Vacation Vibes with White Linen from J.Jill
J.Jill reached out and asked if I'd like to try their linen collection. Since adding more linen to my wardrobe as seen in this blog post, I was game. I also know that many of you love J.Jill and recommend it regularly in comments on this blog and in the Wardrobe Oxygen Community. I appreciate that J.Jill carries all of their pieces in sizes 2-28 and offer petite and tall options; I wish more retailers did this. This is a year where I am looking to be comfortable while also maintaining my style. I desired a beachy, relaxed look that would work with the natural rumpled effect of linen so decided to try a longer jacket-like piece I normally wouldn't gravitate towards, with what J.Jill sells as a slimmer cut of linen pant to balance the volume of the topper. In both pieces I chose Large Petite; I am 5'3″ and usually wear a 14 in mall brands.
White Linen Topper c/o J.Jill (size Large Petite) | Black cami c/o cabi (size Large) | White Linen Slim Leg Pants c/o J.Jill (size Large Petite) | Shoes: Birkenstock | Earrings: Jenny Bird (sold out; similar) | Sterling Cuff: Old; similar
These pants come cuffed, but they have one of those tabs to hold the cuff in place. The length and volume didn't fit my personal style aesthetic; I uncuffed the pants and found them to be far more to my liking. Reviews said these pants ran a bit slim in the rear and hips; while the waist is loose on me I am glad I went with the size I did so I had room for my curves and could comfortably sit and squat without worrying about straining the fabric or seams. The pockets are roomy, the elastic waist doesn't fold over and I think is wide and clean enough to look good with tucked-in tops or be smooth under untucked ones. This linen is heavier in weight than the white linen pants I have from Chico's, but they are still breezy. The weight prevents severe creases; these photos were taken after wearing this outfit for about an hour of standing, walking, and sitting.
The linen topper also has tabs to cuff or uncuff the sleeves. With the topper, I preferred the look of the sleeves cuffed. I would have liked buttons to have the option to wear this like a proper tunic, but I still like it as-is. I appreciate the topper having pockets, and the fabric is the same weight as the pants. I'd like to try belting this tunic for a different look; I may try it with my tan leather obi belt over a pair of light-wash jeans and a white cami with turquoise and silver jewelry.
White isn't for everyone, I know how hard it can feel to wear it and keep it clean. But white is not much different from khaki or beige or light gray or chambray. White can still benefit from Tide to Go or a quick splash of La Croix with a cloth napkin to dab the spot. White can be bleached (or oxygen bleached), and can brighten with the power of the sun as it hangs on the line. I often just spot clean with my favorite stain removal recipe. And when it comes to linen, white makes it look crisp and cool while some other colors can look a bit dingy once the linen begins to wrinkle. As for white being transparent, a pair of skin-colored undies will take care of things. This is the pair I am wearing and love under white linen and other thin and light-colored pieces; it comes in three skin tones as well as ivory, black, and a dusty mauve that blends with many skintones.
Speaking of silver jewelry, I really felt this look begged for bold silver pieces, so I added my favorite silver hoops and my beloved silver cuff I've had since 1997. Many of you have commented on my cuff over the years and it's hard to find something similar because it's old, and because Sterling silver is now so costly. However, Etsy is a great place to find new and vintage silver pieces for way more reasonable prices than you find at boutiques and department stores. I checked out Etsy and found some Sterling cuffs that are similar in size or style:
Shop Sterling Cuffs from Etsy:
You will likely become tired of my Birkenstocks come the end of summer. I am at home. I am not socializing, I do not have a job that requires me to visit an office or clients and adhere to a dress code. My feet have really enjoyed being in flat shoes the past few months and I am reconsidering my relationship with a good portion of my shoe collection. While there are some shoes like my Margaux heels that are still relatively comfortable, there are also many that I likely will be selling or donating because my feet refuse to be wedged into them ever again. Finding stylish shoes for wide feet is a challenge, so I will be slow and methodical with my future shoe purchases and you know I will share the hits and misses along the way!
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Generally speaking, I like J Jill and have several pieces in my closet that are favorites. But I do find their fit models generally don’t accommodate much of a bust or hips except in their knits. Sometimes I can go bigger and petite and it solves the problem. But I would definitely wear more of their clothes if they fit my curves better.
I think they would do better by using at least one more model that is a larger/curvier shape. They’re so great with sizes but their stuff feels cut for that one lanky model they always use!
It looks like from the picture, you have about an inch of hem along the front of the tunic jacket. If you wanted to add buttons, that would be simple for any tailor to do. Plus you can customize the placement to eliminate gaping at the bust.
Great point and idea, thank you Susan!
Love this outfit on you! Those pants have me intrigued—and I’m not usually very interested in linen pants. I think the slimmer cut of the legs makes them more appealing to me. I love your silver Birks & you inspired me to buy my own pair a few weeks ago, but in the Mayari style. Love, love, love them & wear them constantly now. We went on a beach trip last week (I do feel the need to add that we wore masks & socially distanced the whole time), and they were the only shoes I brought, besides flip flops & tennis shoes. I even wore them for bike rides. They’re just super-comfortable and go with basically all of my casual outfits.
Love the Mayari style, so pretty! And I hear you, most linen pants look like burlap bags on both legs. If you try these I recommend going smaller rather than roomy for sizing. I am wearing these pants today and they have grown and are now almost too big!
How beautiful you look in this! I love the entire outfit — thanks for calling our attention to this collection.
Re shoes. I feel about bras the way you feel about shoes. After 4 months of comfort, it’s hard for me to imagine shoving myself back into an underwire bra again. Or heels. Or anything uncomfortable, for that matter.
I wonder if we’ll make permanent changes b/c of the pandemic. I hope so!
I am curious to see how fashion ends up post-pandemic especially considering how it’s not letting up any time soon so this will be a very long time of change!
Once again, seeing clothes on a not a model body makes them look so different. In the pictures on J Jill’s website it looked like these slim pants wouldn’t work on what is the average woman’s size. But they do. I pass over so many of their clothes because of this. Especially now, in the time of COVID, when I can’t imagine returning clothes.
Yes, this is so true! It’s weird to me that more companies don’t make a point of showing their clothes on different body types, because they would definitely get more of my money if I felt more comfortable knowing how something would look on ME– not on that willowy model!
I think this is such a missed opportunity for J.Jill which offers clothing in such a fantastic range of sizes. I know it holds me back because I can’t see myself in their clothes.
I was nervous about the slim pants and with the reviews went up a size thinking they would be snug on my calves and rear. I wish I didn’t size up, they are more of a straight cut than slim.
Lovely. Two questions: I have had a couple of linen jackets and found that, unless they were extremely heavy – heavier than this is likely to be if it is the same weight as the trousers – they tended to roll up at the bottom. Does this? Or does the extra length prevent it? My other question is one you won’t be able to answer yet, as it concerns durability. Since you talk a lot about chub rub I assume, that like me, you have thighs that rub together. I gave up buying linen trousers a few years ago as I found that, even if they were loose, they went into holes on the inner thighs so only lasted one summer. Have you had this problem? I now only buy linen/ cotton mixes and they seem to be fine.
This jacket isn’t rolling on me, it has a nice size hem which I think helps. The pants I washed and line dried outside and are wearing today and no rolling either! Since they’ve only been worn three times I haven’t seen any wearing on the inner thighs yet, but I did have that problem with a pair of linen trousers I got from Talbots the other summer!