J.Crew’s Vintage Slub V-Neck Tee is the basic, go-everywhere tee I’ve been looking for. It’s super soft slub cotton, flattering V cut, long and lean (hits below hips). I wanted to buy it in each of the bazillion colors it comes in. The material is thin, much thinner than the substantial heavy slub cotton I’ve come to expect from previous J.Crew slub cotton tee purchases. The fit is very slouchy and “easy,” just as described on the site. J.Crew’s “small” usually fits me pretty snugly, so I tend to only buy tanktops in that size. But these definitely fit me loosely, which gave off a very cute, casual vibe. $29.50 for a tee shirt is kind of a drag, and probably only J.Crew gets away with charging that much for a tee. Even knowing this, I am regretting not buying it in every color….

First up – Moroccan Spice.

This one is the only non-keeper. I thought it was a vibrant, rust/brick red, but it looks quite dull in real life.

I’m wearing: Banana Republic Smocked Skirt (Similar here), Christian Louboutin Leopard Pony Hair Peanut Wedges (Similar here)

Next up – Wild Plum. This looked like such a pretty, vibrant pink/purple online.

And in real life, it was just as pretty and vibrant. Absolutely loved this color. Looks very purple in my pictures, but there is definitely some pink undertones there. Perfect for spring, methinks.

I’m wearing: Banana Republic Smocked Skirt (Similar here), Christian Louboutin Leopard Pony Hair Peanut Wedges (Similar here)

Those were all the crazy colors I experimented with in this trial purchase. I say trial because I’ve always been on the hunt for the perfect tee, and though these looked like these may be it, I still had to test my toe in the water first. Next up is one of my favorite neutral colors – Heather Grey.

I really love the cross-hatching action going on in this slub cotton material, especially in the gray. I can already imagine 20 different spring/summer outfits I can use the perfect gray tee in – pencil skirts, flouncy skirts, alone or under a cardigan, and super cute with my new Indigo denim skirt! Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. Here are some IRL pics.

I’m wearing: Banana Republic Smocked Skirt (Similar here), J.Crew Equestrian Belt, Easy Spirit Rikki Wedges

Lastly – and I saved the best for last – White. You all know from my previous brush with the scoopneck tee from BR, I’m on the hunt for the perfect white tee that is not sheer enough to showcase the goods. At least blatantly.

I actually spent a few minutes staring at this stock photo at J.Crew online, trying to determine how well I can see the background/wall through the tee. Silly me, I know. I’m starting to think this quest is futile. White must be sheer in nature. Or is it? Ay, the quest continues. This one is still a keeper though. The fit is too cute and flattering. And I can always use another basic white tee.

I’m wearing: Burberry Wool Kilt Skirt, J.Crew Equestrian Belt, Steve Madden Intyce Boots (Cognac)

If I’ve convinced you as to the loveliness of this tee, get them here for $29.50 a pop. I am eyeing the Black and Neon Rose next…

Finally, I get my hands on the adorable Indigo Skirt from J.Crew. Yes, I love denim. It’s not as serious as black nor as high maintenance as white but serves as a great neutral nonetheless. It’s casual, it can be dressed up or down, and matches with just about everything. I own one denim pencil skirt from J.Crew (one that I wore everywhere) that has gotten way too big for me recently and therefore extremely long and shapeless. I wanted something unique, girly, and cute, in a dark wash. I *think* I found it in the J.Crew Indigo Skirt.

The J.Crew website says the Indigo skirt is 15″ long. 15 inches. I really don’t know what J.Crew was thinking, making this skirt so short. Who is their target market? Pre-teens? Women in their target market are young professionals. 15″ skirt is bordering on inappropriate. Desperate for this skirt and finding no other cuter alternative, I thought to myself, it doesn’t look that short on this super tall J.Crew model. Maybe if I sized up a size, I can pull this skirt down a bit further and thereby lengthen it. Did that do that trick? I guess. In this picture, the skirt is sitting at my hips. But it’s still pretty darn short….

I’m wearing: J.Crew Slub Cotton Tee, J.Crew Cardigan (Similar here), Nine West Booties (Similar here)

I’m still on the fence about this one. The shape is super cute, the material feels substantial, and it’s everything I imagined it to be….just a few inches short. I don’t know if I would even be comfortable bending over. Sure, I can wear it only with tights in the fall/winter or something but for something that’s supposed to be as versatile as a denim skirt, I don’t want to be constrained to one to two seasons of wear only. I know I haven’t found many reviews online of this skirt, so hopefully this helped someone. Get the Indigo Skirt from J.Crew here for $69.50.

When I saw the Metallic Moss Jacquard skirt online at J.Crew, I think I gasped. I don’t know what it is, but I am a huge sucker for gold skirts and pleated skirts. The combination is so killer for me. Unfortunately, the price is also killer. J.Crew justifies its $178 price tag by claiming that the jacquard material comes from a “world famous mill” in the Lake Como region that supplies woven fabrics to all the top couture houses. That’s great and all, but….almost $200 for a skirt?! I held off and lurked, hoping someone online would do a review and I would hate it. Unfortunately, since this skirt is online/catalog only, I bet most ladies out there were just like me, unwilling to pull the $200 trigger on a blind purchase. Well, someone’s got to take the lead and see whether this skirt is worth any fuss.

Look how cute it looks on the J.Crew models!

When the skirt came, it looked just as I expected.

Up close shot of the fabric – relatively substantial, a lot of sheen, very pretty. Not sure why there was a pink knot coming out of the skirt, but I cut it off and that was that.

First thing I noticed about this skirt that made me nervous was the wrinkling that happened on the back of the skirt just from my dropping it on the couch for 10 minutes while I changed. Delicate material, it seems. Very high maintenance.

When I threw it on, I realized the pleating doesn’t quite work in real life. At least on me. It almost looks like the skirt may be too big for me, and that’s why the pleats don’t exactly “spread out” as they do on the J.Crew chicks, but the waist and hit fit me perfectly and snugly. So I’m not really sure what the problem is. Definitely not love at first sight. Kind of reminded me of big banana leaves.

I’m wearing: J.Crew Slub Cotton Tee, J.Crew Equestrian Belt

Then I thought, maybe if I actually moved around and my legs weren’t standing close together, I can “fan” out the pleats a bit more? Nope, didn’t really work….

Then I thought, maybe the tee being over the skirt is taming the pleats a bit too much and causing them to be unable to “spread.” So I tucked in my tee. Do you see a big difference? Not sure I do.

As I was taking these pictures, I started looking at this skirt for what it is rather than what I thought it should be according to the J.Crew catalogs. Spread-out-pleats be damned, this skirt looks pretty darn cute as is! Something about the subtle gold sheen reminds me of summer, especially paired with a white crisp tee and sandals. But I can also imagine it as a great fall/winter/holiday skirt, paired with tights and a cardigan. Able to be dressed up or down, this skirt was transforming into a real winner in my eyes. I threw on a long cardigan to confirm its potential for fall.

Ugh, it was impossibly cute. I have to keep it. Now how to justify the huge price tag? I have a feeling this one is going on sale since I expect many ladies to be quite reluctant to pull the trigger. I shall be lurking on the J.Crew site until that day. If you want it now, get it here for $178.