Shopping: Yes, No, Maybe (not)

A package arrived in from J Crew today.    Three items were ordered; one item will be sent back.  One item is perfect.  The fate of the third item has not yet been decided; it is not quite what I hoped for but appears to be more versatile than I expected.

First the failure, a failure I did in fact anticipate.  Since I don't have a J Crew locally however, sometimes there is no alternative other than to click and risk having to return.

This little silk number looks like somthing I shouldn't be able to wear.  And it was surprisingly more attractive than I anticipated.  I wanted to wear it with a particular skirt, but it looked horrible with a skirt, made me look like a big purple blob with a skinny neck and skinny legs sticking out the other end.  With slacks however it was enchanting and even slimming.  But it is so badly made: the zipper poking out at an unattractive angle,  the seams wonky and puckered.  It isn't worth buying.

The neckline and the top two ruffles look great with a wide black belt however, making me think that I should make a blouse with the top ruffles and the scoop neckline and soft billowy sleeves.  I would wear it with the wide belt and slim tailored pants.  And if I hadn't tried this shirt I never would have thought of it.

Second:  A simple belt is the perfect item.  Narrow.  Pretty. What more can be said.

Third: A grey scoop neck tee with three quarter sleeves.  

Now I have been looking for the perfect scoop neck tee in the perfect shade of grey since I finished this sweater in August.   I would have thought it would be easy to find a scoop-neck grey top, and it was, but not the right scoop-neck grey top.  It's not that I haven't been wearing the sweater, I have, but I always wanted to wear the sweater with a particular pair of pale grey pants but I've never found the right top. I've been to the stores and come home empty-handed.  I've shopped online and sent everything back.

I would have happily made a gray top, but  I don't have the right shade of grey jersey in my stash.  In fact I have very little neutral solid-color jersey in my stash, always figuring I could just buy a tee if I wanted one.  So much for that idea.

Nor could I find the right shade of grey jersey online.  Emma One Sock had one, but it was sold out before I started looking.   Pale, cool grey does not seem to be the color of the moment in the fabric world. 

I converted two turtlenecks into this top, but it was too casual.

So when I saw this grey top on the J Crew website, I ordered it, always hopeful but not really expecting it would work.  And  was pleasantly surprised.  It is not quite as low cut on me (there is that long upper torso showing up again) and it is fairly flattering although not perfect.   

The neckline is not quite what I wanted however:  I wanted a simple modern band, preferably with a little width to it.  I wasn't looking for gathers although this neckline isn't bad.  The combination of gathers peeking below the beaded edge of Mine gives it a bit of a Tudor feel; it is not perhaps the look I was aiming for.

On the other hand, I just looked and Emma One Sock does have the perfect shade of grey jersey now so I could just order it.  The pants are already getting a little loose.  Light grey pant fabric is well represented in my stash so I could just set the two pieces aside, ready and waiting.  Mine, after all will be with me a long time.  Why compromise now?

Comments

[Marji]

you know, I forgot to tell you that I count on you to vet all the current publications. Keep the pics and analysis coming!

[Miss Cavendish]

Oh, I have the purple tiered silk top above and it is my absolute go-to top! I wear it on its own, or under a blazer or cardi. For whatever reason, it just works for me and I love it. And this one is well made--no puckering. But when I ordered it in toffee, the color was so wretched next to my skin, that I sent it back in a huff.

[materfamilias]

I've looked at tops like that one (a local franchise, Aritzia, makes several versions) but not tried them on as I don't do much sleeveless. Still, they're so pretty I keep wondering about them and about ways to wear them with a cardi or jacket -- so I'm interested to hear how good it looked -- I imagine you may whip one up for yourself now!
I'll cross my fingers that you eventually find the grey T you want. Meanwhile, that one's a great compromise and the beading is STILL looking so pretty on that sweater!

[Marji]

Great purchases! Love the jersey top and the belt. Isn't it just a pain that so much RTW, even expensive stuff, is made so poorly that we can't even want to wear it?
That sweater with the beaded neckline is so pretty! Glad you found something to wear it with, now that the weather is getting to the point you can wear it.

[K-Line]

Too bad about the purple. The colour is amazing. And do most people buy jersey fabric online (i.e. is it hard to find at fabric stores)? Or is it that you don't have a shop near you?