~ Winterwear ~

Nov 27, 2011 By Shann in All Anthropologie, All J.Crew, Anthropologie reviews, J.Crew reviews, Other brand reviews, Reviews, Shopping finds Tags: free people, winter shopping

It’s been a real task to shop for winter clothes this year. Seems like retailers positively refuse to offer warm clothing. I pretty much gave up on trying to find sweaters and focused on layering.

Target thermals size XS or Small

I pick up a few new target thermals each year. The quality is crap and the colors are questionable lol, but they work for a season or two.

J.Crew vintage thermal henley size XS

I had high hopes for this and was a little disappointed. The fabric is nice, much thicker than you’ll normally get from JC. The purple is beautiful, that impossible to find elsewhere shade. But the sleeves are a bit strange. They feel as if they were sewn incorrectly around the shoulder and the sleeve length is shorter than I would like, with a tight cuff. Not a great layering top, more a wear on it’s own. I think this will be cute in the spring with a pencil skirt. I’m glad I did not size up to try and gain length because the body stretches out with wear.

Denim reviews: Paige, Joes, JBrand, JCrew, plus those Checked crops

Aug 11, 2011 By Shann in All Anthropologie, All J.Crew, Anthropologie reviews, J.Crew reviews, Other brand reviews, Reviews Tags: anthropologie checked crops, jbrand bette, jbrand lovestory, jcrew high rise skinny, jcrewbootleg, joes skinny, joes visionaire, paige hidden hills

I have been trying on a lot of jeans the last couple months, in search of a great pair. Posting denim reviews is kind of useless since they fit so different for each person but I thought I’d share anyway. This is a long post, prepare yourself lol.
This first batch of pics are crappy because as you can see, I am using my phone and it is the suck. Pics get better later though.

JBrand Bette sz 27
I sized up to a 27 in these jeans because that is my new MO to prevent thigh gripping in most brands besides Joes. As you can see they are way too big! I need my regular size 26 or maybe even size down to the 25. Keeping the size issue in mind, I quite like these jeans.

In search of: Straight leg denim

Apr 3, 2010 By Shann in Other brand reviews, Reviews Tags: 7 for all mankind, citizens of humanity, designer denim, paige premium, Reviews, straight leg jeans

Last night I went to Nordstrom in search of a pair of straight leg jeans. The first paired I tried on was a review request from Stephanie. She spotted the Paige Skylines on the paige site last week. They looked great and I was eager to try them!

Paige premium Skyline straight leg in Dusk

I took my usual jeans size 26 in the Skylines. This is the same size I take in Paige’s Hidden Hills. The fit is basically perfect. The jeans are snug in the bum and thighs. I had a little bit of creasing under the butt when I first put them on. But I’ve been wearing them all day today (yes, I bought them!) and the jeans are relaxing just slightly. The fit from the knee up feels very much like my hidden hills jeans. That pair also relaxed but has never gotten baggy or stretched out. I’m hoping the skylines wear the same. Also like my Hidden Hills, I have a tiny bit of extra room behind the waist. Since I need the leg taken up anyway, I will take these to the tailor and have the waist taken in. It’s less than an inch gap but I like a perfectly flat waist band.

Review: Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, vs J.Crew cashmere sweaters

Dec 10, 2009 By Shann in All J.Crew, J.Crew reviews, Other brand reviews, Reviews Tags: ann taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, best cashmere for under $100, cashmere sweaters, J.Crew, quality, review

I’ve been searching for good quality cashmere sweaters at an affordable price for awhile now. $100 or less per piece is my prefered budget since there is a chill in the air for most of the year up here and I need a good stock of sweaters.

I purchased a couple of J.Crew cashmere tees and vnecks last year but I was disappointed with the quality. Since JC’s sweaters retail for $150-$200 each, I was expecting them to hold up with out much pilling. This year, I decided to try Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft and compare the quality to J.Crew. I have heard many good things about AT and ATL cashmere but after trying them myself, I feel I may have been too hard on J.Crew…

I ordered the Ann Taylor cashmere vneck in XXS. I was hoping to avoid a boxy fit by ordering the smallest size they make. The sweater fits pretty well but the fabric definitely stretches out. I find myself repeatedly pulling it down over my hips through out the day. If I don’t, the sweater bunched up and look a little matronly on me. I purchased the vneck in Crimson. I expected it to be a true red but it is not even close. The shade is actually a deep pink wine color. I think a name like Port or another wine inspired name would have been much more accurate. Today is the third time I have worn the Ann Taylor cashmere sweater and I am finding is wears very similar to my J.Crew cashmere. There is a small amount of pilling under the arms and along the sides of the sweater. The body under the chest is definitely getting fuzzier. I expect by the end of winter it will be a dead ringer for my JC cashmere. The Ann Taylor cashmere is thicker and plusher than J.Crew’s. However, I do think that J.Crew is the still the softest to the touch. The Ann Taylor sweater almost has a ribbed knit, which I don’t really care for.

Ann Taylor cashmere vneck