Notes from the Dressing Room- Someone's Smoking at J.Crew

That's not technically true, but something is in the water at the J.Crew office because I had to do a double-take at some prices more than once.

As I was out and about last night, I thought I would take a peek at Anthropologie, but J.Crew was on the way, so of course I had to go there first. Now to be perfectly honest I love J.Crew, but the latest offerings have not been leaving me overly excited and ready to buy (Madewell, on the other hand, has me filling up my virtual cart). That doesn't mean I don't still love the 'Crew and I was more than happy to see what was new in stores since my last visit. Take a look at a few items I got to try on:

Striped Caftan in Navy, $445.00, (not available online, Style#75634)

This top was in the front of the store with the new arrivals, so it's very possible this will be online with the next new rollout. I'm all for comfy, cozy and at times oversized tops. This looked interesting so I figured I would try it on. The sales lady helping me raved about how everyone in the store was loving this top and it is just so perfect and she can't wait to buy it. I put it on and thought it was nice, I could even possibly seeing myself wearing it, but it wasn't love. First of all, this piece is much better suited for spring rather than fall because the knit is a bit thin. Not see-through thin, but close enough. Another sales lady in the dressing room suggested putting a tissue turtleneck or a thin top underneath, but I find it a bit silly to have to layer a sweater. Second, this thing runs huge. Not big, huge! I am wearing an XXS/XS and you can see there is still plenty of room. When I belted it, there was lots of fabric gathered on the sides. I thought to myself that I would put it in the maybe pile, but then I actually took a look at the price tag and balked. This top is almost $500. Are you kidding me?? Who at J.Crew thought that was the appropriate price for this simple top with basic stitching. No sequins, special details or a basket full of puppies in sight, yet it was high three figures. My sewing skills are rather basic, but I'm sure I could create this myself. Now I was silly and forgot to take a pic of the fabric content, but even if this is made of 100% cashmere, I give this a thumbs down on price shock value alone. Sigh, really!!??

Collection Cashmere V-Neck Sweater in Neon Fuchsia, $188.00, available here

Toothpick Ankle in Geometric Print, $135.00, available here

I only wanted to try on the jeans and the sweater was an item the sales lady brought me to try on with them. I kind of love the print of these jeans. They are partially polka dot with a small hint of Aztec influence, or something like that, lol. The fabric isn't thick like a regular pair of jeans, but they are soft and still holds its shape. These jeans run small, but that's because they are meant to be tight/fitted. I really like these because the color combo can lend itself to plenty of different colors for a top and the pattern isn't too out there. I sized up in these and they fit well. I give these a thumbs up, but it was only like and not love, so at the store they stayed.

This cashmere sweater is so freaking cozy and I love the vibrancy of this pink color. I sized down and it still fit well, it followed my shape without being clingy. If I hadn't already bought a sweater in this color recently, I would definitely give this one some consideration.

Lady Jacket in Corkscrew Tweed in Dark Grape, $258.00, available here

I love a good blazer that's different, lady-like and/or a pretty color. I thought this little number would fit the bill, but I had some hesitation because J.Crew sometimes makes boxy blazers that just don't work for my figure. This one would fall in that category and then I actually looked at the details and wasn't so enthralled. The tweed material has a pretty interesting pattern, but it's thick and feels a bit bulky. I like the dark trim around the edges, but this material reminds me of a rug or something I might find on old, fancy curtains. And lastly, it has these big gold buttons and when I tried to close up the jacket, they didn't want to go through the buttonhole without problems. I sized up in this to get more length and because I have broad shoulders, but I would say it is tts. Overall, this jacket gets a thumbs down. The texture is great (although it has a fuzzy appearance that might get worse with time and wear), but the execution just isn't right for me. Oh, and the new catalog (aka style guide) shows that it comes in two other colors, sweet tangerine and vibrant fuchsia.

Other than a few sale items, that's it for my new arrival try-ons. I can say that it was an interesting visit for sure, but nothing that I absolutely loved, so I'm curious to see what's in the next batch of newness. Please J.Crew gods, do not let it include more $400 tops. My wallet might go into shock again and I don't want that happening.

What do you think of these new items? Would you ever spend $400-500 on a top?