Review: J. Crew Excursion Quilted Vest in Herringbone

J. Crew's Herringbone Excursion Quilted Vest was at the very very top of my wishlist.  It's definitely not an understatement to say that I was feverishly lusting over this vest.  To me, it seemed like the perfect fall piece.  It would have matched so many things in my closet.  I was planning on wearing it with jeans on the weekends and with sweaterdresses or a bright top and kicky black skirt for work (fortunately, my workplace is business casual - emphasis on the casual)

The reality?  So not lustworthy.  In real life, the herringbone is a black and tan, not black and white as it appears on the J. Crew site.  It's printed nylon, not a three dimensional herringbone and it's not sophisticated.  It's basically a printed puffer vest.  Nothing spectacular and certainly nothing out of the ordinary.  You could find a doppelganger for this vest hanging listlessly on the rack at TJ Maxx or Old Navy.

Quality: It was ok.  Probably not worth the $128 price tag.  As you can see in the picture above, the edges were beginning to fray a bit.  I returned the vest, so I cannot comment on whether these little frayed bits would grow, or not.

Fit: Fits exactly the same as the J. Crew quilted vest that I bought last winter.  Same fabric, same quilting pattern, same exact fit.  I compared it to my vest from 2011 and it's an exact carbon copy.

Review: 2012 J. Crew Collection Cashmere V Neck Sweater - Neon Fuchsia

I wanted to take a moment to review this year's J. Crew cashmere.  I recently ordered a v neck in the Neon Fuchsia with a 25% off coupon (yay to 25% off promos at J. Crew). 

The good:  Neon Fuchsia is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.  I was inspired to order this sweater after seeing it on display in the J. Crew window with the No. 2 Double Serge pencil skirt in Crimson Maple.  Take my word for it, Neon Fuchsia and Crimson Maple is a fantastic color combination. 

The not-so-good: Immediately after removing my sweater from the bag, I noticed that the sweater had a little bit of a fuzzy halo.  I returned my sweater for a refund, so I can't speak to how the sweater held up, but I can only predict that these fuzzies will develop into fully formed pills after one or two wears.  Not worth it, even on a promo.  I snapped a close up shot to try and capture the fuzzies:

The bad: This sweater is supposedly from the J. Crew collection, but the cashmere felt extremely rough.  If I didn't know better, I would have thought that they had thrown some wool into the yarn.  It definitely did not feel like 100% cashmere.  I compared the feel of this sweater to cashmere tees purchased from J. Crew in the winter of 2011, and there was a palpable difference.  Last year's cashmere tees felt softer and significantly more velvet-y to the touch. 

J. Crew Fall 2012 Wishlist

 

Tippi Sweater in Swiss Dot, $138

Bow Collar Necklace, $148

Excursion Quilted Vest in Herringbone, $138

Collection No. 2 Pencil Skirt in Floral Brocade, $119.99

No. 2 Pencil Skirt in Double-Serge Wool, Crimson Maple, $98

Lady Jacket in Double-Serge Wool, Spicy Gold, $258

Tipped Merino Cardigan, Brick Sand, $59.99

Perfect Shirt in Buffalo Check, Buffalo Red, $88

Review: No. 2 Pencil Skirt from J. Crew

Today is a happy day for two reasons: 1) this is my first entry in what I genuinely hope shall become a fun little fashion filled romp of a blog; and 2) my J. Crew No. 2 Pencil Skirts have arrived!  Just ordered these babies on Friday after checking out J. Crew's Fall Preview.  Normally I am the girl who avoids full price and waits for a sale - but I simply could not resist.

I'm impressed with J. Crew's fall lineup.  Bright colors and beautiful jewelry (surprisingly, at lower than usual price points) have returned.  Gone are the excessive ruffles and O.T.T. hair shirts...let's hope this trend continues.

I ordered two pencil skirts in my normal size: Spicy Gold and Vibrant Flame. Observations:

• These fit true to size. The wool fabric is high quality.
• They are FULLY LINED in a lightweight 100% polyester that suspiciously feels a lot like silk. The inner waistband is trimmed in a grosgrain ribbon.
• The "Spicy Gold" color is a dead ringer for the "Honey Glaze" colorway of seasons past.
• "Vibrant Flame" is not as orange as it appears in the catalog/website.  It is a true orange with an underlying but unmistakable red tone.  This puppy is BRIGHT!
• I'm keeping these.  They match pretty much everything in my closet.
• Some Fall/Winter color combinations I am dying to try out once the weather cools: Spicy Gold + Teal or Navy or Lemon Yellow or Graphite; Vibrant Flame + Fuchsia or Peach or Camel or Purple or Lilac or Burgundy