Taking in a Play in the Playa Linen Dress

Playa & Pink by nojcrewinjapan featuring J Crew necklaces

In a fit of craziness over the tiered ruffle skirt, I bought it at FP.  Then ofcourse as it always happens, I came to my senses and said, "What the HECK was I thinking?"  The skirt is soooo cute.  But I feel just a tad bit ridiculous wearing the thing walking around with my 5 year old.  Pershnaps if I was in my (very) early 20s, this wouldn't be an issue.  But we ladies of certain d'age know that tiered cake-like ruffles and the 3-0 just don't mesh well.  

So I made the return, and just in time, too!  Saw this morning the skirt is in FS -- Pardon! -- Spring Sale for $79.99.  In its place I bought the linen Playa dress in white, the Crystal Chain necklace, and the Featherweight cotton v-neck cardigan.  I walked out spending like double the price of the skirt, but I think i can pull off this look much easier and I still get to satisfy my whims for full-effect ruffles.  

The Featherweight cotton v-neck cardi I'm wearing in the actual outfit is a much paler, softer color than what I substituted it for in Polyvore.  I'm actually pretty impressed with the cotton used thus far.  Hopefully it doesn't fall apart anytime soon and keeps its shape.  I'm not a fan of the *new* Jackie, per se.  I think it's a little too short for my frame, and I don't like the stretchiness... It feels a little cheap.  I plan to test out the Featherweight today and see how she does.  They're the same price and so far from the looks alone, I might be back to purchase a few more.  Plus it has the pretttttiieesst glass looking buttons.  

I'll update as I see how it does. 

Have a great day everyone!

Traversing Maui in the Boyfriend Military Jacket

  

maui uniform by nojcrewinjapan featuring J Crew jackets

New Obsessions

The Sunburst Medallion Cuff bracelet... I will be looking for you.  Part of the J.Crew Collection, the neutral pallette may be what I'm looking for to add that je ne sais quois to the wedding I was planning an outfit for here.  It may seem a little over the top, though.  Hawaii is not really condusive to J.Crew.  We shall see.

I am inlove with the Selvedge Chambray shirt.  I'm inspired by J.Crew's fall looks, a la the one used in my photo.  I think this look is so purposeful and adds that working contrast in comparison to the usually feminine looks you see.  

I'll watch them though.  From a distance.   I've sworn myself to stay away from Full Price.  Eventually, it all goes on sale.

Coach Factory Outlet Visit

Hello, my little loverly. A quick visit to the outlet mall has yielded the Coach Hamptons Vintage Leather Lindsay. A great bag in the most urbane of grey hues. I am in love. It is sofffftttt. Like a baby's bottom. I just want to pet it. It's a pretty good size, 15 x 9 x 8. It is a little rocker (the color, the zippers, the gold trim), and it's a little prep (the shape, most def). & I so needed a bag.

Buying bags in Japan is like an odyssey of shitty proportions. First, the bags are 2x the price of Coach bags in the U.S. Then, you apply the exchange rate, and voila! You get a bag that is the same as what you'd get at the mall, exept you pay 150% more.

I definitely wanted a bag on my trip home. & I got this for such a great deal ($988, marked down to $469, then an additional 50% off).

Oh happy days!

Happy Easter, All!

Just a quick note to tell everyone to enjoy their Easter Sunday!

Take care and Have Fun!

xoxo, M.

Like a Virgin...Heeee!

So girls. I visited my first B&M today. Up until now, I've bought all my jcrew items via online. Anyway, here I am in Honolulu, aka, home, and lo and behold Ala Moana Center has been updated with a nice little J.Crew store. I can't say I was overly impressed with the loot. Lots of tees. Lots of sweaters. Lots of bikinis (It's Hawaii, this is expected). But the store is cute and gives you such a nice vibe. I can't even begin to express how awesome it is to finally see things in person. I mean, you fall in love with stuff online, but to hold it, feel the fabric, see for yourself... It was awesome. If I didn't have all the great JCA reviews, I'd be in the dark. For instance, seeing the jewelry up close and IRL is something competely different that seeing it online. & getting to see the items that are B&M-only (there were a few I know aren't online that are super cute) was a real treat. I ended up walking out with some really cute things. Let me elaborate:

1. The strapless eyelet dress Gigiofca reviewed here (no photo). It was $148 full price, but I haven't seen it online and so it was a no-brainer. Plus, helurrrr, tomorrow's Easter, I have 2 lunches to attend, and this will be perfect. The dress is absolutely gorgeous with a nice eyelet and good weight. Interestingly, I'm 5'4" and this dress is above-the-knee on me. Don't know if that would work on a taller girl, or how short this thing would be on them. On me, I love the length, because it means I can wear it without hemming it up. Also, the other thing? It's sickeningly sweet. Meaning, I love it, it's eyelet, and I'm girly like that. But I want to tone the girliness down a bit. So I got...

2. The boyfriend Military Jacket, $98, in the Utility Green color.

I tried on the XS and it fit pretty cute. I thought it was pretty cute, and am thinking of pairing it with the eyelet dress with a skinny leather belt. I brought 4 skinny leather belts with me (black, pale almond, calf hair cheetah, and silver leather) so I'm not sure which I'll choose. But I think the contrast of the jacket with the sweetness of the eyelet dress will work well with each other. The dress was shown in store paired with a denim jacket and skinny belt, so I'm not reinventing the wheel here, but I like this jacket tons and can see myself wearing it with a bunch of other items (the silk charmeuse skirt I ordered, the cotton cady claudine in chocolate, maybe? Or even just a pair of boyfriend khakis rolled up tight above the ankle). Yes, I'm pretty stoked with this buy.

3. The Tiered Ruffle Skirt, $148, in Light Pewter.

I have to say I love this skirt. I've seen the reviews by other girls (Slastena, Gigiofca) and have been wondering about it. But seeing it IRL sealed the deal for me. The materials are gorgeous, and I think hard to appreciate from the web only. I love the chiffon they used in the tiers and I think it's playful but long enough to not be too kiddish. I am loving the look paired with the Rimini flat gladiator sandals, as in the picture. I'm thinking about pairing the skirt with the jacket and a cute skinny belt too.

& Ladies if I had a camera with me, I'd be all about the IRL photos. & to think I finally have a full length mirror, not to mention the bravado, here to do the deed.

Old is New! Or, the Rapallo Dress Comes Back

The rapallo. It came back on Final Sale recently for $29.99, but by the time I got there, ofcourse they were sold out. It stuck in my mind because I've always wanted this dress. I love black and white. I find the color combo refreshing, in my chlorophyll-boring-phyll-loves-boring-beige way. I got slightly obsessed with it and felt I had to go on this major ebay mission, stalking it until I could find the dress available in my size. I see it all the time on ebay. But ofcourse when I finally want it, it's nowhere to be found. Well, patience is a virtue and finally paid off. I found said dress. Bid on it. Won it. Got it. &... wasn't feeling it. The fabric is very not substantial at all. I worry I will tear it. The buttons at the back are a cute touch, but I wish I had got it for $29.99 + 30% off, instead of the price I paid. If I had been able to see it in person, I probably wouldn't have bought it. But that's the buyer's remorse I live with when the nearest J.Crew with US sizes is 3,000 miles away. Also, this is way old. Not even a season ago.

Well. I digress. I decided to give it another shot today and pulled it from the Yuck Pile since I have packed my suitcase and am now hemmoraging for something to wear. It's way too casual for work, but it's Spring Break, no one's here, I'm only in the office for a couple hours to tie up loose ends, and it's Friday. Heck! It's practically a holiday. Well it is to some, it's Good Friday here.


So I have paired the dress with the dreaded Lea cardigan in the Snow color. I normally hate this cardigan. I luuurrrrve the buttons. The buttons are fab. However the shape is too boxy and I don't like the way it opens up. It's too open, IMO, when it's unbuttoned. It doesn't have a cute open-ness, if anyone knows what I mean. It has a tendency to look sloppy, which is weird with the gorgeous antique buttons. I guess I jut find it awkward.

Well since I have nothing to wear, and it matched the Rapallo, I put it together, and it actually looks kind of cute. I wore a brown leather belt I miraculously found in the Yuck Pile (how things Yuck come back in vogue, non?) that I used to wear with jeans back in the day, and the little outfit looked so adorable, it might make another comeback.

On my feet, given the casual mood, I've got the black & white capiz shell capri sandals from Summer '08. Everytime I walk, it sounds like I'm the tambourine (wo)man. But whatevs! I leave for Hawaii tomorrow and I'm enjoying my day a lot more since I have repurposed some of the stuff I would have left for possible Thrift Shop-ville. I feel good about it. We all need to go back and shop our closets again. Old is New!

Meet My New Loverlies...

I have been staring at this sweater for a while now. I have a thing for cardigans and I have so many. But I don't have an argyle to call my own yet. & I am totally aware that this will probably pill. It's J.Crew Cashmere. It will pill. But it's preeeetty. & the placket... I love it. It's nerdy, yet feminine. It's totally saying "Gamine Intelligent and Scholarly Young Lady Who Knows a Thing or Two About Fashion." Yes, I am sure this is the message it conveys. The colors are light enough to wear until it gets unbearably hot and I think it can be dressed up or down. it's a keeper. Let's hope when it arrives I will think the same thing.
Ahh. The Cotton Cady Claudine Tank Dress. Have you ever thought that it's really sick that we all know the names of these items? That we care about our beloved J.Crew so much that we have set aside certain areas in our frontal lobe for this? Anyway. I digress. This dress has been on my mind for some time. I love the fabric. I mean I loooooove it. & I think the style is timeless. Also, no one can see the jelly roll I have going on underneath this thing and so the not-so-perfect areas of my figure are now flattered. & for $69.99?! Shoot... I am considering wearing to a wedding in Hawaii in May. Am envisioning this, with a cymbidium corsage, or something along those lines. You know, keep it old-school. & the metallic Collection Lulus. Oh I love.

I got the men's belt because I was inspired by the J.Crew's Fall Collections here.
I love how for $29.99 I can transform an otherwise feminine ensemble into something with a little masculinity. I'm definitely considering pair this with the Claudine dress above. & maybe even the cardigan over the dress, too. What do you think?
I also got the Bobbie dress for $59.99. I already have the white one pictured here, and on this order I got it in navy. I am telling you, this is the BEST summer dress. With a cardigan and some gold thin sandals, or the gladiator sandals that were on sale for $49.99 a little while ago (I was able to snag them in the metallic gold color and I love the way they look), this dress is going to be a gem, especially on vacay in Honolulu in late spring and in summer here in Okinawa. I realize weather will affect how much you love this dress, but I am a fan of the wash-n-wear, especially when sooo many of my J.Crew pieces are the opposite of that. I think I brought up my horrendous dry cleaning bill in the past.

This was kind of those, "Should I or Shouldn't I" things that Gigiofca usually does great reviews of. I threw it in at the last minute because the price was good, and the neck kind of spoke to me. I got it in the charcoal color and am envisioning it as a casual piece, maybe with leggings and ballet flats and an oversized cardi for the plane. Or maybe with flip flops at the beach. What I'm hoping is that Size Small will work. When dresses say S or XS, I'm usually a size in between. I'm hoping that this will not be left to the yuck pile.

Not pictured but also snagged the Hammered Silk black dress (don't know the name, I know, sacriledge, right?) for $49.99.

Well, that was my happy happy evening last night. Am very excited to see these in my mail box soon.

What the Heck is Spring Sale??

Does'th mine eyes deceive me or am I seeing something other than the dreaded Final Sale?? What is Spring Sale and why am I having the hardest time editing my shopping cart down? Surely I can do better than the obscene amount of money I have totaling at the bottom of the page. 

120 dresses. I know you ladies know that we haven't seen numbers like that in Final Sale for quite a while. & the fact that there is new life (i.e., new additions) makes my heart go pitter patter.

I am salivating.

Dark Tuesday

Dark Tuesday by nojcrewinjapan featuring Theory shorts

So today is dark and a little cloudy and dreary over here in usually lovely Okinawa, Japan. I am on Day 2 of searching the back of my closet for things to wear that don't *totally* suck to conserve outfits for my upcoming trip this week to Hawaii for work. I made my last drycleaning run yesterday so this is really it.
After some cursing this morning because I wasn't able to wear the goodies I picked up from the drycleaner yesterday, like my black cotton poplin dress, I ended up picking out this ensemble.
The pants are a 60's inspired skinny-leg wool pair from Theory that I haven't worn in a really.long.time. The top is similar to the Marc Jacob's shown, but is from Banana Republic a few seasons ago and has flutter sleeves, as well as a dark forest green and white houndstooth check.
I just got my pearl necklace from J.Crew yesterday in the mail and have decided to pair that with my Chanel J12.
In keeping with the 60's theme of the pants, I opted to put my hair in a stretch headband, which creates that teased, beehive-ish effect at the crown of my head. I stuck with pale lids and lips, and went for tons of black mascara and black eyeliner.
Somebody pass me a hula-hoop! I'm ready to do the twist.

The Little Beach Cottage, Realized

Thought I would post some pics of what has kept me busy the last few weeks (besides episodes of Lipstick Jungle on hulu.com). Our little beach cottage of a house is finally done! If you remember from this post, I desperately wanted to add color to an otherwise boring beige house. Well I think I did it, though not with the beloved turquoise and cerulean colors I had been so obsessed with at the time.

Instead I opted for oranges, reds and greens. On the surface it sounds too colorful. Even for me. But against the beiges, ecrus and flax backgrounds, the colors seemed to pop. & the house is truly a little beach cottage. So a playful mix of color seemed appropriate.

Monday Monday...

monday monday by nojcrewinjapan featuring J Crew sweaters

I am finally back! I've been distracted the last couple of weeks by our move to the new house, making sure all the boxes were unpacked and getting things ready for our housewarming party. Now that we're finally settled i can turn my attentions back to my beloved little space here.

Today's kind of a *blah* outfit day, but for good reason. I leave for Hawaii for work next Saturday, and I've got to conserve the good outfits for the trip. I'll be there for 5 weeks. Trying to rustle all the things I hardly wear out of my closet this week and keep the goodies for next week.

I told you before I have thismany tartine cardigans. I don't know, but when they came out they were addicting. So here's my rhubarb tartine in action. I paired it today with the tissue pleated top in white, and it is tucked into my denim pencil skirt. The outfit is soooo blah it was almost not worth mentioning, but I thought I'd throw it all on the blog to get rolling again.