James Perse linen blend pants (couple years old)
James Perse slub crewneck tee
Birkenstock Arizona sandals (mine are secondhand via slowre) |
EVA/plastic version (great for summer!!)
Marsell 4 Dritta bag
Wearing/Buying
This is what I wore yesterday. It’s a little too “James Perse” to me LOL. And the pants are frustrating; they fit beautifully when I first put them on (as seen here), but by the end of the day they’re falling down my waist/hips and just too loose overall. Not that I mind slouchy, but only when the fit is right at the waist you know? I don’t like to wear pants I have to wash every time. The same is happening with my Raquel Allegra easy pants I bought secondhand when they came through Slowre. I wore them to Atlanta last time I went and they were just so messy looking after that wear that I couldn’t wear them again on the trip, which is a HUGE no no for me when I’m traveling. Ugh. Another clothing mistake.
I haven’t received my sale James Perse dresses in time for this post (haha…see below!), but I’ll be sure to talk about them next week. Did anyone get anything good during the Shopbop sale on sale? It’s still going through today: use code SCORE18 for an extra 25% off sale items. My Rag & Bone cardigan (outfit) is still available in a few sizes and would be $240 after the code. And one of the JP dresses I ordered is still available in sizes 0 and 1.
Edited to add the JP dresses:
This is the skinny wrap tuck dress in black, size 2 – it’s very good. Deep v, and I’m not wearing a bra ATM, but you’d have to wear a pretty minimal bra for it not to show IMO. And it’s probably not work appropriate. But date-night appropriate for sure 🙂
This is the high twist jersey deep v dress in carbon, size 2. The top is more loose on this one and both sides are ruched (the other one is the “tuck” style which is similar, but not quite the same as the traditional ruched dresses). I’m still not wearing a bra with this, but it’s also deep, so it’d have to be a minimal one if you’re going to wear one. Both of these dresses are TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT on me. I’m glad I didn’t go for the 1’s!!!
ETA again…I just discovered something weird/wonderful about the high twist jersey dress: it has straps inside attached to the “skirt” which help to hold the skirt up and really give the top a more blous-y fit. I am NOT wearing it that way in the picture. When I do wear the straps on my shoulders, the dress is shorter on me, to just at my knees. Not a bad thing. I’m not sure what would happen if you cut the straps out, maybe nothing. Anyway, FYI.
I really like them both, but I guess I’m more inclined to keep the second one because it’s slightly more casual and interesting. FYI, I am wearing a spanx-type boy short underneath these. I pretty much always do with JP dresses or skirts because they are tight, and getting the bottom of the dress down over underwear or even a thong with out getting them all bunched up is always a pain in the ass, so I avoid that by wearing long boyshorts. They also help smooth everything out. AND, especially with a thong I feel like it’s just giving a BIT too much away, you know??
Finally, I received the most wonderful gift this week from Elizabeth Suzann. I am so grateful and humbled for it and always amazed that companies/women whose work I admire want to send me items to review and trust my voice. Anyway now I have to decide what to use my gift on! I am trying to be rational, and maybe even wait a bit, but I have been thinking about the linen Clyde jumpsuit for a little while. Or the Clyde dress. I need a smaller pair of silk florence pants too, and I am definitely planning on ordering the Clyde culotte in clay, size 6 regular at some point. But with this gift, I really think I want to use it for something I might not “normally” buy, you know? Something “special.”
Does anyone have any recommendations?? (she asks knowingly LOL)
Reading/Watching
I’m reading Lincoln in the Bardo because Bill Gates’ recommended it. Haha, not really, but sort of? I have another George Saunders book in my wishlist and heard a review of Lincoln in the Bardo on NPR when it first came out so I was already interested before it appeared on Bill Gates’ summer reading list. (FYI, watch the video, it is beyond cute!!).
Anyway, when I started the book, I was like, WTF? It reads more like a play and I was confused in the beginning, having no idea what was happening, and the format took a while to get used to. But it is truly one of the most beautiful and moving books I’ve ever read. It’s hard to explain how impactful, meaningful, and touching it is, but it really is all of those things and more. At it’s core I think I’d describe it as historical fiction, but not exactly. If you’re at all intrigued, I highly recommend picking it up. It’s a very easy and entertaining read, but it will stick with you.
Finally started watching the Handmaid’s Tale and am really into it. I didn’t care for the book much when I read it years ago, but I don’t think I like her writing style much? I’ve tried to read other things by Margaret Atwood and wasn’t impressed. The TV show is really well done though. It’s disturbing, but entertaining.
Doing
Trying to avoid being outside for too long……….
I hope you have a great weekend!!
Grechen, have a good weekend yourself! I rarely comment, but ALWAYS read. I love what you write, how you write, what you write about, etc. It resonates so much with my own thinking that it seems freaky somehow, “..how did Grechen know I was thinking about this?” But you say it so much better than I think it:)
Those JP dresses look so great on you! The linen Clyde jumpsuit is my first and only ES purchase so far, and I love it. It’s my favourite clothing item. I got the tall, small size (I’m 5’10 and a size 8) and it fits perfectly. I was worried the small would be too… small, but I’d heard the jumpsuit gets a little looser over time, so I took the chance and it was fine. I get compliments every time I wear it and would definitely recommend it.
How could an outfit possibly be “too James Perse”?!? 😉 I love both of the dresses on you…super-flattering and easy (I love how a dress is a total outfit, you know?) But the 1st one is definitely sex-bomb territory …As one of my favorite Valentine’s Day cards says, “I like you” are the sexy lace undies, and “I love you” are the granny panties! The 2nd dress has more casual potential. Very slight differences.
Watching an oldie but goodie on Amazon Prime: “Touching Evil” with 2 of my favorite BBC actors, Robson Green from “Grantchester” and Nicola Walker from well, EVERYTHING! (Our theory is that there’s a stable of about 20 British actors that show up in any and everything BBC.)
Reading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, in small bits. The horrors of slavery are all too real when someone who lived it tells their own story. So worth another read!
Happy weekend, everyone!
Gretchen,
I have the same issue with JP pants. It’s happened too many times. Super comfy and cool—but move, sit, and they quit. The dresses are lovely. I vote #2
I guess I am getting old, I cannot tell the difference between the two JP dresses. Cannot. Laughing at myself right now! As for ES review gift, I would think everything ES is special, no? (It better be for the amount of effort she puts in…and the price! 😉 Personally I love the look of everything Clyde, although I only have the dress. It’s simple yet fun and fits me like a glove.
As for entertainment: I read Bardo, very much appreciated the poetry of it and the overall creative rendition, but in the end, I didn’t really have the patience for it at the time I read it …..it’s like a long, long poem and you really need to read every word and think about what was said before, at least that was what I found. I watched the entire first season of Handmaid, in spite of the violence (I’m averse) because the acting was so good, but I had to quit during the first episode of the second season. I just couldn’t take the explicit ongoing woman on woman violence anymore. I recognize that theological despots often co-opt women to control women, but I just find it too depressing to watch hour after hour of it in all its horror. Anyway, when it’s too hot for you to get out down in Dallas, it’s likely too nice to stay indoors here, so I probably won’t be doing that much TV or books for awhile. Here’s hoping, anyway!
I just ordered my very first ES item — a Georgia dress in navy linen. I am pretty stoked about it, but interested to see how Canadian customs gouges me in duty and taxes. If all goes well with that, the next item I have my eye on is the Mara jumpsuit. I don’t think I would even know about ES clothing if it weren’t for you, Grechen! Same with James Perse. My husband would probably rather I STOP following you! But when I break it down into a cost-per-wear-basis, he gets pretty excited, being the boring accountant that he is!
the difference is VERY Subtle kathryn 😉 and the lighting in my office now is really bad so there’s that…
i will take some better pictures at some point out in front of my backdrop so you can see the differences LOL
you’re right about the book, it is sort of like a long poem.
i heard something similar about the second season of handmaid’s tale, that it was too much.
enjoy being outside!!!!
I just got the black linen Clyde jumpsuit on Monday. I love it! I got an XL, but I could have sized down. However, it is wonderfully slouchy and 100 percent comfortable.
Since I am wearing all black, basically all the time, I bought a crazy colorful Antonello bag during Shopbop’s sale on sale. It’s yellow!
Funny you mention the clyde dress. Just last night I was debating if I should just buy it already. That’s the one ES item that I’ve been stalking for half a year now… But then I realized the wait time is 6-7 weeks, and I move out of my current apartment before then, so it will just have to wait (til’ autumn). I wear my clyde pants so much for the pockets, that I wanted another version of it and thought the dress would be good because it’s wearable to work. The jumpsuit would also look great on you. And the Marlena midi dress too!
I have been stalking that bag! I love it! Yellow goes with everything, no?
🙂
Love both dresses on you! Seeing the 2nd on you, I’m a bit envious. It is more flattering on someone more petite on top than I am. Too JP…I generally feel weird in the head to toe anything but now that you mention it I do wear a JP T and pants together a lot. And yes the same problem with the pants loosening up but I don’t mind so much.
Btw, a thong that is good under dresses and stays put is the Hanky Panky retro thong. It is high waisted so perfect under dresses, and it doesn’t roll or shift. I’m scared to wear anything Spanx like on a day to day basis, I think I’ll get too sweaty.
I just started watching Handmaid’s Tale as well. And I also didn’t care for the book 20 years ago! I wondered if maybe it’s because then it seemed too futuristic and now it seems so plausible? It’s haunting me and keeping me up at night. Little by little, you know?
yes!! I do have two pairs of those HP thongs and i really like them, i just usually avoid wearing thongs under JP dresses because I feel a little too exposed for some reason? but since you mentioned it, I wore one of the HP retro thongs under dress # 2 out to dinner with leo and friends on Saturday and felt good 🙂 and it did stay put!
YES.
I got dress number 1 on sale at Net A Porter. It looks wonderful on you. I want to dare wearing at work. I probably won’t but that’s most of my waking hours so why not. I made a uniform of James Perse dresses. They travel so well on business trips and the quality is fantastic. I love that they are made in US. This dress 1 is a bit snugger than some of the designs in thinner cotton (Henley neckline) from previous seasons for me. Never too James Perse 🙂