Lululemon's Manifesto

Alas, I've given in to Lululemon's marketing. It's positive and upbeat - and makes my cynical side just want to wretch. But given my slight touch of PMS today, emotions are running high and my sentimental side is coming out. *sigh*

J.Crew Fall 2010 Lookbook Arrived. Want it?

The Fall 2010 Lookbook just showed up on my door the other day. The images are available online to view. Coincidentally, my PS also sent a note my way to let me know to check in with the website soon to see all the new goodies. & though what I see is very fall, very luxe - furs, sequins, fishnets, baubles and sparkle-encrusted-fill-in-the-blanks galore - I find myself missing the days of the hints of prep.

Here's one of my favored looks from the book. The shorts appear to be reminiscent of the Shakespearean era; there appears to be elastic bands around the leg openings of the shorts. I like the look of the fishnets with the shorts and how it looks completely grounded by the socks / boots at the foot.

Did you receive the lookbook? If you didn't receive it, would y'all like mine?

If you would, leave your email address in a comment and I'll contact you for your address. If more than one gal is interested, I'll pick a lucky recipient tomorrow.

Oh the Days of the J.Crew Charm Bracelet

As we swim in crystals and baubles and tangled chains of necklaces with, lest we forget, a tie-dyed ribbon or two, let us remember the sweet days of the J.Crew charm bracelet. I still have mine, peeps, and an evening spent on Memory Lane-slash-Ebay has made me think about putting down the mega huge crystals and once again picking up these vintage charmers.

Do y'all remember the Seafoam Treasures bracelet? This was my first J.Crew piece of jewelry. It was over the top. That starfish on the left? It was atleast 2.5 inches across. Aaah, the days of learning that J.Crew doesn't mess around with the size and proportion of its jewelry pieces. I still have this piece and it brings back such great memories of the seasons / rollouts of that time.

Here's the Seaside Charm bracelet. I swear it had been marked down into oblivion and despite that I could never get it to stay in my cart (that disappearing / reappearing feature of hot items I've come to know so well). Which is sad because I still really think it's cute. A friend has it IRL and I have to say those polka-dotted beach balls are rather massive. Still, I think the colors are preppy and pretty.

Last one for today, the Acorn charm bracelet. I do have this one and love to wear it with browns in the fall. It's such a simply designed piece and I always get tons of compliments when I wear it.

Have any jewelry pieces from J.Crew that you couldn't live without? Do you have any of these bracelets? Still wear them?

J.Crew Carly Dress: Polite Summer Ruffles

Ladies, my Little Guy is on vacay with the grandparents. So here I am, a mommy who suddenly has quite a bit of free time. Do I go to the gym? No. Yoga? No. I blog, peeps. Thought I would show you a few snaps of the J.Crew Carly dress I bought a while ago -- FP, damnit. It's now since been marked down to $59.99 in Final Sale and was an additional 20% off a few days ago. Quite a deal. If you don't mind drying it flat.

I'm going to say right now, this is a very comfy, flattering dress. The sleeves don't cut you off at the fattest point on my arm. Instead, I find them a very nice length. The ruffles are, goodness me, wonderful at hiding what you don't want others to see. A year ago, I put myself on a ruffle-ban when I had just had it up to *here* with J.Crew's ruffle-addictions. But either I've mellowed out on my ruffle outlook or ruffles out of cotton are exempt from the ban. Haven't figured which one it is yet. Did I also mention the shift shape is very cute? Me likey very much.

A quick focus on the shoes, which is new to my closet and happily living amongst new brothers and sisters here.

They are Saks Fifth Avenue, happily picked up on Clearance with an additional 50% off from the Off Fifth Outlet. I believe my final price was about $75. When I posted last month about the few pairs of shoes I brought with me initially to Hawaii, I was lacking a cute wedge/platform heel for summer. & I've refused to settle for something that wasn't perfectly what I had in mind. I wanted something that was comfy, interesting, could be worn casually or used to dress something basic up. & I wanted a color that would work with lights and darks. Oh, and I needed the darn thing to cover my foot. This was no easy mission to find, but I'm happy to say I was very pleased to see these.

These sandals are very, very comfy and I love the heel -- totally different than anything I already have. I love how it covers quite a bit of my foot. & the back is very flattering. & did I mention the quality is great? All in all, a very good buy.

Ok, now back to the Carly dress. One thing about this dress that works for me is the length. I'm about 5'4" and I never find dresses that hit at a flattering point like this one. If you're taller, this may not be your bag - you may need something a little longer. For me, this is a great casual length. Not something I'd wear to work - the cupcake factor of the ruffles coupled with the length wouldn't go over well in my work "casual but conservative" environment. But for a Saturday of lunch or shopping, this is such a great summer buy. In my opinion, it is the ultimate white summer one-piece. Another love? Do not be afraid of the VPLs, ladies. The ruffles ensure that your derrier is covered and safe. :0)

But buyer beware: Ruffles have a downside. When this baby comes out of the washer, be prepared to lay flat or hang, and tame those things. I can't imagine putting this thing in the dryer. I actually fear Hubs being *nice* one day and doing this exact thing. The ruffles would be out of control. & we can't have that, Ladies. We need polite ruffles.

Anyone buy this dress? I tried styling it with a belt but it hasn't worked for me. The belt seems to get lost in the ruffles and then I get befuddled. & befuddled by ruffles? No.... we can't have that.

NoJcrewinJapan Approves this Fat Day Message

Ladies, please to be introduced to my Anthro bathrobe - I mean sweater - that makes all my worst fat day nightmares go buh-bye. Some days when I just feel blah and meh, I wrap myself in the comfy hug of this baby, relax the boa-constrictor-hold I usually have on my mid-section, and have myself a Nojcrewinjapan-Approved fat day.

Wearing Today:

No Name black camisole

Anthropologie tie front wrap cardigan (If you know the name, please let me know!)

J.Crew wool black pencil skirt

Shoes are J.Crew Serengeti Juliets

A very appreciative shout out to Kathy & Seashell at Two Hands Full of Daisies for the beautiful and perfect J.Crew pearl cluster bracelet I'm rocking today. They recently had a giveaway on their blog and I was the lucky recipient! I can't tell you how many times I've reached for this one since getting it in the mail. It is a new favorite and I thank those 2 ladies so much!

We here at According to Moi have a seriously busy weekend ahead...and it's only Thursday, ladies. I haven't been this much of a social butterfly since my early 20's! I usually keep it low-key, home-based and early-to-bed. Will keep you posted with some photos of the festivities when I can.

Well, I've hit my hyphenated-word quota for the day, ladies. I must bid you adieu here. Have a wonderful Friday!

♥

It doesn't get much more girly than this...

Ladies do you not hate it when you've gone and written an entire post and then your internet connectivity goes from warp speed to slow crawl right at the exact moment you're trying to hit Publish Post? The stars have to align for that to happen. It means the cosmos didn't like what I wrote and the heavens wanted a re-do.

Niiiiice.

Perhaps they didn't like this OOTD. Perhaps they found it too feminine. Perhaps they thought I should have scrapped the photos and just waited for a better styling opportunity to come my way. I wouldn't say this is the strongest OOTD I've ever posted, but it's certainly interesting.

The cosmos aren't getting the best of me today. I'm showing off the lace, the pearls and the sparkly-sparkly. & then I'm going to find an LBD, some serious black pumps and take my camera out. Perhaps they'll like that outfit a little better. :0P

What Was the Moment You Fell ♥ InLOVE ♥ with the Crew?

Fall 2008, Ladies. That was the moment I lost all self-control and went full-speed ahead with a 99.99% J.Crew filled closet. I dabbled before that, peeps. I started to get the itch that summer and fell for a very cute skirt/top/cardigan look. But Fall 2008 is what got me.

Hook. Line. Sinker. Put a fork in me.

This was the release that included the infamous bug pin, the over-the-knee socks, spectator open toe heels, the super popular rose tee that we are still seeing versions of, the silver shot metallic tweed dress and skirt...

The rose print abstract poplin dress, the double-serge pencil skirt that I still love to this day... On and on, folks. I could wax poetic forever on this one season. Which leads me to two conclusions to ponder:

1- Do you think that first season you really went gaga for the Crew was their best season / release ever? I mean, are we biased to believe that was *the one*?

and

2- Did you ever feel the crazy need to covet the entire collection? Do you scour eBay looking for pieces from your favorite season? Do you literally die a thousand deaths when a pop-back hits Final Sale?

I know I'm not the only girl who does this crazy $h*t. If you are also similarly suffering, tell me:

What was the season / release you fell in love with and knew there was no turning back?

New Mommy for my 1st Baby

Peeps, meet my first baby, Kaya. He's a Shiba Inu from New Zealand (Australian Kennel Club) that came to us at 8 weeks old. He's a sweet, soulful dog who's now 9 years old. He has given me so much grief over the years. You have no idea. Well, tomorrow he'll be moving in with my sister. She's adopting him. & I'm sad, ladies. She has a yard, and patience, and a girl dog (Kaya is intimidated by boy dogs and will pee everywhere to show them who's boss) to be his friend.

I adore him, but I think its for the best.

4th of July for Posterity

4th of July at the NoJCrewinJapan abode in Hawaii was a simple family BBQ, complete with slip-n-slide action.



We are lucky to live in a country that allows us these freedoms. Thank you to everyone who stands on that wall for me and my family.

Everyone have a great week! It's a short one!

What a Great Friday!

Feeling flirty and funky on an easy Friday at the office before Independence Day weekend, I opted for the newest -- and few and far between -- J.Crew box that hit my doorstep yesterday. I had ordered the Schuyler dress in white cotton, the Rose Vines blazer and a few other pieces that tickled my fancy one evening. Feeling very good that I had indeed NOT gone on a J.Crack rampage recently, I thought the purchase to be sane and reasonable.

I was feeling a little Miami Vice with the blazer sleeves rolled up. That is, if Don Johnson were to venture into grey rose vines prints. I still plan to have the sleeves hemmed to "bracelet length." I really liked how the jacket felt - very light, crisp and summery. I can see reaching for this over the summer.

At some point I wasn't sure about the blazer and the dress. I have to say I really like the blazer and will keep it, just didn't feel that I liked the combination.

I decided at the last minute to also try the Schuyler dress with my Joe's Jeans denim jacket. I love this jacket, ladies. It has been my go-to over the last month or so. Don't know when Jean Jackets came back but I'm so feeling the vibe. I do like the dress. Makes me feel very crisp and simple. I kept touching the cotton on the skirt because it felt so nice and soft. I would have to say this is more friendly to the girls who are on the smaller side up top. The v-neck is pretty low and if you're shy about your girls being out, this one may need to be passed on.

Completed the look with the J.Crew Serengeti Heels (not shown), but could have easily been worn with flip-flops. The look felt young, summery, and very fresh. & beyond all that, comfy.

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

Museum Worthy? The Curator Pant Rears Its Ugly Head

I actually had a PS stalk and find these pants for me. Then there was the drama over the size... PS could only find 1 size smaller, I wanted the usual size I always take on the bottom. Then PS found said perfect size. & then.... I got them. & my first thought was... WTF.

I mean, honestly, they are not all that when you first see them. They are capri pants that zip up the back (gag- 1990's central) and then are baggy around the thighs and tight around the leg. However, they aren't baggy enough around the leg for you to feel chic or edgy or anything in between. To be honest, you feel like you're in an MC Hammer video, wondering how come you can't dance like Cameron Diaz in the Charlie's Angels sequel. Hammer Time!

But if you hike the pants up around your calf (and you have to some calf to hike them up on, so this is where God was generous with me, I guess) - you will feel a semi-cool vibe starting. & I have to say, if you start wearing the rest of your Crew pieces, you find yourself in this alternate universe, where Downtown Kid-Meets-Prepster. & it's L♥ve, peeps. Or atleast I thought so this morning when I was getting dressed.

The Maya was worn... again. It offset everything in rainy day perfection.

Jewelry and shoes were all J.Crew.

Wearing Today: All Flowers and Bubbles

On a recent shopping trip to Off Saks, I found this cute little Rebecca Taylor dress that my grubby hands had to get a hold of. I've never bought Rebecca Taylor before but I've always liked her pieces. Everything is feminine in a very relaxed way. You're allowed to feel like a girl without being corseted up. And I say, a dress that you don't have to wear Spanx with is a dress worth buying.

Worn with the infamous J.Crew Bubble Necklace. Though ridiculously expensive for a piece made of what to me is just *fancy plastic*, I tend to wear this necklace a lot and I get tons of compliments every time.

Flowy sleeves. I'm not usually a fan of the flowy sleeves. But I went there.

Perfect length, and I'm short. Worn with my Ann Taylor platform heels a J.Crew cardigan.

♥