Review: Old Navy Chambray Shirt

 I've been on the hunt for a chambray button-down for a few months now. I wanted something not-too-expensive, comfortable, and with a true, classic chambray color. I thought these Old Navy shirts came pretty close to fitting the bill, and was excited to try them out.

I ordered the two shirts for $48.84 ($24.42 each), including a 20% off promo and tax. I got the blue chambray in a size xs and the dark chambray in a size s.

Fit: The fit of both shirts was ok, but unfortunately not quite right. They are cut in a slightly trapeze-y shape, narrow across the bust and angled out towards the hips. This makes them a bit blousey on the bottom, and pucker oddly around the armpits where the shirt folds over at its narrowest point. The extra small fits me in the shoulder, but the puckering created by the narrowness across the bust is less than desirable:

The small has a more relaxed "boyfriend" fit, but the larger size makes the blousey-ness at the bottom more pronounced:
Color: The colors are perfect, classic chambray shades with contrasting white stitching. Probably my favorite thing about them!

 Material & care: 100% cotton, medium weight. Machine wash.

Price: Starting at $24.99, with plenty of promotions readily available to bring the price down, these shirts are affordable, especially for such basic and versatile wardrobe pieces.
Sizing: The sizing of the two is almost identical, with the xs being just slightly narrower across the bust and shorter by about an inch in the torso and sleeve:
Verdict: Undecided, but leaning towards return. For a wardrobe basic such as this, I want something as close to perfect as possible. Though the colors are exactly right, the slightly strange fit is enough to give me pause. Or, is the puckering something only I would notice? What do you think, to keep or not to keep?

I'd Like to Thank the Academy

Oscar night was a big deal in my house growing up. I was pretty obsessed with Hollywood as a kid, and looked upon the Academy Awards as one of the best things to ever happen to TV. My family would have hors d'oeuvres and 'mock'tails or sparkling cider while we watched the show, and on the few times my parents actually got to go to the Awards, I was sooooo jealous. (And I thought my parents were hot stuff.) I even dressed up as an "Academy Award winner" for Halloween one year.

 

But last night, I just wore jeans. :)

Happy Monday, everyone!

$11 J-Brand Jeans

 Sweater: H&M sz xs ($15.00) / Top: Gap ($24.95, buy here) / Jeans: Jbrand sz 25 ($11, second hand!) / Booties: H&M ($24.95) / Bracelet: borrowed from mi madre

 

 I hope you all had a lovely Valentines Day! Mine was...crazy. So much sugar, so many 10 year olds, and so many cute notes with pieces of candy attached to them.

Ya man, that's a lot of candy.

 I wore this this past weekend and it was the first time I got to try out my....(drum-roll please?)...$11 JBrand jeans! I bought them secondhand, off of Elaine at Clothed Much, and I couldn't be happier with them. She billed the jeans as being super worn-in and possibly not even worthy of resale. I figured I'd take a chance at that price ($158 knocked down to $11??? Fine by me!), and all I can say is...my standards must be a helluva lot lower than hers. :) I think they're perfect, and now I have filled that black-jeans-shaped hole in my closet.

Happy Thursday!

Pre-Valentines Day

 Sweater: H&M sz xs ($15.00) / Vest: LOFT (gift) / Jeans: Gap 1969 jeans sz 0 / Shoes: Target leopard print flats

 

 

Hello! I'm back! And you know what I've learned in the past week? Valentines Day is a Really Big Deal in elementary school. I went to a Jewish elementary school, where teachers "conveniently forgot" to give us homework on October 31st rather than acknowledge Halloween, and there was absolutely no talk about eating copious amounts of chocolate come mid-February.

So, imagine my surprise when, suddenly, my students are gearing up for the coming holiday with more effort and care than Thanksgiving and Christmas combined. I've already received five Valentines (Pre-Valentines? Rehersal Valentines?), and the promise of massive amounts of chocolate come the 14th. (Not that I'm complaining.)

To brighten up your Monday morning, allow me to submit the text of one of my favorite pre-Valentines that I have recently received (all original spelling and grammar preserved for maximum adorableness).

On the outside: Open it maybe it a dog i dont know open it open it [I have no idea what this means]

On the inside: Hey ms. Lauren I just wanted to ask who is your Valintine? Because I think I found you one it's a girl and she is ten and her name is [Reanne]. you filled me whith lot's of love Happy valintine. ms Lauren is the Best!

:)

News of the Day

So the bad news is I have nothing to post this week. Actually, the bad news is I got in a car accident (rear ended on the freeway :-/ ) and therefore didn't take pictures this weekend and therefore have nothing to post right now.

But! The good news is no one was hurt (except for my first-ever car, which is probably totaled *sniff*). And the other good news is I'll be back to blogging in a few days, promise.

Hope your Tuesday is going well!

Petite Fashion Challenge #13

Petite Fashion Challenge #13 has been announced, and let me say, it is right up my alley!

 

This month's challenge is:

Stylish for under $100: Put together a professional outfit (excluding shoes and accessories) for under $100.

Done and done! Now the question is, how low can I go? :)

The only hitch is that I was hoping to do some discount-themed challenge for the upcoming PFC I'll be hosting. Hrm...might have to go back to the drawing board now.

If you're interested in participating in the Petite Fashion Challenge, just head over to Really Petite and check it out. The deadline for this challenge is Tuesday, February 28th.

Hope you have a great weekend!

H&M Burgundy Blouse + Jean Shorts (yes, this is winter)

 Top: H&M ($17.99) / Shorts: Urban Outfitters / Sandals: Gap / Bag: BCBG / Belt: came with a shirt bought in England / Bracelets: from England / Sunglasses: Target



I finally got a camera remote and am slowly figuring out how to use it effectively. I love having the remote because not only do I no longer have to do the "set-the-timer-and-frantically-run" move for every single photo, but I can also finally play with focus. The single, simplest thing that makes so many bloggers' outfit photos look beautiful is a blurry, out of focus background that highlights everything in the foreground. Getting that effect when photographing yourself is a bit tricky, so I was very happy to have achieved it in 1/2 of my pictures here. :)

In addition to the creativity I'm trying to discover in putting together outfits, I'm also enjoying the creativity of taking photos. Yes, I have to awkwardly dodge my neighbors and pretend I'm taking pictures of a really interesting tree when someone walks by, but realizing that I've gotten a few beautiful or well-shot photographs makes it worth it.

P.S. This burgundy "mullet hem" blouse (I hate that phrase, but that's kind of what it is...), is one of the three clothing items I bought in January. I love it and can't wait to style it more! Anyone have any suggestions?