Promo Priced and Sale Items Picks: Cafe Capri in Wool Herringbone, Cashmere Bateau in Stripes, Velvet Schoolboy and a Few Others

Good morning! As you probably now JCrew is offering 30% off sale items until tomorrow (Friday). While at first I thought that I wouldn't take advantage of this promo, there are many items that got promo-priced during the week or that don't show up as final sale so I ended up picking up a few things that are returnable and are a price good enough to keep them if I really like them.

Before ordering I went to my closest store to see if I could try a few things on for sizing purposes. The first item that I was looking for is the Collection cashmere bateau sweater in stripe whose price just dropped to $149.99 in all the colors. I wasn't interested in the two colors previously on sale but when both the black/flax and caramel/ivory colorways hit sale yesterday I decided to give it a try it since I love JCrew cashmere (call me crazy).
My usual sweater size XS fits perfectly. This is the caramel/ivory colorway (it looks a little bit more olive in these pics because of the neon light in the fitting room but it's a warm caramel and the stripes are a light ivory). As you can see the neckline sits a bit funny, I would say that it is between a mockneck and a boatneck. Also note the three quarter sleeves, that could bother someone in a cashmere sweater:

And this is the black/flax. The stripes in the black are much darker than in the other colorway, as flax is the JCrew color name for "oatmeal" (I mention it so you are not disappointed in case you were expecting ivory or white stripes). Even if I knew they weren't ivory, I was still a bit surprised by the darkness of the color (which is not well rendered in these pics):

I ended up ordering the black/flax to wear with black Minnies (I also happen to have another cashmere sweater in the caramel colorway and I am a bit tired of it).

The next item that I wanted to try on before ordering are the Cafe capri in herringbone. These pants are lined and I didn't know if I had to order a 0 or size up to a 2 because of the lining (they are fully lined in poly) of if they would be a complete disaster (like sometimes lined pants are on me. I am looking at you Stovepipe trousers in wool checks).
I was looking for the grey but they only had the pink at my store. I tried them anyway for sizing even if I wasn't interested in the pink and these were a surprise LOVE for me. This is the size 0, which fits perfectly:

I am not a pink person at all and I have already the Lollis in bright dahlia which is enough pink pants in my wardobe so I sticked to my initial plan of ordering the grey (that I need, I don't have a single pair of grey pants) but I might exchange them for the pink in case I don't like the color or how they fit. I tried the jacket too but that was definitively too much pink and they didn't have my size so I didn't take a pic.

The other item that I wanted to share pics of, even if it is something that I ordered a while ago and returned since, is the Schoolboy blazer in velvet. I ordered the navy, which is not a color currently on promo, but at least you can judge the fit (which I didn't like).
I ordered a size 2, which is my regular blazer/coat size. I am used to the boxyness of the schoolboy but I found this to be terribly boxy and stiff. I also disliked the welt pockets with the flaps that add bulk to the sides (there are three of them). Last, I didn't like the color at all. It is quite a dull navy with no purple undertones, in fact this has more green to it than purple (just to be clear, it is definitively navy and not green but it would be at the end of a color scale that goes towards teal). This is probably just my personal disappointment because I was looking for a jewel-tone velvet blazer like the one that Marion Cotillard is wearing on the cover of the August issue of Vogue:

Isn't she incredibly beautiful? By the way, she should be the new French Marianne, non (the title is currently hold by the semi-obscure TV presenter Evelyne Thomas)?

Anyway, this is the scoolboy on me:

I immediately returned it and I shopped my (old) closet in Milan where I found a more dignified subsitute of the Dior jacket that Marion is wearing (pics coming in another post).

To go back to the JCrew sale, it is also a good time to try same denim, in particular the Ankle toothpick jeans in huron wash. I love these jeans and they are on promo for $108. ETA: sorry I just noticed that they went back to full price. I am usually a 26 but I sized one up in these as the 26 was pretty tight. They gape a bit in the waist in the 27 but nothing major. You have seen these on me already in all the fitting room pics (as I kept trying them on but couldn't stomach paying $130 + tax):

See them also on Gwyneth ;-).

From the final sale section, I can't say good enough of the Cafe capri in pop art polka dot. I ordered them just before leaving for Europe when they where promo-priced at $98. I was a little bit hesitant about ordering them so late in the season (what if I can't stand the sight of polka-dots next year) but I also knew that they would probably go on sale and sell out while I was on vacation and it was my last chance to get them. Well, I am so glad that I did because I wore them non-stop to school these last two weeks, they are the perfect transitioning pair to me and the print is more graphic than sweet so I think they will still work next year too. In case you have never seen them IRL, the dots are cream and not white. I went with a 0, which is the same size that my foulard ones that I adore and these look a little bit more cropped because they are cuffed. You can wear any color on top but if you are looking for a perfect match, they pair greatly with the Collection silk crepe tee, which is currently on sale for $89.99 (a great price IMO as this is a high-quality garment. The ivory is currently sold-out but might popback). I love this top especially because of the length, it looks great untucked (I am wearing a 0 and it fits very well, but you can size one up I think. I was afraid that it would be a bit boxy but it isn't):

As an added bonus, it isn't sheer at all since it is a very substantial silk (that also holds its shape). I also love the casual tee shape rendered in a luxury fabric that elevates a basic. They really nailed this one IMO.

That's it. Sorry for the long post but I find it a little bit difficult to sit down at the computer these days so I crammed many topics of posts that I am not sure I am going to write any time soon in one post.

What do you think of these picks? Are you taking advantage of this promo?