Product Review: Collection Silk Cafe Capri in Pewter Paisley (And Advice Needed)

Last weekend I read an interesting article in the WSJ "Off Duty" section about the so-called "New Boho" wave in fashion and how designers and style-setters alike are incorporating bohemian prints and styles into a more traditional wardrobe (like pairing a banker shirt with a skirt or pants that have an ethnical vibe). You can access the article here but you need a subscription to read it (there is also a video-interview about the new "grunge" that you can watch even without a subscription and misses the mark completely IMO). The article mentions brands like YSL and Victoria Beckman but looking closer to us I think that JCrew and Tory Burch do a very good job at the new hobo.
The unforeseen effect of the article is that it made me look at the Collection Café capris in pewter paisley in a new light, probably because I saw them in store the same day. In fact it made me look at them to start with, as I had completely ignored them when they came out. Even when Jenna showed up in pewter paisley head to toe I didn't have a second glance at the pants. But all of a sudden after reading the article I started to fantasize about them. As you know JCrew put out plenty of "crazy pants" this season but none of them attracted me, simply because they all seemed superfluous (not to mention the price points).
So why these are different? Well, because they are grey and I "need" grey pants to pair with my grey schoolboy. I ordered the herringbone café capri back in the Fall but returned them because they didn't go with the schoolboy. At all. I looked intensely in the eye of the grey café capris but they would look too much like a suit with the jacket. I tried a pair of Theory grey herringbone slim pants but they didn't fit well. Who knew that grey was such a difficult color?
Not only these would pair well with the schoolboy, I thought, but they are seasonless because of the silk fabric so I can wear them now (well, not really now with the temps that we are having but in normal winter weather) and later in spring-summer. In the summer I thought, I could try to pull off a "new boho" look with a tee or a paisant blouse on top. Also, I have that heather lace shell that maybe some of you will remember that I love but can only pair with white pants and I thought that they would look great together.
So to the store I went to try them on, the plan being to buy wait for a sale. They had none left in my size, in fact they only had one pair left. What? These are $300 pants! Same thing at the other store. I go on the website and again, only one pair but this time they are a 0. At that point you probably know the "I have to order them this minute before they sell out completely even if I have to sell my liver to pay for them" feeling and I call my new VPS and we place the order. He assures me that I got the last pair (not true, because I had a pair in my cart and it was still there after we placed the order).
I received them yesterday afternoon and tried them on immediately because I wanted to return them (and get my $300 back) ASAP if I wasn't blown away.
Now, I had seen them in store so I wasn't disappointed in the fabric but from the Jenna outfit pics and also the catalog pic you might be wrongly induced to think that they have some texture, like a silk jacquard. They have none. This is plain silk twill. Also, something that I knew is that they are not lined. I am one of the few who like unlined pants better than lined pants because I think they fit much better on me but I agree that for the price they could be lined. Let me put it this way: I have no idea why these pants cost $300, they are completely overpriced. However, they sold out at this price so the market is sort of saying that they were right to price them so high because people bought them (I guess many took advantage of the pre-holidays 30% off promos, but still).
When I put them on, I was surprised by the fit. I was expecting them to pull a bit in the thighs, as the cafe capri, especially the silk ones, usually do, but they fit TTS and GREAT. I also appreciate that they are uncuffed and a bit more tapered on the leg. They also look a little bit shorter than the regular café capris but maybe I am mistaken and it is only because of the silk:

As expected they look great with the grey schoolboy (I know, I know, the golden buttons ruin the total-silver look but I am going to replace them one day):

At first when I tried them with the heather lace shell I was disappointed because the greys are different and clash a bit. However, this outfit grew on me, the pattern of the lace on the shell is almost a textural counterpart to the paisley print and I like the effect:

I also tried them with a white silk blouse, just to see the effect. This blouse (the Harlow blouse from a few season ago) is more ladylike than boho and could give the pants an old-ladish vibe but it is a classy outfit for a cocktail or an event:

So I do like a lot how they look but I am torn for a few reasons. First, the silk seems very snag prone. Like a bad manicure could ruin them. Second, I am afraid that I am going to crack them at the seams when I sit. Not that they are small but I feel like sitting could put a lot of stress on the seams.
Third, well they are $300 and last year I regretted buying the fresco floral for almost the same price because I didn't wear them that much. Fourth, while they pair perfectly with the schoolboy blazer and I ultimately like them with the shell, I don't see that many other styling options than the white shirt and I am afraid they will generate more purchases. Now I know why Jenna wore them with the coordinating popover: she didn't know what else to wear with them! I am kidding, I know she wanted to make a statement, but there is a bit of truth to it. So for all these reasons I am wavering. I am tempted to keep them and try to play the repurchasing game when they go on sale but if for some reason they don't go on sale that fast or they don't popback, I am stuck with a $300 pair of pants. As always, I don't mind to pay full price if it is something that I actually start to wear right away but if in two months they are a third of the price and I haven't worn them I will be mad at myself. Ah, the Crewlette!

What do you think of the Silk Café Capri in Pewter Paisley? Are they on your watch list or anybody else has them? Do you think I should keep them at full price? Anybody else read that WSJ article?