Thursday, January 25, 2018

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! :)

34 comments:

  1. Not totally on topic, but as I mentioned earlier, I'm cleaning out my closet this week. I have a few much loved garments that need to be repaired but they definitely aren't worth the cost of having a professional repair or reweave them. I've been putting off doing the repairs because I don't really know how to repair them and also I'm lazy. But I do know how to sew and I can knit and crochet at a very elementary level.

    1. One of my merino boyfriend sweaters has a tiny hole in the front from my cat's claw. If I just sew it shut with a needle and thread as I generally do, the repair will be obvious due to the placement. The yarn is very fine, though, and reweaving it would be difficult, especially for a total noob like me.

    2. A moth had my Italian cashmere waffle leggings for lunch. This hole is slightly larger and I'd like to reweave it, but I suppose I could just sew it with a needle and thread since the hole is near the seam and won't be as obvious.

    3. I have a several pairs of well worn jeans that have developed large holes. My plan is to use the more worn pairs to make patches for the less worn pairs. Is it too much to hope the end result will look decorative/intentional?

    If anyone has any tips for making these repairs or links to good instructions, I'd much appreciate it. I've watched some how-to videos for reweaving knits, but I found them to be a bit confusing. For the most part, they assume you're an experienced knitter and my knitting knowledge is definitely very elementary.

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    1. Also:
      4. I have several pairs of very ill-fitting sweatpants that I bought from Lands End. The legs are ridiculously wide and awkward looking. I tried to fix the problem by washing them in hot water and drying them in a hot dryer. Nope. That just shrunk the waist and butt area so now they have an even more awkward fit. My plan is to rewash them and block them back to their original size and shape. Then I'm going to use my beloved Saturday pants as a pattern to cut the wide legs to a more flattering shape. This should be a very easy alteration and if it works, I'll have some faux Saturday pants in several new colors.

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    2. Uggh! Cats!!!

      I've recently lost two sweaters to a pesky cat claw!

      One option for the sweater (and depending on where) may be to use a cute patch (like cherries or an anchor) to cover it up instead of trying to repair it.

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    3. @Miss JR This was the first sweater damage, but I've lost many tshirts to cats struggling to get away from my love. When I was looking for reweaving videos, I ran across one on repairing tiny holes in tshirts. The woman was using small pieces of a fusible product similar to interfacing. My technique would probably not be as good as hers, but her repairs were nearly invisible. I was impressed.

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    4. If you're on IG scroll way down to the beginning of my feed and you can see a pair of 7FAM jeans that shredded under the butt and knees. I used another pair of old 7FAM jeans to make patches that I hand stitched and glued into place with fabric glue. It's not perfect but they are wearable.
      I'm sure I could have paid someone a lot to really repair them but overall my imperfect repair is ok. I only have basic sewing skills but totally want to learn more.
      IG is @wearthislikethis

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    5. @Suz Has Thanks. I will very happily take a look.

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  2. One thing I'd suggest is emailing CS to see if they will send you some more of the thread that should have been included when you purchased the item. They've done this once for me in the past and although I ultimately gave up on dealing with the repair, I thought it was lovely that they would assist. You just need he style number, year, and color!

    Also, for the merino boyfriend sweater, why not play with some patches? Since patches are so in style right now, you could play with some fun ones!

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    1. Thanks, Malvina. I had no idea that was a possibility. I will definitely do that.

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  3. Trying the wide cropped trouser look with boyfriend sweater (aka the double wide look).
    Not sure i like it,pic is on my IG

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    1. I just "liked" in on your insta.
      I think it looks fabulous!

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    2. Thanks @cheritheberry it takes a little while to get used to it,but i think i kinda like it now too:)

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  4. Hi...does anyone know if you return an item after the 6o day window(online item) can you get a store credit. ...or can it not be returned at all.. thank you.

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    1. In my experience, not returned at all unless the store gives you a "one time courtesy"

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    2. I usually just do it by mail with no prior asking. 100% of time i get jcrew giftcard in mail for value (price i paid - not current price). I also do this with madewell, but last time i got email credit code instead of mailed card. So maybe jcrew will start doing emailed codes too.

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  5. OT but I’m wondering if anyone has the style number for the cashmere side slit tunic? I thought I had it on my wishlist but it’s not there. Also, any advice on my best chances of finding that item on pop back? Or will I have better luck emailing a VPS to track one down? Thanks!

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    1. Thank you Ina. Do you think I have any chance of tracking one down? When I called my local store, they said if it’s sold out online, it’s no longer available anywhere.

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    2. I am sure there are some returns floating around which wvtl go back to the warehouse/website. Just check regularly and dont give up:)

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    3. Thank you so much for your help! If anyone here happens to notice this item in your local store, let me know and I will stalk the website!

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    4. Here's the direct link to it:
      https://www.jcrew.com/p/womens_category/sweaters/cashmere/italian-cashmere-sideslit-tunic/H0863

      It's only available in XL right now and the reviews say it's sized a bit big. I will neither confirm nor deny that I ordered this sweater on my 2nd order this morning.

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    5. One more thing: I'm noticing that items sometimes show out of stock on the website, but do a google search for the item name, click through that link. and magically the item is then available and, yes, it actually ships. Weird but true.

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    6. ^^ yes!! I've also noticed lately that a Google search for the iten name sometimes tells me specifically where it is available at the nearest store to me and the size. I've not yet tested whether their inventory search results are accurate, but I also don't understand how Google searches can find that??

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    7. @eeps Wow, I hadn’t noticed that. It’s disturbing to think google has access to store inventory.

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    8. Do you happen to want a periwinkle one in size small? I love that sweater and MIGHT have ordered it in several colors. Before I found my usual XS, I ordered it in size small, and that one is too big. It's final sale, so I will probably sell it. Let me know if you are interested!

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    9. Thank you Jenny but I will need it in a M or L. I wish I could wear a S because the periwinkle is so pretty!

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  6. Thanks Ina! Do you think there’s any chance of tracking one down? When I called my local store, they said if it’s sold out online it’s no longer available anywhere so I just want to verify.

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    1. I have mint color in xs.... little big on me so I was planning on returning. Let me know if you interested.

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    2. Thank you Kate! The mint color is my first choice but unfortunately an XS is too small for me.

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  7. Received one orders including the tuxedo blazer, Cameron slim chinos, gold laceup sandals and the Parke Topcoat in dark Cognac.

    Pics aren't coming out so well at night but I did post a pic of the Topcoat on IG @wearthislikethis.

    I think the tuxedo blazer will go back. It's perfectly nice, very lightweight wool, but I think the fit of my ludlow blazer is a little better and for my purposes I don't specificislly need the tuxedo aspect, as much as I love that.

    The Cameron slim chinos are great, but they do run small. I am not a chino person but these are a cross between the foundry pant and a slim pant, I think the proportions are a little better for me. I did order a size up because I wanted them slouchy. They're more fitted than I expected but the fabric will definitely give a little, as it feels like a light cotton/canvas with no stretch.

    i like a coat a lot. Don't need if, but it's a nice color, feels good, classic cut, and loose enough to layer under.

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    1. Suz, dark cognac is beautiful! I vote to keep it. ;)

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    2. I really like it! Thank you.

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    4. @SuzHas - that coat is gorgeous and is giving me FOMO. I just tossed a winter coat and need to replace. How many sizes up do you recommend if you plan to wear chunky sweaters under?

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    5. @eeps Hmmm...hard for me to say exactly because this MAY be the first coat I've gotten in TALL. most of my coats are a size 4 to fit my shoulders. This coat is a 4tall and feels a little looser through the shoulders than my regent Topcoat in a 4 regular. So for a really chunky sweater I'd say one size up should be plenty.

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