Hi guys and here's the review some of you had been asking for: Jamie + the Jones Heavy Weight T sweater. I had heard of J+J for a long time but since I was on my fashion ban last year I didn't buy anything from them. And so when they had their 20% off b-day sale, I jumped at the chance. I purchased this sweater as well as the Blank Canvas top in raw silk.
So first of all I love that the yarn for this sweater was spun in North Carolina and the 100% cotton fabric is woven in Chicago, IL, then finally made to order in Nashville. Way to go for 100% American made, which is so rare these days I feel like it needs to be especially celebrated.
Now onto the actual review. So I will say from the start I have very mixed feelings about this sweater and you're going to see why in a sec. But the main points boil down to: I love the texture and the uniqueness of this sweater but I hate the weight. And a note on sizing, I ordered the sweater in a small (I'm usually a size 4 on top).
When I first put on the sweater I felt like I was wearing either a knit kitchen rug or some kind of upholstery fabric. I think it's mostly because of the weave of the fabric, it's a very tight knit and heavy. Also the material is quite stiff and not soft and fluffy as you would expect a sweater to be. But then again it's great at holding it's shape.
{Wearing: J+J heavy weight T sweater, Elizabeth Suzann canvas clydes (reviewed here), Everlane modern loafer mules (reviewed here), Celine small Cabas phantom (similar here)
Once I got used to the stiffness and the weight I sometimes felt like I was Sandra Bullock wearing one of those oversized 90's sweaters in While You Were Sleeping (one of my all-time fave movies). Cute, but casual chic.
I also like that this sweater is machine washable so I don't have to spend money at the dry cleaners.
But here are some of the cons of this sweater:
- Because of the stiffness of the sweater, the collar props up and sometimes touches my jawline area and I get make-up on the collar. Because of this I only wear this sweater on days where I know I'll mostly be sitting around (and not days where I'm working on Airstream stuff). When I raise my arms, not only does my collar get makeup on it but you can see my midriff.
- The bulk of the sweater makes it hard to layer under jackets.
- This is a slightly cropped sweater and I'm not a fan of how it makes my hips look so wide. It's a combination of where the sweater ends on my frame (right at my widest point) and the fact that it holds is voluminous shape.
- Lastly but most important, the weight. This sweater weighs 1 lb. 10 oz. Compare that to my Everlane cotton sweater which weights 9.2 oz. That's over a pound more weighing down my shoulders. I already have a pretty bad posture with shoulders that slope down, so when I have such a heavy sweater on, I feel like my posture gets even worse.
So in the end, as much as I wanted to love this sweater, I'm not sure it's for me. I think first of all it would look better on a taller person (with better posture) like on Andrea (who's 5'8") and Lee (also tall though I don't know her height). I think also by being tall, the sweater doesn't crop at their hips but rather above that.
Also, I prefer to be efficient in my clothing. I don't have a lot of space in my closet for a bulky cotton sweater that can't be layered under most of my jackets. Also because it's a cotton sweater, it doesn't provide warmth like my cashmere ones. So I don't know really. I keep reaching for it and wearing it (partly to get my cost per wear down-currently it's at $49.60). Well we'll see, I'll keep wearing it for now but I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it since I don't love love it.
{Update: So if you're confused about sizing (which I was), I got the definitive answer from Ashley at J+J. So the length as well as the width changes with size (ie it's not just the length). Here's the full run-down in her words:
As for how the sizing works on our sweaters, they do change measurements between sizes. They are graded to scale to each size from the bust, to the sleeve opening, to the neckline. Since they are a bit cropped, we find that some people do choose to size up for a bit more length. However, I always advise people to stick somewhat close to their actual size, because the more you bump up in size, the more the fit is going to be slightly off in the other areas (neckline, sleeves, etc.). I also know that some customers have chosen to take their sweaters to a tailor to have the hem let out and love the results! That way they are keeping the width manageable and still getting that slightly longer length. The only other thing I will mention is that the confusion with the sizing may have stemmed from people getting it mixed up with our T Top. Our T Top, not our T Sweater, does not change in width. That was one of our original pieces we started J+J with and at the time it was a one-size-fits-all top. When we started expanding our sizes, we chose to keep that one as a hybrid of the one-size-fits-all fit that we loved, but we adjusted the sizing in the neckline, sleeve opening, and hem, to reflect the scale.
Hope that helps and if you have more questions about sizing, you can email support@jamieandthejones and they will know all the answers!}
{April 2018 update: In full transparency, I wanted to let you guys know I sold it. I only wore it a handful of times and machine washed it twice. But I just didn't feel like storing such a bulky sweater until it gets cold again, especially if I'm a bit iffy about it. But I did sell it for a good price and only lost about $25 in trying this sweater out, so to me it was definitely worth it. I think I might try one of their other sweaters this fall.}