J.Crew New Arrivals – May 2017 Style Guide

Hi there! I’m back with some new arrivals from the May 2017 style guide. I have to be honest – this rollout isn’t one of my favorites. As I’ve said on other online platforms, while I’ve purchased a few off the shoulder tops, I’m hitting my saturation point. These tops aren’t office friendly and well…how many does one really need? But, I still found a few things that I’ll be wishlisting and I ordered a few things online that weren’t in the store. I have to remind myself constantly how short our summer season is and as I rebuild my wardrobe I am trying to be more calculated about what I’m purchasing for summer. However, I was curious to try items on because sometimes I am surprised. So, let’s get started!

First up, the Tie-Waist Skirt in Puckered Morning Floral which I’ve paired with the On Island Time Tee.

This skirt comes in petite, tall and regular length. The material of the skirt is exactly as the name says – puckered cotton. The tie on the skirt is only on the front of the skirt, unlike some of the other tie waist skirts that have been out recently. I appreciated this because you don’t have to undo the bow when you put the skirt on which is helpful when it can be difficult to achieve the perfect bow. I thought there was a little too much bow on the skirt. I am wearing a size 8 in this skirt which seems to be the smaller of my two skirt sizes these days. It fit in the waist but it still puckered in the hip area in this odd way that was unflattering. I like the colors – it’s fun, summery and has a fun retro feel. And there were other people at the store with me who tried it on and looked fantastic in the skirt, it just didn’t totally work for me. The length was below my knees on the regular length skirt. As for the t-shirt, I’m wearing a medium but it runs small. The tee is short and it was a close fit whereas most medium tees are on the loose side on me these days.

Next up is the Linen Pencil Skirt with Rickrack Trim which I tried with the Island time tee as well as the Tippi Sweater in Neon Emerald.

This skirt also comes in white with navy trim as well as this navy with clover and also comes in regular length. There’s also a dress in the same pattern. I wasn’t a fan of this online but I have to say I was swayed once I tried it on. The dress or jacket might be a bit too much rickrack for me but the skirt is growing on me. Again, I like the longer length. I am wearing a size 8 and it just fit. I felt like it pulled a little bit across my midsection. The Tippi made my matchy matchy heart happy even though I don’t understand why the color of the Tippi is neon emerald and the skirt is clover and they’re pretty much the same color. I’m wearing a size small in the Tippi sweater which is a good fit (I’m a fairly solid 8 in tops right now, with a few 6s fitting as well).

Next up, the Toothpick Garment-Dyed Jean neon petal which I paired with the Tippi Short-Sleeve Toucan Sweater.

I was really excited to try these jeans but the color fell short to me in person. They weren’t as vibrant of a pink as I would have liked which I think must be due to the garment dyed nature of the pant. They had spots of white visible, namely around the fly of the jeans. I wanted pink jeans, not faded pink jeans. These are the toothpick style so they run on the smaller size. I’m wearing a 30 which is my denim size right now and they were a little tight. I didn’t like them enough to try another size. The jeans also come in fiery sunset – an orangey red color. They looked like a more saturated color than the pink ones but I didn’t get a super close look at them. I have the mint colored garment dyed high rise jeans and love them – the color on them is a lot more consistent and didn’t have the patchy dye job going on that these did. So I will just have to get my pink fill somewhere else. I’m wearing a medium in the Toucan sweater which was the right fit – I’d say this fits a little smaller than the short sleeve berry Tippi fits if you’ve tried that.

Next up, the incredibly popular Eyelet Shirt Dress.

This dress comes in warm clover, navy, white. The warm clover is pretty much wiped out and my store had already sold out of it when I went in a few days after the rollout. I can take or leave eyelet. The dress is a little too cutesy for me, and not something I’d wear to work. It is cut a little higher in the waist and is smaller on top. I’m wearing a 6 and only because I live in this weird world now where my chest was the first thing to deflate when I started losing weight and now I fit in to size 6s. If you’re curvier, the top will likely be an issue. The skirt is pretty full even in a size down. The neckline wasn’t doing it for me – I didn’t like it buttoned up all the way and it felt awkward with the few buttons open at the top. Again, the length is reasonable. The dress comes in tall and petite as well which makes me laugh because all of the longer length items this season come in tall. When things are too short they seem to never come in the tall sizes!

Next up, the Shift Dress in Morning Floral.

This dress comes in regular, petite, and tall. My first thought was it looked like a kitchen apron. But again, I saw it on someone who was petite and a size 0 and she looked fantastic in it. Me, not so much. It also doesn’t read shift dress to me – it’s definitely a line and you could probably size down if you’re in between sizes. I’m wearing a size 8. The material on this is more of a woven cotton vs. the puckered cotton of the skirt. They must have the dress pinned in the model photo on the website because the dress does not appear as A-line in the stock photo.

Next up, the Off-the-shoulder Ruffle Bodysuit and the Vintage Crop Jeans in Patchwork.

I had to try the bodysuit because…well, the 90’s and now I feel like I can wear one and feel good in one. This off isn’t really practical for me but it was fun to try and I ordered the regular long sleeve one to try as well. I’m wearing a medium which was a good fit and a size 30 in the jeans. The 29s worked in these jeans as well but they were a little more snug in the waist and didn’t look great with the tight style of the bodysuit. I liked the jeans a lot but I bought a similar pair from Madewell lately so I passed on these. The neckline of this bodysuit is low but I didn’t feel like I’d be fussing with it as it seemed to stay off the shoulder pretty well. The bodysuit has a few snaps at the bottom to put it on and I’d say it has modest coverage in the rear if that’s a concern. I think this is going to go fast.

Next up, the Rhodes pant in in linen.

These pants also come in white, olive, byzantine copper and black. They also come in petite and tall. I have and really like the wool Rhodes pants but linen isn’t practical for me. Sitting at a desk all day = super wrinkly mess. These are also slightly sheer. I’m wearing a size 10 which is what I’ve been wearing in most J.Crew pants lately. The waist was a tad big in the back. I like the color a lot and I like the shape of these but I’d much rather see them in a heavier cotton for summer.

Last up, the Ruffled Seersucker Short in Stripe.

This is a big moment for me. My legs for all to see on the blog. (*runs and hides*) I rarely wear shorts anymore but I thought I’d give them another shot. I like the ruffle on these. The rise is a bit high and they’re short with only a 3″ inseam. The solid colored ones are also cute and come in several colors. My friend tried them on and they were so cute. I am wearing a size 10 which is my J.Crew pants size. For as often as I’d wear them, I’ll wait for a sale and next up I’ll probably try some 5″ shorts and continue doing my squats and lunges. Baby steps.

So, there you have it. A look at the May new arrivals. Anything you’re loving? Not so much? Would love to hear what you think and thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

Posted By: fablifeforever · In: Blog Posts