J.Crew Reviews: No. 2 Pencil Skirt in Raj Paisley, Tessa Top, T-Shirt Dress in Ikat Print

After a month of being very good and not buying ANY clothes at all, I broke down and ordered a few things from J.Crew's recent 30% off Spring Sale promo. I also picked up two full-priced items that I've had my eye on as ride-alongs so that I could get the $175+ free shipping discount. It sucks having to play the shipping game, but I haven't been able to get to a B&M in weeks. Blergh.

No. 2 Pencil Skirt in Raj Paisley


I liked this skirt a ton when I first saw it on AJC here (more reviews here and here), and then my mom randomly sent me a text message of herself wearing the skirt with the caption "Have you seen this on J.Crew? You would love it." I immediately added it to my online shopping cart, but decided to wait it out for a bit in case of a stray promo. My patience was rewarded (for once) and I managed to get the skirt at sale plus 30% off, which ended up being $68.60. Mom was right (as usual) and I LOVE this skirt. The colors are beautiful, the design is interesting without being loud, and the quality is very, very nice. It is strong and lightweight - a four-season piece here in the south. I'm also totally fascinated by the fabric of this skirt (this is the part where I geek out on you...feel free to scroll down if textile construction is not relevant to your interests).



Here in this image, starting at the top, we have the red cotton lining of the skirt, followed by the reverse side of the fabric, a strip of hem tape, and the face of the fabric itself. At first glance, I thought that the skirt was a crinkly cotton plisse, but then I noticed the little extra warp threads running up and down the fabric so I turned it inside out to find that it is actually a sort of double-weave matelasse. A double-woven fabric is one that has two or more sets of warp threads (north/south) and/or weft threads (east/west) that are woven together to create intricate patterns or designs. A true "double cloth" fabric can be separated into two independent fabrics by cutting the warp or weft yarns that bind them, while your double-woven brocades, damasks, and matelasses cannot. In the case of the Raj Paisley skirt, we have a plain weave fabric on top, backed with clusters of weft threads, joined together by little tracks of warp threads. This is most similar to the construction of matelasse, which gives the appearance of being a filled, quilted fabric even though it isn't. NEAT-O!

Don't ask me about seersucker...we'll be here all day.


If I worked at a more creative/casual office, I would probably try to pair this skirt with fun tops like the gingham and striped ones shown above...



...but I work at the corporate headquarters for a financial company, so I will be wearing the skirt with solid-colored tops. Sad trombone.



Fits TTS. I wore the Raj Paisley skirt today with this blue 3/4 Sleeve Perfect Shirt that is, like, 10 years old. Old J.Crew really does wear like iron compared to new J.Crew. I keep having to mend the worn-out seams under the armpits and I'll probably cry when I have to throw it away. Funny enough, mom also wore her Raj skirt today, and we had a nice little mother/daughter "Haha, OMG!" moment 850 miles apart.


Mom is also wearing the Lace Stripe Shell in White :)


Tessa Top in White


I really like this top - doesn't it make you want to plan a beach vacay? It's 100% linen, not itchy, and not see-through even in white. Other JCA's have reviewed it in other colors here, here, and here.


I couldn't quite tell from previous reviews whether it ran TTS or not, so I bought my usual shirt size 8...and I think it's too big. That is a LOT of extra fabric, even over the bust where I usually have problems with the fit.


Side view. It really blouses out all over. Kinda reminds me of those one-size-fits-all smocks that you have to wear in art class, without the mildew smell.


Shown here with DiY jean shorts like on the model. Even casually tucked in, it's still too big and I think I'm going to have to exchange it for a 6 simply to see if I like the top enough to keep it. Bummer. I wanted to wear this top to a thing this weekend, but I'm not driving all the way to ATL after work.

T-Shirt Dress in Ikat Print


I don't feel like I even need to post an irl pic of this dress since it looks pretty much exactly like you see it on the model, just add boobs and about 3" of length to the hem. I bought a Medium, and I was actually really pleased at how much longer the skirt is on me than it is on the model. This way I can belt the dress and not worry about it being too short. It's a great dress for hot weather - feels like you're wearing nothing at all. Just make sure that you wear your nude undies because the fabric is pretty thin. $68.00 FP is pretty steep for a T-Shirt dress, but I like the print and I have someplace to wear it this weekend, so I'm keeping it. Plus, I was already patient about waiting for the Raj Paisley Pencil to go on sale, and I can't be expected to be patient all the freaking time.

Reviews of a sale skirt and sale sandals coming up soon....

Did you take advantage of the recent 30% off sale? Did you buy the Raj Paisley Pencil skirt? Have you tried on the Tessa top? Please share!