James Perse maxi dress
Everlane loafers | on waitlist
Brooks Brothers (outlet) Camel hair blazer | old, too big, maybe?
Lizzie Fortunato necklace | old, n/a
Alexander Wang Rockie bag | 20% off at Azalea with code GRECHEN20
This outfit is a bit of a cheat, actually. I did wear the dress, the loafers & the bag on Wednesday, but not the blazer – instead I wore an old black Lululemon cardigan. I’ve been thinking about this blazer a lot, and whether I should get rid of it, so when I got home, I tried it on, and loved it with this dress.
I’ve had the blazer for quite some time, but haven’t worn it much because it’s INCREDIBLY itchy at the back of the neck, and anywhere else the camel hair touches my skin. I love it so much, and envision myself wearing it with my Hope trousers, and a white t-shirt, but I can’t get past how uncomfortable it is. I did wear it when I first got it with a black turtleneck, but I no longer have any turtlenecks…does anyone know any tricks to make the camel hair less itchy? is such a thing possible??
It’s also a little big for me now, in the shoulders especially, but if I can deal with the itchiness, that might be something I can have a tailor work on.
Again, though, if I was thinking a bit more about actually WEARING what I buy, I probably wouldn’t have bought the blazer in the first place (actually Leo bought it for me). But then again, it was several years ago, and I don’t remember thinking it was particularly itchy when I tried it on in the store, so how was I to know? At least I do now…
Happy Friday!! Any exciting weekend plans? We’re leaving in the wee hours of the morning to drive to Atlanta, taking Dagny with us. Should be “fun.” haha! I’m quite nervous actually, she hasn’t taken a very long car trip, and she’s not very excited about getting in the car at all. She does okay once she’s in, but then won’t get out! I’m going to give her some drops of rescue remedy for pets and see if that helps…
What a great look for you! Could you wear a lightweight turtleneck to keep it from itching at your neck? A blazer is my favorite wardrobe staple, so if you decide not to keep this one, please message me. I’m in your area and if that fit me I would happily give it a good home! Good luck with puppy travel – mine loves to go, but has similar reservations about getting out to potty in strange places. Once he rode all the way to Bandera, Texas without every relieving himself, but suffered no ill effects. I guess it was good practice for yesterday, when I somehow forgot to open the dog door before leaving for a ten hour work day! Have a safe trip and a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Like you, this is my favorite holiday and I’m glad it’s almost here.
I love this outfit on you, but if the jacket is itchy, I wouldn’t spend the money on getting it tailored. For me, if something is itchy, I will just not wear it, even if I find a workaround. I have a tweed jacket I bought from J. Crew last year, that for some reason is RIDICULOUSLY itchy, even with layers, and I really wish I’d just tried to take it back last year, even though it was final sale.
Have a great trip–I’m flying back East for the holiday week, and have a five hour layover in the Dallas airport tomorrow …is that enough time to get a cab to the James Perse store and come back? 😉
Safe travels!
If I have something too itchy, I put on a scarf to protect my skin. (since I won’t wear turtlenecks). I actually have one scarf I adore that’s too itchy (thrift store so it wasn’t more than $5 – worth it) I wear it diagonally and do the best I can to keep it from touching skin. For blazers, a shirt with a collar might help enough too. But if the jacket isn’t comfortable and the work arounds don’t work for you, you won’t wear it and probably shouldn’t keep it.
But I love that outfit on you. I have a camel jacket, similar, that mom got me last year – I don’t like camel next to my face, it’s not a good color on me – so I haven’t worn it….But I don’t wear blazer much anyway, so a piece of clothing I don’t like much, in a color I don’t like much – it doesn’t stand much of a chance, does it? 🙂
oh MAN!!! if i were going to be here, i’d come and get you!!
which airport are you flying into? if it’s DFW, you will probably have enough time, but if you’re flying into love field you definitely have enough time; love field is literally 5 minutes away from highland park village where the JP store is.
i think you could try it…if you do, say hi for me 🙂
ha! no, not a chance at all 🙂
i really only want to wear it with a white t-shirt, so that probably means i’ll never wear it…although i wonder if there’s something a tailor can put just inside the collar to keep it from scratching so much. hmmm.
oh, yes, of course i’ll let you know! the size is 10P…
I love the blazer on you! One of your best looks!
If it itches, a turtleneck is indeed an option, or a thin scarf between your neck and the collar. I collect vintage silk scarves for this reason, but Amazon has some thin cotton ones that might be more your style.
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L4HQ8R2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I bought this one last summer. It is top quality silky cotton, and thin.
You look amazing! I’d love to see this blazer with blue or black jeans too.
One of the priests at the Episcopal Cathedral here has a strip of fabric sewn along the neckline of her wool cassock. I bet you could get something done. Maybe grosgrain ribbon…
what a great look! and you are right it would look amazing with a simple white T and blue jeans + sneakers.
It is a shame that it is itchy.
ah! brilliant idea. I could take it with me to Atlanta and see if my mom has something to put back there…thanks for the suggestion!!!
thank you audrey!! i’m going to try and fix it so i can wear it more often.
I love the blazer until you mentioned the itchy part .. lol. For me that would mean donating the blazer .. because I’m not fond of clothing items that have special needs .. ie, must wear with “turtle neck” or “collar shirt” or “scarf”. Then I don’t wear the item and it becomes a relic in my closet.
It is a beautiful blazer though ..
Monica
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I think since it is so itchy it’s a lost cause. At this point you probably associate itch with the blazer so probably time to recycle it and find a nice soft James Perse
And here I thought “not being able to go” was a girl’s travel problem! 😉
See how handy Mom’s skills are now? 😉
I think the outfit you styled is really cool. It’s one of those “opposites” outfits that the street people always do. Not street people as in “homeless”! Street Style!!! That’s what I meant.
But, as soon as you said itchy, my loyalties went to Team “Give it up.” Will you REALLY wear it? My other question is: Is it really you? It seems very structured for your casual chic style (For contrast, think of how comfortable and amazing that James Perse bomber jacket is!) just playing Devil’s advocate ….again. 🙂
Have fun in Atlanta! I wish I could head to Chicago where two of my daughters will be. But not this Fall. My husband, daughter and I are spending Thanksgiving up island at my brother-in-law’s. Always a great time with delicious food.
Awwww, you’re flying into Atlanta! And I won’t be here, because we are headed to my parents for the weekend. I hope your visit is a great one!
Poor puppy! I had doggies that didn’t want to ‘go’ while travelling. I wonder if it is a physical instinct for some physiological reason we don’t understand? The only way I ever successfully worked around it was to plan to take some time at rest areas on the interstate, walking the dog around the pet area. Usually if they smelled other dogs, they would get interested and want to smell around, and eventually relax enough to go.
I also used to bring one or two of the dog blankets that they slept on, and whatever really nasty scruffy toy the dog loves, because I think it reassures them.
re: The Jacket. Oh, it looks so beautiful on you! But… from experience, when you know something is going to cause you discomfort, it becomes the item you reach past, to pick something else. Textile allergies don’t just go away by themselves – so in truth, I wouldn’t spend the money to alter it. There must be thousands of other beautiful blazers out there, waiting for you, that won’t require spending time, effort, energy, money in trying to work around the feeling of fireants on your neck.
I love this James Perse dress on you, and the ways you’ve styled it so far – looking forward to seeing how else you wear it!
Re. the blazer, if I were in your shoes (and I do have the same pair 😉 ), I don’t know whether or not I would keep the blazer based on the itch factor. Looks-wise, though, it’s looks great on you – you mentioned it may be too big, but from the photos, the fit through the shoulders/torso looks terrific!