Look# 16 Sweater and Grandpa Pants

When I saw this sweater in the J.Crew Fall Lookbook I was very excited about it. It reminded me of Oilily/Room7 knits I used to buy for my daughter (I blogged about it HERE). I always wished they would make them in adult sizes.

I grabbed size Medium to take to the fitting room, because this is typically my size in sweaters, and I usually prefer slouchy to too tight.

Size Medium, sleeves too wide and boxy

When I put the sweater on I was immediately disappointed in the fit. First of all, the sleeves were too wide and the body of the sweater was too boxy, it did not look anything like on a model.

I did like the muted colors and the intricate pattern. The knit on this sweater looks almost like you are wearing it inside out, meaning that you see how the different color yarns are connected.

KnitYarns, if you read this, please help me to explain, I am sure you know what I mean, but I don't know how to describe it properly.

$118

The price is not too bad. Oilily sweaters were definitely more expensive, but the quality was excellent. I don't think they developed a single pill, even after machine washing for many years. I forgot to look a the fabric content of the J.Crew sweater. The knit was quite soft and not itchy.  

This is the inside part of the knit

I decided to try on the Small to see if it would make a difference in fit.

Size Small

It did! I definitely liked the sweater better in a Small.  I would say it runs large and I would recommend sizing down or taking a smaller of your sizes.

The sleeves looked much better in a Small, but it was quite snug in the belly/hip area, so that might be an issue for some. I did not notice much difference in length and I was grateful for that.

Still, I was not 100% sure about the fit and I would like to know the knit content. The sweater did not look like it would pill the next minute, but it was it's first day on the sales floor. I wish I paid attention on fabric content, but maybe somebody did and can chime in.

Overall, I would consider this sweater, unless we will find out that it will pill like crazy. It is unique and sophisticated imo and I think it would work with variety of bottoms. It could be worn with different color pencil skirts, trousers and jeans. It even worked with the checked trousers I tried it with.

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Stovepipe trouser in wool check

I grabbed the pants because I thought many may be interested in them, but I did not think they will work for me. In the past, I have bought some similar trousers and they always ended up sitting in my closets, because they read  too much like Grandpa pants, too heavy, too masculine, too staid. 

Size 4 TTS

They are 100% wool and fully lined in 100% polyester. Once I tried them on, I was pleasantly surprised with the fit. They looked different than my other checked pants. The fit is very streamlined and tapered, which makes them look slim and modern, despite the checked pattern, which tends to add visual bulk and heaviness imo.

The colors are muted, dark brown, tan and, I am not sure, black or navy. They would be easy to pair with different tops, I would treat them as neutral.

This picture is a little blurry but I wanted to show you that the back view was not bad either and this is rare for me, as I have no rear to speak of and many pants may sag in that area.

Close up of the colors

In the picture above it looks like there are no front pockets but they are there (slanted) just sewn shut. I would be tempted to leave them like that as it looks very streamlined this way.

Since the pants fit me quite well, I think for those of you who are more pear shaped, you may need to size up and the pants may gap in the waist.  They are a 'favorite fit', so they have a little higher rise. Personally, I liked that, even if I like a 'city fit' too. They camouflage some of the flaws and prevent muffin top from happening, but they do feel more constricting, especially that they are wool and fully lined.

Overall, I loved the trousers but the price on them is pretty steep and I would wait for some kind of discount, sale or preferably both. 

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That's all folks!

What do you think?
Are you interested in the sweater or pants?

Please share, it would be no fun without you!!!