J.Crew Reviews: Collection Embellished Raglan Sweatshirt, Bow Collar Necklace

Intrigued by the idea of a sweatshirt with some sparkle, and appreciative of the fact that the sparkle wasn't smack-dab in the middle of the model's chest as usual, I decided to buy this sweatshirt when it rolled out on the J.Crew website last week.

Collection Embellished Raglan Sweatshirt

Cute, right? I love the way that they styled it online, with jeans, white collared shirt, red flats and red lips. I thought it would be great to wear this sweatshirt to my friend's Christmas party, or maaaaaaybeeeee I could even get away with it to work with last year's Cafe Capris in Wool Check during the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve when everyone will be out on vacay.

My first impression from seeing it through the plastic was that the gray color was darker than pictured online, and less heathered in appearance. Once I had it on, I was disappointed in how short and boxy it was. I liked the weight of the shirt, but the cut just made me look thick.

Side view. Size M. The bottom sort of hangs straight down from my chest, and the sleeves are just a touch short, although not really enough to bother me.

I do love the placement of the beading and the open crewneck. I think that you could size down if your chest is on the small side, and you'd get a more fitted shirt with bracelet-length sleeves.

Close-up of the beading. The crystals are a smoky color, which gives them a more subtle antique look as opposed to stuck on with a Be-Dazzler. The knit could stand to be a little softer, and it would soften in the wash, but how many times are you going to risk washing the shirt, and how soft will it even get with a few light hand-washings? I'd hate to ruin the beading.

 Here's a color comparison with another J.Crew sweatshirt that I bought a few years ago - I think it's one of the Haya sweatshirts but I can't remember (ETA: silver_lining let me know that this is actually the Jaspe Boyfriend Sweatshirt from 2009).

 The Jaspe sweatshirt is one of my favorites, and after I changed into it to walk the dog I knew I'd be sending the Embellished Sweatshirt back. As you can see, a longer length, slimmer fit, and lighter weight is much more flattering on my figure. I'm a little bummed out, but I'm glad that I got to try it on in person.

To change the subject, I had a birthday in October and my awesome mother bought me the Tory Burch bracelet I had been coveting:

Tory Burch Fox Head Hinge Bracelet

 Well, it arrived in the mail after a long backorder, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that it was a cheap piece of crap. It was about as heavy as a wad of tinfoil, and the hinge that allowed it to open and close over my wrist was set on an angle so that the fox's face was skewed to the right. It had cost my mother nearly $250.00 at retail plus tax and shipping, which was appalling to me once I saw it in person, so I said "Eff this!" and immediately called my mom who told me to ship it back. I'll think twice before ordering any Tory Burch jewelry again.

Mom suggested this necklace as a replacement after I pointed it out to her online:

J.Crew Bow Collar Necklace

 She said that it reminded her of a necklace that my grandmother used to wear in the 1950's (my grandmother later told me that her necklace was actually gold leaves with rhinestones, but the style was very similar to the Bow Collar Necklace). Mom was able to buy it on promo as well, making the total less than half of that overpriced bracelet.

 I LOVE it. It's the perfect counterpoint to some of my more tomboyish outfits, and also adds glitz to a simple solid-colored sheath dress. It's adjustable, so you can wear it sitting high over the collarbone...

...or dipped lower over the top of the chest, which is the perfect length to wear on the outside of a collared shirt. I wore it this way on Thanksgiving Day and got tons of compliments, so - in the end - I'm glad that the Fox Bracelet didn't work out after all!

Have you tried any of the items from J.Crew's most recent rollout? What hits or misses have you experienced lately?