Transition to Spring Try-On Session: Talbots & J.Jill

Happy weekend! Thanks for joining me here at Dressed for My Day, where my goal is to inspire and help women like you and me dress beautifully and appropriately for our unique days so we can engage gracefully and authentically with those around us and influence them positively.

I know how hard it can be to shop online or from a catalog without trying the clothes on before ordering them. I do that a lot, but I also return a lot! So today I’m trying on clothes from Talbots and J.Jill and sharing my findings with you. These are mostly clothes that are transitional. If you layer you can wear these pieces now and into spring.

Before we start the try-on session, let me share the lowdown on my sizing. I’m 5’8″ and weigh about 148 pounds. I generally wear small or medium tops, size 8 dresses, size 8 pants and size 6 or 8 jeans (29″). Sometimes, because my shoulders are slightly broad and my arms are a little long, I need a 10 in shirts, jackets and coats. Oh, and I’m 54 years old.

J.Jill Selections

I visited J.Jill first, so we’ll start there. Most of the clothing I’m sharing is not reduced in price yet, but it’s worth watching for those sale prices. Also if you’re planning a trip to a warmer climate and just need something now, I’d probably bite the bullet. I really like these selections.

By the way, in all of these photos I’m wearing my Naturalizer slip-on sneakers. They’re comfortable and true to size.

These indigo knit tapered pants have a little bit of the appearance of jeans. They’re definitely not jeans, but the indigo fabric has a denim look to it. Anyhow, I found them to be very comfortable and sporty. I think they’re a nice alternative to jeans, especially for travel or lounging. (Do you ever lounge? Hmm. Not enough, huh!)

The Pima tee is pretty basic, but very soft and comfortable. I like the wide hem at the bottom, and it has a v-neck. The tee comes in several nice shades, including a darker rose. I added this striped infinity scarf for some interest. But this scarf is also nice and considerably less expensive.

I love this embroidered tasseled peasant top. It feels comfortable and looks really pretty and fresh over these knit pants. It’s not as long as a full length tunic. It doesn’t cover my rear. But these pants don’t really fit like leggings, either, so that wasn’t a concern. I’m pretty sure I put on a tank under this top.

I don’t know if this is the same jute tote bag J.Jill featured last year or not, but it looks very similar. I considered buying it all summer, and kind of regretted that I didn’t. Since it’s back, I very well may purchase it this year, especially once it goes on sale.

These snap hem jeans fit well, and I can’t normally find jeans that fit well at J.Jill. (But I did like the way the above indigo tapered pants fit as well.) They have lots of stretch in them. I’m wearing the 8, and I normally wear a 6 in most jeans. But the 6 just felt tight in the legs and hips. These jeans have a nice casual feel, but look a little more interesting than just normal blue jeans to me. Plus, they’re in one of the season’s hottest colors – a version of pressed rose. They also come in a grey, white and blue denim.

I’m wearing the linen and cotton tee in flax, but it also comes in what looks like a brown, as well as light blue, yellow and white. I’m wearing a small. I find that J.Jill tops are generally pretty roomy, so I usually wear a small and even occasionally need an extra-small.

I missed my chance to purchase this lace-back boat neck sweater and I could kick myself. I really adore this pairing, and I put it on hold and walked away. But I didn’t return to buy it, and I’m really wishing I had. The sweater is no longer available in my size. I’m wearing a small.

Besides the boat neck, I really like the lace-back feature of this sweater.

I’m wearing the sweater in dark oatmeal heather, but it’s also available in a dark rose. By the way this sweater has a nice dense feel to it, and it’s very soft and comfortable. It’s a boxy fit, so take that into consideration.

This side-tie waffle knit top is another nice pairing for these snap hem jeans. You can cinch the tie on the waist or leave it pulled taut. I’m wearing the cream multi, but it also comes in a rosy adobe multi and black multi. I’m wearing a small and it fits TTS.

This open-stitch lace-up sweater definitely requires a tank, but I do think it’s pretty and interesting. Remember, crocheted and crafty looking textures are definitely in this spring. I’m wearing the sweater in flax, but it also comes in rain blue and white. It fits true to size.

I paired the sweater with these kick flare ankle jeans. I’m wearing an 8 and it fits true to size for J.Jill. Like I said, I’ve had trouble getting J.Jill jeans to fit me, but these do pretty well. They’re a nice thick denim, too, so I feel comfortable wearing them in white.

For some reason I was just in a muted colors frame of mind the day I tried on things at J.Jill. They actually just introduced a full line of pretty blue fashions. But I think these muted shades are so nice for transitioning from winter to spring. And I had really envisioned myself wearing that back lace-up sweater on my trip to Florida this February. Ah, well. That won’t happen. But I still may order the rosewater jeans.

Talbots Selections

Talbots new line is not on sale, but you can get 25% off one item with code FEB25. I was surprised how much I liked some of these items. See what you think.

By the way, in each of these photos I’m wearing my navy suede block heels, but they are no longer available.

I had tried this geo-print knit shift dress on before and found that I couldn’t really tell anything about it because of the static cling. So I thought I’d give it another try. Still, it clung to me with terrible static cling. I think if I’d had a drier sheet available I could have gotten it to hang correctly, but who knows.

I want to love this dress. It feels amazing on and looks like it would hang pretty if there were no static. But will it always hold static electricity? I don’t know! And the reviews online, while positive, are all from people who haven’t actually worn the dress yet.

I’m wearing a medium and it fits beautifully, true to size.

After seeing this dress in the catalog I had no plan to try it on. It looked busy and dated. But when I did put it on, I actually liked it. But I don’t know. What do you think? Is it too busy and dated looking?

Plus, made from the same slick knit as the geo-print dress above, it has some static issues, too. I’m wearing a medium, and it feels amazing on. Very comfortable and flattering, shape wise.

Okay, if you need a dress right away or are looking for one to usher in spring, this is the winner. I LOVE this dress. And I bought it. You’ll be seeing it again on the blog, fully styled. In fact, my daughter, who works at Talbots and gets an amazing discount, told me yesterday that she is buying this dress, too.

This swirl print dress is so flattering. Honestly, you don’t even have to try. It just hugs in the right places and drapes in the right places. And it’s so comfortable. I like it with these navy heels, but I’m more prone to wear it with nude ones for a long-leg look. I’m wearing a medium.

If you need to add a blazer for work, this is a nice option. This perfect ponte blazer is fully lined and it feels very comfortable on. I’m on the hunt for the perfect navy blazer, and this one is now hanging in my closet with several others I’ve ordered. I’m deliberating!

I like the feel of this one. It moves with you, too. But I’m not sure what I think about the lack of a true collar. I’m wearing an 8 and it fits correctly.

Here you see the blazer with pants and shell. I love these Chatham ankle pants. They feature a flat front in a comfortable stretch fabric with a side zipper. However, for the white, I’ve decided to hold out for the curvy fit. At least, I’m going to try them. I’m not really a curvy fit gal, but I don’t want anything tight when it comes to white pants. I wear an 8 and these fit true to size.

I’m wearing a medium in the pink multi-dot shell because they didn’t have a small. I bought this pretty little silky shell, but I may take it back to another Talbots and try a small.

I really think I like this combination better with the pastel rose quartz Aberdeen knit blazer. This blazer also fits nicely and bends with you, but it has a true collar, making it a more traditional style. It’s also available in light blue, poppy red and navy.

I walked away from this blazer because I could only get one item 25% off that day, but I’ve ordered it online. And I’ve ordered the navy to add to my collection from which I’m eventually choosing a winner. I know blazers are very traditional and some of you may consider them a little stuffy, but I’m looking forward to styling at least the navy one (and this pink one if I keep it) in more casual pairings. I’m sure you’ll be seeing my experiments here!

I decided to try on Talbots new pull-on denim jeggings. I’m not a fan. As much as I love their regular comfort denim jeggings, I found these difficult to deal with. They fit pretty much the same as the others once you get them on, but I had to struggle to get them over my hips. Who wants to fool with that? Now they may fit slimmer women differently, but they just didn’t work for this chick.

Talbots usually comes out with a few novelty items at Valentine’s Day and I decided to try on this striped heart bateau neck tee. I’m wearing the small, but might need a medium in this one. Especially if I want to wash it. Ha! I think the tee would be cuter with white jeans or maybe even these light French rose ones.

Don’t forget that if you do shop Talbots, try the code FEB25 for 25% off the most expensive item.

Well, that does it for the try on session. Oh, except one thing. I did try on my first Mother of the Groom dress the other day. And y’all! I love it. First one! But I didn’t buy it and I can’t find it online anywhere. #panic But I do want to show it to you. What do you think?

Daniel and Stephanie’s wedding is in October, so I think this might be a nice option. But like I said, it was the first one I tried. I also tried the long floral dress you see hanging there. But it was a definite no. It was too long, even on my 5’8″ frame, and the alterations would mess up the print on the hem. Plus, I just really like the solid blue.

Well, have a great weekend ladies. Thanks so much for hanging with me in the fitting rooms!

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Blessed for My Day

Do you meditate? Sure you do. Even if you don’t attempt to meditate during the day, you probably worry. Worrying is a form of meditation. It’s just meditating on the wrong thing!

But why not meditate on something useful and filling, rather than something fruitless and draining? I encourage you to take some time to meditate on – chew on, ponder, approach from every angle – a favorite scripture verse today. See if that’s not more productive than worrying!

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers. ~ Psalm 1:1-3