J.Crew: Cotton-Silk Strapless Top with Flower Review

This is J.Crew's Cotton-Silk Strapless Top With Flower (item #16188), which retails for $128. It is numerically sized, and is available in white and bright coral. J.Crew describes the top as such:

A textured blend of cotton and silk beautifully designed into one of our most versatile summer tops. Wear it sassy with jeans and heels or sweet and feminine with a skirt. The detachable silk flower can be pinned onto the bodice or placed in your hair for special occasions. Inside you'll find a corset for extra support. Fitted. Strapless. Exposed back zip. Straight hem. Fully lined. Hits at hip. Import. Dry clean.

I tried this on in a size 4, in the white color. I was a bit iffy on the fit. It took forever to get on correctly (and you wouldn't really think so, right?), and the whole time, it felt like it was going to be too loose and fall off, but in the end, after all the adjusting and whatnot, I think it fit fine. I would have liked to have tried on a size 2 for comparison, but this one was at the tail end of this visit, and it did feel all right in the 4, so I didn't bother. I would say that it mostly fits true to size, but if you are on the smaller end of your size, then you may want to consider sizing down.

The fabric was a really nice, cotton-silk blend (73% cotton, 27% silk). The top is lined in 100% cotton, and is a tad bit on the sheer side. Note that in the picture above, you can just sort of see the shorts through the shirt. This could also be because it was the white color; I'm not sure if you'd have the same issue in the bright coral. The fabric itself is very soft and smooth, and also very light. It is definitely a nice fabric for a late spring/summer top.

The back of this top has an exposed metal zipper, which I was just okay with. It detracts (in my opinion) from the overall light and feminine vibe of this top. I didn't really care for that, but other people may like it, as it sort of adds some "toughness" so to speak to the top. There is "corset" (not really) inside, which is basically just another layer of fabric that zips up the back. This was nice to have, but made the top more difficult to get on (at least get on without help). The length on the top was nice for me, but may be a problem for some of you taller ladies out there.

The flowers are very pretty in real life - I think they photograph pretty true to life, but I don't think they look as big in real life as they do in the model pictures. Maybe the model had hers fluffed or something right before the shoot. The front of the top has a criss-cross pattern with some pleating, which adds some nice detail to the top. The flowers are initially pinned on to the side, but you can remove them and move them to wherever (or remove them altogether).

I like the overall style of the top - it's simple but with some nice details. It would work well on its own, or as a layering piece (probably without the flowers though in that case). I think you can easily dress this piece up or down.

However, my biggest issue with this piece is the price. I'm sure J.Crew has a reason to justify such a steep price, but it is a basic light, white, strapless top. I didn't really note anything particularly special about this top, in the fabric, design, details, quality, etc., that would make it worth $128, but that is just my opinion.

I left this one behind, but only because of the price. If this top were more reasonably priced (and I mean a lot more reasonably priced), I would probably pick one up in each color. I always reasoned with myself that I could just buy a nice white tank and some flowers, and have almost the same thing.

What do you think? Do you like this top? Do you own it (lucky you!) or have you seen it or tried it on? What do you think is a reasonable price point for this top? How much would you pay for it?