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Dressing Room Diary: New Cool-Toned Colors At J. Jill

Color has been on my mind lately, so when I spied some fresh new cool-toned colors at J. Jill, I went in to try some on. This collection is not brand spanking new, but it is to me, so I hope you see some pieces that interest you.

If youā€™re new here, welcome. A dressing room diary is when I go into a local store for a try-on session to see whatā€™s new and show you how it looks on a woman over 25. For reference, I am 5ā€™4ā€³ and weigh around 139 lbs. I have broad shoulders with straight hips, a long torso, and long arms. I often buy one size larger on top. Youā€™ll see me try on clothes in colors and shapes that may or may not flatter me because I want you to see whatā€™s in the stores and get some styling ideas. I will tell you what sizes I am wearing to help you understand how things run.

J. Jill has streamlined its sizing so that every style is available as regular in sizes XS-4X. Petite and tall are still available in some popular styles, and all sizes are priced similarly.

COLLARED SOFT SWEATER petite L – HIGH-RISE STRAIGHT-LEG JEANS 8 petite

This soft, collared sweater grabbed my attention the moment I walked into the store. The color(s) and softness were interesting, but the set in sleeve was what mattered most to me. I’m so used to seeing dropped shoulder everything these days that a set-in sleeve is refreshing. It takes more work and is more costly for brands to make set-in sleeves, but they’re so worth it. This top comes in soft, gray, and midnight blue that youā€™ll see me styling later on. The fabric is a super soft blend with plenty of spandex, so itā€™s very stretchy. Iā€™m wearing a petite large, which is to loose in the body, but the sleeves are the right length. The jeans are a high-rise, straight-leg style in this soft gray or a deep blue rinse. These are petite with a 28 1/2-inch inseam.

COLLARED SOFT SWEATER Regular SFRENCH TERRY SLIM PANTS misses S

Here’s that sweater in midnight blue. I am wearing a regular small in this deep blue, and I prefer the fit for me. Itā€™s only a teeny bit longer through the body, but the sleeves are better, the shoulders fit me, and the V is not so deep. Iā€™m wearing it with these french terry pants in the same midnight blue color. They’re so soft and cozy that they feel like jammies. They also come in a pale gray.

HIGH-RISE JEAN TROUSERS size 6 regularTHERMAL TEXTURED FUNNEL NECK SWEATER size petite M

This funnel neck sweater has a honeycomb texture that comes in this pale blue or honey color. Itā€™s a boxy shape with dropped shoulders. The description says it’s long enough to wear with leggings, but I disagree. At 26 1/2″ it’s not long enough to cover your backside, which is mandatory with leggings. See also – The Modern Way To Wear Leggings After 50. Itā€™s super soft, fits beautifully, and has turned-up cuffs. I’m wearing it with their new high-rise jean trousers. These also come in white. The inseam on these in regular is 31 1/2″.

HIGH-RISE TROUSER JEAN size petite 6SIMPLE ESSENCE V-NECK PULLOVER petite M

Here are the same trouser jeans in petite with an inseam of 29″. I’m wearing them with this pretty v-neck pullover in purple passion. The sweater has dropped shoulders, is slightly cropped and comes in 3 colors. I like the proportions of a shorter top with fuller legs. ‘

HIGH-RISE STRAIGHT-LEG JEANS misses 6TWO POCKET SHORT CARDIGAN size

Same straight-leg gray jeans I showed above, this time in a regular length which is clearly too long for me. I’m wearing them with a cropped v-neck cardigan in a soft heathered lavender color. It also comes in navy, but I was going for a low-contrast outfit with medium/soft shades. Cropped and short sweaters are perfect with high-rise pants and jeans and a natural for shorter women.

FIT STRIPED DRAWSTRING SWEATSHIRT size – FIT PERFORMANCE HIGH-RISE BOOTCUT size

The J. Jill FIT collection has many comfy options in performance fabrics. This fitted drawstring sweatshirt is lightweight enough to wear at any time. I love the interesting stripe details that step it up from a typical striped top. The pants are perfect for yoga, pilates, etc., in a firm, stretchy, moisture-wicking performance fabric that will be great at the gym or yoga studio. These bootcut pants are a great shape to help cover the top of sneakers.

PURE JILL TUNIC SWEATER petite S / STRAIGHT JEANS size 6 petiteLOAFERS

Same gray jeans that I’ve shared above. I am wearing a small petite in this fuzzy tunic which really is long enough to wear over leggings. It’s super soft and cuddly with an overlapping shawl collar in deep peppercorn color. I thought it would feel bulky, but it’s very lightweight.

LOAFERS

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the petite and the regular-length trouser jeans. The petite just barely covers the top of my shoe. At this length, they would catch on the front and top heel of my shoes when I walked and certainly hike way up when I sit. The regulars are too long for flats, but I bought them to try with my boots which have a 1″ heel.

FIT SLEEK QUILTED JACKET regular S PURE JILL SHIRTTAIL TEE FRENCH TERRY FULL-LEG OANTS size regular XS

This zip jacket is from the FIT collection. It’s so soft and lovely. I’d wear it with non-work-out clothes. The quilting is only on the front and back, which cuts way down on any bulk. The pure Jill long-sleeve tee is totally classic and a great wardrobe basic. I’m wearing these with the French Terry full-length pant in navy blue. This fabric is silky smooth, lightweight, and very cozy.

MARLED BOAT NECK SWEATER regular XS PURE JILL SLIM PANTS regular XSPAISLEY JACQUARD SCARF

This marled boat neck sweater is the right length to wear with leggings and slim pants. It’s a soft cotton blend that has stretch and will work right into spring. I paired it with these cotton/Tencel/spandex pull-on pants. They come in three colors, and I’m wearing caviar. Because they ran a bit large, I went down to an XS which made them a teeny bit shorter and the right length for me. I added this paisley scarf in the most gorgeous cool-toned blues with navy and off-white. It’s thick enough to wear as a wrap and adds a real statement to your outfit.

Do you gravitate to these types of pants?

Thanks for reading. and be sure to wear what makes you feel confident.

34 Comments

  1. Glad fashion is moving away from skinny jeans and pants. They make me look like an inverted triangle with the thickest part of me at my hips and stomach.

  2. Barbara Heisler says:

    Really like the navy outfit. Love the lavender but can’t wear pastels well, except for lemon yellow (winter). Seems to me I got rid of extended shoulders some years back, when they were in style before, and the cropped sweaters seem to make you look thicker around the middle–don’t need any help there. I am so glad to see less really slim jeans. They tended to make wide shouldered and well endowed women look top heavy tipsy. Straight legs are my favorite.

    1. Straight legs are my favorite too.

  3. Itā€™s nice to know that someone else vacillates between regular and petite sizes. I drive myself crazy and always try on both. Love my navy column. Havenā€™t been to J Jill in a while because I find them kind of expensive, but then I remember that I have three pairs of summer pants in my drawer and they are well over 10 years old and still in great shape. Therefore I might take a look on their sale rack. Thanks for the fashion show. I have to say I still like dressing with the statement scarf as opposed to casual. Just me. Still like to have that extra special something.Now Iā€™m on the lookout for gray jeans and I keep thinking about the lavender. Thatā€™s one color I donā€™t have in my collection.

  4. My favorite blog. DRD!!
    Love that collard sweater in both colors and the ivory quilted jacket.
    Not craze about the new levendar color. Always makes me look pale. Unless I add an attractive scarf.
    Thanks šŸ™ for making day.
    If I did not say it earlier, Happy 2023.

  5. Thank you, Jennifer, for continuing to inspire me! I have learned so much from you that I wish I had known 40 years ago. I immediately ordered the soft collared sweater and the V neck pullover. I buy so few new clothes, but these just screamed “buy me now!”

    1. You will love the collared pullover. It’s such a great piece

  6. A very helpful post with all the different items, sizes, colors. Thank you!

  7. As a tall senior (5ā€™11ā€), those shorter sweaters and cardis are hard for me to wear – plus I now like my tushy covered, haha! Nice to see some lighter colors starting to come out too!ā€¦you ALWAYS look great in all styles however!

    1. Debbi, I’m 5’2″ and the cropped style tops are too short on me! At my age, the last thing I want to show off is my stomach!

      1. LOL

  8. Love that fuzzy hoodie! I would live in that this time of year. How would you describe the color? It says peppercorn. Is it black, charcoal? I think I need that one! Thanks for a great post!

    1. It’s a very dark charcoal

  9. The lavender coat under Latest Finds is so pretty. Strange that it grabbed my attention immediately as I thought I wasnā€™t a lavender fan.

    1. I liked the colors j.jill is displaying. Thanks for the comparison of the petite jeans and the regular jeans. The best always.

  10. Some really nice outfits here, though the colors are not in my wheelhouse as a warm based skin tone. I really like the collared soft sweaterā€¦ letā€™s hear it for the ā€˜set in shoulderā€™. Yay !!!!!!
    I thought theyā€™d gone the way of the dinosaur. Itā€™s a much more flattering silhouette. Maybe more tops/sweaters will be made with the set in shoulder, from JJill as well as other retailers ?
    Hope springs eternal šŸ¤ž

    1. I so agree with you about the set in shoulder. Dropped shoulders look terrible on me (busty and broad-shouldered) so I am always looking for the regular shoulder. I didn’t know it was called a “set in” shoulder. Learned something new today–NICE! Talbots often has regular shoulders, but most sweaters are dropped these days… sigh.

      1. I wish more brands would make set-in sleeves. They’re so much more flattering.

  11. Love the navy outfit. That would be easy to be casual or work wear and is super slimming with the column of color.

  12. Grandma judy says:

    Thanks for sharing the JJill clothes. It is one of the few places I can find pants to fit . Was shopping there yesterday. Can you tell me what brand of shoes you were wearing? My black ones are worn out and no longer available from Born. Thanks!

  13. Very nice try on session! I do like the bootcut, or flare denim though not as thrilled about the wide leg the whole way throughout. Like the jeans a slim fit up top and then flare out below the knee. I prefer to wear a shorter top with these types of jeans also. In fact, I bought a chunky similar lavender cardigan at Kohls recently. Since its cold where I live, I’m having trouble styling it with a top/shirt underneath. Not sure why, guess I need to shop for that. Really love the gray denim too!

    1. I have a few cuddle dud long sleeve shirts and or 32 below shirts that I lay under the cardigans.Since I really donā€™t like a bare neck in the winter I always add a scarf. I get the 32 below shirts on Amazon.. Very inexpensive.. Sometimes when I go to a wedding I even have a flesh tone one that I might slip under A thin top Because I always wear separate. I always have a jacket or a cardigan over them because they are formfitting. The 32 below tops are very much like thin silky long underwear but they really keep me warm.

  14. Love everything you tried on today. The colors look great on you. I hope set in sleeves are back in again. I’ve had such trouble with tops bacauce the sleeves are usually too big. We have a j Jill store here but are their petites really petite?

    1. A JJill sales associate told me that yes, petites are really petite. Meaning that not only do they shorten the overall length, they shorten the sleeves, and make the shoulders and bust smaller.

      1. Thank you, good to know!

  15. Love the soft lavender color. Haven’t had much luck at JJill lately, but I’m really liking your picks. I may have to stop in! Thank you for doing all my shopping prep work. I really do appreciate it!

  16. Love your shoes. What are they?

  17. I love every single piece! I never thought of lilac/lavender as a color I would gravitate towards, but JJill has certainly convinced me otherwise.

  18. Pat Patterson says:

    Good morning , the outfits today look incredibly comfortable. I like the soft lilac sweater especially the button down v neck, great color for you.
    Great casual outfit!

    1. Cindy Casani says:

      Loving the ivory quilted jacket and the trouser jeans. Might have to go shopping!

    2. I love how soft and comfy everything is.

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