It’s All Military to Me

I don’t always wear outfits with pops of color, I can tone it down sometimes.

This military inspired jacket from Zara is a bit of a departure since I’m not so fond of the puffy strong shoulders look. I contemplated sewing it down but it loses a part of what makes this jacket special.

I’ve always loved military inspired clothing, especially the epaulettes, not sure why.

This jacket takes me back to the colonial days, there’s just something 1700/1800 about it that peaks my interest. I’m a bit of a history nerd, but I channel it through fashion…so that’s still cool right?

Outfit Details: Zara jacket – XS, Hollister tank – S, GapKids super skinny jeans – 12R, Forever 21 necklace, Aldo pumps

Peplum Blazer Revisited

The Urban Outfitters peplum jacket has gotten a lot of press lately from the petite blogging community lately.

Check out their posts: Alterations Needed, ChloeConspiracy, Extra Petite, From Head To Toe , Petite Little Girl , PetiteXXS, Vicky’s Daily Fashion Blog.

Everyone styled the blazer to match their personalities and I enjoyed looking at all the different outfits.

Whenever I come across a clothing item, I try to think of three outfits before purchasing it to make it worth my money. Aside from the casual look, I wanted to glam it up for the office.

Taking some cues from the latest Fall’s trends, I created a look that’s fun but work-appropriate. Recalling the 50’s full skirt look, I pulled out this ochre colored skirt from J.Crew. The peplum blazer and skirt exaggerates the “smallness” of the waist creating a nice hourglass shape. In the photos, I love the side silhouette best!

This is my second outfit with this blazer.

Outfit Details: Urban Outfitters knit peplum jacket – XS, Topshop lace peplum tunic – 0P, J.Crew skirt – 00, Urban Outfitters belt, Express  braided headband, random amber necklace, Aldo pumps

DIY: From Blazer to Vest

I got this blazer from Goodwill for $3. It’s in pretty good condition and though it was big, I knew it would make a great DIY project. This is what it looks like on me:

Here’s a detail shot

After a couple of hours cutting of the sleeves, add a dart to the sides and finishing up the edges…I have vest! It reminds me a bit of a boyfriend vest, but I don’t know if that was what I originally wanted. Perhaps I should reshape the sleeve area to make it look like a halter…kind of like Kate Holmes, but with a back.

This is the almost finished result…one sleeve isn’t done so it looks bigger on one side.

What do you think…should I keep it as is, or go for the halter effect?

Taking in the Velvet

LA certainly has crazy weather patterns. It was totally windy yesterday and knocked out my power for 5 hours! Anyways, I haven’t been doing well without my camera so I’m resorting to my camera phone. It doesn’t take the best pictures, but it works.

I got this great velvet Ecolé blazer in OP from J.Crew a while back and I hardly ever wear it. I know J.Crew updated the Ecolé jacket into the Eden jacket.

Today, I’m busting out this jacket to showcase a couple of ways to wear it. After all, a great jacket deserves multiple outfits of praise.

The Day Looks

Outfit 1: Gap White Scoop Neck Tee ($10), R&R Skinny Jeans ($100), Charlotte Russe Booties ($20), F21 Pendant ($4)

Outfit 2: Hong Kong Striped Cowl Neck Sweater, PacSun Gray Jeans ($40), Le Petit Sperone from M+O Brown Suede Boots ($100)

I wish I was fatter…

…so I could fit perfectly into J.Crew clothes!

Some people lose weight to squeeze into their clothes, but I need to gain weight to fill them out. Or we all need to find clothes that actually fit our bodies. We force ourselves into things that don’t quite fit because it’s too cute and we MUST have it.

I love J.Crew for its classic styles, colorful choices, and the way they put outfits together…it’s DIVINE! It makes work apparel more interesting than the black, brown, navy, gray, and khaki suiting you typically find in the office.

What is the appeal of J.Crew?

• High quality, diverse styles, and fun colors for casual office attire
  
• In the Glee TV show, Emma Pillsbury seemingly wears the J.Crew aesthetic
  
• The First Family loves these color-coordinating outfits (It’s especially adorable on the kids!)

Usually, the clothes at the brick and mortar stores are too big and I have to resort to ordering online in the petite section or find the smallest size they carry. I dislike online stores because I prefer trying things on and seeing how it hangs on my frame before I purchase something. Just because the model looks good doesn’t mean I will in that outfit.

Currently, I own three things from J.Crew:

1. Velvet Ecolé blazer in 0P

My first J.Crew purchase and it’s good fit if a tad boxy.

2. White Matchstick denim in 25R

On me, it’s a mid-rise and I took in 1.5″ at the waist and 3″ from the inseam. Great shape…but perhaps I’ll try the Toothpick style next time and find those 25Short sizes. Hopefully, they add more denim to the petites department!

3. Perfect Pencil Skirt in 00P

Almost perfect…if it was just one size smaller, I wouldn’t have to tailor it. Since it’s the smallest size, I did take in about 2″ in the waistband and slight slimming.

In my little ventures to J.Crew, I still have to rely on additional tailoring to have perfectly fitting clothes. But since they have 00 sizes in regular and petites, it increases the likelihood that I’ll be returning to the store not-so-empty-handed!

Random Facts: J.Crew opened a line for casual denim wear named Madewell. Also, they have teacher and student discounts!

In the Glee TV show, Emma Pillsbury seemingly wears the J.Crew aesthetic