April 9, 2018– Happy Monday Y’all! This will be one of the few times that I will ever say this, but I’m actually very excited for this new week. I want to start looking at Monday’s in a positive light to start my week off on the right foot, rather than being bummed once Monday morning hits. So for now, I’m saying goodbye to the Monday blues and hello to the endless opportunities that a new week holds. And what better way to start off the week than with an adorable outfit.
It might be a tad cold for this eyelet lace top from J. Crew today, but that doesn’t mean I can’t share it with you (from the comfort of my sweatshirt and leggings on this cold cold spring day). In one of my first blog posts, I spoke about the black boho Madewell dress I got from the J. Crew Factory store I work at because of the beautiful thing that is redlines.
To provide a brief summary for my new readers, every so often select J. Crew Factory stores will receive boxes and boxes of items from J. Crew retail, Madewell, and J. Crew Factory warehouses. There is nothing wrong with these items, they are simply the leftovers. When the “redline” items are sent to Factory stores, they are deeply discounted so that they represent Factory store prices. My store happens to be one of the lucky stores to receive these goodies. And, this beautiful top was one of the many redline items that came home with me.
For months, I have been looking at this top on jcrew.com, wishing that my size would be restocked or a size that I could make work became available. However, my wishes never came true. While opening the boxes and boxes of redlines we received, I saw what looked like the sleeve of the shirt I had been dreaming of. You probably already guessed this but to my absolute surprise, there it was and in my size. After finding this gem, I began searching through the mountain of boxes for other hidden treasures that needed to find a home in my closet. Without going into too much detail about my dig, I left with five tops, one dress, and two winter coats all for less than $200. My closet thanked me, but my bank account did not.
Now that my dream shirt found a forever home in my closet, I couldn’t wait to start mixing and matching everything I could with it. The first outfit that came to my mind is the one you see in the pictures. I wanted to keep my first outfit simple so that the focal point of the outfit was the details in the top. The bell sleeves, scalloped edges, intricate lace designs, and cute contrasting aspects (i.e. the piping mid-sleeve and on the shoulders) were too perfect to be overshadowed by bright colors and stark contrasts.
The perfect way to let the shirt details speak for themselves (this time) was to stay in the neutral color pallet. High-rise medium wash denim from J. Crew Factory (of course) with nude block heels and gold hoop earrings made sure to keep the focus of the outfit on the top. Y’all will find that these nude block heels are my spring and summer staple and, in my mind, you can never go wrong with high-rise jeans.
Trust me, I am all for outfits that stand out, but I am also a firm believed that sometimes simplicity is a necessity. This outfit is a prime example of that. The simplicity of this outfit makes it perfect for a first date or date night, a night out with the girls, or even a day of adventuring (but maybe with a different nude shoe – either flat sandals, like Jack Rogers or the Tory Burch Miller Sandal, or pointed toe flats). The versatility of this top and the endless outfit combinations you can create with this top is what made me fall in love. I cannot wait to continue to share the outfits this top makes.
Until Next Time,
Emily Jane
SimplyEJV 