Five For Five: J Crew

J Crew is my go-to store when I need great basics and occasionally they have beautiful fashion pieces too. This season, I am sad to say, is not their best, but there are still some great pieces to be had that will serve you well this season. All pieces available online at www.jcrew.com.

J Crew has a great selection of tees in a variety of styles and colors at great prices that you can add to your closet. This 3/4 sleeve henley is light and airy with a long silhouette. It gets dressed up by layered silk along the neckline and the pocket.

Utility chic jackets are a must have for spring and I love this silk taffeta riveter coat in sunshine yellow. Wear it on a rainy day to put a little spring in your step. If the yellow is too bright for you, it also comes in a pale pink. The color and fabric make it a little more elegant than other safari/utility jackets.

I love mixing casual pieces with elegant items to create an unusual, yet stylish pairing. This metallic jacquard silk skirt is perfect to pair with a tee and sandals but will also work perfect in a pinch for a dressier event when paired with a silk ruffled blouse and heels. The color is warm and buttery and looks like you are wearing liquid gold.

J Crew’s jewelry collection continues to impress each season and this layered, jumbled ribbon necklace looks like it was pulled from a Paris flea market. This stunning necklace can be worn with anything and everything to add a dash of bold exuberance.

I would be lost without J Crew’s flip flops. They are easy to wear and oh so simple and chic. This leather pair accented with a suede flower will look equally at home with shorts, jeans, wide leg trousers, skirts and dresses.

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How To Wear Boyfriend Jeans

Slouchy, rolled to the ankle boyfriend jeans have taken the denim fashion world by storm and are a definite must have for spring. They are instantly trendy but very comfy and perfect to wear as the weather heats up. Boyfriend jeans are meant to be worn loose and low on the hip so they look great on curvy and straight figures.

When searching for the perfect pair be prepared to try on lots of styles to get the one that works for you. It seems like every major denim line has a boyfriend style so start with brands you already wear and also give Current/Elliott a try, they are the company that essentially started the trend.

Boyfriend jeans are meant to be worn rolled to just above the ankle, so look for jeans that have a straight leg that is easy to roll. They are also meant to be worn loose and baggy but you don’t have to get so carried away, I bought my Current/Elliott pair just a tad loose. Take at least 3 different sizes of each brand and style into the dressing room with you so you can see find the most flattering pair.

Once you find the perfect pair, you will want it top them off with a fitted tee or tank or go super feminine with sheer chiffon blouse with or without ruffles. They also look cute with fitted cardigans and blazers. To balance the baggy masculine look add bold girly jewelry like layers of pearl necklaces or bangles and wear them with sweet ballet flats, dainty flip flops, bejeweled gladiators or super high chunky heels.

Cute boyfriend jeans from www.jcrew.com. I love how they paired them with a sequin tank and gold heels.

An elegant way to wear boyfriend jeans from J. Crew

Current/Elliott Boyfriend Jeans from www.shopbop.com

I love the Cropped Ex Lover jean from Joe’s Jeans, it is a bit shorter in length and is perfect for summer. Available at www.joesjeans.com.

Jumpsuits: Love’Em or Hate’Em

Awhile back I wrote a blog post about high waist jeans (High Waist Jeans: Love’Em or Hate’Em) and I received a huge response from my readers all voicing their opinions and it looks like the jumpsuit/romper/cat suit may be the high waist jean of this season. Jumpsuits, short and long versions, were all over the runways for spring and summer and have since popped up on the pages of every glossy fashion magazine as well as making appearances in retail stores.

My question is, what do you think? Are they cute? Trendy? Will you actually buy one and wear it in public? or Do you think they are silly? 

I suppose I fall into the latter category, as a fashion person I admire designers resurrecting old silhouettes and attempting to make them new and fresh to give shoppers something new to buy and wear, but I actually think they are just silly. They look great on models posing for fashion magazines and trendy celebrities wearing them to get attention but on an everyday person they just look silly. Could you really see a mom going to pick up her kids from school in a jumpsuit paired with a waist cinching belt, sky high heels and large sun hat or a professional woman wearing a jumpsuit to a board meeting asking people to take her seriously? I am not saying these women can’t look trendy and fashionable but a jumpsuit is so not the way to go.

Long jumpsuits have the unfortunate side effect of making your bottom look long and flat and shorter romper jumpsuits come off as very juvenile making them very hard for most people to wear. Plus they making going to the bathroom difficult, if you have ever wrestled in or out of a jumpsuit you know what I am talking about. I think they are going to be a short-lived one hit wonder especially in this economy when people are looking for more value for their money.

Let me know what you think? Love’Em or Hate’Em?

ShopBop has a created a category for jumpsuits and has a large selection: