Tuesday’s TPS Report: Lucia Drape-Front Blouse

103 Comments

1. Why does that model look so upset to be wearing that shirt? It’s amazing!

   1. Maybe because she’s 14 and just got grounded?

      1. Ha! Grounded for raiding her mother’s closet?

   2. I think it’s because no one tweezed her eyebrows before the shoot.

      1. Not quite sure what you mean. I think her eyebrows look fine (and they have definitely been shaped in some way, even if you wish they looked different). But if you are suggesting that women need to slim down their eyebrows in order to look presentable, then I suggest that you do what Jon Stewart (with the help of a vibrant gospel choir) has been suggesting vis a vis certain public figures in recent months.

         1. Wow, chill Jerrie. If you zoom in on her face something weird is going on with her eyebrows as they arch toward her nose. It was a joke, and while I generally find the audience and commenters here at Corporette to be a friendly, open minded and humorous bunch, I’ve never seen someone write a response such as yours directing me to go do that. And I don’t appreciate it.

            1. Anon, why not just own the fact that your original comment was pretty judgmental/snarky?

            2. anon, perhaps you meant it as a joke, but it did come across as snarky. Not saying that Jerrie was right in asking you to go do whatever it was (don’t get the reference, but I can guess, and rudeness is as bad as snarkiness), but as commenters have been saying, lets not comment negatively on models’ bodies (including eyebrow grooming choices)!
               By inference any comments do seem to apply to those of us with similar features or bodies. And some people do take offense at that.

   3. When Mr. Interrobang does shoulder shrugs with heavy weights, the tension and muscle contraction in his neck pull his lips into something of a Billy Idol-style sneer. One wonders whether we’re seeing the same effect here; to make her collar bone jut out, the shoulder is hiked, resulting in a bit of a miss priss scowl?

      Carry on, dears.

   4. She’s probably upset that they’re making her wear the pleated, cuffed pants as though it was 1985 (which would be, what, 10 years before she was born).

      1. Ugh, that was me. I always forget it’s not pre-filled on my work computer.

2. Beautiful!! I love the teal for me personally, but the yellow is gorgeous.

   1. Love this one, especially the marigold colour. I’d wear it untucked, with something fitted below though. This kind of boxy fit is great for fat/bloat days:)

3. Hmmm. The bloused waist and all the extra fabric over it look maybe a little too much? Even with a pencil skirt or tailored pants, it just looks like a lot of extra garment. Pass.

   1. Maybe that’s it… I want to like it – and I usually love draped necklines, but there’s something off about this (of course the name “beeswax” is also sort of a turn off)

      1. Exactly. I really want to like it, because I like so many individual parts of it (color, draping, asymmetrical, etc), but altogether it looks like a big mess.

   2. I think you might be right. I wasn’t sure if it was the shirt that bothered me, or the fact that it was paired with what has to be the world’s least flattering pants.

   3. That’s actually my gripe with silk blouses in general, I find that all of them in the stores these days are really blousy with tons of extra fabric. This color is really gorgeous though. I LOVE yellow and don’t have anything yellow in my wardrobe.

      1. I like it alot, but agree with everyone else — that blouse would HAVE to be a tucked in (preferably with a belt). The styling really squelched my desire to buy. The high-water, saggy crotch pants were really distracting.

         1. In the picture here I actually thought it was an ill fitting skirt… lots of crotch based issues!

            1. That’s what I thought too – a really bad skirt. But then I looked at the pants – even WORSE!

         2. What happens if the model actually stands up straight, instead of in the weird angle pose? I am afraid the gaping/bagging thing would be even worse….and I want to like it too, especially in the teal. But the shoes are nice.

         3. I noticed that according to the description, it is a “peplum” waist. Which means: from the waist down, the blouse is more fitted and if you belted it, you wouldn’t have a bunch of fabric bunching up.

            This look actually sometimes works for me untucked because it looks neater than just a blouse without shirttail hem hanging there. Instead the look is sleeker through the hips, but soft at the top. But then, I have fitting “challenges” that make a more tailored blouse hard for me. I am 1) short, 2) short waisted, 3) small generally, but 4) large chested. So, I like (and need) the looser fit up top, but am overwhelmed by a bottom half that is not fitted.

   4. Hmmm, indeed. Interesting. Don’t love, but don’t hate it either. Would have to see it in person (and for my coloring, in another color).

4. Love it! I love Elie Tahari in general. I wish he hadn’t licensed the lower lines, as they really bring the brand name down, but the actual “Elie Tahari” branded stuff has always fit me well and the quality has been excellent.

   1. Liz Claiborne had that issue — too many diffusion lines – at the end of 09 they consolidated into one Liz Claiborne line (sadly it’s a licensing of the name to a lower quality available-at-JC Penney-only line)

      Will be interesting to see if Tahari et. al. has the same problem/solution

   2. I have a terrible association of all things Tahari specifically b/c of the lower lines. I have a few Elie Tahari tops that I love, but I got those w/o realizing they were “Tahari” . . .

   3. What are the lower lines? I don’t think I’ve ever seen different kinds of Tahari, or do they not all carry the Tahari name?

      1. I think she’s referring to Tahari (as opposed to Eli Tahari) and Tahari by ASL. Personally, I love both those lines because I think the clothing fits well and it’s pretty inexpensive.

         1. Yeah, the nicest suits I own are ASL Tahari or something like that. I wouldn’t consider it a “lower” line at all – I guess I didn’t even realize the same brand made something “higher.”

5. Wow. WHAT is going on with the back of those pants?! (third pic down on website).

   Beautiful shirt!

   1. The pants are awful, just awful. Elastic waist for $200? Seriously?

6. Ladies- two quick questions. I’m looking at buying a suit from J. Crew (the superfine cotton).

   1) Does anyone have this suit and have thoughts on quality? I have already tried it on in store, so I know the fit is what I’m looking for- want to know more how it holds up, wrinkling, etc.

   2) How can I get this at a reduced price? It pains me to think of buying anything at J. Crew for full price. Are there going to be summer sales coming up? 20% offers?

   Thanks to all!

   1. I don’t know about the specific suit, but if you’re anxious to buy it and want a discount, bring your favorite student or teacher to the store with your for the 15% off academic discount (on full price merchandise).

   2. You could always do a google search for “jcrew coupon.” Sometimes I’ve lucked out doing that. Otherwise, you might have to wait; summer items usually go up for sale toward July/August.

   3. That is a lovely suit! I don’t have experience with that fabric in particular, but generally I’ve been very pleased with my J.Crew suiting.

      As far as getting it at a discount, I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up on sale (their seasonal suiting almost always gets marked down), but you’d have to keep a close watch on it to snap it up as soon as it went on sale to make sure you got the sizes and colors you needed. Generally they do a lot of big markdowns around the middle of July. If you were looking to buy right now, the only standard discount they offer is their 15% student/educator discount; maybe you know a student or teacher who can help you out by picking it up for you?

      I’ve also heard of people buying J.Crew gift cards on gift card swap sites for a discount (e.g., http://www.abcgiftcards.com/store/) but I haven’t personally done it so I can’t verify how that process works.

      Good luck, hope it works out!!

      1. Thanks so much, all! I had completely forgotten about their student discount. Corporette comes through again!

      2. If you don’t already have a JCrew Charge card, you could open one and I believe you recieve 30% off the same day. May be worth it for the discount…

         I don’t know about this specific suit, but I do have one from J Crew that has lasted well. And the store I bought it at did free alterations, so I was able to have the pants hemmed for free. : )

   4. Not sure where you are located, but I have one cotton suit and there is a limited window in which I can wear it (the 5 months around and including summer). If you are looking for more of an all season suit, I’d recommend one of their wool options. I have sutis in the stretch wool, the super 120s wool, and the wool crepe. The first is actually my favorite.

   5. I have some of last year’s superfine cotton suiting in navy. I love it–the superfine cotton is a nice weight and it holds its shape well. In the darker color, I don’t think the suit looks “summer-y”. I work in the upper midwest and wear mine late spring through early fall.

7. Very pretty, but I’m not sure I can rock this neckline. I think it would just look “off” and possibly sloppy on me.

8. I think it’s just impossible to tell with these terrible terrible pants, but I like it. I think with a straight leg, fitted pant it could be great (I’d probably do untucked). But… despite my love for yellow… I am just not compelled to buy it.
   The shoes on the model were hot though!

9. I heart this.

   1. Agreed! This is gorgeous! I also love the suggestion of yellow. It’s not a color that I wear often, but I just purchased the “Charming Cardigan” from Talbots (at the awesome sale price of $39.99) in the “Zest” color and it’s surprising how many things in my wardrobe work with it. I like it with black, grey, purple (with a nautral on bottom) and lots of my prints.
      http://www1.talbots.com/online/browse/product_details.jsp?id=prdi23715&rootCategory=cat70012&catId=cat80002&sortKey=Default&section=Regular&conceptIdUnderSale=cat70012

      1. I have that Zest color as well and it’s a hugely flattering yellow. It almost serves as a neutral, if that makes sense. I love it with gray and with brown pants.

10. Thread hijack. My wedding band has channel set diamonds on half of the band and it ALWAYS turns under. Does anyone have tips and keeping it from twisting? I saw these ring guards online but am not conviced.
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QK4N5Q/ref=s9_simh_gw_p236_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1HCNBF3V54GZ99HRNH0Z&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

    1. I would take it to a jeweller and ask – I believe they can resize it or put something permament into the band to keep it in place.

       Also, if you wear it with an engagement ring, they can weld them together. This might help keep it in place also.

       1. I would suggest “sizing beads,” which are permanent, instead of the cheap flexible band things. I have them on 2 of my “top heavy” rings because I have huge knuckles, which require a large ring size, but once the ring is past the knuckle it’s too big for my otherwise normal-sized finger.

          I’m not sure why it works, but if you turn the ring sideways, it will fit over your knuckle just fine, and then once it’s past the knuckle, you spin it back and the sizing beads help it stay in place.

          Here is a link to a picture of what I’m talking about. I had it done a while ago and I think it was like $20-40, depending on the size of the ball you need.
          http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.chicjewelry.com/Images/sizingBalls.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.chicjewelry.com/sizingBeads.asp&h=251&w=420&sz=14&tbnid=Zr69eMQITlRQmM:&tbnh=75&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dring%2Bsizing%2Bbeads&usg=__Zjz5HQdVQWj21AEVVryvYxxl4co=&sa=X&ei=OOUgTMvMAsGBlAfa7-U9&ved=0CDoQ9QEwBA

       2. Maybe a silly question – but does it matter if it turns under? I mean, does it get uncomfortable or do the diamonds dig into your skin? Or are you just thinking it looks odd?

    2. I have the same problem. My jeweler soddered little balls in the underside of the ring to keep it from rotating. It’s not a perfect fix, but is an improvement, and a good option if you don’t want the rings permanently welded/soddered (??) together. My bigger problem is that my knuckles are bigger than the base of my fingers — so my rings have to be a bigger size to get over the knuckle, but then they bounce around at the base of my finger. I blame genetics — my mom has the same problem (and same things soddered inside her wedding band).

       1. I have the same issue (larger knuckles relative to base of finger) and thinking of getting the ring beads. Is it a good fix? My jeweller said he’s done this for many women – his only caveat was that the ring (when you take it off) will look “ugly” – but I’m thinking…who cares!! I will not be taking it off except when I get home.

          Anon 12.34pm/ klm – How well did this help solve the twisting issue? I have a ring with a slim band (1.5mm) and large-ish stone where the stone keeps sliding to the side of my finger….

          1. I had beads added to my ring and hardly notice them–there are only two, they are tiny, and they match the band itself. The ring still has a little movement, but it doesn’t flip over. Going down a size would have left me feeling as if the ring was cutting off my circulation, so the beads have been the perfect fix!

    3. I wear my mother in laws’ engagement and wedding ring set…she never wore the wedding band because it is styled to be thicker and higher at the top. ALways complained about it turning underneath. I just got bold right away and had them soldered together. The jeweler recommended this, as they felt that the rubbing would eventually wear at the point where the engagement ring’s prongs begin…didn’t want to risk that! So they have been soldered together now for nigh on 25 years, ladies. No muss, no fuss, no problem. For travelling purposes we bought a simple plain band which I wear solo … just to have peace of mind. Oh yes, now that they are soldered together, neither ever turns over.

    4. I want to keep them apart so sodering is not an option. Sometimes, I like to wear just the wedding band without the engagement ring. However, I will ask my jeweler about the beads. Thanks for the advice.

11. So pretty. I think the draping would look nice if the model weren’t thrusting her hip out so angrily. And the yellow would be great for all the gray pants and pencil skirts in my closet. Too bad I overspent my monthly clothing budget this past weekend.

12. Threadjack – I bought the Talbots dress that was featured on last week’s TPS. Not for me. The dress has a ton of fabric in the middle (not nipped in at all) and even on my curvy body there are no curves. And there’s a ton of fabric where my stomach is. Also, the neckline kind of makes me feel like I’m on Star Trek. Anyone else get it? Opinions?

    1. Hmm… we all thought that extra fabric was b/c of them pinning the dress in the back – perhaps they weren’t after all (perversely this makes me respect Talbots/the photographer a bit more… even though it’s not an attractive dress, at least they didn’t totally change what it looked like for the photo!)

    2. Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately, your comment just affirms why I dislike Talbots so much. I’m not opposed to tailoring something that is boxy, but it’s annoying that so many people have the same comments about Talbots and the store hasn’t figured out that some waist nipping would be a good thing!

       1. Talbots just cuts things based on a different body shape than yours. A lot of us apple-shaped types find that their clothes fit perfectly.

          1. This. I adore Talbots and would openly sob if it ever went out of business because it always, always, always fits me. Every woman needs a store like that! :)

          2. YES!!

    3. That seems like an easy tailoring fix (except the Star Trek thing…that’s just a problem). Is the quality of the dress worth taking it in for alterations?

       1. i think it’s a nice quality and i looooooooove the color (i got pink). and the sleeves! i think I may just suck it up and wear it belted.

    4. ooooo darn I got it and am waiting for it to arrive! shoot.

    5. I ordered it in the pink and in the green and was disappointed with both colors and the fit. The colors were too bright, and the cut was just unattractive – like a poorly made Mad Men costume. I keep trying Talbots because they have a store in my town and I like to support the local shops, but I have yet to find something that works for me. I am more of an hourglass shape, so if Talbots cuts are best for apple shapes as Erin notes, maybe I should just move along.

13. BIG hijack here:
    In Law School, Grades Go Up Just Like That

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/business/22law.html?src=me&ref=homepage

    1. Not such big news at all if you read Above the Law. They’ve been tracking this “phenomenon” for a while already and the NYtimes just piggy-backed off them.

    2. What’s ridiculous about the article is that it makes it sound so shockingly unheard-of, but high schools have been doing grade inflation for decades in hopes of boosting their students’ college acceptances… What’s amazing is that it would be done in such an outright and obvious manner.

       1. I guess I am living in the dark as I have never heard of a formal policy to do this – only certain teachers who choose to do it on a student by student basis.

          While I am not a lawyer, my b-school seems to do the opposite with cut-offs for an A being set at 96%. *jealous*

          1. That’s how law schools used to be (and some still are).

             Even a few years ago, when I attended, I remember there being only a small handful of As in any large class. If you got an A+ that was amazing & almost unheard of. It made me appreciate my As (and 2 A+s) in a way that I never appreciated my grades in college. It’s kind of sad that the whole thing is being devalued in our “everyone gets a trophy” culture.

             1. Exactly. It devalues the hard work being put in by the students who are actually at the top – particularly at the schools that don’t disclose rank. Seriously, some people do better in law school than others. Why is that something that should be hidden?

             2. Just some context- yes, NYU has adjusted their curve slightly up. But still, less than 10% of people in the class are getting As, and more than half the class is getting a B or B-. But heaven forbid the NYTimes would actually try to make one of their trend pieces the least bit substantive.

       2. That’s true, and colleges have been doing the same thing forever, as well, but I think the ‘unheard of’ aspect is that it’s spread to law schools — which have not done this at the same rate in the past. It’s actually kind of a rite of passage for A students to get to law schools and realize they’re going to have to do a lot more to earn a B than they ever had to do for their As.

          I blame mr. Rogers for making a whole generation grow up expecting that they’re “special” :)

          1. I think that just goes to show that an “A” doesn’t have intrinsic meaning, and when employers, grad schools, judges, or whoever else compare grades across schools or have hard GPA cutoffs as though what they’re seeing is apples to apples, they’re encouraging this kind of window dressing.

             1. I’m a rising 3L and somewhat astounded at some of the stupidity of my very highly ranked peers. Of course, many of them are smart and sensible, and deserving of the opportunities that come with their rank. However, when someone in the top 20 is kicked out of (well, excused from) their judicial externship for incompetence…well, it becomes hard to see why grades matter so much.

             2. But that has nothing to do with GPA. That’s ranking. If someone in the top 20 of your law school is kicked out of a judicial externship for incompetence, either they had an awful summer or you should wonder about your law school.

             3. Right, exactly. The whole thing is silly – what is really relevant in a given situation is how a student compares to their peers. Are law schools refusing to disclose class rank? If not, I don’t really see how grade inflation matters.

          2. Re: Mr Rogers comment. This is one of the unexpected lessons I’ve learned in b school. Not that I didn’t know it before, I just didn’t think it applied to *me*.

             :)

    3. Yeah, I think this is why employers ask for your class rank too. There’s a big difference between a 3.5 – Top 10% and a 3.5 – Top 50%. (I don’t think any school has a curve where the top 50% is at a 3.5, but you get the idea). Although I agree that without this, many otherwise-qualified students with otherwise-qualifying class ranks could be pushed out of GPA-requirements for clerkships and such. But then the other side of me says, “Well, gee, they should work harder then.” But that could be because I’m listening to bar lectures, and thus in a bad mood :-)

       1. This is what I thought as well. Doesn’t it still come down to rank? My law school GPA was very good, and our #1 actually had above a 4.0 as an A+ generated a 4.33. However, rank sorted it all out. And part of me does think, well, SOMEONE at that school has a high GPA, right? They should be the ones getting competitive clerkships.

       2. it’s annoying to be at a good school with deflated grades, who doesn’t rank to boot. Not only do my grades look mediocre, but there is no context. Sigh.

          1. Is there any table where they have rank-percentiles? My school ranks us, but then they also publish a percentile-GPA chart, where it says which percentile is at which GPA.

             1. No, nothing. Just, as Erin said, the curve for 1L year.

          2. I bet we went to the same law school.

             1. Oooo!!! If your real name is Erin, then I don’t think so :-( My school was not nice enough to not allow OCI interviewers to screen based on GPA, alas. :-)

    4. I’m not sure if this annoys me on principle, or just because my law school had a notoriously low curve even before other schools started raising theirs.

       I did well in law school, and although my school didn’t rank us it did provide a letter stating what the curve was so that I could show that I was way above it. They also wouldn’t let OCI interviewers screen based on GPA. But if I’d been one of the majority of my (perfectly smart and capable) classmates who was at the curve, I doubt it would have really helped, you know? And now for current students, our curve is even lower relative to peer schools than it was before. Kind of sucks.

       1. I know the feeling. That, and I’ve had professors basically admit there is just an inherent arbitrariness to grading. I was on the border in a class and a professor told me “Yea, I could look at your exam again and you might get a point or two and go up a letter grade, or you might lose a point or two. So I only look at them once.” Ah grading.

          1. I got a lower grade than expected once, and the professor (a visiting prof, not on the faculty at my school, so would never see me or any other students again) flat out told me that there really wasn’t a difference between the A exams and the B exams, but he could only assign so many As. Made me SO mad.

             1. ^^ General GRRRRRRRRRRRR to law school grading policies :-(

             2. I didn’t like the “loser” comment in this article. That former Duke professor ought to know better than to suggest that law students with lower grades are losers. Law schools are full of brilliant individuals. Almost all of them are on the same intellectual level and almost all of them work their a** off. Unfortunately half will end up in the bottom half of their class. Just do the math.

                The people who are hurt the most in this situation are the people who end up jobless and crushed underneath a massive debt load. So if you want to call those people losers, go ahead. Laugh it up. Pour salt on the wound.

       2. Yes, I think we did go to the same law school :-) Rising 3L here.

14. FYI — I didn’t know this until last week, but Brooks Brothers offers an ABA discount on full price items. The discount is 15%.

    1. They also let you use it on many sale items. At least, I think they do — my BB discount card is through my Alumni Assoc. & it’s good on many sale items (of less than 50%, I think).

    2. oh nice! Is this only in stores or can it be used online as well?

       1. Online and at outlets! :)

    3. I got one through my bar association. Of course, I can’t find it. Guess I should get another one.

    4. I didn’t know I could use it on sale stuff too… Also, I just showed my ABA membership card and got the discount, I didn’t know they gave out a discount card. I think it may only be in stores, I know I tried to use the discount at the outlet and they said no… not sure about online.

       1. You need a card for the online discount b/c they ask for your specific card number. It’s very strict — I moved recently & the site wouldn’t let me use the card for an online purchase until I changed my address by calling their 800 number (which, of course, meant the weekend sale was over & I didn’t want the pajamas I was going to buy anymore).

          Anyway, you can use the card at outlets, as well — just not on everything. I believe there is a % discount cut off. So if something is full outlet price, you can use it; and if it’s the outlet line you can use it up to a certain % off. I recently bought a pair of 346 pumps there, and they were 30% off, and I used the card for an extra 15% off that.

15. http://www.nyandcompany.com/nyco/browse/productDetailWithPicker.jsp?productId=prod2300001&categoryId=cat350006&FLCat=cat840002&productId=prod2300001&categoryId=cat350006&addFacet=1002%3Acat350006

    Casual dupe from New York and company

16. I saw this shirt at loft today, http://www.anntaylorloft.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=25842&pCategoryId=3359&categoryId=1720&Ns=CATEGORY_SEQ_1720&loc=TN&N=1200003&defaultColor=Deep%20Lilac%20Blue&defaultSizeType=Regular

    Similar neck line for those who like this shirt

    1. I was just going to post this! I got the email as well. Similar neckline for $100 less than the one above.

17. I love this top! It’s stylish and perfect for the summertime. The bermuda palm color is pretty too. I’m not loving it with those pants. I’d pair it with a black pencil skirt instead and black heels.

18. I love this blouse and would like it in either or both color but I did wonder how much would be displayed if one was wearing it and leaned over minus a jacket?

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