Fashion - Pocketful of Joules

5 Ways to Wear Gray Jeans

It’s time I come clean about my latest style obsession: I’m in love with gray jeans. They’re a great “starter color” for anyone who is thinking about diving into the world of colored jeans. Gray goes with pretty much everything, and they’re totally age-appropriate for everyone!

However, once you invest in a pair it’s nice to have a bunch of options on how to style them. To give you a little cheat sheet, I put together five different looks: dressed for business, a little tough, a little sweet, a little bit country and date night sassy!

I wrote a special post over on BlogHer and I’d love it if you all would click over there and check it out!

Once you check it out, let me know which look is your favorite!

Reviewing The Ms. Collection

Wow, this week totally turned into an unofficial reviewing clothes subscription boxes week. Sorry about that – usually I try to give you a cornucopia of mixed subjects… but outside forces mixed everything up. I promise to get back on track with a cute kiddo post tomorrow!

As you all know, I’ve been loving my monthly Stitch Fix deliveries for a while now, so when I heard about The Ms. Collection, a clothing rental subscription box, I was intrigued.

What is The Ms. Collection?
Straight from the press release: The Ms. Collection offers fashionable, everyday pieces for rent with the option to buy at up to 40% off. Women who are looking to switch up their style can subscribe to one of three collections – Ms. Play (casual looks for $39 a month), Ms. Business (business professional pieces for $45 a month) and Ms. Details (accessories for $35 a month). Each month your stylist will send you 3 – 5 pieces from the collection you chose. You get to keep the pieces for a month to mix and match with your own wardrobe. At the end of the month, you can either return the pack or buy any pieces that you have fallen in love with.

I thought it was a fun concept so I decided to try the Ms. Play pack for $39. I figured that since I typically like to mix in more casual pieces with my everyday work clothes, it would get the best bang for the buck.

I filled out my profile and waited for my box to arrive.

Here’s what I received in my first box:

Striped shirt with leather details – Banana Republic ($49.50)
Gray jeans – Ralph Lauren Jeans ($71.00)
Blue sweater – New York & Company ($49.95)
Gray sweater vest – Hive & Honey ($60)
Total Retail Value According to The Ms. Collection: $230.45*

Although nothing really jumped out at me, I decided to be a good little blogger and try everything on for you. Oh and this was before I dyed my hair to it’s current color…

There was really nothing WRONG with any of the clothes, they just weren’t me. At all. After gamely trying them on for the pictures, I packed them up and sent them back since I didn’t want to wear any of the pieces in my real life. My contact at The Ms. Collection was really great though and asked for my super honest feedback so that they could try again with another box.

Here’s what I received in my second box:

Pink blouse – Daniel Rainn ($58.00)
Medium blue blouse – Style & Co ($45.00)
Royal blue blouse – Lush ($38.00)
Black and cream sweatshirt – Ralph Lauren Active ($110.00)
Total Retail Value according to The Ms. Collection: $251.00*

The beautiful assortment of colors was right up my alley. However, the box was still not a good fit for me… style-wise and fit-wise. Also – and this could totally be a ‘me’ thing – all the items had an odor to them that really bothered me. It was most likely the fragrance of the detergent they use to launder the items, but to me it was reminiscent of the smell of thrift stores (which I love for the shopping bargains, I just don’t want walk around smelling like a thrift store).

Here’s a better look at each piece:

The only item I received in my second box that I would have possibly worn is the pink Daniel Rainn shirt. However, um… it was still kind of ugly. The two blue blouses fit really odd, making them unwearable. As for the sweatshirt, it was not my style at all.

I really wanted to like The Ms. Collection, but all-in-all it just didn’t work for me. My original thought was that they would be a great way to mix clothes into your wardrobe when you’re in the middle of changing sizes — like if you’re dieting down and don’t want to commit to buying a new wardrobe. However, I just wasn’t impressed at all with the items they sent me.

What do you think of The Ms. Collection? Would you rent clothes to mix-up your wardrobe each month?

2/27/15 Update: After reading my review, my contact at The Ms. Collection provided me with the retail values of each item and asked/heavily recommended that I add them to my post. So, there you go. Look at me being so accommodating.

Psssst…If you like checking out what other people receive in their clothing subscription boxes, I have a couple quick links for you! Here are all my Stitch Fix Reviews and here are all my Trunk Club Reviews. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and I was not compensated in any way to write it. I did receive two boxes from The Ms Collection for free to try out, but all opinions are my own.

My February Stitch Fix: Is it Love?

More than any other February, this one has totally been my month of love. Valentine’s Day was in there, of course. But we also had a week trip to Disney World, 7 years since Travis proposed, Jack’s 3^rd birthday and a potty training breakthrough.

Will this month’s Stitch Fix delivery keep with the trend of awesomeness? Let’s check it out!

In my What I Love/Regret post earlier this month, I decided that I needed to update my profile to reflect what I still want for my closet. After overdosing on tops, I thought it would be a good idea to ask for more dresses, skirts and pants.

Here’s my note to my stylist for my February Fix:

Sara J again. I loved last month’s Fix! I’ve updated my Pinterest board with some stuff I’ve been loving — including some great emerald green pieces. I’d love to try those green skinny jeans! Could use some more bottoms — skirts (not tight pencil skirts), colored skinny jeans, and dresses. I have a big bottom, so A line or a swing style is good! A structured blazer would be great (polka dots?).

Now I know you guys like it when I use my pretty brick wall as my background for these posts, but OHMYGOD is it cold outside today. I had to scrounge around for somewhere else to take my pictures and I found a little corner of my kitchen that worked and didn’t cause hypothermia…

Item #1: Gilli Lyla Skirt – $54
I was a little nervous asking for skirts because it’s really hard to find one that fits my waist, hips, butt AND height at the same time. I’ve actually only purchased one skirt from Stitch Fix ever, and it was a plain black swing skirt. When I saw that I received this one, I was cautiously optimistic. I love the gray color and the fabric is a super soft cotton, which is nice. It’s very lightweight, but not see-through and the length goes right to my knees.

For the first styling, I paired it with a striped cobalt blue top, woven belt, statement necklace and sandals. This look highlights the high waist of the skirt and I definitely feel like I should do some twirls.

For my second look, I decided to do something more work appropriate and topped the skirt with a black top, green cardigan, zebra print skinny belt and patterned wedges. Even though the skirt is pretty casual due to the t-shirt-like fabric, I think it dresses up nicely with the cardigan and cute shoes.

I’m still torn on whether I should buy this skirt though, so I did one last style… as if I were just throwing on an outfit for a steaming hot summer day. I kept the wedges and threw on a fitted black t-shirt and simple necklace.

Keep or Return? This is one of those funny items that I started out saying “NOPE” and the more I tried it with my wardrobe, the more I like it. It is a simple cotton skirt that is made out of a super casual material, but it’s a much better quality than something similar you’d find at Old Navy (which is reflected in the price). I’m leaning towards getting this one, even if I just pull it out in the summer. What do you think?

Item #2: THML Kahlo Knit Top – $68
I recently pinned a tank top on my Fix Inspiration page that has the same crochet accents on it, so I was pretty excited to check this out in short-sleeved form. I wish I had looked a bit closer at the pinned top though, because the cut of the bottom is quite odd – it is longer on the sides and shorter in the middle.

For the first look I styled the top with my favorite pair of Kut from the Kloth skinny jeans and a pair of blue suede shoes <insert curled Elvis lip and hip thrusts here>.

The detailing on the top of the shirt is great, but the bottom just ruins it! Here, check out a side view:

The weird bagginess of the top certainly adds at least 10 pounds to my figure and I could have easily worn this top through my entire pregnancy with Jack. I tried tucking the front in and blousing the rest out, but that didn’t work at all. Since I liked the crochet detail, I tried to style the top tucked into a fun swing skirt I already own. {I just got this skirt from Modcloth and I’m undecided on whether it needs to be hemmed up a couple inches, what do you think?}

Keep or Return? Well, the top certainly looks better tucked in, but I can’t commit to a $68 top that I can only wear one way. Looks like I’ll be returning this one!

Item #3: Papermoon Jonie Printed Elastic Waist Dress – $64
I had asked to see some more dresses from Stitch Fix, so I was really happy that they included one on this month’s Fix. I was a little unsure of how this shape would work on my figure, but the cinched in waist is a step in the right direction. I really like the pattern of this dress, but once I put it on… well, check it out. It’s doing that weird wavy thing on my boobs. It is also way too fitted on my butt/hips and a bit too short too. I tried it with a pair of tights and boots to see if I was more comfortable, which helped.

Then, I tried styling the dress for warmer weather with a belt and sandals. It doesn’t look too short in this picture but when I sat down the whole skirt rose up.

I do really like the details of this dress — like the pretty pattern, cute tab-sleeves and Henley-type buttons — however, it just doesn’t work on my figure. It would look really great on someone with a smaller chest and less of a hips/booty combo though!

Keep or Return? The last thing I want is a piece of clothing that makes me feel bad about my body shape and self-conscious about accidentally showing everyone my goodies. Back into the return bag it goes!

Item #4: Kut from the Kloth Denna Colored Skinny Jean – $78
I was hoping to try a pair of emerald colored jeans like the ones I had pinned on my Pinterest board, but I actually like the color of these jeans even better. They are much more versatile and would work year-round with a few different tweaks. Also, they’re Kut from the Kloth, so I knew pulling them out of the box that they would fit me.

For the first look, I paired the jeans with my knee-boots, a long necklace and a top I received in my last Fix. I could wear this on a more casual day at work, out with my girlfriends or even for a normal family dinner out.

For the second look, I dressed it up a little with a silk blouse, cardigan and wedges. I love the way the black and cream looks with the army green!

Keep or Return? These jeans fit great and I really like the color. What do you think, should I go for it and buy them?

Item #5: Renee C Raegan Polka Dot Swing Skirt – $58
Wow, two skirts in one Fix… that’s pretty darn awesome! I immediately liked the shape of this skirt and the fun polka dots. However, I also immediately hated the fabric – it is SO thin and you can see right through it in the light. Looking at it straight from the box, there is no way I’d pay $58 for it. Honestly, it looks like an $8 skirt from Forever 21.

Even though I hated the skirt, I figured I’d still put together a couple outfits for you all to check out. For the first outfit, I added a navy blue tunic blouse, statement necklace, mary jane heels and a skinny belt.

For the second look, I used the Style Card’s advice and added a red top (this one is from a previous Fix).

Keep or Return? Like I said, I like the style and polka dots… I just wish it were made out of a heavy fabric with some stiffness to it. As it is, it’s terrible and must go back.

Help Me!
So I had a couple hits and a few misses with this Fix. I’m really happy that Sara read my notes and provided me with 2 swing-style skirts, a dress, a pair of colored jeans and just one top. I’m leaning towards buying the gray skirt or the green jeans. Or maybe both. I’m definitely not buying the top, dress or polka dot skirt.

What do you think I should buy? I always love to hear your feedback, so leave me some comments below and tell me what you think!

2/25/15 Update: Thanks everyone for your feedback! I ended up buying the green jeans and I’m wearing them today because I decided that I LOVE them. I was so close to also buying the gray swing skirt, but decided to pass because I would prefer it in a bright color. Stay tuned for my next Fix at the end of March!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Stitch Fix, I pay for the $20 styling fee and any clothing I purchase with my own hard-earned money. If you enjoyed my review and decide to try Stitch Fix for yourself, the biggest compliment you can give me is by using my referral link. Thank you to anyone who chooses to click through and support my shopping addiction!

Psssst…Do you love checking out what other people received in their Fixes? I added quick links to every single one of my reviews on my Stitch Fix Reviews page!