Reviews: Pinafore Pullover, Switching Sides Sweater, Solstice Festival Cardigan, Sweet Cables Pullover, Tea’s Ribbon Cardi, Preloved Jacket, Cabled Pathways Pullover, Double Time Cardigan

Time for some Saturday Night Reviews! Though I can’t say why Shopstyle has sucked the big one this month and not a single item Anthropologie released in November made the site. Even better, no one from their affiliate program has responded to my emails asking why. Guess they must be on an extended holiday vacation. That started early. But hey! At least they’re using this blog on their press page without my permission because this blog is awesome. So that’s something…

Anthropologie’s Pinafore Pullover ($168, style #19181916) was on the website for about 20 seconds before selling out. I saw it briefly in the NYC stores before it quickly disappeared from there too. After a few weeks of diligently calling customer service I learned a new shipment had been sent out to my local Anthros, so I headed out to try it before it disappeared again.

This is one of a few sweaters from Rosie Neira this year. The Tea’s Ribbon Cardi below is another, and I reviewed the Winding Willow Sweater Jacket ($148) in this post. I love the buttons along the shoulder on this sweater. The ruffles in front were immediately worrisome, but not enough to deter me from trying on this sweater I’d admired for so long.

I tried on my usual size medium. The differences between the model shot and the sweater on me are almost laughable. The sweater looks so nice and long on the model but in me…not even close! I hate this game. My chest eats up some of the material but not as much material as the catalogue shot would make you think is available. Big sigh. While the sweater is short in the front it’s pretty long in back — this gave me a bit of hope. I liked the crochet ruffle a lot. It’s a different touch that will be fun to style. If you’re concerned about making your shoulders look broader skip this sweater. I liked the way the buttons and differing pattern look but it’s not going to be to everyone’s taste.

The craftsmanship is there, so I decided that if a large was available I’d give it a shot. The store had one large left. Lo and behold it was a bit longer without being too much bigger. You’ll see it on me in an upcoming OOTD.

The other Rosie Neira sweater I hadn’t tried yet was the Tea’s Ribbon Cardi ($128). The medium wasn’t fitting over my chest well so I sized up to a large. The photos above are all the large. Unfortunately I think I am between sizes. The large was flaring out a lot at the sides, but at least it laid flatter from the side. 

The weird thing was hot the cardi looked from the back. On the model it’s three cute ties…

…while on me it was kind of a mess! My friend had tried on her usual small earlier in the week and found the same thing. I hope that some careful untangling at home could fix this. It’s something to watch out for if you try this item on.

Other than that weirdness the cardigan is wonderful. Carefully crocheted with double layers of ruffles and tons of little buttons lining the front, it’s light and airy and too pretty for words. I love all the little details on this piece. The main component is unfortunately nylon (boo) and while there is mohair I didn’t find the cardigan itchy in the least. It’s beautiful but I’ll wait for sale. Wishlisted!

I had a few community requests to try on the Switching Sides Sweater (now $60) from Moth. This cotton-cashmere mix is wonderfully soft and the crossover cabling reminds me of last year’s Sweeping Frills Sweater (below) by Guinevere which was sadly too short on me.

The Sweeping Frills Sweater from last year.
Sadly I had the exact same issue with the Switching Sides Sweater. Maybe all of Anthro’s sweater designers are 5’3″? Aside from the length issue I liked the sweater quite a bit. The cowl isn’t overpowering and the color is a muted blue that would work well for cold weather…though thin this sweater felt nice and warm. A pass for me since it’s too short.

Speaking of short, here’s another cardigan that could use another few inches. It’s Field Flower’s Solstice Festival Cardigan ($198).The price nearly made my eyeballs fall out, especially when I saw that this sweater is only 50% wool (the rest is an acrylic/poly blend). Pity the poor pink sheep this sweater came from.

My true size medium was a perfect fit. What was good? The floral applique, the thick bottom stitching and the lovely thick marled quality of the material. It was very easy to put this sweater on pullover style. The sleeves are long but easily cuffable. What was not good? The length mainly. If it was long enough to cover my tummy fully it wouldn’t be a huge deal. Sadly the front doesn’t go far enough down. Sizing up to a large would help that issue but add extra room at the sides. So again I have a dilemma. It means no buy at full-price. Wishlisted for sale.

At least the Sweet Cables Pullover ($88) is meant to be cropped. I can see layering this over a thermal before plopping down in front of the fire for a game of Scrabble. It’s mostly wool with a huge cowlneck…a turtleneck almost, just without the choking properties.

I once again went for my usual size medium and this time it fit well. There’s a weird side vent to this sweater. In the third photo from the left above you can see the “tail” this creates. It’s just a bit longer in the back. I found the sweater to feel nice and warm. But without sleeves how warm can you really be? I like the different cable patterns and the color. Not a full price buy for me, but wishlisted for sale.

You may have noticed some cropped three-button sweater jackets in-store by a brand called preloved. No two are the same. This brand literally takes old clothing and reworks it into new pieces. I am intrigued! I decided to try one on. I don’t see this sweater online so a picture of the tag below will have to do for now. I’m calling this the Preloved Jacket ($168). They run very small around the bust. If you’re not busty your true size should be fine, but I had to size up two sizes to an XL.

This jacket looks fantastic over a blouse or a dress. With jeans it cuts the body up a bit so I probably would layer a similar color underneath. I love the way the buttons follow the curve of the jacket. I love the asymmetrical collar. I did not love the minor itch I got from the sleeves. Willing to look past it (or layer long sleeves underneath). I hope these show up online so I can wishlist one.

This is the tag from the Preloved Jacket. These items are being carried at select Anthropologies around the country. You’ll see another one of these in a post on Monday.

Another Moth sweater made its way to the fitting room with me. This is the Cabled Pathways Pullover ($128). I had trouble deciding which color to try on — I really like all 3 options! I ended up settling on the gold because I don’t own many gold sweaters. I tried on my true size medium which fit well and was juuuuusssttt long enough. Seriously Anthro. I’m only 5’8″, which is tall but not that tall! I barely noticed the buttons at the neckline in-store but they are very cool.

The waffle knit and the crocheting at the bottom of this sweater is positively delectable. I want to eat it up. I love the crisscross cable pattern which is different everywhere you look. I’d tried this sweater on with the Finishing School Skirt ($78, review here) but sadly my phone ate the photos. Cord skirts are a great pairing for the sweater. Another one for the wishlist!

I was initially attracted to Sleeping on Snow’s Double Time Cardigan ($148) because of the fair isle print. I didn’t even see the flowers until I pulled the cardigan from the rack. LOVE! Let’s start with the good news: this sweater is almost 100% organic. We’re getting closer! There is mohair in the mix though I noticed neither itching nor shedding. In fact I found the cardigan very comfortable.

A medium fit perfectly and was once again juuuusssstttt long enough. My god I love this sweater. I have such a weakness for fair isle. It’s beautiful and the floral adornments add a little something extra. The grey with a pop of red is winter perfection (and makes me think of New England colleges, which tend to pick those colors). Below is a close-up of one of the flowers and a tag within. Wishlisted!


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