Did I mention that I love plaid? I don’t remember how the attraction started, but I love its concurrent earthiness and playfulness…very country-chic and “borrowed from the boys.” Ha. Combine that with my favorite merino wool and you have a winner – J.Crew’s Plaid Boyfriend Cardigan.

I had high hopes for this one, but it did not turn out to be a winner for me. For some reason, the cardigan turned out to be more boxy than I expected and anything I tried with it seemed kind of matronly and stuffy.

I’m wearing: J.Crew Calista Cami, Banana Republic Braided Belt (similar here), J.Crew Denim Pencil Skirt, Matt Bernson Bo Peep Espadrilles

The material was nice and weighty though. But soft. My kinda fabric for sweaters. I took a Medium in this and I’d say it’s true to size. I tried a more casual, playful look to see if I can lighten up this sweater.

I’m wearing: A&F Graphic Tee, J.Crew Paillette Mirage Tweed Mini, Steve Madden Intyce Boots

I guess it is cuter when you pair it with something very girly and sparkly, just like they did in the stock photo. But c’mon, how often am I going to wear something super girly and sparkly like this? Especially to work? Yeah, not going to happen. This one was not a keeper for me. Just my personal preference though; I can definitely see how this would be super cute on someone else!

Get it here from J.Crew for $88.

I bought the Calista Cami simply because I’m now hoarding all silk ruffle camis J.Crew produces. They just look awesome with everything and you end up looking put together without much effort. The Calista Cami though has me a little perplexed. I was first suckered in by this image in the latest catalog:

But then if you look at one of the stock photos without a model in it, it looks like this:

And the one with a model in it looks different as well from either picture above. Granted I can see how it can come to look like the others, but not at first glance:

And the version I got looked nothing like the above. Nothing.

I totally did a double take when I got it. Did I get the wrong top? Is this really the Calista? What the heck? The ruffles look like some giant insect mouth. Or maybe a flesh eating plant – what are those things called again? No matter what I do, they just keep closing in on each other. Maybe if I steam it or iron the ruffles down, it would look something like one of the three pictures above, but I have yet to try it. For now, I’d keep it regardless because the Dark Rosewood color is gorgeous and everything else about this top is perfect – length, sizing, comfort, versatility.

I’m wearing: J.Crew Paillette Mirage Tweed Mini, J.Crew Cobblestone Bracelet, Tory Burch Julianne Wedges

Any of you see the Calista Cami in stores? Which version did it look like? If you ordered it, which version did you get? I’m curious as to whether they’re all shipping like this and all require some sort of extra steaming/ironing effort.

Get it here from J.Crew on sale for $59.50.