I live in NYC, a city full of J.Crew stores and J.Crew lovers. It comes as no surprise then that I see J.Crew stuff everywhere. This may be just me but I’m not a huge fan of seeing someone with my exact pencil skirt or cardigan every other block. I love the prints at J.Crew because they’re so fresh and unique, but seeing them everywhere makes me feel like one of the masses. I don’t know, this could just be a phase. I still find J.Crew irresistible. Anyway, this is the long-winded way of saying, I’ve started to branch out a bit to find cute J.Crew-esque clothes that may not be as ubiquitous. This Ruffled Chambray Dress from Love Ady is the perfect example.

It’s just adorable, isn’t it? It has an elastic waist so it should be comfortable, and I’m all about the ruffles this season. Especially with a comfy knit stretch top. It looks a bit short on this model but I think it’s do-able. I think.

I’m wearing: Love Ady Ruffled Chambray Dress, Matt Bernson Bo Peep Espadrilles

A few small negative things I will say about this dress is that 1) it may be a little too short to be work appropriate, 2) the material of the knit top is a thick, heavily spandexy type top, which feels like it’s flattening my chest. I wish it was thinner and had more give. The black elastic waist is also a very tightly bound elastic, and even though it’s elastic, it doesn’t give too much. Other than that, it feels high quality, I can see myself accessorizing this with cute necklaces and bold belts, and I think it will even work with tights and boots in the fall/winter. Plus, dresses are so low maintenance – no need to worry about matching tops/bottoms. Just throw it on and go! I got a Medium (usually a size 6) and it fits snugly, but it’s comfortable.

Get it here from Lord and Taylor for $78.

My fleeting love affair – “fling” really – with Abercrombie & Fitch has come to an abrupt end. I don’t know why I thought, hey, A&F creates stuff that can be worn by grown untiny women, they’re just a younger trendier version of J.Crew! Why, Ran. Why. So two days ago, I excitedly placed a huge order for a ton of stuff from them, even paid $5 extra in addition to their already exorbitant shipping fees to get expedited shipping, and was really looking forward to sharing all these cute finds with you all here. For example, the super cute ruffly Beth skirt.

I was debating between this and the J.Crew tiered ruffle skirt from a couple seasons ago, shown here:

And I thought, if the J.Crew skirt falls to the knee on this amazonian model who’s probably like 6 feet tall, how long is it going to be on 5’6 me? It just looked a bit too long. Tiered ruffle skirts should not be that long, it may come off matronly. The A&F looked like it would be slightly below mid-thigh, which I would probably wear on the weekends casually. Well, when I pulled this mofo out of the bag tonight, I literally said out loud, “what. the. f*ck. is this sh*t” (excuse my language).

I’m not even going to post a picture of my wearing it because I’m pretttttty sure you can see my underwear. From the front. 11″ of who-would-ever-wear-this. Compare this picture with the stock photo. C’mon. Seriously? I feel so deceived. The rest of my skirt purchases went the same sour way. Tragic. My disappointment is palpable. Out of my entire purchase, the only thing even remotely do-able is the Molly dress.

I’m wearing: Matt Bernson Bo Peep Espadrilles

But it feels so skimpy on top and so poor quality on the bottom that I really feel cheap wearing it. It’s a cute idea in theory – great color combo, cute eyelet skirt detail, adorable bow at the waist, but it just does not work for me.

Well it’s been a delight Abercrombie but this is my stop and I’m going to get off. And walk away quickly. It’s sad when deceptive stock photos destroy the trust between a customer and a retailer and everything cute and well-planned into potential outfits turn out to be missing fabric everywhere. Oy, I better stick to my good ol’ J.Crew roots.

Get the Molly dress here from Abercrombie & Fitch on sale for $22.45.

I consider myself a noob when it comes to styling. There are so many ways to put together outfits and style them that I would never think of, so I definitely browse a bit online when I get a chance and try to see how I can make styles I like out there my own. Here are a few I saw this morning that surprised me with how cute they were for casual dress. Wherever you see short shorts, I’m thinking denim skirt….What do you guys think?

A seersucker dress with an eyelet lace hem looks hot under a navy cardigan with rosette embellishment. A rugged leather belt adds a cool tomboy edge.

It’s all in the details; a distressed denim jacket with a vintage style brooch, an embroidered skirt and a thick twisted leather belt are the perfect unexpected touches when worn with a classic plaid shirt.

Sporty meets girlie in a red nylon jacket, applique embellished tee and distressed denim shorts. A braided leather belt completes the look.

Classic style comes together with a striped skirt, embellished tank and a preppy extra long cardigan.

Lace adds sexy embellishment to a little tank under a classic checked shirt. Cuffed denim shorts are the ideal rugged contrast against a varsity cardigan, for an effortlessly preppy look.

Layer a navy cardigan with this season’s hottest floral detailing over a classic tank. Brighten it all up with a red plaid skirt.

Dark jeggings are soft and comfortable with a classic plaid shirt. A sexy tank with rosette accents adds beautiful texture.

Get an updated collegiate look in a striped cardigan with pretty rosette detailing layered over a classic tank. Raw edged shorts with logo applique gives this style the perfect vintage-prep look.

Borrow from the boys in a rugged military inspired button-down layered over a pure white dress. Add definition to your waist with a patterned leather belt.

Laces adds embellishment to a little tank under a classic checked shirt. Cuffed denim shorts are the ideal rugged contrast against a varsity cardigan, for an effortlessly preppy look.

Layer up with a fitted lace tank under a plaid shirt and varsity cardigan. Dark denim shorts show off a little leg.