Thursday, February 22, 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! :)

20 comments:

  1. so not a style question but a washing question

    i have a cashmere long sleeve tee sweater from jcrew that shrunk a little. it still fits but it's tighter than what i wanted. i heard washing it in cold water with baby shampoo and then stretching it when it's wet is the way to go.

    anyone have success with this? tips? any particular brand of shampoo? if this were just a gray or navy color, i'd say whatever and just replace it but, of course, it's the perfect shade of a violet color and i can't find a replacement anywhere.

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    1. Hi Miss JR - I've had luck with this. Just Johnson's baby shampoo (a tiny bit) worked fine in slightly tepid water. I think that the key is using very little soap and not rinsing the soap all the way out. Just squeeze the water out and then stretch/shape it gently, then lay flat to dry.

      I've also done this with a Madewell flannel shirt that was shrunken. In this case, I did the same washing but actually hung it to dry on a plastic hanger, which is probably a major no but it allowed me to stretch out the garment in the way I wanted to. Good luck!

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    2. I had great success using the hair conditioner method that’s also recommended online. I stretched a slightly shrunken cashmere sweater and regained 1-2” in the sleeves and at least 2” in the body.

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  2. I do the same as silver_lining, but I prefer to use Caldrea delicate wash. It’s amazing for washing wool and cashmere sweaters. It makes them very soft and easy to shape. Plus it smells wonderful.

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  3. I finally have my new chests in place, stacked, cleaned, polished and attached to the wall (they're tall!), but I haven't filled them yet. I also bought a matching shelf unit with doors, so I have a ton of new storage space. I have lots of konmari folding ahead of me.

    One of the chests arrived damaged. It's extremely heavy and it appeared to have been dropped. Overstock replaced it and told me I can throw it away, give it away or keep it and have it repaired if UPS doesn't contact me by the end of the month. I think it can be repaired with some wood screws and wood glue, so I'm hoping UPS doesn't want to be bothered with it. I can use it in my study to store sewing and craft supplies. I've been looking for something to replace the horrible cheap plastic drawer unit from Target that I've been using and this would work perfectly.

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    1. I've had a similar situation with overstock and UPS never picked up the item (an area rug).

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    2. Love that you are going to Marie Kondo that thing to death! Have fun, I find processes like that strangely rewarding!

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    3. @Suz Has - That's good to hear. I'm hoping to keep it, but I hesitate to toss the shipping box or start making repairs until the 28th, just in case.

      @Barbara Meyers - Same here. It took me a while to get on board, but I'm finding her folding techniques to work much better than the way I was folding previously. I can finally see exactly what I have and I easily retrieve every item. There's no bottom-of-the-stack. Also, she is correct that her fussy folding techniques enable you to see stains and damage that you may not have noticed before.

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    4. Well, it's official: I'm an idiot. As I noted previously ^^ I noticed that some garments I was folding needed repairs or stain removal. One of the stained garments was a vintage cotton pajama top. After washing, it appeared to have bleached out areas on it. I assumed I ruined it with the strong stain remover, clipped off all the buttons and tossed it in the trash basket. It wasn't until later, while doing another load of laundry, that it finally occurred to me that the lighter areas weren't bleached out, but were just dry. My crazy washing machine spins so hard that sometimes clothes come out nearly dry and appear blotchy until they go through the dryer. I rescued my buttonless pajama top from the thankfully clean trash basket, dried it in the dryer, and the "bleached" spots disappeared. Now I have to sew all the buttons back on.

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  4. Hello everyone, so I purchase a MacAlister Boots from J.Crew a couple weeks ago. And I just want to share how I style it with three different outfits. Click me  to watch the video.

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    1. Nice job on the video, Eric. J.Crew should pay you to produce some for them.

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    2. Agreed, great job on the video! Love the chambray shirt + white short combo! Can't wait for summer!

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    3. Thanks everyone I really appreciate it. @Jeanne that would be a dream come true and I would be heads over heels if it happens. @R I love those two combination together, and I was a little hesitant pairing them with the boots because it's something I don't see everyday (just in editorials). Me too, I'm very excited for the warm weather!

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    4. I admit I never opened the videos because I was afraid they were spam, but nice work!

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    5. @Suz Has I wouldn't either because I get rick rolled often times, but thank you :D

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    6. Wow! You’re really talented and I love how you styled each of the looks.

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  5. Love the video! I just listed a pair of gold macalister boots that are basically new bc I love them but never wear them! You’re making me rethink my decision. I love their unisexiness! ;) thx for sharing, Eric!

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    1. Thank you for checking it out. I remember a lady asking this woman where she got her Macalister boots from because they were cute/chic, and she was baffled to find out that it was from J.Crew mens section.

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    2. Ha! Yes, understandable. They’re beautiful and simple. All sexy Italian men I know have a pair like this in their repertoire... like I said, seriously rethinking selling mine.

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