Review: J.Crew Haya stripe hoodie

I have been in a summery, beachy state of mind lately, and as soon as I saw the Haya striped hoodie ($65) on jcrew.com I knew I would be getting it.





The price is outrageous for a hoodie, but I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket. I found the hoodie at my local b&m and tried it on. I loved it!

The material is like a very soft and stretchy terry cloth. It's highly breathable and ever-so-comfortable. There are little pinky-peach darts at the pockets and the hood are attached, which add a pop of color and add some (otherwise lacking) femininity of the piece. The darts will also keep the seams from ripping/unraveling (ehem).

The fit is what I'd call a boyfriend fit. It's more form-fitting around the arms, and looser in the body. I took my regular size S in it, and it fits perfectly. There is quite a bit of stretch to the fabric, so if you want the hoodie to be snug try the next size down.

Here is a pic in less than optimum lighting (click to enlarge):




The Haya hoodie was going fast at my store, otherwise I would have waited on it. I was a bit surprised at first, but not after I tried it. J.Crew makes the best loungewear, in my opinion; it's always so soft and comfortable. Thumbs up on this one!

Review: J.Crew Croquet-stripe Caprese tunic

I ordered the Croquet-stripe Caprese tunic ($38) in the dusty shale colorway. I had heard that it ran large, so I ordered both my normal size S and an XS just in case. Indeed, to say this top runs large is a gross understatement. It is easily a full size too big, if not more.

I am 5'5" and a 36B, normally a size 4 or size S in J.Crew tops. 98% of the time this is the case. This tunic clearly falls into the other 2%, because not only did I take an XS in it, but the XS was actually a little roomy. Smaller/petite ladies will definitely be sized out of this one, unfortunately. It's a shame, because it's a lovely tunic.

The fabric is a soft, lightweight cotton, but it is not sheer. It feels almost like a chambray. As the description on J.Crew's website states, the stripes are woven into the fabric as opposed to being printed on, which results in a nice texture in both the tactile and visual senses.

Here is a swatch of the fabric (click on it to see it larger):

The color in the swatch is a little washed out from the flash, but it shows the texture nicely. You can see that there are thin ivory cables at at the edges of the shale and ivory stripes, and that the main blue part of the tunic has ivory interwoven into it. It's really very lovely, and I recommend it if you are thinking about it.

Also, just be aware that the front buttons are placed pretty low on the placket, though I did not have problems with the neckline gaping open; the coverage was fine for me. The only issue I had was wearing a cross-body bag ... I felt like the strap on the bag pulled open the "v" in the front a little bit, but my husband assured me that nothing was visible when that happened. In the future though, I might wear a cami underneath when I am wearing a cross-body.

EDIT: This top just arrived arrived at my local b&m, and the price is $49.50, which is $11.50 higher than the price online. Really, J.Crew?