Sunday, August 16, 2009

J.Crew: Wool Herringbone Bucket Hat Review

Here's J.Crew's Wool Herringbone Bucket Hat (item #17901). It comes in two sizes: S/M and M/L, and four different colors. I'm wearing the hat in the butterscotch color.


So regarding the size, I'm wearing a size S/M, which is 56 cm (basically 22 inches) around. By comparison, the M/L is 58 cm (basically 23 inches (slightly smaller - 22.8)) around. I debated on sizes for awhile, as I will admit I have a pretty big head. :) I ended up going with the S/M after my measuring my head a bunch of times, comparing the different ways I'd wear it (at an angle, straight up and down, etc.), and eventually settled on the S/M. I'm happy with the fit. I think i would have worked fine with a M/L as well, but I think it would have been just a smidge too big if I were wearing it straight up and down, but would have worked well if I were wearing it at an angle.

The wool herringbone is really nice and soft. It's midweight I'd say, and is a nice thickness. I'd say that it's a really nice fall hat. It's cute and fairly stylish, and is availabe in some really nice, neutral colors. The hat has a band that goes around the front which is attached with buttons on either side and adds a nice detail to an otherwise basic hat.


J.Crew: Silk Frances Cami Review

This is J.Crew's Silk Frances Cami (item #17428), which is also available in petites (item #17932), which retails for $88. It's alpha-sized, and is available in a number of different colors. This is the deep rose color.


I ordered the cami in a petite 2 after e-mailing back and forth with my PS about the sizing several times (including asking for sizing for several other camis as comparison). The P2 fits, but I have wider shoulders, so it's a bit tight in the back sometimes (depending on how I move my arms). It's not tight enough that I'd return these for a P4, but I'd recommend trying on if you can, and if you have broader shoulders, then perhaps you might want to size up. The sizing is very comparable to the Victoria cami.

The silk is a nice, light silk. I would say the sheen on the cami is more like what you see in my pictures, as opposed to a bit more matte finish on the website. I actually ordered this red color based on a catalog picture that my PS sent me, and the red was a bit more red-orange in real life than it was in the catalog picture, but I'd say it's pretty true-to-life to what you see on the website. The other colors I ordered are also true-to-life to the website.

Below is a close-up of the ruffles. These came flattened out from packing, and I have not steamed or fluffed them since the top arrived. They were packed with 6 or 8 little balls of tissue undernearth the ruffles in an attempt to keep them a bit more fluffed up, but they would still need to be steamed or something to look they way they do in pictures.