Peeps, J.Crew now has baby clothes! I was so excited when I saw this, but a little bummed that they didn’t carry clothes for teeny tinys when the G-man was a wee one.  I was no longer bummed once I saw the prices and that the selection (at least currently) isn’t all that grand. Here are a few pieces from the baby collection.

photo source

photo source

I am thrilled that my little dude can finally fit in Crew Cuts. Oh if I only had the money. That baby would be Crew Cuts head to toe.

If you are like me and love J.CREW; then you have probably had the issue of seeing that the one item you were just dying to buy was sold out when you went to buy it online.  You are happily strolling along navigating your way through their website to that dress or blouse you saw in this month’s catalog, credit card in hand, a bright smile plastered on your face, and B-A-M! your hit with the dreaded “We wish we’d made more of this style.  It SOLD OUT much faster than expected” message.  Your hopes and dreams of ever owning this item are crushed into a million little pieces.  I know exactly how you feel.

Even before I got engaged I knew that I was going to have a J.CREW styled wedding.  I had the dress I wanted all picked out and everything.  I had my eye on the Genevieve Silk Radzimir Gown.

“Pure magic in a very rare fabric usually reserved for royal weddings and haute couture—so rare, we could make only a few of these beautiful dresses. Luxurious midweight Italian silk radzimir with delicate spaghetti straps. Fitted bodice, full skirt with inverted box pleats and shirring for volume. Hidden on-seam pockets. Back zip hidden with self-covered buttons. Fully lined. Falls to floor. Part of the J.Crew Collection. Import. Dry clean. Specially packaged in a custom-made box to ensure your gown is always as beautiful as the first day you wore it.” – J.CREW

I know, right?

So the day came, and Derek proposed.  A few days later we hopped online to purchase the dress, and of course it was SOLD OUT.  SOLD OUT!!!  Derek, being the sweetie that he is, picked up the phone and called J.CREW.  Come to find out they will put you on a wish list if an item you are looking for is sold out.  So we said…sign us up!

At this point they put you on a list, sometimes behind many other hopeful ladies (or men) and tell you that if one comes in (typically due to a return) and you are next on the list, they will charge your card, ship the dress to you, and send you an email (or phone call) to tell that the item is on it’s way to you.

Well, they finally made it to my name on the list, but by this time the slump of the economy was is full effect. Just like the description reads, this gown came in a custom-made box along with a precious padded hanger.  And to top it off, the box was tied up in a cute satin ribbon.  Ahhhhh.

Although we would have been able to afford it, I decided to shop for a less expensive gown.  If I was unable to find one that would help lessen the cost of the wedding, then I would stay with my J.CREW gown.  As luck would have it I found a suitable replacement.  I hated to see my dream J.CREW gown leave my little hands, but it was the right thing to do.  It saved me around $1000.00.

I did however have the rest of the wedding party dressed to the 9′s in J.CREW, and boy did they look stunning.

So remember, if there is something that you are dying to have and it’s sold out….don’t worry.  Simply call customer service and see what kind of magic they can work for you.  Oh,  I almost forgot.  I did the same thing with my sister’s bride’s maid/maid of honor dress too.  See!

Okay, so I had originally fell deeply in love with a gorgeous silk spaghetti strap gown from J.Crew.  We ordered this $1,900.00 piece of art; before we truly knew what our wedding budget was going to be.  When we realized that the cost of the dress would be a decent chunk of our budget, we decided to return the dress.  It was a sad day, the day we returned the dress to the J.Crew store.  All the employees at the store rushed to the counter when they realized one of the wedding gowns was just returned.

This gown came in its own custom made preservation box and a beautiful satin hanger for the big day.  The box was wonderful too.  The lid had the sweetest light pink ribbon on it, and a very simple J.Crew printed in the lower corner in a light gray.  I think after realizing I needed to return the dress I just wanted to keep the custom box.

My 1st Gown

Derek’s mom said to at least try on the dress to make sure it wasn’t the “one”.  That way I wouldn’t have to wonder if I wore the right dress on my wedding day for the rest of my life.  So I tried on the dress.  It was very pretty.  I realized that although very lovely, it would need some tailoring, and I had $0 left in my dress budget.  Oh yeah, Derek walked into the room while I had the dress on.  So there you go, tradition states….it is bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her gown before the ceremony.

Well, to end on a happy note….

Me, Stephie, & mom went to Low’s in Brinkley, AR, a huge wedding gown boutique, and found a beautiful gown for my big day.  I would tell you about it, but I don’t want to give too much away.  I guess you will have to wait and see.