Tightwad Tuesday: J. Crew Marled Wool Cardigan on the Cheap

Say what you will about the matter, dolls; but I find it is nearly impossible to resist the lure of a neutral color. Something that is so pure and untouched; yet sophisticated and cosmopolitan at the very same time. A neutral tone is like a pet project, calling your name, requesting your assistance in helping it channel its inner diva; to help it finds its way from bland to brilliant. And I’m not just talking about sleek LBD’s or skintight winter white frocks. The very same can be said for cozy knits and grandpa cardigans. J. Crew’s Marled Wool Cardigan being an optimal example.

Your grandfather or other elders may have gone the route of Mister Rogers, wearing their chunky cardigans as is, without adding even the tiniest hint of color to provide that extra splash of oomph; but even a marled knit deserves to feel glamorous at times, and J. Crew’s offering is more deserving than others.

Quite mesmerizing on it’s own, the Marled Wool Cardigan stands out from other sweaters that we find ourselves turning to once the weather morphs from warm to nippy, for it is not black, nor is it white; rather, it’s black and white and fabulous all over courtesy of the various smoky tones mingling alongside one another to create one ambrosial addition to your outerwear collection.

But darlings, it’s not just the marled black hue which is so appealing. Non, the unusual, oversized black buttons add a blazer-inspired, business casual je ne sais quoi to the piece which easily take it from a stuffy office environment, to a playful evening full of party-hopping with the girls with just a few minor adjustments in terms of the accoutrement you deem worthy of being paired with such a heavenly covering. Take the presence of an oh-so flattering, yet extremely classic v-neck shawl collar into consideration, and it’s easy to see that the mere contemplation of surviving without such a dazzling disguise is completely out of the question – at least for me.

But I digress; even though I have been salivating over this pretty for months upon months, it seems impossible for me to drop $128.00 for a lone item that will most likely be in use for a mere handful of weeks before finding itself tucked away in the back of my burgeoning closet where it will sit in somber silence until next fall rolls around. A similar sweater priced at under twenty-five dollars would be much more welcome. Hence the reason why I have my eye on the Double Breasted Cardigan.

For $22.80, Forever 21’s Double Breasted Cardigan retains all of the polish, savoir faire, and cultivated beauty of J. Crew’s chunky charmer, at a price so much more friendly to one’s checking account.

Is today the day for you to please the big spender within; or will you play it cool and be thrifty?


Fashionably yours!


Thanks to J. Crew and Forever 21 for the pictures.