tweed

at work on fridays, we can wear denim. this is for me a great day to get out of my suits and business clothing. wearing denim to work though can be fraught with risk. sweatshirts with cats. light baby blue jeans. bedazzled! hoodies! (okay i may be being a bit dramatic.. it's not really that bad - even though it could be!) 

darker wash jeans whether skinny with tasteful shoes, or boot cut bridge the gap.  this is the j crew fanfare jacket in peacock - (on sale now - extra 30% off with OURTREAT) it is boxy but shorter so that's good for petites. the sleeves are also 3/4 sleeves that i push up.  i would go true to size with this blazer.

tweed. the fabric evokes chanel. ladies who lunch. conservative and classic. while i don't yet have enough monies to be a lady who lunches, i can enjoy her joie de vivre in the confines of an office and a desk!

(outfit - blazer: j crew; top: j crew; denim: paige denim canyon bootcut; shoes: Christian Louboutin tortoise patent Ron Ron; bracelets: Hermès; watch: michael kors; bag: rebecca minkoff)

Pin It Now!

Cafe Capri - and some blue suede shoes

okay so technically capris are supposed to hit you mid-calf. for petites, doing that is basically lopping the length of your legs and makes you look short.  the regular sized j crew cafe capris in wool have a 27 inch inseam with 1 1/4 inch cuffs.  sounds like a good length! the petite version has a 24 inch inseam.  in many reviews, some bloggers have said it ran true to size to a bit big. my lovely friend J and her helpful SA said these ran big and to go down one size from my regular skirt/pant size. i am normally a 0 or 2P in skirts or pants. these cafe capris are a 00 regular. my regular size would have indeed been too big.

review: great. buy. the length is perfect because i can wear these with a 4 inch heel, kitten heel or a pair of flats. the wool is really lightweight and i don't find that it itches (the pants are not lined). the colour is bright and saturated. (the extra 30% off the sale price was a great incentive too, so i will likely snatch these up in a few more colours). the regular length worked! 

Louboutin came out with an electric blue suede many many moons ago (best classic vintage Louboutin is the electric blue Rolando). these Manolo Blahnik BB pumps are almost identical with the electric blue shade. (buy them here; or similar style here; or here)

the saks sizing guide said to go up half a size, but i had some advice from dear C who recommended going with my US true to size. she was right of course! go US true to size if you have narrow or regular width feet. my girlfriend K has wider feet and with manolos, she goes up half a size.

(outfit - blazer: zara; bracelets: the bay, amrita singh; blouse: club monaco; pants: jcrew; necklace: jcrew factory; shoes: manolo blahnik)

Pin It Now!

j crew fail? manolo in the dark!

i recently just received my newest shoes, the manolo blahnik BB pump in a delicious royal blue suede. it is a 4 inch pointy toed heel that is super classic. i took this in my true US sizing.

i was all giddy reading of a collaboration between j crew and manolo blahnik. there are no j crew brick and mortar stores in canada except for the lone store in toronto, but that hasn't stopped me! i am an absolute j crew addict. so, when the internet was abuzz about this collaboration, i was really pleased. it made sense for these two houses known for their sassy and classic designs to get their groove on. this news was too fantastic to be true.

but as posted in the j crew afficionada blog - manolo had NO idea about the collaboration! (in the crew's defence, i suspect that this deal was brokered by the corporate heads, so it wouldn't be surprising that the shoe designer himself did not know. but still!! bad PR much? smacks forehead) From j crew afficionada site:

There is quote over at the Fashionista (click here to read) about J.Crew's newest collaboration with Manolo Blahnik:

Quote of the Day: Manolo Blahnik Had No Idea He Was Doing a J.Crew Collaboration
By Dhani Mau
February 23, 2012

"I have been approached so many times to do one, but I don’t want to work for a big company where I’ll have to have lots of meetings where I’m told what I can and can’t do. My niece, Kristina, handles that sort of thing for me – it’s just not for me. I was recently contacted by JCrew to do something with them, so I sent them over 45 pairs of shoes, and they announced we were doing a collaboration. I had no idea about it!"

–Manolo Blahnik to Vogue UK on doing high street collaborations. So that’s how J.Crew got Blahnik to do a collaboration–by not telling him. Guess he won’t be attending meetings with Jenna Lyons anytime soon.

so, what do you think? innocent mistake?  epic fail?

Pin It Now!

the girly girl and the rockstuds

i have been obsessed with the valentino rockstud kitten heels for a few seasons now. OBSESSED! it was this picture of Giovanna Battaglia that drove me over the edge from coveting and admiring it, to "i'm SO hunting these shoes down." (rubs palms together... mwahaha!)

my sister once said to me that i was too girly to wear studs, but she made an exception for valentino because seriously, how can you resist valentino rockstuds? (hint: you don't. just surrender!) a blend of girly and fierceness. i am smitten. in terms of sizing, i went up half a size from my US size.

ankle straps aren't automatically a deal breaker for the petite girl. the trick is to balance it out - i can't wear a dress/skirt as short as Ms. Battaglia to work (quel scandale!), but you also don't want to wear something too long. that would make you look stumpy in my opinion. you can also wear these shoes with pants - cropped to show the studded straps, or as a traditional kitten heel with a longer pant.

the perfect accessories - more girly and toughness. i discovered 2 lovely jewelers. they are meticulous and talented ladies.

(outfit; dress: zara; jewelry: gold chain spike the punch and black pearls cassia de shanghai; shoes: valentino; watch: michael kors)

Pin It Now!

J crew double serge wool pencil skirt - petite vs. regular

So the famous J crew No. 2 double serge wool pencil skirt has a reputation of epic proportions. The sessiest and classiest skirt I own.. and I am embarrassed to say how many colours I have in this bad boy: ochre, heather gray, pearl gray, blue, bright dahlia.. :BLUSHES: the reason though is simple. it is flattering, conservative enough to wear to work, but in so many colours you don't have to be boring.

The conundrum - if they don't have the petite, can you go to the regular size without dowdifying yourself? This is the bright dahlia in 2P. i'd say that this is the right size for me in this skirt.

The bright blue was sold out by the time I got it. There was a 0 left and I decided to go with it. It is slightly longer, and the hips fall a bit higher, but it is ever so slight on me.

So this being said, I would say that the 0 and 2P are identical in the waist measurement, so if you do find yourself in a situation where you can opt for one of the other, this is another option!  Another cheat: his gingham blouse I got at J Crew factory in an XS (I am a 0 in the perfect shirt in the regular Crew) - I also own in the boys' crewcuts in a size 14, and it fits me just the same as well. 

The only thing I would not do with the 0 regular is wear a heel lower than 100 mm. It is too long to wear with short heels. Now that would be dowdifying. 

Outfit: blouse: J Crew factory; skirts: J Crew; belt: J Crew; necklace: Spike the punch; shoes: Christian Louboutin tortoise patent Ron Ron; watch: Michael Kors or here on sale.

Pin It Now!