoulder pads as well. When I contacted customer service (specifically about this issue with the Collection Icon trench), I was told I could either return it as defective or they would reimburse a tailor for fixing it. I took it to the tailor, where he had to rip out everything in the shoulders and recreate them with new pads. The tailor was quite surprised with just how poor the quality was. Customer service told me, "Want you to know that this style incorporates horse hair so as to give it a more structured look and feel. That said, the hair should not be protruding from the lining – no excuses and will definitely be sharing this with the rest of the team." It's worth contacting them to see if they can help you. Regardless, it really makes me question the quality and whether I want to gamble by purchasing any more of their blazers/jackets/etc.

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  12. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to pair with patterned pants besides a plain colored shirt? I guess I'm interested to hear if you successfully pair your patterned pants with patterned tops or if you do layering on top that looks nice. I'm a little bit stuck!

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    Replies
    1. I firmly believe stripes work with any pattern. Just make sure to have contrasting scale.

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    2. An alternative to a patterned top would be a textured, solid color top. I have last year's (?) waffle pullover that I've worn with patterned pants. There's a subtle pattern, which I like better than a plain solid top, but not so bold that I feel weird.

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  13. I bought the postage stamp mini in shimmer tweed (the bright green one) earlier this season and absolutely love it with a white button down, or my blythe in shallow sea, or my kelly green tippi, etx. But it's getting colder and I'm stumped on how to style it on the bottom for fall. What color tights go with bright green? Especially as my go-to shoe is a silver flat. I do have brown flats and am going to invest in a good pair of brown boots this season too...help! How do I wear this skirt all season long?

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    Replies
    1. My top picks for tights are burgundy/maroon (will also look cute with silver and brown), navy, and then black or charcoal grey.

      I'd keep them untextured, as the mini is quite textured itself.

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    2. Thanks- I hadn't thought of burgundy...that might be super cute!

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  14. Just received the Bi Stretch Wool Mini's in Cabernet...love them! Now I need to figure out what to pair them with. I also got the oversized merino sweater in grey and it looks amazing with the pants, but that is the only pairing I can think of.

    Any suggestions?

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    Replies
    1. I got a pair of Theory pants in the same color since they were out of 0 Talls in the Minnies in Cabernet. Today on my blog I paired them with a heather caramel colored cable. I think that caramel or tan, navy, charcoal, black, brown, white, a pale pink (I paired a pale pink blouse with a cabernet colored pencil skirt), and even a very dark purple look really nice with them.

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    2. Here's a Polyvore set with them. And here is a second one.

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  15. If anyone was wondering about the velvet toothpick jeans Sarah Vickers has both the navy and the mauve blush color. Here are the links.

    Navy:
    http://www.classygirlswearpearls.com/2012/10/left-on-autumn-drive.html

    Mauve blush:
    http://www.classygirlswearpearls.com/2012/10/a-view-of-gould-island.html

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    Replies
    1. I saw the navy ones on her today, and it made me want them so bad!

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    2. Navy Wasn't a color I was thinking about but after seeing them on her I have changed my mind! I think I'll be picking up both the navy and mauve blush as soon as there is a promo or they go on sale.

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  16. If anyone was looking to style the pale turquoise cords, check out how we styled them for a reader at What2WearWhen.blogspot.com:

    http://what2wearwhen.blogspot.com/2012/10/you-have-pale-turquoise-pants-from-j_5.html

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  17. I thought others might find some of my stylings with the navy French Hen sweater helpful:
    For casual, I've paired it with straight-leg or skinny jeans and the leopard print factory shirt from the spring and the pink/off-white plaid shirt (from the factory last fall I believe).
    For business casual, I've worn it with the same pink/off-white shirt and khaki cafe capris and the white blythe blouse and royal blue pencil skirt. Royal blue is so versatile!

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    Replies
    1. I also LOVE the navy hen sweater with the postage stamp mini in navy, which I'm finding to be my go-to skirt this season - every JC sweater I've bought for fall looks lovely with it. I'm only 5'3" and intentionally sized up so it sits low on the waist and isn't too short. It's been very versatile.

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  18. Even though I'm planning on checking out my B&M at lunchtime, I totally just drank the crewlade and placed yet another online order for the sterling skirt in black (have it in crimson maple and love it), the Mona pumps in deep aubergine which I really wanted in navy but they were more than 2x the price, and the sequin colorblock tank in burgundy/navy which was the only item marked final sale but since it was $55.99 and that's not ridiculous I went against my better judgment and risked it. Fingers crossed.

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  19. Help! Can anyone share tips on how to avoid carpet beetle invasions? I did battle with them a year ago, then had no problems, and now discovered that they're back.

    The worst problem is they love my JCrew merino cardigans, and always eat my favorite ones first. I had to toss one of my Tartine cardigans because it was beyond repair.

    I just handwashed all my sweaters and stuck a few others in the freezer. :(

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    Replies
    1. Have you tried the JCrew cashmere wash? It is scented w/ lavender and it helps to repel moths. Also, cedar scented balls or disks ( I found them at the checkout line in HomeGoods) or scented sachets for moth repellant. I found these at a local hardware store that carrries everything. You can find canvas ( natural fibers need to breathe so plastic isn't good)storage bags with cedar inserts- I use these and don't have a problem. Good luck

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    2. Thank you, MJ! I usually use shampoo on my woolens. I'll pick up the cashmere wash on my next order. I've got cedar disks, cedar balls, and sachets everywhere. I just took everything to the dry cleaner.

      Thanks for the suggestion on the bags. I'll give that a try!

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    3. Also try the Laundress for J. Crew Cashmere spray. I use it to refresh my cashmere & merino sweaters and wool jackets mid-summer. It also contains lavender to repel those nasty critters and has an amazing scent.

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  20. Advice needed! Finally giving in to the trend and plan to purchase a denim/chambray shirt. Between J.Crew, J. Crew Factory & Madewell, there are *at least* 15 different versions available. Any recs for a particular version or brand? My main goal is always comfort and I'm a medium, if that helps! TIA :)

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    Replies
    1. I highly recommend the factory two-pocket chambray shirt. Have it, love it. It is really flattering, and it washes up nicely. Runs tts.

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  22. I need some advice. I have the Double-Cloth Slim Trench in size 4. However, I wear a size 0 in the schoolboy. Do you think the size two in the trench may be a better fit?

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  23. Courtney Locke - I agree with J.CrewJD the factory two-pocket chambray shirt is a good one, one of my favorites and not too pricey. I started to review a few of the denim/chambray shirt on my blog but just never got around to all of them ... yet. I'll try to do a few chambray shirt reviews next week. If you're planning to wear the shirt under pullovers, note the denim shirts are much heavier than chambray.

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  24. Hello, ladies- as usual- window inspirations are all posted here. Enjoy! New displays added frequently.

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  25. Thanks in advance for your help!

    I am looking to wear my navy Prabal Gurung dress for an upcoming formal event. Here is the question. The event is at the end of the month so it will be cold. I need thoughts on what best to wear for shoes and what if anything on my legs?

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  26. I saw the navy ones on her today, and it made me want them so sad.
    straight jeans

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