J.Crew: Cotton Eliza Skirt Review

This is J.Crew's Cotton Eliza Skirt (item #14802), which retails for $88.  It comes in two colors, weathered stone and natural, and is numerically sized.  J.Crew describes the skirt as such:

A sweetly swingy, soft cotton style with feminine details like allover pleats and removable sash. Full silhouette. Sits just below waist. Side zip. Fully lined. 21 1/2" long. Import. Machine wash.

I tried this skirt on in a size 4, in the weathered stone color.  The fit is true to size, and is a very comfortable fit.  The skirt sits just below the waist, so if you want to wear it a bit higher, you could try sizing down.  If you are way, way on the small end of your size, you could probably also get away with sizing down, too.  I think sizing on skirts can be difficult, because a lot depends on where you wear them.

The fabric on this skirt is really soft and light.  I was honestly surprised at how the soft the cotton is - it's almost a brushed cotton feel, and it's a great fabric for a summer skirt.  The skirt is a bit on the fuller side in terms of shape, and I think it is definitely fuller in real life than it appears on the model.  That said, I think it'd be best to try this on to determine if it adds too much volume to your bottom section.  I think it's definitely adding some volume to mine, but I don't really mind that, so you should definitely try to judge for yourself, if you can.

There are a couple layers to this skirt if I recall correctly, so that also makes the skirt a bit fuller as well.  I like the length on this skirt, but like all skirts that don't come in petite, I wish it were just a couple of inches shorter.

From the side, the skirt doesn't add too much volume, which is nice.  I think it has a sleeker, straighter shape from the side, so you're not puffing out all round.  The skirt moves really nicely, and the movement works well with the lighter fabric.  The allover pleats at the waist also help the skirt move a bit more freely than some other fuller cotton skirts J.Crew has put out.

The sash is removable, which I didn't really notice at the store, but looking at the pictures, I'm thinking it unbuttons from the skirt, because the sash definitely doesn't go all the way around the skirt, and is meant to be worn off to the side like it is in the pictures.  I think the skirt is a nice touch, and adds a nice detail to what otherwise might be just another cotton skirt, albeit a nice and soft one.  Even though I think I would almost always wear the sash, it is nice to have the option to take it off.

I initially left this skirt at the store, but then had the opposite of buyer's remorse (what would that be called?  Leaver's remorse?), so I ended up getting it in the natural color the next day.  [Okay, Boyfriend picked it up for me the next day.  What a nice guy!]

What do you think?  Do you like this skirt?  Do you own it?  Which color do you prefer?  Would you wear it with or without the sash?