Reviews

Review: Madewell Widelegger Jeans

by grechen on August 9, 2011 | SUBSCRIBE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK |

madewell widelegger jeans review

First, I have to be up front and tell you that I am NOT actually wearing these today, I just wanted to post a review ASAP because Madewell is offering 20% off these jeans (and others) today and tomorrow + free shipping.

Second, my plan to use my iPhone and not buy a new camera after my other one just DIED all of the sudden obviously didn’t work. The lighting just isn’t good enough. I’m pretty embarrassed by the quality of this photo, but you get the idea, and you can see the jeans, so I suppose it serves the purpose for right now.

Back to the jeans – These are the lower rise Widelegger jeans in the explorer wash that I (and Sharon) purchased last week during Madewell’s denim event. I wasn’t even going to try them on because it’s been a VERY long time since I could fit into a pair of jeans, but I did anyway, and I was pleasantly surprised. The 32 fit me nicely – they will probably stretch a bit with wear, but I really don’t think these will have the dreaded waist gap that I get with lots of jeans; they fit my curves VERY well. They’re also pretty lightweight and super-soft. Not lightweight enough that I’m going to wear them out to run errands in 107 degrees, but I will wear them to the movies, or out to dinner.

Overall, I’m VERY pleased with these jeans. The price was good – they’re $100 – and I just love the way they fit. I did also try on the high-waisted style and liked them as well, but they gaped in the waist quite a bit on me, and weren’t AS flattering on me as the lower-rise because of my hips & saddlebags (the BANE of my existence). **edited: I got a question just now about the sizing – I think these run true to size, 32 is my “normal” denim size, and the 32 fit as expected.

Oh, and I’m wearing an AG striped top from Anthropologie I snagged off the sale rack for $19 recently. Mine is a size small because it ran REALLY big IMO and was also available in red stripes and blue stripes. They’re not available online and sold out in my stores, but if you see one in your store – GET IT!!! I love the slight a-line fit and the softness of this tee. I’ve been wearing it a lot lately…

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Did you see it? The Shopbop coupon code? It’s not the best, but it is something, and if you can spend $1500 (or $1000 I should say, because if you spend $1500 you get $500 off…) then you’re getting the best deal. I know you guys have tons of stuff “hearted” just like I do, so get shopping!! But first, I thought it would be a great time to review my J.W. Hulme legacy bag – also since Shopbop has two colorways available right now, the canvas/leather combo & “bare pewter” leather:

j.w. hulme legacy bag

(my bag last seen in outfits here, here, here and here)

First, all the J.W. Hulme bags are made in the USA AND they are guaranteed for LIFE. FOREVER. That means if you have a problem with your bag, you can send it directly to J.W. Hulme and they’ll fix it. They also do complimentary monogramming when you get your bag!!

For the craftsmanship involved & the lifetime guarantee, the bags are very affordable: the canvas/leather version is $250 and the leather version is $410. My bag is black, but I’ve seen the bare pewter version in person at Barney’s Co-Op and it’s a very pretty, almost “sage” green color – perfect for Spring. The leather is extremely high quality, very thick and sturdy. I haven’t found that mine shows wear or scratches very easily, nor have I noticed the leather color rubbing off on my clothes. Perhaps with a lighter colored bag you will have to worry about dark denim stains, though.

This is the smallest bag I own at the moment, so I did have to downsize what I carry with me all the time, but the inside of the bag is so well organized I love how easy it is to find anything (I honestly missed the organization when I carried my 3.1 Philip Lim a little lately!). There are two inside zipper pockets, one on each side of the bag, two open pockets (good for a cellphone & notebook) and a few pen pockets. There’s a key fob attached inside the bag and an outside pocket on the back of the bag.

Here’s what’s inside mine:

Large Comme des Garcons wallet, large Baggu bag, smaller Baggu bag, a few small zipper Baggu bags, gum, sunglasses, lots of lipgloss, hand lotion…I can also fit my kindle in the back pocket for reading excursions. I carry the bag both ways – by shoulder and crossbody, and I love how easy it is to get into and secure with the lock on the flap.

I’d like to start a collection of J.W. Hulme bags :) There are several styles I love, and I’m addicted to the leather & classic shapes. I also struggle with paying twice or three times as much for bags made in China, under questionable circumstances…you know? Not something I want to do when I get get such a high quality bag like J.W Hulme’s made in the US and guaranteed for life – for around $450.

I highly recommend picking up this bag, you’ll wear it forever. Besides what’s available at Shopbop with the code, you can also buy J.W Hulme online at:

La Garconne
J.W. Hulme & Co.
Steven Alan
Barney’s Co-Op


Think Spring Spend N Save 300 x 250

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By popular demand…and because I love you enough to be photographed without makeup…here are some quick pictures of the Best Dress Ever (aka T by Alexander Wang Asymmetrical dress) I posted earlier:

t by alexander wang dress

t by alexander wang dress review

wearing: T by Alexander Wang dress | Thrifted jacket | Madewell necklace | Robert Clergerie Shoes

Convinced yet? I prefer it without a belt because I just love the way it hangs. And like I mentioned before the Modal/spandex blend is heavier and WAY less cling-y than jersey (this doesn’t cling at all – anyway, I think it runs big, I’m wearing a medium) and just drapes beautifully. And the color. TDF.

And how do you like one of my very first thrifted purchases EVER? I just got it back from the dry cleaner and they did a great job getting the stains out (LOL). I was toying with taking out the shoulder pads, but I don’t think I will now. Oh, and it’s from Petite Sophisticate, mid 80′s, I’m sure!!

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Outfit: Vogel10 Silk Dress Review

by grechen on October 14, 2010 | SUBSCRIBE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK |

vogel10 coupon code

The first thing I thought when I put this dress on was “OMG where has this dress been all my life?” That was yesterday. And today, when I wore it out to go meet Sydney and Diya for lunch, I was still thinking that…this dress is amazing! It’s impossible to capture all the details properly with my camera and in my kitchen, but you can get a little better idea of how the dress looks on Vogel10′s site.

The dress is washed silk, with picot edges and an asymmetrical hem. It’s not a wrap dress really, more of a loose shift, with a self-tie at the waist, and since it’s loose, I took a size 2 (I’m usually a size 12). You can wear it with either the v-neck or the scoop neck in the front – I don’t have a preference, I just wore it today with the scoop-neck in the front because that’s the way it went over my head! When you wear it with the scoop-neck towards the front you get a pretty straight hem on the front, and an asymmetric hem in the back (you can see this in the picture), but when you wear the v-neck towards the front, you end up with more of a handkerchief-hem in the front (which is fabulous). So you can totally change the look of the dress depending on which way you wear it…

I wish I’d had this dress all Summer, I wouldn’t have taken it off, but I really love the idea of wearing it this Fall/Winter with cashmere cardigans and/or my leather jacket and tights. I have yet to wash it (hand wash in cold water, hang to dry) or travel with it, but I will be taking this dress with me on my trip to Atlanta next week, so I’ll let you know how it wears while I’m there, and I’ll definitely report back on my washing experience (cleaning silk kind of makes me nervous, but I’m sure it will be okay).

I’m wearing the Vogel10 dress with my Calypso cardigan (yes, I decided to keep it), Swedish Hasbeens clogs, J Crew tote and Candace Ang necklace.

If you haven’t already, enter to win a $200 GC to Vogel10 via this link, and save 35% with code GRECHEN35 through 10/29 (contest runs all month).

**I received this dress free from Vogel10 to review, but they didn’t tell me what to say ;)

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Video Review: Linea Pelle Dylan Folding Tote

June 11, 2010

Remember the Dylan Folding Tote by Linea Pelle bag I was carrying in an outfit the other day? Well, here’s the full review. I’m going out of town on Monday and this will be my carry-on/handbag while I’m in Florida. In the video, I packed it exactly as I will on Monday to carry on [...]

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Outfit & Review: TOMS Shoes Wedges

June 9, 2010
Thumbnail image for Outfit & Review: TOMS Shoes Wedges

Here they are!!!! My TOMS Shoes wedges arrived this afternoon, and I am sad to admit that I have mixed feelings. I wanted them to be PERFECT and WONDERFUL right out of the box, and well, they’re not. First, I was a little taken aback by the brightness of the color; on the website, they [...]

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Found: The Perfect Ankle Booties…Maybe.

November 11, 2009

Okay, so yesterday after I posted ISO the perfect ankle booties, I went ahead and ordered both pairs of Seychelles booties from Endless and they arrived about an hour ago (how cool is that?). I intended to only keep one pair, so I need your help choosing which you think works better on me – [...]

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Review: Fullum & Holt Handbag

October 7, 2009

You may have noticed in my most recent outfits of the day, I traded in my Alexander Wang Donna bag for a Fullum & Holt oversized spiral bag in cream I received from Emmy’s Boutique: After carrying this bag for about a month pretty much non-stop (the days I didn’t carry it, I regretted it!), [...]

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Review: Fall 09 James Perse Dresses (Help Needed)

September 4, 2009

**update: I sent both dresses back. I didn’t feel like either one was worth the money for me, the dress on the right I considered keeping, but I wasn’t sure I would get my money’s worth out of it. The dress on the left I liked, but I hated that it was dry clean…so, back [...]

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Love Shop Silk Scarf Review + Giveaway!

March 27, 2009

In the pictures: Love Shop silk scarf, Gap jeans (that are still too long, even when I’m wearing platforms), James Perse casual u-neck, Tory Burch cardigan, Alexander Wang Donna hobo. (ugh, I’m having such a hard time getting good pictures lately. Our place is so small, so there’s not a lot of room to spread [...]

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Review: Posse NYC Dita Fringed Hobo

February 19, 2009

You’ve probably seen fringed handbags popping up here and there lately, and pretty soon, you’ll see them all over the place. They fit right in with this Spring’s long, printed dresses and slouchy tees to round out the pervasive “boho” look that keeps coming around in warmer weather. I must admit, I’m not all the [...]

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Review: Jenny Yuen Hitchcock Bag

October 16, 2008

I’m back!!! I know, it’s been FOREVER since I posted a review, and I apologize. Things have been insanely busy around here, and honestly, I didn’t really get anything in that was worth of review until now. (Be sure to scroll down after you read this review for two more….) Remember the Jenny Yuen Gatsby [...]

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Review: Toggery by Kate D’Arcy

October 15, 2008

I wrote about Kate D’Arcy’s new venture, Lux Green Living, a few weeks ago, and now, I am excited to review a few organic cotton pieces from Toggery, Kate’s clothing line! First, the french terry lounge pants. This has basically been my uniform whenever I’m home: Kate’s pants, a SPUN organic cotton tank top, and [...]

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Review Follow-Up: Spun Organic Cotton

October 15, 2008

I have talked about, Interviewed, and Reviewed SPUN Organic clothing before…but now it’s time for a follow-up, and some new pieces…(these are just random pictures from outfits I’ve snapped recently – sorry for the brightness/color quality!) You can get all the SPUN pieces at Fashion Ethic and save 30% right now with code “grechen30.” I [...]

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Review: Seaglass Necklace

July 17, 2008

I have been delinquent in posting this review, but I have already worn this necklace to death since receiving it! The seaglass necklace by Jessica Lee is just the pop of color I need for my mostly black, grey, and white wardrobe. Jessica Lee handcrafts this necklace (and her other seaglass items like earrings and [...]

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