Thursday, March 29, 2012

Spring Madewell Reviews (and One J.Crew Dress): Shoes, Shorts, Skirts

Here is part 2 of last weekend's Madewell review...our wireless router at home died on Tuesday and my work computer won't allow embedded links, hence the delay.

First off, some shoes. Specifically, an adorable strappy casual sandal with a little wedge heel. J.Crew is my first love, but Madewell has them beat when it comes to shoe quality and style, especially where price is concerned. Confession: As quality-conscious as I am about my clothing and handbag purchases, I am the opposite with shoes. I buy cheap shoes. They are often made of plastic or other unidentifiable man-made materials. I buy them cheap and beat them all to hell within a few seasons, then I toss them. I'm not proud of this, and I'm trying to invest in better quality shoes now that I'm older and my salary has increased to a level where I'm not asking myself "If I put gas in my car today, will I have to wait until payday to pay my phone bill?"

The Whistlestop Sandal

I skimmed over these sandals online, but they are much cuter in person and I decided to give them a try in the store.


Verdict: adorable. They are on the narrow side, but you have more leeway with sandals than with a solid shoe. They hug my foot nicely, and the leather is surprisingly soft for a brand new shoe. I'll hardly need to break these in at all.


The only thing that gave me pause was that the strap attached to the lower ankle buckle is really snug across my arch. I have high arches and, as you can see, I had to fasten the buckle on the last available hole. This is something to watch out for if you order them online.


Roseblossom Carousel Shorts

This is a nice, vintagey-looking pair of silk printed shorts. I love the color, but they're not for me since shorts like this look best on women with Varga-Girl hourglass figures, IMO. These are a size 6.


Striped Miniskirt

This skirt is fun, but I don't need another casual mini-skirt right now.


They didn't have a size 6 in stock so I am trying on the size 8 in this picture. I think that it would have been too short in the smaller size anyway, and it might have even been too snug at the waist since it nips in a little bit. I think I'd recommend going up a size if you are thick-waisted like me.


Picket-Stripe Skirt

I was puzzled about this skirt, since it looks like it's supposed to be shorter online. I'm 5'8" and usually skirts will hit me at about the same length that they do on the model. I'm wearing a medium here and there's plenty of room, so maybe I should have tried a small.


Either way, I didn't much care for this shape and style on me. I need more structure in my skirts. This might look better on a pear-shaped figure.


Cityguide Shirtdress

Blech, this does nothing for my figure. When you look at the online image, even the rail-thin model looks like she's thick-waisted, so it sure won't do ME any favors.


Size 8, my usual in dresses. The color is "Ink", and I couldn't tell if it was black or navy.

I couldn't resist stopping by J.Crew on my way out of the mall, especially because I was looking for a particular dress that is only being offered in-store.


This is another version of their popular Maritime Dress shape, which I love. They are perfect for after-work and weekends, and I liked this navy/orange colorblocked one because the other versions are all done in stripes. I only break the closet stripe embargo for very special items.


I had originally taken a medium to try on, but the SA told me that the small would be a better fit and she was right. This has a combination Nautical/Mod feeling to it, and the orange portion of the dress is a little stiffer than the navy portion. I think this will go away after a wash or two - I've had other garments that behaved this way and they tend to last longer than the soft, drapey cotton items do.

A few of the Madewell items that I've reviewed are on sale already, so it's the perfect time to bite! Happy shopping :)

12 comments:

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    1. They were calling to me from the back of the store....

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  2. Thanks SO much for these reviews!!! I LOVE those sandals!!! Now, I'm off to take a peek at them on the Madewell website!!!

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    1. They're not all that interesting in the website picture, but once you put them on it's like, "Ooh, these are CUTE!"

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  3. Love the sandals!!! and the maritime dress looked very flattering on you. Thanks so much for the reviews!!

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    1. My pleasure, and thank you for the compliment :)

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  4. The Whistlestops are really cute but were too snug across the pinky toes, and I believe too narrow for my foot. Glad they work for you since they are lovely! Madewell cs said they're best sellers so they'll never go on sale. I doubt that but it's something to think about if anyone is holding out for a promo. The colorblock Maritime is really cute! Thanks for the reviews!

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    1. Yep, they do run narrow, and based on the two other pairs of Madewell shoes I own I'm gonna say that their shoes run narrow in general. The SA who was helping me said that mine were the second pair that she had personally sold that day, and the girl at checkout also mentioned that they are selling well. I think that Madewell has found their niche with denim, tees, and shoes since they do them really well, so now they just need to perfect their marketing strategy. I really like what they've been doing re: showcasing career women in creative fields like music where casual/funky/classic style really shines. And they should leave the prices where they are now!

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  5. The Matime dress looks great on you and I love your new sandals. Thanks for the reviews!

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    1. Thanks! I'm so glad that my reviews are helpful. Of course, it would really help if J.Crew allowed reviews on their website....

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  6. Thanks for sharing these reviews. I really like the sandals and hopefully they will be comfortable. Madewell does shoes quite well IMO. At first I thought the Maritime was a skirt and sweater so I was fooled. Nice color combination, the coral looks good next to your legs.

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    1. I wore the sandals all day on Saturday, and they did just fine. No rubbing, just some tightness that will go away after a bit. I thought this version of the Maritime was fun...the orange/pink/red family is usually pretty flattering w/ my skin. I think I'm an "autumn", according to old-school Mary Kay advice, haha :)

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