review: pleione's bell sleeve top, j.crew regent blazer + more

I came home the other weekend to find about 19 boxes waiting for me...I really had 4 orders I was waiting on, but they basically shipped each piece separately. Trust, my UPS man loves me...

On to the reviews!

First is this cute bell sleeved top from Pleione. Just at first glance, it is not like anything I have in my closet, which is what I absolutely love about it. Bell sleeves are huge this fall, and although I'm not one to really jump on a lot of trends, I couldn't resist this cute, almost subdued, version of the trend! I'm wearing a large in the ivory color. When I first tried it on, I was uncertain. Then I spent a bit more time wearing it, and loved it. It's a piece that doesn't need a ton of extras with it - it just stands on its own. If you've been wanting to try out the bell sleeve trend, I highly recommend this beauty. It's just so fun!

The other item from my Nordstrom order is that half blanket scarf I mentioned a few weeks ago. It comes in a grey/white version (mine) and a maroon/ivory version. I almost got the maroon version, but the ivory would have clashed with the white things I own, so I went with the safer option. I love this scarf for all the reasons I mentioned before - you get that blanket scarf feel without feeling suffocating by the fabric. Highly recommend!

Next is a few items from Ann Taylor. I initially put in the order because I needed a blouse for under my interview suit, and Ann Taylor had a 40% off everything sale. So I ordered this pleated shell in winter white in a large. There's not much to say about it other than it's a nice blouse. I'm wearing a white cami here, but plan on wearing a nude cami for the actual interview so you can't see that line. 

Another winner from that order was this longer sleeved pleated blouse. The reviews said that it runs large, so I'm ordered it in a medium. I really like this top! I think it's flattering, the color is gorgeous (if not a bit more spring than fall), and I think it'll be a great pre-interview dinner top. It's now on sale + 50% off, if you're interested! If I wore more jeans instead of black dress pants, I'd absolutely buy the navy version too. It's gorgeous!

Last from that order is a sleeveless blouse in a tawny port color. I love the color, but I wasn't really in love with the shirt overall. I found the button placement to be a bit odd - it's a bit higher than normal, so it makes the proportions seem off. Plus even at 50% off, $30 seemed a lot for a simple polyester top.

Next order is from Loft (can we ever have a review post without some Loft items?!). The piece I was looking forward to the most is this belted cardigan (I'm wearing a large). There are things I really loved about this sweater - it's so cozy, the colors are beautiful, it has pockets! But I felt it was a bit too oversized on me, and since I already have similar sweaters, even for 50% off (which is what I got it for), I wasn't 100% in love with it.

This ones a pretty good LOL. It's a tunic shirt and it's all around awful on me. There weren't any reviews so I had no idea how the sizing was, but it's very very oversized. I'm wearing a large and it's all around bad. Maybe in a smaller size this could have been cute?

10 tall | 12 regular

The last item is the one I'm probably most excited about. I've had my eye on J.Crew's camel blazer for years now. I have several J.Crew blazers (there's a fun throwback!) that I used to wear all the time when I wore jeans every day, but now that I wear darker dress pants most days, I have barely worn them the last 3.5 years. The only blazer I've actually worn is my light blue Loft blazer, and that's because it pairs easily with black pants. I've wanted a camel version for the same reason - it'll go perfectly with black pants, but also with jeans and skirts. A few weeks ago, the J.Crew version finally went on sale, so I ordered a 10 tall and a 12 regular. My other blazers, which are the older Schoolboy versions, are both a 10 tall, but I wasn't sure if the same sizing applied to the Regent style. As you can see above, I think it does. The two pictures on the left are the 10 tall - it hits me at my natural waist, is a bit longer, and just fits slimmer. The only issue is that the sleeve is a bit too long, although of all the things to fix, that is the easiest to tailor. The 12 regular is just baggier on me and hits a bit too high on my waist. I am SO excited about this blazer, and have already worn it twice in the past ten days. I plan on bringing this along for pre-interview dinners too because it's so easy to look pulled together while being really comfortable. If you're interested, all the Regent style blazers are currently on sale for 30% off!