Dressing Room Diary: New Pieces From J. Jill

Happy Wednesday, ladies. Today’s try-on session is a bit abbreviated because some of the things I tried on have not even hit their website yet, and I can’t link to them. There were literally stacks of unopened sweaters, still in plastic bags sitting on a few of their display tables, so it was fun to try new things on.

If you’re new here, welcome. A dressing room diary is when I go into a local store for a try-on session to see what’s new and show you how it looks on a woman over 25. For reference, I am 5’4″ and weigh around 142 lbs. I have broad shoulders with straight hips, a long torso, and long arms. I often buy one size larger on top. You’ll see me try on clothes in colors and shapes that may or may not flatter me because I want you to see what’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.

This linen dress came home with me, not to wear as a dress, but exactly as you see it. I love long dusters like this. The linen is crisp, and the color is a fresh, pretty (almost chambray) blue for spring. I will experiment with belting it to wear as a dress and will let you know how that works. It runs true to size because the XS was tight, and the medium was loose.

I’m wearing it over the Pure Jill slim-leg crops. I opted for the misses length, so they wouldn’t be as cropped on me with this long duster. I love the soft knit fabric, which has 5% spandex, so they should not stretch out. They come in four colors. The rounded V-neck tank is a new favorite for me. It’s a substantial knit you can not see through, which I always appreciate in white tees. It comes in seven colors. I opted for the misses here again to get the extra length over slim white pants :). This L is way too big for me, but the white was selling out fast, and this was all they had.

I also tried this dress in yellow, which happens to be on sale.

This cardi is so small for me; I think it was cutting off circulation to my arms :). It’s a great little cotton blend cardigan that comes in five colors and is the perfect thing to protect from a chill in the spring and give some arm coverage. I love this length but would need a small one. This navy polka dot dress has on-seam pockets and a surplice back with a modest cutout. This large is too roomy on me, and the website says it runs large, so I suggest you size down. These two pieces aren’t part of the newest collection, and they were selling out of them in the store but seem fully stocked online.

These relaxed pull-on jeans have a faux fly with a functional button, so you could do a half-tuck and not know they’re a pull-on style. They’re part of the limited-edition Pure Jill Elements Collection, made from a recycled cotton blend. They’re roomy, like a boyfriend jean, and run a bit large, so you can size down. This textured sweater comes in three great colors. It has set-in sleeves, which I’m so happy to see brands reintroduce because they’re more flattering than a drop shoulder. 

This linen peasant top is a popover style in lightweight linen that comes in three bright colors. It has a gently puffed 3/4 sleeve with loose elastic on the cuff. The shirttail hem could be tucked in, but I suspect it looks best out. I have several of these tab-sleeve a-line linen shirts. They’re a great classic for summer over leggings, skinny pants, or jeans. It comes in six colors. The linen drapes nicely. Note that this is not a fitted shirt; it is a loose fit.

This maxi dress has two side seam pockets and a shallow v-neckline in the back as well as this one in the front. The sleeves are called elbow length, but they’re not quite that long on me. The cotton/Tencel/spandex blend is nice and substantial, so it’s not clingy. It also comes in a tiny floral print. This is a slight A-line shape but could easily be belted to give some shaping.

These are both the modern linen stretch pant with a slit hem. I assumed I would prefer the tunic top with the lighter pant. But looking at the photos, I prefer the black pant for a column of color effect because the tunic is a misses and longer on me. These great pants are a pull-on style with an elasticized back waistband and spandex woven in. They come in five solids and one stripe.The tunic is black with tan-colored embroidery. The A-line shape is quite forgiving, and the soft fabric is nice and drapey. The first review on this top says they disliked it because they thought it could be used as a jacket. Hmmm…not a fault of the top, but the reviewer misinterpreted what she was ordering. Please read more than one review and consider the context of the item description.

Here’s another one of these Pima rounded v-neck tank tops. This small is substantially shorter than the L but fits me much better…I ordered a white in medium :). This color is dried sage. The cardigan is called cream multi, which coordinates nicely with this color tee. It would also look great over white, black, etc. It’s a bit of a chameleon. The open weave gives you arm coverage without added warmth, so it would be very useful this spring. It also has 3/4 sleeves. The boyfriend jeans are made from a super soft blend that’s 70% cotton, 14% Tencel, 14% polyester, and 2% spandex. These are not baggy boyfriend jeans, just loose enough to be relaxed and casual. The rise is mid but not too low for me, and I have a long torso. The misses length would have a slightly higher rise, but they were sold out of my size, so I ordered them.

I’ll keep an eye on the website and get the other pieces up as soon as I see them on the website.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!