Closet de Jules

I attended a friend’s wedding in San Francisco a few weeks ago. Typically, the thick pacific fog always creeps in when I stop by SF. Surprisingly, during a somewhat chilly September afternoon, I saw the clearest and bluest skies I have ever seen in the city!

Despite the fact that color blocks and solid pastels are trending today, I have always been a big fan of patterns. I wrote about this dress two years ago with a woodsy backdrop. This time, I felt it was appropriate to bring it out again since coral does better with a seaside view.

Both the dress and the scarf are from Lilly Pulitzer, a name you rarely see on on the West Coast. It may come as a shock to some but YES - I recently moved from DC to the Pacific Northwest, where the scale favors the hipster rather than the preppy. This outfit is a perfect representation of me styling in between the two - preppy East Coast floral prints plus hipster Northwestern retro ankle boots. I don’t think I will abandon my East Coast roots, but I’d like to refine my traditional preppy style with some new PNW elements.

For those of you who live in the United States, this week has been one of the coldest in years. Many cities in the East Coast are dropping to single digits, while the Mid West is well below 0 °F. To give you some hope. I want to remind you that Spring is only 2 months away. And to melt away the icicles you got from walking outside, I’ll share some hot details about my recent cruise trip to the Caribbean Islands and a very exciting announcement.


My trip started the day after Thanksgiving - that's right, I was busy packing and traveling while everyone was out shopping. It turned out to be the best decision I made this holiday season, because I got to avoid the cold and the crazy Black Friday!

I fell in love with cruising ever since my first sail. This trip was my second cruise to the Caribbean Islands in two years and the second cruise this year. Growing up and still living fairly close to the coast, I enjoy simply just staring at the sparkling endless ocean for hours.

The underwater picture above was taken by my smartphone with a waterproof smartphone case.

I try to pack at least one Lilly Pulitzer dress every time I go on vacation. The dress I wore has my favorite Lilly print in their 2014 collection, Watch Out. I love how Lilly prints always remind me of water, and remind me of summer.

That leads me to the exciting news announced by Target this week - the company is introducing Lilly Pulitzer for Target starting April 19! Hundreds of apparels, accessories and home goods will be available in Target stores and and their website. Historically, Lilly Pulitzer has only a small number of stores in high-end malls or sold in certain boutique stores. The partnership will make the brand more easily accessible to a greater demographic and will certainly help increase brand awareness.


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Dress: Delia Dress in Watch Out - Lilly Pulitzer (similar here and here)
Sunglasses: Original Wayfarers - Ray-Ban
Straw Hat: J.Crew Factory (similar here and here)
Waterproof Camera Case - Amazon (for the amazing underwater pictures!)

After writing this blog for two years, I finally decided it’s time to create a blog Facebook Page. As a technology consultant, I cannot emphasize enough how important social media is these days. Being a visual person, Instagram has been my favorite media to keep my eye on the latest fashion trends. However, Facebook is ultimately the best channel to interact with my readers and friends. Many of my friends do not have a Bloglovin account or use apps such as Pulse to keep track of new posts but always ask me if I posted any new content. So here we go, my brand new Facebook Page.

Like it if you want to receive instant updates, or simply just enjoy reading my blog!

I am including some pictures of the LillyPulitzer dress that I wore during my road trip from Seattle to San Francisco earlier this summer. The scenic drive along the Pacific was truly an awe inspiring trip that really makes you appreciate the natural beauty of the coast.





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Dress: Shorely Blue Tossing The Line Serena Dress - Lilly Pulitzer (similar)
Sunglasses: Original Wayfarer - Ray-Ban
Necklace: Francesca's (similar)
Bracelet: J. Crew
Sandals: Madewell

What better way to enjoy the sunshine with a cool tropical dress? When I first saw this Lilly dress, I knew it just said “tropical paradise.” Just imagine... you are in a dense jungle full of vibrant green leaves. Poking through the green sea are lovely pink flowers! I’ve been looking for the perfect day to wear it. Now look, here I am lounging and relaxing in the subtropical region of southern China.

The weather is hot and humid here. My favorite part of the dress is the lace design near the neckline. It does make the dress feel more “breathable”. It replaces the need for a necklace as well! Besides the lace on the dress, I also paired it up with a clutch sporting a cut out leather design and scalloped edge. For the shoes, I have the essential travel footwear - Toms, using crochet fabric for even more room to breathe!

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Dress: Lacina Dress - Lilly Pulitzer (similar)
Clutch - Kelsey Clutch - Tory Burch (here)
Bangle: J. Crew (similar)
Shoes: Natural Crochet - Toms (here)
Sunglasses: Original Wayfarer - Ray-Ban (here)

Corals or Forest? Sea or Land?

I purchased this dress just the day before America's legendary fashion designer, Lilly Pulitzer, passed away. This post is to honor Lilly. Thank you for inspiring generation after generation in your own special bright and happy way.




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Dress: 'Wendy' Embroidered Coral Pattern Tunic Dress - Lilly Pulitzer (similar)
Blazer: The Limited (similar)
Pumps: Ann Taylor (similar)
Sunglasses: Original Wayfarer - Ray-Ban

UPDATE -- Additional J.Crew Coat Reviews:

Review for the J.Crew Tipped Peacoat
Review for the J. Crew Thinsulate Double-cloth Metro Coat
Review for the J. Crew Double-cloth Slim Trench

Mint is undoubtedly the color of this spring, and my closet must be prepared for that! After the two J. Crew winter coats I have reviewed previously, the Double-Cloth Slim Trench and the Double-Cloth Metro Coat, it is time to feature my favorite winter piece from the closet, the Double-Cloth Funnel Coat. It has a very minimalist design, just like all the other J. Crew coats, less is more. What really says “I’m ready for spring” is the minty color, a nice balance between the cooler winter nights and the greener spring days. The mint is not too green, not too pale or creamy. J. Crew really spent a lot of time looking for the perfect hue of this color, and I couldn't be happier with it.

As far as sizing goes, I normally wear a 0, but this one is actually a size 4 with some tailoring work done to better fit my torso. The sleeves are still a little bit loose, but not to the point where i felt like I needed to tailor them. I couldn’t complain about the length of this jacket, which falls perfectly 1 inch up from my knees with my 5'5'' height. The sleeve length and the shoulders can be a little off - when I purchased the coat, the only other size available was 0P, with the sleeves ending at least 2 inches above my wrists; although I went two sizes up from usual, the shoulders on this size 4 coat fits my narrower than average shoulders surprisingly well. Therefore, I recommend trying it on before making the purchase or order at least one size up and do some small adjustments after.


Update: Julia's Picks on 2015 Winter Collection: