Given my total addiction to shoes, it’s actually kind of surprising that I don’t own any leopard shoes. Since they’re practically a neutral print now, just sexier than your standard black or white, it’s a good choice to stock up on for Fall. Leopard is quite tricky to get right though. If the color is off or the print isn’t great (*cough* Banana Republic Ivonne Leopard Pump, sorry), then it just looks like a cheap pair of shoes. Luckily, J.Crew gets it of course, and I’m having trouble choosing between two great styles in this beautiful leopard hair calf material.

J.Crew Collection Harper Calf Hair Leopard Flats

I love that the front toe box of these are similar to that of smoking slippers, but it’s pointy toe so it’s flattering and chic. Plus they’re flat so should be comfortable. Downside is I read that though J.Crew’s flats tend to be true to size, they’re not exactly wear-all-day flats unless you break them in. Once they stretch a bit with wear, they’re much more comfortable. Not sure I’m ready to commit to a break-in period for any shoe; I’ve gotten a little too old and impatient for that kind of thing. One thing I know for sure, they’re definitely more comfortable than heels. Get yours here from J.Crew.

J.Crew Collection Elsie Calf Hair Leopard Pumps

Just around the time I *almost* decided on the leopard flats above, I saw a picture of these leopard pumps on J.Crew’s site. No doubt about it, any heel makes these leopard shoes instantly that much sexier. I thought to myself, that heel doesn’t look that high, maybe it’s do-able and comfortable enough for a normal workday at least. Then I read it’s 3.5″. For many of you, that may be perfectly do-able but that heel height for me equals about maybe 1-2 hours of walking. Such is my dilemma! Which would you get? If you love these pumps, get them here from J.Crew.

I’m obsessed with the J.Crew Pamela Dress in Leavers Lace. The thing with lace is in small doses, it’s totally do-able for daily casual wear. I can imagine a lace skirt paired with a chambray shirt, or a lace top paired with jeans. However, used across an entire dress, lace becomes pretty dressy and dainty.

It takes lace to a whole new level; gorgeous, yes, but I literally have nowhere I can possibly wear this kind of dress to. Do I care? Not really. I love it. I particularly love the top part where the lining stops and the lace becomes just a little bit revealing. It’s sexy in a prim-and-proper way. And yes, this grey is definitely my favorite color, not just because grey is a huge color this season but because it has none of the implications/stigma attached to white or black lace dresses.

J.Crew has seemed to merchandise the Pamela dress as bridesmaid or wedding party dresses, but since I have no idea when I’ll be a bridesmaid or go to another wedding, I’ll have to think of other occasions to wear this to so I can justify buying it. What about you? Where would you wear this dress to? Get yours here for $275 from J.Crew.

J.Crew’s Flared Surf Skirt has brought on the 2.0 version of my obsession with short A-line skirts like the J.Crew Fluted Skirt in Double Crepe.

…Except instead of actually being A-line, it kind of hugs your hips at the top then flares out in a much more dramatic way below. That slight edit makes it much more flirty and a welcome twist to the classic A-line skirt.

Unfortunately though, that extra flirty flounce makes this a casual-wear only type of skirt to me. I can’t imagine wearing this kind of skirt with a blazer and calling it business casual. However, super super cute for beach, lunch, shopping, anything that’s not formal.

I’d recommend trying this on in person before snagging one though. From the reviews, it seems people either found it super flattering or they did not at all, so it may depend on your body shape. If you have relatively narrow hips and are kind of straight through your waist / hips (like me), I think this hip-hugging, exaggerated A-line effect will work quite well to counter-balance that. Get yours here from J.Crew for $75 (with extra 30% off sale right now!).