I was feeling myself in this outfit.
the j.crew pleated wool dress
I recall the first time I spied this dress. It was in a lilac shade during the spring of 2019. Initially I was offended that J.Crew failed to offer it in tall. I was even more offended when the J.Crew Twitter account advised to try it in a regular size. The person running the account clearly didn’t get that this dress was meant to be worn in the office and therefore, the standard length hem needs to err on the conservative side. I attempted to put the dress out of my mind.
I recall the second time I spied this dress. One of my besties sent me a screenshot to make sure I saw it as it screamed “LUCINDA!” to her. Yes, KG, I saw it! Alas it would be too short.
Cut to this berry colorway, a light coral colorway, an ivory (“sesame”) colorway, a black colorway, and a navy colorway eventually all being offered in tall. And in the spring days of 2020 being marked down to next-to-nothing. And magically showing up in my closet. Not that I had any plans to return to work post-baby at that point or that my then-and-now company had even returned to the office. However I had struggled with my height versus appropriate hemlines enough to know that I needed to snap up the dresses while they were available.
I took the berry colorway out for its maiden voyage three years later. In my defense, I was optimistic about the pandemic and returning to the office. And this hue demanded a color power clash with shoe and accessory selection.
I am wearing this dress in a size ten tall.
the j.crew x nails by mei cocktail ring
I purchased three of the Nails by Mei collaboration rings from J.Crew in my typical ring size seven. However, I suspect due to the style-specific bulky design, I had to return them as they were too small. I was trying to finish off a store credit from last fall, and as such, I ordered my favorite of the trio in a size eight. It fit.
This ring is perfect for the aforementioned color power clash. Initially I considered either the Nails by Mei ring or the purple Bea Bongiasca set. Then I realized I didn’t have to make a choice, and just piled on the jewelry candy. You gotta live, and I like to do so by maximalist accessorizing.
dress: J.Crew • heels: J.Crew • sunglasses: Karen Walker • handbag: Louis Vuitton (further mused upon here) • earrings: Bea Bongiasca • purple ring: Bea Bongiasca • cocktail ring: J.Crew • watch: Cartier (also here)
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