Stripes!

Awhile back I tried on J Crew's maritime-stripe jacket (review here) and wasn't a fan of it on me. As you know, I'm a stripe nut and have decided that is the official pattern of Gigi's Gone Shopping, Inc. I love to look at florals, but they generally don't look well on me. The colors and patterns have to be just so. I try other patterns, but of course the best ones tend to be from J Crew. I still find patterns from them in tops & pencil skirts from time-to-time, but I'm picky about those, too. Now stripes. I'm all about stripes and I find that a variety of stripe widths tend to look good on me. So although I'm easily up to 6 striped tops now & that great, wacky wool striped jacket from Loft this past fall, the variations keep me entertained even if they all look the same to the public. About 2 wks ago I rounded out my striped collection with the following:

Madewell's striped cadet cardigan (38042) is currently available in XS - L on the website. Not sure if it came in XL. The color pattern is called monarch navy. 55% lambswool, 45% cotton. The tag says Made Specially By Wallace and of course it's made in China.

Chest
small = 34.5"
medium = 36.5"

Size S - I really liked it when I received it and felt it was a keeper. I don't know how I should feel about the 55% lambswool, but I do know I wish it were 100% cotton. I wish it felt like one of the merino jackets from 07 or 08, like the Jacinda. And I also wished I had gotten 20% off the sale price, but I still like the sweater and I are worth it. :-) It also got the G Money stamp of approval when he saw it on me.

Forever 21's striped knit blazer by Heritage 81 (H81) (2000011843) runs S-L. 88% poly, 12% cotton.

Chest =18" flat
Center back seam to hem = 21"

Size M - oatmeal navy - Even though I knew the Madewell sweater was on the way, I also ordered this one with a F21 credit. It feels cotton-y and doesn't feel like stiff polyester. I have to say the polyester probably gives it some structure. It might have been more limp or floppy if it had a high cotton content and was thin. One thing I don't think will happen are fuzzies. I can see the Madewell sweater looking fuzzy after wearing it. Now I'm thinking of returning the Madewell sweater, which I can see lookin fuzzy after wear. It arrived with a slightly fuzzy look and I think it's the lambswool. If I keep both, the price is still less than one Maritime blazer. However, I look at all the clothes I own and see repetition. I'm leaning towards returning the Madewell cardi and keeping the F21 blazer. G Money hasn't seen this one, but if he knew the price of each, of course he'd tell me to keep this one and return the more expensive one. Now that I've talked this thru I'm pretty sure I'll return the Madewell.

Striped slouchy slub top - 52% rayon, 49% polyester. The material feels like a flowy rayon blend. Doesn't feel harsh in any way. Very lightweight.


Size M - I haven't tried it on yet, but it's a keeper. It's doing exactly what I expected and that's to be versatile with a number of necklaces. Will also work under a light jacket. I'm also interested in trying it under a long, orange merino cardigan. It'll be spring-y and bright!

Come to think of it, hopefully this post is a good example of the F21 test. I've referred to it before in other posts. If I am in J Crew or on their site and have my eye on something, I try to think if it's something I can get at F21 for a lot less. I've shopped at F21 since the 90s .I've watched the company grow and the merchandise change. I know it very well, so I have an idea of the weight of their garments, care instructions and how they will wear. I haven't had any garment failures. When I choose to buy something at F21 over J Crew, I sometimes choose the F21 version if I'm not sure I will wear it more than 3 or 4x. Or if I think I will be disinterested in it the following year. Since the retailers' merchandise all seem to blend in these days, a F21 test is good. Or any other lower price store you might know very well. Another thing many of us do when in JC is to pretend we're in JC Penney. Would I buy the item if it were on a JCP rack? Definitely sometimes a very good question to ask.

Thanks for visiting...
♥
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