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! :)
Today's topic/question: how to "liven up" navy.
ReplyDeleteAs I have gotten older, I have switched from black to navy as it seems to me that black on my top half drains color from my face. I have acquired a lot of tops, skirts, pants and blazers that feature navy thanks to the "pop back" gods. Because there's a lot of J Crew, in many cases it's navy with stripes or polka dots or prints.
I love navy but it can start to look very "uniform" like (even with the patterns). (Which I guess is not necessarily a bad thing.)
Other than wearing a colourful top and/or shoes, any tips for livening up navy? What are your favourite colors to wear with navy? Are there any colors/shades you think are a "no go" with navy? (There is the always controversial subject of navy + black...)
Thank you!
Hi TM! Navy is my go-to neutral; wearing it today! I think you can wear any color with navy but my favorite combos are navy + yellow, navy + aqua, navy + orchid. I also love navy, aqua, & red together, or navy, aqua, & yellow. Navy + any shade of green (emerald, jade, chartreuse, lime, mint, teal) is beautiful together.
DeleteThe only shades I'd not pair navy with are dark brown or dark grey. I've never been brave enough to try navy + black but I know a lot of people have rocked that duo too.
I have an entire board on Pinterest devoted to interesting color combos so you could probably start with a few color combo Pins featuring navy & do a "deep dive" from there.
I adore navy and black and always get tons of compliments when i wear it.
DeleteAll great color combos Taylor! This helps me too!
DeleteGreat ideas, Taylor! I, too, love navy w any shade of green, particularly sage or mint.
DeleteI try to avoid navy with white or light shades of pink unless there is an interesting design element that pulls it away from school uniform or little girl.
Today I am wearing a navy cotton jacket, white top (the old J. Crew rococo shell -- one of my favorite J. Crew pieces of yore) and the light blue side tie linen midi from last summer. I think it looks nice and summery. I tend to think a lot of navy looks too nautical when paired with white, but the addition of the light blue linen breaks it up.
DeleteGreetings Toronto Modern, I have a couple pairs of navy Eaton Boy Trousers that I’ve paired with a light blue Tippi, beige Tippi, navy and white striped Boy Shirt, and white Perfect Shirt. I’ve kept the jewelry simple with the striped shirt (in silver), but added bigger statement pieces (in gold) and scarves with the solid pairings. I like navy and red (it looks less patriotic than you would think), and navy and camel is a classic combination. I also like navy with cabernet or dark green, although those are more wintery pairings. I’m always a bit stumped on color combinations, so I’ve collected an entire Pinterest page of color palettes for inspiration. I’ll also just Google “J.Crew Navy” or “What goes with navy (or other color)?” – those searches always turn up some good ideas. Good luck! Jennifer
DeleteGreat question and GREAT ideas from everyone - i really liked hearing them, as I, too, have gravitated towards Navy over Black in certain instances. I don't have a lot of gold tops, but one combo I'm fond of is pairing gold accessories with Navy (so a Navy sheath dress dressed up with a thin gold belt or jewelry or wedge sandals in summer.) I also like pairing it light gray (in place of white), as well as picking up a blue color in a print with a predominant blue color.
DeleteLove all the combos above, and I'd add navy + white + a pop of fuchsia, maybe in a scarf or belt or shoe. Also navy + eggplant or olive in the fall. Today I'm wearing a navy JC pencil plus a buttondown in JC's "chrome green" from several years ago -- a cheery summery combo IMO.
DeleteNavy is my black. I love it paired with red, white, grass green, yellow, mustard yellow, bright pink (I don't do pastels), I adore it with orange, maroon, olive green, grey....there are so many options! I have navy in florals, polka dots, stripes, plaids. I'll buy pretty much any print if it includes navy. I stopped wearing black 10 years ago and I've never looked back.
DeleteThanks, everyone.
DeleteI am in awe of your creativity and encouraged to dive back into my closet!
I saw a really striking outfit a few weeks ago. Navy top and orange pants. I noticed from across the street!
DeleteLadies I need some help! Not specifically to J Crew so I hope it's ok. I'm preggo with my third baby and want to keep my style game high this time around. I have a ton of stretchy maternity skirts that I'll be rotating through until delivery. Taylor's combos really helped because one of those skirts is a navy maxi. I also have 2 black skirts that I want to keep looking fresh for the next 5 months. Any combos you really love with black? Any accessories I should invest in to spice things up? I had to re-buy all new maternity tees (mine were far too worn to use again) so I got all the basic colors (white, pink, gray, and b/w stripes) and I'll add a few colors soon (emerald, teal, mustard, and olive). All suggestions would be very, very much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteAdding that I am stalking ebay for vintage J Crew jewels to spice things up!
DeleteCongrats on your third pregnancy liztriden! With my pregnancies, I had planned to limit most of my JCrew spending to accessories as well - but ended up making some really great purchases in shoes, jackets, and long merino wool cardigans to go with the jewelry! I bought several pairs of cece flats in various colors, and would select a long necklace that had a color that matched the shoes, and a long cardigan in a contrasting color. This was my uniform and I'd wear with a t-shirt, jeans, leggings, or a black maxi skirt as you described. While the maternity clothes are long gone, I still have still have these necklaces, shoes and cardigans and I smile when I reach for them as they remind me of being "with child."
DeleteSuch great suggestions - thanks for giving me ideas! I'm excited to expand my accessory wardrobe because you're right, they are all things I'll wear after. Thank you!!
DeleteThis is actually a styling DON'T, but I thought I'd share it as it made me laugh. Last fall I picked up a pair of Sammies in cabernet and wore them once before the cold weather set in. I also picked up a fast-fashion patterned top that I thought would go well with them, and put it away for the winter. Last week I was rushing to get out the door to work and threw on the new top with the Sammmies, and unexpectedly found myself on the express train to Frumpsville, population: 1. The new top M-A-T-C-H-E-D the pants such that it looked like one of those 2-piece outfits you could buy at Sears in the 80s. I think it was the effect of the coloured pants, I normally only wear tan/olive/navy neutrals. I didn't have much time and was able to salvage the outfit by adding a really bright cardi and some cute wedges and still make it to work on time. I still like the top and the pants, but will not be wearing them together again!
ReplyDeleteThis isn't a styling issue...more like a lack of styling issue. I did a return today and thought I'd check out the new things in person. Well.....my store didn't get very many of them. All they got in the postcard print were the silly short shorts and the little clutch bag. WTH? Also the sales associate said they might not get an style guides anymore. I wasn't too impressed with this rollout...but I sometimes like things after I see them in person. So....what are they thinking?
ReplyDelete@Stray Cat my store seems to get in everything except what I'm interested in. It's frustrating, as I would prefer to try on and buy in person instead of using the shop as a giant returns window most of the time. I do buy things in store, but much more online. The catalog disappearing is a bit sad, although I don't look forward to it like I used to.
ReplyDeleteI could use some help styling the Madewell Striped Midi Dress (item #g6077). I'm not sure if I will keep it because it seems too sweet. Can anyone suggest a way to style it that would counter the sweetness a little bit? It's such a comfortable dress and it fits well and I can wear a bra with it and I want to make it work, but as it is, I'm not sure where or how I'd wear it. Thank you for any suggestions!
ReplyDeletePretty sure Ema @crazyaboutjcrew tried this one on. The shape doesn't work for me, but I do think it would look nice with nude sandals or flat espadrilles or even cute sneakers without looking too sweet.
DeleteThanks Suz! Ema and Ina both tried it on on Instagram, and I think they both thought it was nice but a bit garden-party/sweet (I agree but I want it to work!). I'll go back and see if they had any styling ideas for it.
DeleteI'm obsessed with light blue stripes with hot pink. Maybe some hot pink flats/sandals and a denim jacket?
DeleteKind of extreme, but distressing, by a knee perhaps? I would suggests a military or Moto style jacket, but presumably this is a nice-weather dress. Which makes it tricky. So it's limited to shoes or accessories. Maybe the black beaded bracelet from the crew.
DeleteThanks liztriden and Sarah Folz! liz, I love pink with blue too, great idea. I have some older pink JC sandals I'll try with it. Sarah/liz, the jackets are good ideas but it is a warm-weather dress so it would mostly be worn without a topper. Maybe I could do something with jewelry? Would gladiator sandals be weird with this dress? thanks again for the help!
DeleteAlso- Sarah - I don't think distressing would show on this dress. The stripes are very washed out/subtle. I like the idea though!
DeleteWhat about a contrast like a red or black bandana? That could make it edgier. I would try the gladiators and see how you feel in them with the dress. Otherwise, you're right, jewelry may be the way to go. Something black? Or neon, if you're into that (sometimes I am). Maybe even a nail polish color would help it avoid being cutesy. Then again, it is a simple dress, and maybe let your attitude or hairstyle add to the overall look.
DeleteThey show it styled with a navy bandana which I think is cute. I love the pop of red or black too though, and I bet nude or brown gladiators will work,
DeleteI like bright contrasting colors together. Pink shoes and bright yellow jewelry is how I would go. I also scrolled Pinterest and saw nude sandals and gold jewelry which doesn't toughen it up but would look really pretty.
DeleteThanks so much for the great ideas!
DeleteQuestion re: Madewell Mariel buckle sandals in the camel color.
ReplyDeleteI've been eyeing them for awhile because I could use a new pair of mid heel camel sandals, but now they are final sale and I haven't tried them on...I'd like to use my Muse $25 to purchase them along with another gift card I have, and of course the muse credit expires tomorrow.
I'm trying to remember who on IG has them, I know Ina wears hers often and Ema tried them too. If you have them and posted a pic please tag me on IG @wearthislikethis
I haven't posted a picture, but I have these sandals. I am a size 8 and bought a size 8. They are adjustable for width and at the back heel strap. They're comfortable and TTS. I have a wider foot, if that helps to know, but I didn't have to do any adjusting for width even though I could have.
DeleteA nice feature of these sandals is that you can pull the back heel strap down/up to slip your foot in and out without having to unbuckle and buckle.
DeleteThank you. Do you wear them more with pants or do you think they work with skirts/shorts too?
DeleteI've worn them with both pants/jeans and a dress. I'm sure they'd work with shorts too. They're very versatile, easy to put with different things.
DeleteThanks for the feedback. I ordered them. I hope the size works. (It should!)
DeleteI hope you like them Suz!
DeleteThank you Cate! I'm sure I will.
DeleteI have a pic of those sandals on IG my account is @abukorga
DeleteI'm size 7 and I bought them in size 7. They are perfect with skirts/dresses.Love them,and yes you can slip them off no need to unbuckle
I'll check now! They shipped already and will be here tomorrow. :)
DeleteDr. K they look great and your IG is making me hungry!
Delete:) Thanks you!
DeleteThis is my first comment on this site. First, I'm a new J.Crew fan but have been spending A LOT of money on them. I recently picked up the Collection ultra wide striped pants (navy striped) (G5179) in size 10. I'm normally a size 4/6 but that was the only size. I'm still on the fence because it's so much fabric but I adore them. Does anyone have these? Tips on how to style? Have you gotten lots of compliments on them? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteOP here. One other thing that has come up. I also purchased the Collection Thomas Mason tiered ruffle dress (G4620) which is beautiful but the straps are too long. My frequented store is the 5th Avenue one. Has anyone gotten alterations besides hems done here (such as shortening these straps) or should I just go to my tailor. Thanks again!
DeleteOn the striped pants, check IG of @jcrewmycrew.
DeleteOh could also call or email customer service and see if they can locate another size int he pants for you, sometimes you get a helpful person who will do that.
DeleteThank you for the ideas. I found the IG and followed it. I also was able to snag a size 6 and 8 too so I'll get a chance to pick the one that fits the best.
DeleteI also found a 4 and tried on the pants and they were a little too tight so I decided to return them. In a week or so, these puppies will be mine and I can go hog wild with outfits.
Thank you again!
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