Big review post! J. Crew, Cole Haan, and what dress did I choose for the ball?!!!

ALLLLLL that stuff I ordered finally made it all the way to China and are finally in my little hands. Most everything worked out wonderfully! so lots to review!

First up - do you need a good, basic long-sleeve layering tee? If so, Nordstrom's juniors brand Rubbish makes awesome long-sleeve shirts. I've had some for a few years and it was finally time to pick up some new ones.

This is the Rubbish Extended Cuff Tee. Currently on sale for $12.90. Because it's juniors I size up to a medium.

Here it is in grey on me.


Worn with my Lululemon Groove Pants (so stylin'! Hey, I didn't leave the house today...) BTW these tees are one million times better than J. Crew's "perfect fit" tee. I hate those things. They get so stretched out during wear and the sleeves are too short and the bottom rides up.. yuck.

Next up, Anthropologie's Camp Facile Shirt by Odille. I love this shirt. It's gorgeous. It feels like silk, but is actually rayon. I bought it in the army green color, which in my pictures actually looks a little distorted - it's more of a true army green in real life - you can see the true color in the photo below.


Look at the pretty details... gold buttons, the braiding on the sleeve cuff, which also goes along the back in a straight line.



I own about 2 or 3 Odille blouses, and took a size 2 in all of them - so I bought a size 2 in this as well. Truth be told, I could have sized up to a 4 - the button pulls ever so slightly across the chest. If I were in the US I'd exchange it for a 4 - being here, I will settle for the one I have. I also think that if I wear a less "pusher-upper" bra, that will solve the problem. ;)

Next up, J. Crew reviews! very happy with my recent J. Crew purchases.

First, the Sherpa Zip Hoodie, now on sale for $60. Love. So comfy! The sleeves and the pockets are not lined with the sherpa lining - I thought it was last year, but I don't know for sure. I took a size small - I think you should size up with this one.



MMM. Fuzzy. This is the warm taupe color.

Next, the popular Arrow Sweater-jacket (in black), which has been reviewed all over the blogging world. Currently on sale for $80, and I bought it during the additional 30% off sale. This sweater is 100% merino wool, very soft and very thick. Well worth the sale price. No quality issues so far, no pilling, etc.



I took this in a size XS. I like a more form fitting look.

Next is the Glen-plaid Sasha Coat. It appears to be sold out on the website, so no clicky. I bought this coat because it was on sale for such a great price... and I am so glad I did! I think it's super cute. It has a more boxy fit but it's still flattering - I like that it has a swingy look to it - very cute. Also love the plaid which is subtle but adds something extra. Net-a-porter is selling it for $300 still, but J. Crew just had it at a sale price of $99.




I went with a size 2 - it is great because it is roomy and there is no problem layering underneath this coat. It's funny because this coat didn't catch my eye at all and I really bought it for the great price... and it ended up being an awesome purchase.

In that picture I am also wearing my favorite style of jeans - 7 for all mankind's straight leg in rinse wash. These are the ones I bought for 30% off at Tobi.com. I have other jeans in this same brand and style, and needed another.


For me, 7 for all mankind fits true to my waist size. Strange, but in light color washes, I find they stretch out and I size down one size. I also bought 7FAM's newest fit "the skinny bootcut" - no picture because they are really long and need to be hemmed, but I really like them - the fabric is definitely different than my other 7fam jeans - true to the product description on their website, this is a very stretchy, tighter-fit fabric - but my regular waist size still fit.

Nextttttttt.... another J. Crew coat - the Stadium Cloth Peacoat with Gold Buttons, in Navy. I also got this with a 20% off code, yay!

Sorry this pic is sideways... I really like the stadium cloth fabric - it feels very very warm and looks and feels rich and luxurious in my opinion!





I listened to my blogger friends and went with a size 4 in this, as I heard it runs a little snug - and the 4 is perfect. Can't wait to wear this coat!

BTW can you see my shoes in that last picture? They are the Cole Haan Air Astrid flats in Beige. They are MUCH lighter (in color) than I thought they would be (you were right Ehayes!) I bought them on major sale at Neiman's. They are super comfy and TTS. The downside is I think they are really plain and sort of boring, and I thought the color was going to be a rich camel color, which it is not... I feel it's sort of a "matronly" (OK, GRANDMA-Y) color.



Keep or return?

And, OMG FINALLY, the final product.... which I am in love with. The J. Crew Studded Ballet Flats, which I also had a coupon for (nice, J. Crew with all the recent coupons...).




They run TTS, they feel extremely well made, the leather is so soft and supple.... I love them. Can't find any sort of fault with these.

Their awesomeness, combined with my "blah-ness" over the Cole Haan flats prompted me to run out (well, run to the computer) to buy one more pair of J. Crew flats, the Kerrington flats (currently on sale) in metallic pewter.


I'll let you know how I like these when they come in.

And that's it. And please don't add up all my purchases. I don't want to know. ;)

Steph

PS GIVEAWAY WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED TOMORROW! SORRY FOR THE DELAY!

PPS - Am I a huge blonde or what? I didn't even post about my ball dress! I guess I'll save that for tomorrow. ;)

Beautiful Yunnan

Yunnan Province is gorgeous and has officially skyrocketed to the position of my favorite province in China.

Honestly, if I were coming to China for 2 weeks, the one chance I had to come to China... I would fly into Beijing, spend a few days around Beijing to see the most important sights, like Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall... then fly to Lijiang, spend time in Lijiang (or Dali), then onto Guizhou's small minority villages - one is Xijiang, and finally onto Guangxi province to see Guilin/Yangshuo area. This is truly the China people envision when they think of China. (Have you see The Painted Veil? This is what I am talking about for the second/third part of the trip.)

Anyway, we are now in Guizhou Province - I think which is officially known as China's poorest province. The city we are in is surrounded by karst limestone hills, which makes for very beautiful and unique topography. Unfortunately, our guidebook warned us about the locals' love of dog meat. Consider me officially a vegetarian while I am here. Thank God for Pizza Hut!

Here are a few pictures from our time in Yunnan. I am disappointed that I was sick during the time we were in Kunming - I really, really wanted to see the red fields (东川红土地), but unfortunately, that wasn't meant to be. I am, however, feeling much better, thank you for your well-wishes, they worked! :)

These photos were all taken in the ancient city of Lijiang... yes Lijiang can be touristy but it's beautiful, has a special ambiance and is definitely worth a visit. It reminded me of Pingyao in Shanxi.







The countryside

This is the first bend of the Yangtze River


Naxi Villages




Tiger Leaping Gorge... yeah so the actual park was closed, so in typical China fashion, some guys trying to make money offered to take us to the other side...

We went, and came across this. Pretty sure this side was more dangerous than the closed side.... seeing as how half the road was gone and all....

Workmen working towards trying to prevent any (more) crazy landslides

The gorge

That's it for Yunnan. There was so much more amazingness to see, but like I said, I got sick and we had to rearrange our travel plans.

Feeling much better here in Guizhou! Though the weather report said a high of 80 and a low of 65.... I am currently freezing seeing as how I am working with a high of 40 degrees and we didn't pack anything warmer than a fleece!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway here!

Steph

Only in China

Why am I blogging from a hotel room, you ask? Why am I inside and not exploring Southern China?

The answer would be... that... I am sick. Again. I'll have you know, prior to moving to China, the last time I was sick was 2007. Moved to China and something is always making me sick! I blame it on the food situation... anyway... hopefully this will pass before we move on tomorrow. Night trains, while sick, are not fun. I know, because I was "lucky" enough to experience it the night before last.

Anyway, I was looking through some of our pictures from the last couple days and some were making me laugh.

This picture was taken inside a kid's playroom. Baowei Zuguo, 保卫祖国，means "Protect the Homeland."


I thought this was hysterical, seeing as how it was in a children's playroom, and the drawing is of a little kid carrying something like an AK-47!

And then around town, we saw some awesome signs and translations..



The same Chinese, two different English translations.

And I think we can all agree... shopping should be rational!

I was going to add a few more pics, but am suddenly feeling tired and am going to rest. DON'T FORGET to enter the giveaway!! Enter in the post below this one.

Steph

What, a giveaway?! Not Just Another Blonde in Beijing's China Treasures Giveaway!

School children walking down a street in Lijiang, Yunnan Province

HI everyone! Right now I am in Yunnan Province, China, and having an absolute blast. Everywhere I turn there is something beautiful to see! Yunnan Province is home to about 25 minority groups, and their influence is seen everywhere I turn. One of the things that has caught my eye the most here are the beautiful scarves being sold on every street. Weaving and dying is a tradition among the ethnic groups here, so the scarves here are really one of the area's special products.

According to an article I found online, "the embroidery and dyeing consists of many processes, such as brushing patterns, twisting and tying, soaking, dyeing the cloth, steam boiling, atmospheric drying, taking out stitches, rinsing and grinding the cloth, among which the knotting and dip-dyeing are main processes." From what I have read, all the dyes are naturally occurring and found in different plants and berries.

After walking through stall after stall of these beautiful, colorful scarves, I decided that because this area of China is so beautiful and unique, I really want to share part of this with one of my readers.

For this giveaway, I can't really say exactly what will be in the "treasure box" I send, because as of right now, I'm not entirely sure. I DO know there will be one of these beautiful scarves, dyed by a woman part of China's Bai ethnic group. There are also going to be other goodies, all of which are a surprise, and will be hand-picked by me. Think of it as a care package full of unique items handmade (mostly) in China.


There is more to China than the cheap manufacturing and crappy products so many of us associate with the country. China is really a special place and I am hoping to show that through this giveaway! I am hoping whoever wins this giveaway will walk away with a greater appreciation for this country.

Giveaway Rules

1. Must be a follower
2. Must live in the United States or Canada
3. I WILL ship to APO/FPO addresses
4. Tell me what colors you would want your scarf to be. I can't promise it will happen, but I can try!
5. Leave me your e-mail address, or another way to contact you

Deadline to enter this giveaway is Halloween, October 31st!

Good luck!

Heading to Southern China!

Alright ladies (and the few gentleman that read this blog),

We are off for a 2-week trip to Southern China! We have lots of adventures ahead of us, several overnights on trains, visits to small minority villages, rice terraces, and cruising on bamboo rafts down a river! Lots of beautiful scenery to see, and I will post a ton of pictures when I return. SO excited about this trip.

I'll be on periodically and may possibly get in a post or two while on the road... we'll see!

In other news... the one pair of J. Crew final sale flats did not fit. The left shoe fit, the right size was 1/2 a size too big. They will possibly let me return them. I mean, I've never had that problem before so I maintain that it has to be an issue with the shoe!

Anyway -

Take care everyone! Talk to you soon.

Steph