13 Comments

• 1. Gary  |  November 7th, 2008 at 5:32 am

  That topcoat is perfect. So is the cardigan–which I decided yesterday I love so much I had to order it with overnight shipping! That cardigan is a classic–simple, timeless, and classy.

  If I had a few hundred dollars more in the play money account, I’d definitely go for the coat too.

• 2. Trisha  |  November 10th, 2008 at 1:04 am

  Isn’t it? I love J Crew’s styling, tailoring, and fabric choices. How are you liking your cardigan?

• 3. Gary  |  November 12th, 2008 at 6:27 pm

  Trisha, I had to return and reorder, actually. It’s a great cardigan, but the buyer should beware that, for whatever reason, J. Crew has chosen to oversize this. I’m a true Large but this fit like an XL or bigger. I’m now waiting for my Medium to show up. Thank goodness returns are easy.

• 4. Trisha  |  November 12th, 2008 at 8:38 pm

  Odd that they chose to oversize this cardigan. Thanks for the heads up about the sizing, Gary!

• 5. Gary  |  November 13th, 2008 at 11:13 am

  Medium arrived and fits perfectly! This IS meant to be a slightly bulky sweater. To look like the model, I’d have to go with a Small, but I’d feel like I was wearing my kid brother’s sweater at that point.

  So my advice: If you’re a medium or large normally with j. crew, definitely size down one size with this one.

• 6. Trisha  |  November 14th, 2008 at 12:39 am

  Excellent, glad that your Medium sweater fits perfectly. Really appreciate the fit advice, Gary!

• 7. Gary  |  December 3rd, 2008 at 6:06 pm

  Update: I exchanged my Medium (shawl neck) for a Small! Wow, these things are big. My advice to anyone considering this: The Small is almost a one-size-fits-all size. If you want a fit that looks anything like the model pix, go with the Small. If you want something that looks more like a jacket, go Medium and up.

  I’m 6.1, 185 pounds. I am slim, but by no means “small.” This is the first Small in anything I’ve purchased for my wardrobe ever.

• 8. Trisha  |  December 4th, 2008 at 2:48 am

  Thanks for the update, Gary. The beauty of the shawl neck sweater is the closer-than-average fit – so I’m happy to hear that you exchanged your medium for a small

• 9. Gary  |  December 4th, 2008 at 3:37 pm

  I agree, Trisha. The “average” fit in any cardigan–shawl collar or otherwise–looks too “grandfatherly,” to me. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but I really like how designers have updated this classic look with sleeker proportions.

  You’ve got a great site going on here. I enjoy reading it almost every day, but I wish you had more men’s style info.

  Still… looks (and reads) great!

• 10. Filipe  |  January 9th, 2009 at 5:17 am

  I really wish I’d read this before I bought the shawl neck cardigan. I too got the medium and it looks like a grandpa sweater on me! I’m going to see if I can shrink it somehow but it seems a bit risky

• 11. Gary  |  January 9th, 2009 at 11:56 am

  Ooh, no, don’t shrink! Actually, I’ve since gone back to the medium and also bought another one in another color in a Large. I actually now prefer the large. Here’s the reason: I think I was so “programmed” to think all cardigans have to be close-fitting that I could not see the real value in a normal-sized shawl collar cardigan. Yes, the L cardi is big, but it is meant to be big. When you go down a size from your normal size, I think you also lose some of the intended draping and such. This has been a lesson learned for me, brought home especially by the pricey-ness of all that back and forth shipping for exchanges and such. The lesson is that in general, I think esp

• 12. Gary  |  January 9th, 2009 at 11:58 am

  ecially for sweaters, it is almost always better to stick with your “true” size. I think otherwise you tend to end up with odd fits.

  Just my 2.5 cents plus S&H worth!

• 13. ben  |  February 6th, 2009 at 10:28 pm

  Does anyone know where to get a sweater sold last season in Jcrew stores? The item was a men’s shawl collar sweater in navy and 3 buttons and a military style pocket? Item number is 98555? Thanks for any help!