McGuire for JCrew Jeans, front pockets

Sizing: I have started sizing down to a 24. There's a small chance that I've become a 24, from my erstwhile 25. So I'd say these are TTS.

Pros: awesome fit; exactly the right inseam (I'm 5,3" and they hit exactly at the ankle); extremely soft denim. Great design. 

Cons: none.

Verdict. Tempted to buy a second pair as back up.

JCrew boiled wool sweater with elasticated hem

Sizing: you could size down if you want the hem to hit a little higher. Pictures is the XS.

Pros: the wool is substantial and dense, though not high end silky soft; warm sweater

Cons: bulky seams, what with the heavy boiled wool and the elastication

Verdict:I wish it were shorter, so if highlights high waisted jeans more. When I pull it down properly, it doesn't puff excessively, but the length I prefer is the puffy version in the pictures. It's an interesting piece, but not one I'm dying over. I'd probably get the navy, on super sale, if I did.

What do you think?

The length I prefer, but too bulky to wear like this.

Wearing it higher on the hip.

Ditto.

Pulled down.

Pulled down properly

Close up of wool.

Bulky seam. Feels heavy.

Regent blazer in tweed with jeweled collar

Admittedly I don't need this. It looks pretty on the mannequins though. 

Sizing: TTS. I took my usual 00

Pros: warm, well cut, smart. Good strands of colour in the tweed.

Cons: don't love the grey steel shine of the jewels once the coat is on me. Found them attractive on mannequin.

Verdict: conflicted. Keeper if you don't have smth like this already.

Juan Carlos Obandos for JCrew sweatshirt

Sizing: TTS- I took my regular XS.

Material: lightweight cotton; sweatshirt material, nothing super soft or silky about it

Pros: interesting seams

Cons: wierd resulting shape; boring colour; jutts out strangely over one's bottom.

Verdict: not impressed. Unless you're desperately trying to acquire a trendy sweatshirt and feel like a collab piece makes you happy, I'd save the 59.99-ish this works out to on sale.

Unimpressive "interesting" seams at the bottom hemline.

Inside of sweatshirt: more unimpressive stitching at the bottom hem.

Point Sur high rise jeans by/for JCrew

Pros: terrific fabric, great stretch, good heft, soft. Good whiskering and fading in the epic wash. I tried the high rise lookout skinny jeans too, but the washes and fabric in the point sur are far superior.   Also a big bonus for me is that the jeans are skinny even on my skinny legs.

Cons: the jeans do have a longer inseam, so turning up is a must unless you want alterations.

Sizing: it might depend on the wash. These are high rise, so you can take your true size. I sized down to a 24 on the epic wash. The others are size 25.

 

Review and reflections: JCrew two tone loafer; Madewell vs JCrew

I posted this comment last night on the JCA reviews thread, a little late to make for Tuesday reading. So I thought I'd copy-paste here:

Two-tone loafer: I tried a half size down from my usual size and my regular size. The loafer runs TTS: I fit in a regular size 6, without socks. If pushed, I could even wear 6H ( half size up) without trouble. I was really excited to see this knockoff of the designer loafer that Leandra Medine's been wearing all over. But it's a disappointment. My first thought after putting them on was: I am wearing the Penguin's shoes. Yes, Batman's enemy Penguin. The nose of the shoe is cut in a sharp point, there is a definite reference to a tuxedo/bow tie on top of the shoe (at the strap), and the white is actually a muddy vanilla leather. They're decent leather, the finish is definitely not premium. More like "made in India" competing with "made in Italy".  I ordered a pair of shoes from Boden once - they were a remarkably good price I thought. But it was because they were made in India. IMO, you can tell Spain vs Brazil vs Italy vs India shoes apart quite easily. I personally prefer Spain and Italy, with Brazil coming in third.

On a related note, that's why Madewell has some well-priced leather goods. Lots of them are made of non-premium finished leather in India. The finish is a chalky matte look, rather than a soft leather, polished in natural oils, iykwim. Speaking of which, I tried their bucket duffle bag. I thought I might be able to satisfy my admiration of Mansur Gavriel's pieces with the Madewell duffle. But it's a similar story to the two-tone shoes. The Madewell product is nice, but far from perfect. A no-go for me.

J.Crew Fall 2014

Hi all,

I tried on the lambswool double zip sweater and the short duffle coat. 

Both are TTS. Both were entirely unremarkable.

Discoveries and observations: there's a preponderance of lambswool sweaters this year. This seems to be a cost cutting measure: as my picture below shows, the lambswool is not thick-knit, but a very loose gauge, with noticeably less warmth than expected.

Similarly, the duffle coat is "wool Melton", which has about 25% nylon, 73% wool and 2% other fibers. It feels a little stiff, and isn't warm like some of my other coats. If I had loved the style I would have kept it though. I thought it wasn't special enough. Major pro: side entry pockets (pictured) on top of the flap pockets for keeping hands warm.

I'm just holding the sweater up to the light here. You can see how thin (?) the gauge is. (Pls correct me if I'm using that phrase incorrectly!)

I've got so many pictures and reviews waiting, I feel like just posting wordlessly. Where does the day go?? 

UPDATE: FYI I finished an older review of the regent blazer and it posted below the coach shoes review. Can't get blogger to fix it. Pls scroll down if interested!