Tuesday, August 25, 2009

J.Crew's Styling Tips {for the week!} :)


Over at J.Crew's website, there is a neat feature under the Women's section (click here). Gayle Spannaus, J.Crew's head stylist for women (& the one who styles all the catalog shoots), offered a few of her styling tips. To make it more fun, she provided seven quotes with a corresponding outfit– one for each day of the week!

The following includes the advice (also shown in the slideshow above):
  1. Play with proportions– boxy over skinny, short over long, and slouchy with structured, here, a loose oversize sweater works wonders with a straightforward mini.
  2. Always add at least one element of surprise (however tiny). We're still obsessed with fluorescent accents. Here, a neon belt adds a pop of color to an otherwise soft, subdued palette.
  3. Make accessories multitask: turn an evening clutch into a day bag by adding a strap and wearing it messenger style (as seen here), wrap a long pearl necklace haphazardly around your wrist and reassign a brooch or hair pin as a pendant.
  4. Don't be afraid to shop the men's section (a lot of tops are available in XS). I love a guy's casual shirt unbuttoned at the top, half tucked, with the sleeves bunched up, paired with a seriously slim, ankle-grazing black pant.
  5. Experiment with pattern and color, by mixing similarly scaled prints and bold colors offset with neutralizing pale hues, you inject imagination and individuality into an outfit. P.S. Matching is overrated.
  6. Invest in a boyfriend blazer. Versatile enough to wear with skinny pants and a tee or over a more formal dress. It's an absolute must-have for Fall. Roll up the sleeves to display a printed or colorful lining.
  7. Unwrap your scarf. Instead, drape it around your neck, secure it in place with a belt at the waist and voila! –it's the new statement necklace.
I always found the catalog a source of inspiration (for styling clothes). That is why I (and so many JCAs) hold onto the catalogs. So I am thrilled to see Gayle offering styling advice. I could not agree with her more on the boyfriend blazer (mentioned in Day 6), as I think its a great investment piece for its versatility. I also like the advice to experiment with patterns and colors (mentioned in Day 5). :)

However, I don't think some of the styling tips transfer well to the "every-day". For example, I love the half-tucked look of a top (mentioned in Day 4), but that rarely works for me. Usually the shirt ends up un-tucking itself, and now its all wrinkled. Also, I have tried the belt at the waist look (mentioned in Day 7)- which only lasts 5 minutes for me. The belt almost always slides down and bunches up the jacket in a weird way, causing me to lose the belt altogether. ;)

What are your thoughts on the styling advice? Are there any tips that you think are spot-on or a complete miss? Do you like the way the outfits are styled? :)

12 comments:

  1. I really don't think I'll be wearing my boyfriend blazer over a dress, but I'm sure there are those who *can* pull that look off (just not me). And so it goes with all the other advice as well -- my plain jane style just doesn't mesh too well with the trends of the moment: I don't cuff or roll my jeans, layer necklaces, half-tuck shirts, shop in the men's section (I went through that phase in college), and I doubt I will ever wear my scarves as necklaces. But then again that's just me - it's fun to hear what's in the "now" as far as "true" stylists are concerned.

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  2. 3.
    i ordered the dangling pearl necklace from the recent FS and it turned out to be a bit too big for me to wear as necklace. I decided to wear it as a belt, ahead of the curve.

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  3. I do love the styling but it doesn't work for me. Too many layers and scarves are constricting and I need to move for my job. I wish J Crew would take petite ladies more seriously. I'm 5"2" and 95 lbs. It's hard to look good when the clothing is overwhelming so I am forced to choose very carefully. The models always look great because they are tall and lanky. My favorite J Crew item: shoes! They have the best flats and they are available in a size 5.5! Yay!

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  4. More than the clothing design I love the way the clothes are styled in the catalogs. ITA with Susan that of course everything looks great on the models. I appreciate getting Ms. Spannaus's suggestions though and wish she was available for personal shopping appointments!

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  5. I'm with you, RatsonParade, regarding the men's section. I'm very anti-men's section. I totally did that in high school. I refuse to do it now, but if you love it,go for it.

    I love crazy accessories, so I agree with that tip.

    I like to layer, but I feel like this last catalogue went a bit wild with the layering. I mean two shirts and a sweater under a blazer with a scarf? I'm getting vaklempt just thinking about it.

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  6. Has anyone tried the Chimera jacket? I would appreciate input on the fit and opinions on the ruffle from anyone who has actually seen this piece.

    TIA

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  7. Sort of OT, I know some people were asking about the b/w tweed pencil skirt we saw in some of the preview pics. AT just put one online, comes in full range of petite and misses size, for $120. Plus if you go to ebates there are coupon codes for 30% off a full price purchase or 25% off any purchase. I just ordered the skirt and will report back. They also have some adorable new sweaters in various jewel-tones, and are running buy one get one 50% off on tops/sweaters and 30% off select dresses. I was able to stack these with the 25% off code. :)

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  8. I'm older and work in a more conservative profession, plus I'm small, whicm means too much layering says "bag lady" and not JC model-- so I won't necessarily be following all these styling tips IRL. But, like Rats, I do enjoy reading about them and looking at the catalog.

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  9. Gack. I just can't get behind the boyfriend blazer. No matter how hard I try!

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  10. I bought a gorgeous wool Ralph Lauren boyfriend blazer. I wore it the other evening over a white scoopneck tee, skinny jeans, and strappy heels. It looked great and was as comfortable as the grandpa cardi with much more style.

    I plan to use the boyfriend blazer as a lightweight coat as the weather cools and it should work great, especially for layering as it has a little extra room without looking sloppy. It's not my go-to look for fall but I do prefer it over the more casual jackets. I'm a preppy at heart, I guess.

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  11. Well I ordered the black boyfriend jacket and it arrived this afternoon. Maybe it's because I'm short waisted. Maybe it's because I have soooo many J. Crew jackets that are fully lined and slightly more tailored, but this jacket will be going back. Probably perfect for a taller person but the schoolboy works better for me. I am so surprised that they didn't fully line the back. Why? That's a shortcut I am not at all impressed with. Goodbye black boyfriend jacket and since you are selling so fast, I'm sure you will have a new home very soon.

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  12. Another pant that I know gets mixed feedback is the Broken-in Boyfriend chino. I actually like these a lot because I take them to the cleaners and have them taken in at the waist. I bought all three colors and once tailored at the waist, very cute!

    Has anyone seen the Lombard cardigan IRL?

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