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Jenna Lyons leaves J. Crew

I’m taking a brief break from my unexpected blog sabbattical (slaps knee) to mark this news.

Jenna Lyons, the current President and Creative Director of J. Crew is leaving the company after a whopping 26 years. In the world of fashion, that’s the equivalent of a century. When I heard the news, a large part of me wasn’t shocked in the least. I think too many surprises in this world have left me a little numb these days.

In general, I’m a fan of change because it’s the one thing that’s constant as a part of life. I think I’ve harbored a secret wish for Jenna to do something bold. Not have a vanity line, in the safe harbor of J. Crew. No. I wanted to see her truly step away, as she will do after December of this year. Why would or should any of us care about this news? Some are fascinated by the business aspect and speculate what the future looks like for J. Crew (and its staggering debt). I find it interesting how she’s being treated in some of the articles. I don’t really have enough words to articulate coherent thoughts at the moment, but if I did, I would address how differently the sexes are handled in the media…particularly in business. I care about the news because there have been some deep changes in staff — locally and at the higher level — in the past couple of years. I’m rooting for their success.

Behold change!

Jenna, not too many years ago. A fresh face, casual mom vs. the Jenna she’s evolved into.

jenna lyons leaves j crew

Here’s another, older image of Jenna that many of us loved. Many a blog name were inspired by sequins and (fill in the blank). She looks so different now.

Me, a couple weeks ago at Hamilton in San Francisco. Yes, it’s an epic musical! I’m still listening to and singing the songs daily. I didn’t have time to agonize over what to wear or go shopping. My mom won tickets on a Monday and we were at the show the next day, on Tuesday. I remembered my green sequin pants in the closet. Set them up with a black top and felt fabulous. I received numerous compliments on the pants.

Wear your gear, ladies. When we do, it gives others the encouragement to wear theirs.

A post shared by Marika Casteel (@gigisgoneshopping) on Mar 14, 2017 at 7:26pm PDT

I wish the best for Jenna. It’s definitely the end of an era. I’m curious to see where both she and the brand are in a year from now. Shoooot….and me, too!

Share your thoughts..

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Loft – NOEXCUSES 50% off ends tonite

Hello! I’ve been looking at these jeans on loft.com and had a moment to visit the store yesterday. They’re not a darker, true red like they look on my monitor. They’re a brick red, so there’s more brown in them. I didn’t like the shade because it didn’t look easy for me to match with items I own, but I did like some of the other silhouettes and prints I saw in the store.

I like the big flower print. It might be a bit much for a shortie like me, but the blossom pencil skirt caught my eye a few times and does run in petite sizes. I just know myself aaaannnd the fact that I have a drawer of unworn skirts. I didn’t see the ruffle neck mixed media shirt or I would’ve tried it on. I love creme and in my mind I prefer silk. However, I don’t like feeling fussy when I wear it. You know, worrying about whether I’m fraying the silk threads or staining it. Plus, the cost of dry cleaning. If the poly feels good enough on my skin and it’s machine washable — as this is — I’d definitely consider buying it.

Loft’s NOEXCUSES for 50% off sitewide is good thru tonite. I believe their codes end at 8:59 PST. If you’re not interested in ordering now, save items to your wishlist to review later. I’ve had some colored cords, but never colored denim. I was very intrigued by Loft’s because of my love for the Modern skinny & Modern Straight denim silhouettes. What do you think about colored denim?

Hope you’re doing well!

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Kate Spade faux mink cape review

Kate Spade’s faux mink cape (njmu6934, $598) runx S/M and L/XL. Color choices are black and grey. 85% acrylic, 15% polyester. Dry clean only. It’s been on sale for a couple weeks at $418. Save an additional 30% off with SPRINKLES thru Wed, January 4.

This cape cape was produced a few years ago and I have pics in my $300 meltdown post. I love it when retailers re-issue an item and improve on it. The opening price for this was much more palatable…considering. $845 for the previous one, $598 for this one. The sable brown was gorgeous on the previous, but the black is easier to work with. I’m wearing J. Crew’s embroidered lips stripe tee ($45) under the faux fur. It’s also available at Nordstrom. The t-shirt fabric is a nice, heavier weight. The cut is a bit dolman, though. The extra fabric is behind the arms, at the upper back. It’s not too much, but you might think you need to size down. I didn’t and stuck with the small. The sleeves are long and just a tad wide — for me — at the wrist. I usually don’t have that problem. Tall girls would love this top, I believe. I’ve worn it a couple times already and will probably wear it for Valentine’s Day, if I remember.

Back to the cape. Perfection. I feel chic and stylish, but not overdressed. Being or feeling overdressed isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I always get over the feeling. However, I don’t like feeling fussy. I don’t feel fussy in this. One issue I’m having is that the cape closes with one hidden button on either side. One of the buttons keeps slipping out. The cape doesn’t flap around on that side when that happens, though, because the fabric is heavy. I will be getting the buttons reinforced and the buttonholes made smaller. I won’t mind if I lose the button functionality because I don’t need to undo them to get the cape on.

A photo posted by Marika Casteel (@gigisgoneshopping) on Dec 26, 2016 at 5:12pm PST

Promo

I would give all of these good homes. I actually have the faux fox long gloves from last year. The fur on mine is brown, instead of grey. All of these are on sale and get an additional 30% off w/SPRINKLES thru Wed, Jan 4.

Where did you shop yesterday?

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J Crew ruffle silk button-up & tipped sweater blazer in merino wool review

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J. Crew’s ruffle silk button-up in vintage champagne (FA16, $110) runs regular 000-16, petite P00 – P12 (F9910) and tall T1-T16 (F9916). The code for the vintage champagne color is (VCH). 100% silk, contains non-textile parts of animal origin.

Size 6 – This didn’t look particularly big on the hanger, so I expected the 6 to fit and it did. Consider it to fit tts. The color is a beautiful creme and the silk weight is light/medium. Some are going to feel it’s too thin, but I’m basing the weight off of silks from J. Crew that were very thin to the Collection ones from a few years ago that were heavier and sueded in feel. This is a no-collar look, which never my first choice in collar. However, the ruffle row that embellishes the top makes it sit slightly up on the neck.

Excellent details. The ruffles are subtle enough for daytime wear. You won’t look like you’re trying to bring back the 70s tux ruffle. I get nervous about pleats, but this is dry clean anyway, so I’ll let them handle it. The ruffle at the sleeve is also very pretty. The sleeve was a little long, so the an 8P (size 6 equivalent) would fit the best for me.

This top also comes in black and fuchsia bloom (F9539/regular 000-16, F9919/petite P00 – P12 and F9920/tall T2 – T16, $110). There’s a pale blue color that’s currently sold out. I tried on the fuchsia bloom. The pink is gorgeous. I didn’t care for the sheen on the silk in that color. The vintage champagne is more matte.

And finally, there’s the tuxedo ruffle top in polka-dot silk (F5333, $128, 000-16).

The Feeling
Beautiful silk. Beautiful color. Beautiful blouse.

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Tipped sweater blazer in merino wool (F4998, $198) – It’s sold out, but here’s the review in the event there are popbacks or you see it in-store. The color code is NMU. 100% merino wool.

Size M – I tried this on a few weeks ago and there were only a few on the rack to choose from. I would be a S in this. The ideal size would be PM, but it only comes in regular sizes. The

Promo

How about HOLIDAY for 40% off sitewide? There are some exclusions and they pulled a couple things from the website, like the cape scarf. The link will currently go to the home page, but once they put the cape back up, it should work.

Club-collar boy shirt in gingham – I feel like replacing every single one of my button-downs with all of the club-collar options. Same design. Same great colors, but the rounded collar adds some femininity to the style. I really like it.
Edie top in Stewart plaid – This runs in regular nad petite sizes. The chest circumference of the regular size 4 is 37″ and regular size 6 is 38″. I didn’t think the ruffle would flatter my chest, which is what I experienced with the summer, striped version of the Edie. I saw this irl plaid nd the colors are dull. You see those stripes of cobalt and yellow in there, but the yellow isn’t vibrant like on the plaid Campbell blazer (re-released for 2016 and sold out). If you prefer more muted colors, you might like this. I didn’t like the fabric. It was more of a scratchy polyester, almost like a thin burlap. It didn’t feel like the retail crepe polyester and didn’t feel like the Factory polyester tops that I’m generally not a fan of. I’ll have to try it on if it’s still available when I’m in the store again.
Excursion quilted vest – When I bought my first 2 or 3, I thought that was enough. I’m sure I own a good 8 and they’ve been far more functional than I could’ve ever guessed. The Factory puffer vest is similar in fit, in my experience, but does not have the flap pockets with gold buttons.
Eye mask ($15) – Three options, sitting in the men’s section. Such a great stocking stuffer for 40% off, esp for someone who travels or just needs that extra darkness.
Eye mask in festive plaid ($14.50) – What? I love these things. They help me when I’m determined to take a necessarily nap in the daytime.
Pajama shirt with tipping ($78) – When I was in the store, 3 or 4 of us loved it, but agreed that it’s very pajama-y.

Share your spoils…

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