Wednesday, June 10, 2009

J.Crew: Sunbleached Crinkle Flower Tee Review

This is J.Crew's Sunbleached Crinkle Flower Tee (item #19095), which retails for $42.50. It is alpha-sized, and is available in ivory and caspian blue. J.Crew describes the tee as such:
Soft, airy ringspun cotton with an addictive texture and a light, cool handfeel, embellished with darling flowers in silk habotai (which means "light as feathers"). Fitted. Crewneck. Short sleeves. Straight hem. Hits at hip. Import. Machine wash.
I tried this on in a size small in the caspian blue color. I think the fit is true-to-size, and it's a fairly comfortable fit. The shirt has some stretch to it, so it's a bit on the clingy size, but I think it still fits. I would have liked it to be a bit looser on the arms, and I would not size down in this one. If you're looking for a more relaxed fit, then you can definitely try sizing up.

The fabric is the standard ringspun fabric, so a light to medium weight cotton with a bit of stretch and texture. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's a coarse feel, but I also wouldn't call it smooth, either. The fabric isn't super thin or super thick - it's probably somewhere in the middle, but closer to the thin side, I would say - and the caspian blue tee is not see through, which is always nice.

I think the pattern is...interesting. I am honestly not such a fan, but I think that's because I'm not really taken with darker colors like this. I would have liked to have tried this on in the ivory color, to see if that makes a difference. The flower pattern is very nice to the touch, and is done very well. The texture of the pattern and the pattern itself work fairly well with the tee, I think.

Because the pattern is fairly simple (in terms of color and design), and sticks with a dark palette, I think you could easily pair this with a number of different bottoms and layering pieces, in a variety of colors.

I left this tee behind because I am not crazy about the pattern. I have seen others in the blog circle totally pulling off this tee, but I am not super into the pattern for myself. I know that I could not justify paying so much for a tee I would pretty much never wear.

What do you think? Do you like this tee? Do you own it? Which color do you prefer? What would you pair it with? What colors would you wear with it?

5 comments:

dinagideon June 10, 2009 at 10:30 AM  

I like it on you, but if you would never wear it, then best left behind, for sure!

I personally love mine...the caspian blue with the charcoal silk appliques are so pretty and different!

Thanks for the review...

HeidiG June 10, 2009 at 10:32 AM  

I love mine - but like I said when I talked about the dressy cinched dress - if we all wore the exact same pieces, it would get pretty boring, right? :)

I have worn mine with black cropped pants and it looked fab (IMO). I also plan to wear it with white and khaki (which is most of my summer bottoms). You could do jeans, but I could see it not working with some denim colors.

Margot June 10, 2009 at 1:13 PM  

I like it on you, Jenn. I have it in ivory. It is very comfortable and different enough to justify the salty price, at least for me.

Anonymous June 10, 2009 at 4:03 PM  

I have the tee in both colors and really enjoy wearing both.

The tee naturally goes well with jeans and shorts, but the streamlined shape also looks great with a-line or full skirts.

I like to pair the ivory tee with brighter colors, like the chartreuse gateau or pink belle. I only wish I had a sorbet orange skirt to wear with it, too.

For some reasons, I like the caspian tee best with other darker blue pieces (navy cardigan and darker wash jeans). Looks cute, if out of season. :)

Happy shopping the new arrivals! I look forward to your great reviews!

LL

JTS June 10, 2009 at 8:27 PM  

@Dina - Have you posted pics of yours? I'm sure you look fantastic in it - the blue must look amazing with your skintone! :)

@HeidiG - I saw your pictures of this - you look great (as always :)). I love your point about all of us wearing the same thing, and I always keep this in mind when discussing fashion. And thanks for sharing the color pairings!

@Margot - Thank you! I'm sure this looks fabulous on you! We need to plan another get together soon (although, some key members are out of town at the moment :().

@LL - Don't you just love it when you love a piece so much you have to get it in multiple colors :) That is a sign of true clothes love to me! :) Thanks for sharing your color pairing ideas - always nice to get ideas from others!