The J. Crew Tippi in crushed grape looked just about perfect. I have a couple of the Tippi pullovers and love them. This particular color, a rich blue-purple, is beautiful on me -- it may be my best color.
It really looks to be very similar: merino, similar neckline (though narrower trim on the BR version), similar length and spacing of buttons (9 buttons in both). As usual with Banana Republic, their version was substantially cheaper with sales and codes and whatnot, so I went for it.
I did NOT get the more deeply discounted purple color, even though I was tempted:
This is not the color I was looking for. It's redder and not as flattering a color on me, and just reads as less sophisticated overall. I can't put my finger on it, but it wasn't right, and I'm proud of myself for springing for the better purple. For some reason, this is very hard for me to do. Even when, like here, the cost difference isn't much, I have always found myself buying the cheapest colors in a sale, and that's why I ended up getting rid of so much stuff that was just wrong for me last year, including a heck of a lot of pink.
I am not sure what else I'll end up buying this year. I'm currently diverting nearly all of my free cash towards my student loans to finally have them paid off in May, 11 years from graduation. After that, I'll see. I'm seeing my favorite band play in a few months and I'll surely buy a t-shirt. My summer wardrobe is probably wanting a bit for lightweight dresses and skirts and t-shirts, but I'll figure that out after this snow melts. I could use a raincoat. But this is what I love about having my wardrobe mostly settled: I can take my time with purchases, buying things after I find I have a pressing need for them or, like this purple cardigan, just a color craving.
Good call on giving priority to paying off your student loans.
ReplyDeleteThe cardigan looks nice, and the velvet trim is a nice touch. I think it's better to spend a little bit more to get exactly what you want. Sometimes going for the cheaper alternative ends up costing more in the long run.
It was such a wake-up call getting rid of so much stuff last year. Although it does hurt more the more I initially paid. The $300 sandals I've worn once in seven years (!), the DVF skirts and dresses that are cut strangely... it's an internal struggle with me to figure out when it's worth spending the money and when I'll just be disappointed.
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