Ace & Jig Spring 2017: A Review & Recap - What I thought I'd love vs. What I did.

My Original Wishlist

It's safe to say that that the end of Ace & Jig Spring 2017 has officially come, along with the final day of #aceweek, new Ace & Jig Webstore markdowns, and the start of pre-orders for Fall 2017 . But let's take a quick look back on Spring, shall we?



For me at least, Spring 2017 was full of surprises! Not just for XOs but for textiles and styles too! My original wishlist looked like the above. I wasn't planning to necessarily buy all of the below, but they were all strong contenders for closet space.

You can see that Damask, Bronte Tops, and Joni Minis featured heavily in my original plan, along with other minidresses and kimonos, and there wasn't too much in the way of Emerald. Most of those things did not hold up when confronted with reality:

What I got right:

• I did end up buying two of the four Kimonos I originally desired: Dune and Emerald—the best two, in my opinion. Both are soft and drapey, and different from my existing kimonos (yes, even Hawthorn!). No regrets! 
• I did end up loving the Teasdale Dress, and bought it in Ivy and Merry, as pictured, in addition to Saki, Twine, and Damask. My favorite new dress style, for sure, despite some annoying variance in fit across textiles.
• I did end up getting the Twine Booker Top, after some heavy internal debate about whether I needed another piece in Twine. I think it will be a great addition to my existing closet, and I actually regret not getting more Booker Tops in other textiles! (ISO!)

What I got wrong:

• The biggest one: I did NOT expect to fall in love with Emerald.  Not at all. I am not someone who normally wears shades of green, other than the occasional army green, and jewel tones aren't usually my jam. But I fell for Emerald. SO. Damn. Hard. I didn't get it when everyone was so excited about the Barneys XO Pinafore at first, but when I gamely tried it on, the textile was just so beautiful, dimensional, and soft, and I ended up with quite a few pieces in it! Cary & Jenna are right — it's best to experience Ace & Jig textiles in person. 
• I didn't end up with any Joni Minis because they fit me oddly, despite appearing as though they were the Teasdales' little sister, and were very inconsistent in size across the different textiles—and I tried almost all of them before finally giving up! 
• Soleil, Lark/Stonewash, Merry, and Damask all ran quite large in the chest for me, and were easy returns. 
• Chintz and Stellar ran more true to size, but I didn't especially like those textiles on me, so back they went as well.
• I didn't end up buying much Damask, much to my surprise! I was very excited by the prospect of a reversible heavy singlecloth, but the floats in the weave of Damask were quite long, and easily snagged, and the reverse looked like a reverse, rather than like another pattern up close. I did end up with the Barneys XO Cardi, as well as the Barneys XO Teasdale Dress, but it was far from an ALL THE DAMASK season as I had originally expected. 
• I didn't buy any Bronte Tops/Dresses! Shocking! Those tops were the first pieces I fell in love with when the lookbook went up, and to this day, I'm not sure what exactly it is about them that didn't quite work for me... Bib fabric/shape? Boxiness? Sleeve length? Fabric volume in the chest? (Actually, that last one was probably it...)
• I didn't expect to love Soiree Dresses as much as I did. I can't remember if I knew at the time whether they had the smocking in the back (which I tolerate at best), but I certainly am not a fan of it in general. But the rest of it was perfect enough (Length! Bodice! Pockets!), that in the right textiles, they were a winner. Would I prefer Teasdales? Definitely. But I'm not gonna complain too much. 
• The one Soiree Dress that I conspicuously did not like was the one in Highland & Spackle. Based on the photos, I thought it would be a contender for the star piece of the season, but it never quite worked for me. I didn't love the juxtaposition of the different weights of the textiles, didn't love the slightly different tones, and just overall didn't love the two together, despite them both being black-and-white textiles that should have worked on paper. Plus, the bodice never had a symmetrical pattern placement, which would have bothered me to no end. 
• The Paz, Park, & Margot Dresses did not impress me enough for a purchase. They're fine. They're cute. I tried on quite a few. But they never quite did it for me the way my keepers did.

What the community loved that surprised me:

• I knew from the start that Carnival would not be my jam: too primary in color palette, and tufted in a way that I wasn't sure I liked. But it seems like I was in the vast minority, there! Carnival was definitely a community fave, and I'm honestly still wondering whether I should have gotten something in it! (ISO Duster, maybe?) 
• I don't really wear brown, so I knew that Saki was never going to be my favorite, but it does have a very appealing texture and drape. I ended up getting the Teasdale in it because the girly shape helps to balance out the brownness of brown. But it seems to have been a total crowdpleaser, particularly in the Frida Jacket, which seems to have already reached coveted demi-unicorn status (baby unicorn?). 
• Which brings me to the Frida Jackets! I totally ruled those out when I saw the collection, wondering when/where/why I would wear a sleeveless jacket. A $300 sleeveless jacket, no less. I eventually relented due to the hype, and tried on a few of them, but they still weren't really for me, though the nice, deep pockets sure were tempting! Slight regrets for not having purchased a Frida Jacket in Chester when it went on sale, but I'm sure I'll live. 
• When it comes to the Allovers and Hot Cross Dress, I went, I tried, and I... didn't love. I don't think I would personally wear either of them by themselves, but it seemed awkward to layer them as well. I will never 

Final Thoughts:

• Despite being a cold-weather lover, I nearly always prefer Ace & Jig's Spring collections, probably because they're relatively seasonless to begin with. This one was no exception. 
• Not all of the fabrics were for me (Thank goodness!) but I was definitely feeling the magic of Emerald. 
• All of the textiles this season felt very cohesive, which hasn't always been the case with past Ace & Jig collections. The colors in Crown were the same as those in Emerald. The tufts in Carnival were the same colors as the stripes on Merry. It made it so easy to do make some perfect textile pairings that nonetheless seem inspired.
• Cut-wise, the Teasdale Dress is one of my new favorites, and I will never say no to more beautiful Kimonos. 
• Add in the solid XOs (more Staffords & more Ra Ras!), which I haven't accounted for here, and it was a freaking amazing season. 

Rating: B- (16 out of 20 points)

• Textiles: 8.5 out of 10 points
• 2.5 points for the 13 textiles of the 26 that I liked, which is pretty impressive given my pickiness. 
• 2 points for the gorgeous Emerald, clear winner of the season, and future unicorn. 
• 1 point each for Ivy and Twine, my two other favorites.
• 1 point each for Carnival and Saki, which were community favorites.
• Styles: 7.5 out of 10 points
• 1.5 points for the 14 of 46 styles that I liked.
• 2 points for my new favorite dress, the Teasdale. 
• 1 point for the Soiree Dress, a favorite of mine, aside from the smocking.
• 1 point each for the Allovers and the Frida Jacket, definite community favorites.
• 1 point for bringing back the Kimonos!

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