Shop: J. Crew Heartbreaker Sweater in Lavender Burgundy

In honour of Valentine's day I decided to dress for the occasion in one of my recent eBay acquisitions, the J. Crew Heartbreaker Sweater in Lavender Burgundy. This pattern, and colour pallet is definitely not something I would have gone for just a few years ago, but I find that I am far more adventurous with colour/pattern in my old age. Bold colours and mixed patterns are still pretty fashionable this season so for the most part, I don't feel like I stand out like a sore thumb even when  I'm brightly adorned. Today however, I really felt that a lot of people were smiling and looking at me in the office. At first it didn't dawn on me why that was; it was only after a few comments in meetings and in the hallway that made me realize how many people had taken notice of the sweater based on it's Valentine theme. Perhaps it is a little jejune, but I think it's cute and I liked how people smiled when they saw it. I guess the true test, from a cost per use perspective, will be to see how people react when I wear it in November or some other time of the year other than Valentine's day!


Courtesy of J. Crew



Courtesy of J. Crew

Shop: J. Crew Antique White Tipped Pea Coat for Sale!

Let me start by saying: Don't judge me.

I bought this coat on eBay, in my typical size six. When it arrived I was giddy, but it quickly turned to disappointment when I realized that the arms, specifically the biceps, were too tight on me. Wearable, but not comfortable. I made elaborate plans in my head that involved me working out and losing weight in the hopes of having a more comfortable fit and then promptly forgot about it. The working out I mean, not the coat. I daydreamed about the coat. Sigh....  All was lost until I went to J. Crew during my trip to Fort Worth. Lo and behold, I found the very same coat in a size 10 on the sale rack with an additional 30% reduction! Huzzah!! I figured it would be way too big, but with a chunky sweater the fit ended up being roomy but still tailored enough to fit well.

Yes, I bought the same jacket. Twice. But would you like to buy it once, for a good price? If anyone is interested (and has some thin arms) send me a message and let me know. I'd let it go for a reasonable price just to see it go to a good home rather than gathering dust in my already too packed closet.

Shop: J. Crew Stadium Trench

If you are familiar with Montreal you know that our winters, albeit charming, are long and bone chilling cold. When I was younger I thought of winter wear as a necessary evil. I never participated in winter sports so I had no need for outdoorsy apparel and I was loath to spend money on 'ugly' winter supplies. I wore the same black trench coat year after year and bought the cheapest boots, scarves, and hats I could find. I somehow thought no one would notice what I had on anyway so it didn't need to be stylish or high quality. It's no wonder why I froze my tail off all those years, the things I bought were not fit for purpose. Not to mention shabby. If you think about it, winter in Montreal lingers from November (sometimes even October) to April, so it makes sense to invest in some decent apparel. Showing up at a job in a ratty winter coat or dirty salt covered boots doesn't look good, regardless of how nice the clothes are underneath it.

Based on that rationale, I had been scouring eBay over the last couple of months in the hopes of finding the J. Crew Tipped Pea Coat for a decent price. As you may know, I found it and subsequently bought it. I am still anxiously awaiting it's arrival. But, while researching J. Crew coats, I happened upon a gorgeous wool trench coat in a beautiful colour that I simply could not resist. Now I know that I just bought a new pea coat but the way I see it, that coat is for a completely different temperature range (see how I rationalize this?). This one would be wonderful for colder weather, not to mention the fact it is so pretty and so cheap at 200$ off retail. So, yadda, yadda, yadda...I bought a second coat. You can see why I failed my my no shopping challenge.The trench that I ended up buying was from a previous year's collection and I really like the cut/style. J. Crew has since revamped the J. Crew Stadium Trench Coat and I'm not a big fan of the redesigned raglan sleeves (as I tend to have a hard time fitting my back/arms in clothes that fit my chest/waist) and the bulky detail on the pockets. Here's both versions for comparison. It arrived yesterday and I have no regrets. I am in love with the colour and material. It's a tad big on me (the dangers of online shopping) but I chose a size 6 over my usual size 4 because I wanted something that could fit easily over multiple layers of clothes on -30C days. I detest when my sweater ends up bunched up around my bicep because the coat is too fitted for the clothes to lay comfortably underneath.

J. Crew Stadium Trench (Older Model)

J. Crew Stadium Trench (Current)

Shop: J. Crew Tipped Pea coat in Antique White

Something happened recently that kinda sorta ticked me off. By kinda sorta, I mean a lot. When I get super pissed off, I do one of three things: eat bad food, shop or work out. Or any combination of the three. Considering I'm trying to lose some weight and I'm also trying not to shop, the only non-damaging option would have been to work out. So I did, and it was a good way to let off some steam but in the end, it was simply not enough of a distraction to avoid the temptation of the other two habits. I completely broke down and bought the J. Crew tipped pea coat that I have been drooling over for the last two months. And yes....I did feel better. In fact, I still do, which surprises me. Truth be told, the satisfaction of buying the coat outweighed any guilt I thought I'd feel about failing my no-shopping challenge. Of course, it sucks that I don't have the willpower to go three months without frivolous shopping but at least I scaled back the habit and I genuinely believe that I will consider my purchases more carefully now. Also, I'm more than a little pleased that I got the coat on eBay and saved nearly 130$ off the SALE price of coat on the J. crew site, if you factor in duties and shipping. Teehee...

It's as if the universe sensed my weakness and sent me some astutely directed e-newsletters from my favourite money traps. Temptation at Banana Republic came in the form of Striped sweater dress, the Draped knit dress in Teal Shadow and the Lydia silk blouse in Saucy Red. Lululemon added new winter ready pants to their collection; I am an absolute sucker for track or jogging pants so these are right up my alley. The Forme Pant, Dog Runner Pant and Pleasing Pant are all pure temptation for me. The First Base tank looks really nice too, especially in the grey/black stripe and colour block versions. Ugh, temptation is everywhere! Maybe I better just head back to the gym and hope this retail craving passes.

Shop: Oops I did it again...

51 days into the shopping diet and I think I messed up.

I had a 25$ eBay bucks certificate that had to be used before November 4th or it would expire. eBay issues certificates every quarter based on how much you spent during the preceding three month window. With the deadline fast approaching I decided to use it towards an Elie Saab perfume that I had been coveting; one that I had planned on buying anyway once I lifted my retail ban. I know it's a breech of my 'no shopping' rules but with 25$ off the total, I rationalized that I would only be out of pocket for the remaining 25 dollars. I've tried to be good.... I haven't even touched the other gift certificates that are just lying around, waiting to be used. A little rationalization here, but this should only count as half of a cheat, since it's half prepaid. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. Now I just need to keep my itchy trigger finger away from ebay.ca and avoid further temptation.

Have I mentioned that I have NOT broken down and bought the J. Crew tipped pea coat? That's gotta count for something, right?

Shop: Day 4: Son of a b@#ch! J. Crew's Tipped Peacoat

Okay, this is hard to take.

Back story: I looooove contrast trim. Ever since J. Crew released the Lexington jacket way back in 2007, I have been enamoured with contrast trim. It subsequently renewed my addiction to all things J. crew. About two years ago I bid furiously on a Lexington jacket on eBay even though I knew the size was a bit too tight. I won and I was thrilled. It wasn't even the colour combo I wanted and I rationalized that I'd lose the weight so I could wear it, but THAT never happened. On my best (skinniest) days I can squeeze into it but I wouldn't exactly call it comfortable.

Photo Courtesy of J. Crew

Current day: I just received the J. Crew newsletter for the fall and low and behold, they have made their perfect pea coat even more perfect by adding a contrast trim. Case in point: The J. Crew Tipped Pea coat. Gasp!!! I must have this!! The fact that it is 300$ US (plus duties, plus exchange, etc.) doesn't seem to deter my wavering impulse control. AWW COME ON!!! I am slowly, sadly resigning myself to the fact that over the next few days my size will gradually sell out, first in the colours I covet and then in the colours I would tolerate, until the time I can allow myself to buy it. At that point it will only be available in burgundy in a size 00 or 14, neither of which fit me. I didn't think my no-shopping sulking would start this soon.

This one smarts...

Photo Courtesy of J. Crew

Photo Courtesy of J. Crew

Shop: Sattva Pants by Lululemon

Its day 2 (of the no shopping diet) and before I even left the house this morning I saw something that I wanted to buy. My inbox contained Lululemon's latest newsletter, which had pics of these brand new lovelies:



Photo courtesy of Lululemon





Photo courtesy of Lululemon

About a year ago I bought 2 pairs (in heather midnight and flint) of Saturday pants from J. crew. Up until then I wasn't very interested in owning sweats, but online pictures of these ones really sold me.  That's when my addiction began and I found myself dropping into Lululemon stores hoping to score more sweats. Jeans these days are so restrictive, they don't lend well to curling up on the couch and I can't seem to get my head around wearing pyjamas within minutes of returning home from work.

I was adverse to sweats in general for the longest time, which I attribute to being a child of the 80's (oh the trauma!!). Even though I am a total convert with regarding to wearing sweats at home, I have caveats. I am not a fan of writing across my ass, a la Juicy or Joshua Perets. I don't think letters scrawled across my butt do me any favours. Secondly, wearing velour or terry track suit out on the town including restaurants, is in my opinion, gauche. No matter how expensive it is or what jewellery you pair it with, it's still a sweatsuit! I'm a little late in the game to be ranting about this since this style is not as rampant as it use to be. It was this very trend that kept me from even trying sweats; seeing the Phat and Juicy army on the streets of Montreal really turned me off the look.

But in the comfort of my own home (and any type of car or air travel!) I love me some sweat pants. I know many men (women too probably) cringe at the thought of this, it doesn't exactly exude sexiness. I've seen more than a few references in pop culture hinting that when a woman gets into her comfy sweats, there's no chance for sexy time. But I say nay! Not so! Especially with the flattering choices of pants that J. crew, LuLu and other stores have these days. Gone are the days of the old school sweat pant offenders: no camel toe, no parachute hips, no flat ass, no cinched cuffs that sit too high on your ankles! Uhh, that wasn't just me, right? Look at these pants and tell me you don't want a lazy Saturday on the couch in these?

Photo Courtesy of J. Crew

Shop: J. Crew Edie Purse in Flame

This season's must have purses are slimmed down, polished and in bright hues or funky fabrics. I guess it's not a big surprise since the past few seasons have been all about the large, slouchy boho bags. That's fashion for you, once you manage to collect all the trendy pieces that you love, they flip the script and suddenly what you are wearing is 'so 5 minutes ago!'. I have finally found skinny jeans that fit well and are not too low cut, so I cringed when I saw that full flare pants were back - thankfully, it seems all styles of jeans can co-exist for the time being. Phew!

Back to handbags....I shouldn't complain, any excuse to buy a new purse is a good excuse. The thing is, I like a big purse. The stuff (i.e. crap) I carry around has grown to meet the size capacity of my hobo bag, and now I find it hard to pare down. For a night out, I have to think long and hard about what goes into my itty bitty clutch and I'm always relieved to go back to my shoulder bag, no matter how cute a hand held purse is. The bags that are on trend this season are somewhere in the middle of these two size extremes.

After much searching, I decided on the J. Crew Edie shoulder purse in Flame. It has a bit more storage space than a few of the other models out there, and I think the color will really pop. I use to always lean towards black, but I'm less afraid of colour as I use to be, and think one just says 'summer' to me.

Photo Courtesy of J. Crew

  There was also a slimmer J. crew option, call Tillary in dark poppy. I decided against it because of it's size, but I loved that it can be converted to a clutch.

Photo courtesy of J. Crew

Kate Spade purses are just gorgeous, I love the quality of the materials they use, the structure, the cute embellishments. The Kate Spade 'Charlize' in black has that Chanel quilting that has kind of grown on me. I don't want a purse that's trying to be Chanel (and I can't rationalize buying a real Chanel ...yet), so it needs to have it's own style, and I think they really pulled it off with this one.

Photo courtesy of Kate Spade

 The other Kate Spade that I nearly bought was the Harlow. A while back, I had a purse just like this  from Danier leather, but the Kate version has the 14k gold accents that really elevate it. Ironically I just gave away the Danier purse after holding onto it for years thinking the style would come back eventually. Lesson learned? I wish, but my closet real estate dictates that some things do need to be moved out of rotation eventually. I'll just need to be smarter about what makes the cut.

Photo courtesy of Kate Spade

Photo courtesy of Kate Spade

I made sure to check out Michael Kors, Banana Republic and Marc by Marc Jacobs before making the purchase but I found that they haven't really produced anything new & noteworthy using this year's shapes (tote, satchel, clutch). In the end I just liked the shape of the Edie purse better than the others, and the color really sold it for me. I also got it at a much better than retail price, so that kinda cinched it for me. Can't wait till it (and the Spring-like weather) arrives!

Shop: J. Crew Linda Dress in Wool Crepe

Photo courtesy of J. Crew

When I first saw the eBay listing for the J. Crew Linda Dress in Black Wool Crepe, I was hesitant to buy it based on the shape. I don't normally go for an A-Line skirt or dress but the photos of the dress really sold it. Something about the drape and appearance of the fabric told me it was going to be lovely. 

Pictures from eBay seller Zimazami

I am always a little excited and nervous when a package from eBay arrives. Excited because of that 'package in the mail' buzz that I get, but nervous because you never really know if what you bought is going to actually look like you expect it to, or if it will fit the way you hope. Luckily, my senses on this dress were 100% accurate. Can you be in love with a dress? Because I am. The fabric has this texture that I rarely see and the tailoring is spot on. The trim and buttons are adorable and the seams hit at all the right spots, as if it was meant for my build. The skirt hangs perfectly and hits just below my knee cap at the slimmest spot above my calf. Above all else, I purchased it for a killer deal on eBay.

Photo courtesy of J. Crew

 In my head this dress is a cross between the old school tailoring that I imagine a woman in 1970's Italy might wear and a mad men-esque secretary outfit. Okay, so maybe I'm romanticizing this one a little, but I am so pleased with it! I finished off the outfit with flesh-toned fishnet patterned nylons, taupe suede pumps, a long gold chain with a Tiffany open heart pendant, rose-hued lipstick, and pinned up, freshly curled hair. Uh oh, did I just describe Lucille Ball? (That's okay, she rocks.)

Shop: J. Crew colours & prints to brighten a rainy day, plus galoshes!

It's a dreary day in Montreal, skies are grey and the rain seems relentless. Add the recent daylight savings change and I would say my seasonal affective disorder crankiness has increased by 20%. In an attempt to brighten up my day, I decided to wear a few brightly coloured J. Crew items that rarely get worn in the darker days of winter. This spring is supposedly going to be all about bright hues, so I wanted to ease into it.

I started with the J. Crew perfect shirt in Royal Paisley, my absolute favourite pattern from J. Crew. So much so, that I bought both the perfect shirt and the No. 2 pencil skirt in the same pattern. They advertised that you could wear them together; it's called a hookup when you wear more than one piece in the same pattern. So far I haven't tried it, I haven't taken to the idea and if I don't feel like I own it, I know I won't look confident wearing it.

Royal Paisley Perfect Shirt. Photo courtesy of J. Crew

A 'Hook-up'. Photo courtesy of J. Crew

 The button-up has teal in the pattern so I decided to combined it with the J. Crew No. 2 Pencil skirt in Teal. I love the colour, its bright and unapologetic. I added some peep toe heels and a silver Tiffany beads necklace and voila, office chic. Or nerdy office girl, however you want to slice it.

Teal No. 2 Pencil Skirt. Photo courtesy of J. Crew

Someone asked me if my outfit had anything to do with St. Patrick's day or something 'Irish'. St. Patty's day is a few days away, which might explain the question, but I would have to blame it on the lack of colourful clothing used throughout the winter. I guess the sudden change must have seemed contingent on some event (it sure is, Spring!) So....No bright pinks or baby blues near Easter and I should be able to avoid such comparisons again.

In addition, I was thrilled to pull out my galoshes this morning! There's just something about the pure abandon of rain boots, the ability to slosh through puddles care-free like when you were a child. They are also a nice reminder that we are finally headed into spring! Mine are by Capelli New York, and are black with a wedge in a purple paisley/floral print. They do clash with my shirt but when I'm outside my outfit is covered up with a black wool coat, so no one will notice my faux pas. Can't wait to leave the office and stomp in a few puddles on the way home!