Reviews: The many shapes of cardigans

Love this shot. Although if she put a powdered wig on this could double as a Revolutionary-era photo. The embellished cardigan space has gotten much more crowded over the last couple of years. I bought my first cardigan ever at Anthropologie but since then it seems like every designer, retailer and homebrew has gotten in on the act. It's hard to make something special these days.



So while I liked Tabitha's Beribboned Buds Cardi ($88) I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd seen it somewhere before. Many, many times. This 'purple' color option is rich (it also comes in grey) but J.Crew has about 5 merino cardigans that are very similar to this. I guess the J.Crew ones would be super thin and sheer though. Ann Taylor Loft has similar stuff at a price point $40 lower although that means trading in cotton for acrylic. The main thing Anthropologie has going for it is the higher quality of materials used. That's something worth supporting.

I tried on my true size medium. It closed without gaps and was just long enough for me. The placement of the fanned grosgrain is good and high on the front. No sheerness, no itchiness, no worrying about the fan coming undone. If it's quality you're after this is the cardigan to go for.



This super cute cardi is Guinevere's Snowmelt Cardi ($68). It comes in the same colors as the Beribboned Buds Cardi. I guess purple and grey were the standard issue colors for Anthro cardigans this year. I just adored this cardigan on. The ruffle trim fell so perfectly in my true size medium and this would be a great top layer over dresses and tank tops...come Spring Anthro. The knit is fairly open stitching so the cardi is sheer. I love the wide ribbon. This little piece was an unexpected joy that's now on my wishlist.



I have been waiting a month for this Moth shawl cardigan to appear on the website but it's yet to appear and it turns out it's a fall item that has already sold out online. It's the Fallen Ruffle Wrap ($90, thanks Lauren!) and comes in XS/S or M/L sizes only. This is the tag for SKU purposes. I've only seen it at the Soho Anthropologie. I like the dark charcoal color and the layers of ruffles which almost look like tendrils. There is one dark brass button closure and only one arm.

I tried on the M/L. I didn't find it itchy or scratchy though the material isn't soft. I can't decide if I like this or not. On the one hand it's got a lot of workmanship in it which I like. But I felt a little off-balance with the ruffles only on one side. In-store they showed this wrapped more like a big scarf. I think that would work -- in which case I wish there was no arm on the cardigan. It's an interesting piece and on sale I'd take the plunge.