I was pretty excited about the new Embroidered Zafrina Skirt from J.Crew. It has the smocked elastic waist that seems to be ubiquitous lately, which I usually love because it’s comfortable and gives me the choice of wearing skirts at the waist or at the hips. The color Bronzed Clay is so soft and feminine, and the embroidery detailing adds intricacies and elegance to an otherwise casual knit skirt.

However, the requirement for smocked waists is that the skirt itself must have some structure and hold some shape, preferably A-line, so that it doesn’t look like I just draped a piece of fabric over my body. I don’t want to wear a wrinkly, shapeless tube.

I’m wearing: J.Crew Sequin Stripe Henley, Banana Republic Dahlia Wedges

…and that’s exactly what this Zafrina skirt is. A rare miss for J.Crew, this skirt is wrinkly, completely shapeless, and poofy. I’ve rarely felt this unattractive and matronly in J.Crew clothing. When I look down at the skirt, it looks pretty, the fabric feels soft, and the embroidery detailing is really beautiful and well done. But then I look in the mirror and I feel like shuddering. I had to take photos for you all, but I honestly disliked it so much I didn’t even know what to pair with it…and really could not wait to take it off afterwards. So sad. I do not recommend. At all. Their pictures online show this skirt as an A-line skirt, but if that was their goal, they should have used a stiffer material to hold the shape better – maybe poplin?

But if you want to give it a shot, get it here from J.Crew for $74.50 (with 20% off promo through tomorrow!).

I don’t know why I have an affinity for plaid. I love the feminine twist on a traditionally boys-only shirt style and pattern, or as J.Crew loves to say – “borrowed from the boys.” This Giant Gingham shirt from J.Crew takes something that would look so country to me and expands the plaid size so that it actually looks very, very chic.

Absolutely love this shirt and skirt combination with the tan belt. Here’s my own version with a work-appropriate, super comfortable black Smocked Skirt from Banana Republic.

I’m wearing: Banana Republic Smocked Skirt, J.Crew Equestrian Belt, Banana Republic Dahlia Wedges

I got it in a size 8, and though it looks relatively fitted in these pictures, it actually feels quite loose in real life. J.Crew recommends sizing up for a “looser boyfriend fit,” and I agree that’s probably the way to go. I love this shirt, and before I saw the way J.Crew styled it, I would never think to pair a plaid shirt with a skirt, especially not tucked in. Get it here from J.Crew for $69.50 (perfect timing with the 20% off promo going on!).

I was perhaps most excited by this purchase – the Crystal Rock Bracelet from J.Crew. I had been eyeing this style in both the bracelet and necklace form ever since its debut, but since I had heard so much about how the stones are way too large and tend to overwhlem, I could never pull the trigger.

Now that it’s on sale for only $59.99 (and extra 20% off through May 16th), I couldn’t pass it up. Unfortunately, the bracelet is not exactly what I had imagined. The stones aren’t really tightly framed by the gunmetal chain like I thought they were; rather, the stones are oval shaped and can freely rotate and move around within the chain. Kind of weird.

The stones also felt a bit plastic-y, yet were very heavy.

The back of the bracelet also seemed a bit too bare since there are only 4 rocks on the whole bracelet.

You can also see that the pink hue of the stones is very, very subtle, and not nearly as pink as the stock photo shows. Here’s a more faraway shot for some perspective. BTW I just purchased my first DSLR yesterday – Nikon D3000!!! So hopefully all my pictures will be high quality and sharp moving forward! Yay for no more lame mirror shots!

I don’t really recommend this bracelet, but I don’t really have a good basis for that. Just my personal taste. It wasn’t what I imagined it to be. If you like it though, this is the perfect time to snag it for a very low price while the 20% sale promo is still on. Click here to see it at J.Crew.