Thursday, June 19, 2014

J Crew Collection silk Medallion pant, 00, and medallion print dress, p2, mark alary tee, linen tee with metallic scoop neck

Silk pants:
Pros: I love the print, it's scale and colours; lovely quality silk, doesn't wrinkle easily, feels floaty, drapes well. Pockets.

Cons: pajama dressing; unlined (not necessary, though, IMO); straight leg, which feels a bit incomplete as a wear-out-and-about pair of trousers to me. Potentially diapered bottom effect if you try to stuff a tunic in there.

Sizing: TTS, I got 00.

Verdict: I just don't know! I love the print. But this whole straight leg pajama feel is too incomplete. It occurs to me that perhaps this is jcrew's conservative take on swingy, drapey, wide leg pants that are now en vogue. Just as it is calling "culottes" those ridiculous too-long-to-be-Bermuda-shorts, too-short-to-be-pants, and too-narrow-all-around *things* just released in hibiscus print,JCrew is potentially offering a more middle class customized version of floppy pants to us here.

For JCAs from the Sub-Continent, I tried them on as a shalwar qameez of the 1990s (short tunic shirts) crossed with the 2000s (no-paincha pajama) combo, using the medallion print dress, which has the same print in a larger scale at the bottom. The effect was a bit blah. 

For those of you wondering what the heck that last paragraph means, I have two pieces of advice: 1) look at the photos below and 2) did you see the latest "collection" by Chanel? It featured the shalwar qameez, completely undisguised. Hailing from the sub-continent myself (which is the part of Asia where shalwar qameez is either a national or ethnic dress, namely in Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, respectively), I have decided that I do not object to western designers copying our modes of dress and using our traditional embroideries and embellishments by the ton. But I will do my part to make sure everyone knows their correct origins. So, my advice is to take a look at the Pakistani and Indian couture and fashion houses and see for yourself. Vive la internet!

So, on to the photos, and apologies for the diatribe.

But wait! The other items in this review? 
I like my tees drapey, so I never size down, even for linen. Both tees fit TTS. The mark alary tee is nice, but mannish (crewneck & too-long sleeves) and basically cut square like a man's undershirt. I decided to pass.

 I love the scoop neck tee though! The neck doesn't dip too low and doesn't show all when you bend down to pick your toddler up either.

The medallion print dress. So tempting from afar. I even took the special measure of ordering a petite to wear it as a tunic if desired. But, I'm trying to spend wisely, and it felt like another fashion trap. Incidentally, the colours on the pant and the dress border are identical, but the difference in scale plays up the green base more in the dress. The dress is fully lined in navy poly. It has a slight a-line cut, which makes it feel more hippy.

Ok, phew. Four in a post, that's a record for me.



The mark alary for JCrew tee; close up of the pants, colours true to life.

Linen scoop neck tee, gold trim. 
nice (L) butt not nice (R)...
Shoes are Tory Burch, Spring 2014, navy/cement.





11 comments:

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  2. Lol about the shalwar qameez, it took me back to my trip to Pakistan a couple if years ago. Not sure if it translates well to the US though;-). I love the pattern of the pants, hadn't really noticed it until I saw it on your blog. I see what you mean about pyamay, if they were slightly more tapered it would look different. On the other hand we are so used to seeing skinny or more fitted pants that maybe we can't fully appreciate this new look yet.
    Thanks for the great review!

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    1. Hi Fleur de Lys! Thx for your comment! You're desi too? Love the nom de plume!

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    2. Aatually I'm dutch, live in the Netherlands, but love travelling. Went to India (where I met my husband, at Mumbai airport, he was travelling as well, did the same trip) and teh year after we went to Pakistan, took the Karakoram Highway all the way to the Chinese border. It was great, but from time to time also a bit tense as when we got a police escort because other foreigners had been kidnapped for ransom.
      As we have kids now we travel to not so exotic destinations;-). Last year we were in the US for five weeks which was wonderful, we were sad to leave, but already are planning the next trip.

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    3. Wow! That's so amazing! Well, when you're in the US next, drop me a line if you come to Chicago! I know, though, kids are a game changer. Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Once again you save me : ) I have been debating back and forth and forth and back about this dress and the top in the gemstone print. For me personally, there is just something about the print that doesn't quite look right (again for me- I am certain other people can pull it off!). Reading your review has helped me quite a bit as I think the dress would be a fashion trap for me as well. Still waffling on the top though. In any case, thank you so very, very much for your reviews! So incredibly helpful! : )

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    1. Hi Calico&Tweed! Love your profile name, btw, brings me right back to Victorian novels and the obsession with fabrics that female characters had! That is the kindest comment, ever! I love to hear back from my readers and it's gratifying to hear that my posts are useful! More coming up soon- I've been on holiday, but have three boxes arriving today! ;)

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    2. Btw, what did you decide on the top? I almost wish they had used a brighter palette for the same colours or smth. The colours in the purple etc are very muted and the green portion is much smaller in the top, which makes the pattern mixing less striking. I saw a women wearing a gorgeous cotton pattern mixed dress at the mall the other day - it reminded me to keep my eyes open for other designers providing similar styles, in prettier colours. LMK what you decide!

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  4. Hi Maqsad! Yay, more reviews! We seem to gravitate toward the same styles so your reviews are always extremely helpful! I decided no on the top. I love the pattern play, but maybe not in the colors that were chosen- and maybe the size of the shapes on the top half don't really sync with those on the bottom half. I really can't quite put my finger on it. I am definitely drawn to it, but I think I'll pass on this one for now (maybe if it were in calico and tweed...? : )

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  5. Wow! Okay, I happen to love the look of the gemstone dress with the pants.

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    1. :D well, there you go! I considered it, but have attempted many such sartorial pairings in the past and decided to let this one pass.

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