Closet de Jules

Last week I talked about how to stay warm on Valentine's Day by accessorizing with pink on your comfy sweater. As Valentine's Day is only a week away, if you have been busy picking the best gift for him but have not had time to think about what to wear next week, here are seven ways to dress up with a simple pink sweater that many of you can find in your closet.

The first part of my mixing and matching involves a lot, I meant, I lot, of patterns. From the conservative black and white, to the cool and preppy anchors, to my favorite, colorful floral. Fortunately, Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday this year. But for those of you who still have to work next Saturday, and plan to go to dinner right after work, you can start the morning on some work appropriate looks with long pants and a blazer.

The sweater I wear here is the J.Crew Merino Tippi Sweater. The sweater has just the perfect amount of thickness and softness. It is the most versatile sweater I've had that I literally wear it from September to June. I have at least five different colors of them, from both the regular J.Crew retail store and J.Crew Factory. This is actually one of the few items where I don't find the quality to be much different in the factory store from the regular retail store. For those of you looking for an even softer and warmer sweater, the J.Crew Collection Featherweight Cashmere Long-Sleeve Tee has a very similar fit to the one above.

I created this pink sweater collage 2 years ago, but I thought I should bring it up again in the spirit of Valentine's Day. Hope you find them useful! I'd love to hear which look is your favorite. So please let me know in the comment below! :)

Don't have a pink sweater yet? Below are my picks in addition to the J.Crew Merino Tippi Sweater and J.Crew Collection Featherweight Cashmere Long-Sleeve Tee:

The beginning of summer means I am on the road (or ocean, in this case) again. 

For this first leg of the journey, I boarded the Disney Wonder cruise ship in Vancouver. Having been on the Disney Fantasy, the newest ship in the fleet, I was slightly disappointed in the amenities. However, the experience itself was still fantastic. The theming is very well done, as the ship is designed as the classic and elegant ocean liners of the original Disney. My favorite parts of the entire cruise were the Broadway style musicals and, of course, seeing all my favorite Disney characters decked out in their “non-traditional” outfits!

Not to be outdone by Minnie, I put together a nautical outfit of my own. As we were sailing in the open waters, I wanted my outfit to match the surroundings. The dark blues and turquoise colors bring a ocean faring color scheme to the top. The whale patterns on my sweater must have given me good luck, as I saw so many whales and sea lions while enjoying the sun!

 

 

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Sweater: Linen Tippi Whale Sweater - J. Crew
Shorts: Printed Denim Short - J. Crew Factory 
Sandals: Madewell

It's February now - we are finally closer to the spring! After being snow-in for the past two weeks, I decided to venture into the woods for a short walk. With the Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day falling into the same month again, I was thinking of wearing something bright to go with these two holidays. This fair isle sweater from J. Crew might just do the trick. The pattern on it kind of reminds me of Aztec style, but much brighter and less ominous. All in all, this is a perfect sweater to go with the month of February without overdoing it!

Also, in the spirit of Raven's Super Bowl victory, I figured posting Oriole’s color might suffice since they are also from Baltimore. Sorry, it is going to take me a while to find any purples in my winter wardrobe!






As a side note, I recommend getting this sweater one size up because the fair isle part is connected by the yarns which, lay in a very strange place that it feels like a rope wrapping around you when you try to stretch your arms. After trying the size S, up from my normal XS, the shoulder/chest area becomes roomier that the yarns are not bothering me anymore.

Readers - do you own any fair isle sweaters from J. Crew? How do you like it?

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Sweater: Fair Isle Ski Sweater - J. Crew
Jeans: Toothpick Ankle Jean in White Denim - J. Crew (similar) 
Boots: Cole Haan (similar)
Bag: Calfskin Cross-Body Bag - Brooks Brothers
Sunglasses: Original Wayfarer - Ray-Ban

UPDATE -- Additional J.Crew Coat Reviews:

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

A few months ago, I did a review for J. Crew's Double-cloth Slim Trench. Now that we are officially in the coldest month of the winter, I thought I should do a quick review for my favorite winter coat from J. Crew, the Double-cloth Metro Coat.

This coat is made from 100% wool, meaning it is much warmer and softer than the slim trench. The size is relatively bigger than most of the other J. Crew coats, to accommodate a thicker sweater inside. I am wearing a size 00 here, one size down from my normal 0 - 2 size for J. Crew outwears. As to the design and fit, I have no complaints. The coat lacks a belt, but it manages to fit my body perfectly when I button it up. The royal blue color was only released in 2011. I wish J. Crew would continue to sell this color since it looks great on a lot of different types of skin tones. Plus, the vibrant color can add some much needed cheer to your outfit and help you forget about the freezing cold!


Which coat do you like better? This one or the Double-cloth Slim Trench?

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Coat:  2011 Double-cloth Metro Coat with Thinsulate - J. Crew (2012 style sold here)
Sunglasses: RB3025 Aviator - Ray-Ban
Sweater - Banana Republic (similar)
Necklace - Francesca's 
Leggins - Hollister
Boots - Amanda Riding Boot - Tory Burch

Update: Julia's Picks on 2015 Winter Collection:

'Tis the season to be jolly and... to shop! 

 

It's time for the Petite Fashion Challenge again! Hosted by our knowledgeable Fashion Blawger, this month's challenge is: "The weather outside is frightful, but indoor shopping is warm and delightful. So, whether you have wind, rain, or snow, show me your clothes when shopping for friends or foes!"

 

My holiday shopping outfit usually consists of a sweater, a pair of tights/jeans, and a pair of comfortable boots that I can walk in for hours. My favorite sweater from this winter is the Jack Wills Sedburgh Jumper. It’s adorned with the the traditional holiday fair isle sweater pattern, "a partridge in a pear tree". I wish I had sweaters with two turtle doves, three french hen, four calling birds... so I could wear one each day for all 12 days of Christmas!

I haven't really got time to update my blog in the past month due to all these holiday festivities and a 2-week trip to Florida and the Caribbean Islands. That being said, lots and lots of pictures will be up in the coming weeks!

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Sweater: The Sedburgh Jumper - Jack Wills
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban
Necklace: Bejeweled Flower Collar Necklace - Forever 21
Scarf: Tommy Hilfiger (similar)
Watch: Timex for J. Crew (similar)
Jeans: Levi's Jeans (similar)
Boots: Cole Haan (similar)

Hence, I am here participating the "The Fashionator", Petite Fashion Challenge #21 hosted by KT Reed from KTRstyle (hmmm...despite my height, I do wear petite sizes once in a while...). My "fashionator" is a winter hat that is subtly decorated with three pieces of feather. For someone who has migraine headache, hats have been so important to me that they allow me to stay warm, and of course, stylish, for winters in the East Coast.

Eastern Market, DC

"who's the copycat?"

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Old Hat - J. Crew (similar)
Old Sunglasses - Ray-Ban 
Old Blazer - Calvin Klein (similar)
Sweater: Merino Classic Crewneck Pullover - J. Crew Factory
Skirt: Pencil Skirt in Black Watch Plaid - J. Crew Factory
Belt: Glitter Skinny Belt - New York & Co.
Boots: Amanda Riding Boot - Tory Burch

As fall slowly slipping away and winter stealthily rings the bell, I have come to realize an immediate need to compile a general theme for my closet revolving around this season’s biggest trend, color-blocking! I know primary colors has been around the block for at least a year now, but who could resist the versatility of mixing and matching the simple yet bold colors. It’s the perfect way to accentuate your figure without using too many pieces of accessories.  Not to mention, putting together those color patterns, either in strips or in blocks, vertically or horizontally, and pairing them up with tights and a pair of horse-riding boot would definitely make you stand out among those monotone black coats or disorientated layering.


A fashion consultant was invited to my office today to give us a 2-hour long “personal branding workshop” (aka how to build your professional wardrobe). It takes 5 seconds to make an impression. What kind of impression you are trying to give to your coworkers or your clients has a lot to do with what you wear. For example, black/navy/khaki suits communicates the authoritative image of you; yellow/orange/pink, on the other hand, is telling others that you are more accessible (i.e. most likely to be asked to do more work from your boss!).

I have always been a huge fan of colors ever since I had discovered the joy of learning how to look good while making my own statement with clothing. Mastering color is the secret of being a skilled stylist which is not surprising, since having a coherent color scene plays a major part of your overall look.


Enough said about colors... I picked up this pink sweater when J. Crew had their 25% off sweaters sale last week. Wearing bright pink used to be a no no for me in the office, so I was playing with my closet to find some ways to incorporate the color as a part of my professional look. I hope you liked my “7 ways to wear a sweater” mixes and matches. Let me know what is your favorite (or least favorite) one!

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Sweater: Tippi Sweater - J.Crew
Skirt (top left): Ann Taylor (similar)
Skirt (top middle): Talbot 
Skirt (top right): Postage Stamp Mini in Dizzy Anchors - J. Crew 
Dress wear as skirt (middle right): Ella Dress in Garden Floral - J.Crew
Boots (bottom left): old-old-old Boots - Cole Haan (similar)
Blazer (bottom middle): Jacquard Pattern Blazer - Zara
Jeans (bottom middle): old Toothpick Ankle Jean in White Denim - J. Crew
Shirt (bottom right): old Non-Iron Sateen Shirt - Banana Republic
Pants (bottom right): Ultimate Double Weave Notch Back Columnist Pant - Express
Clutch: Havana Clutch - J. Crew