Happy Tuesday!
Did you start this week feeling frazzled and behind like I did!? đ Whew these short weeks, man. Theyâre great but theyâre always stressful, right!?
We had the best weekend in Michigan celebrating Nealâs birthday. (Recap of that trip coming soon!) Was on a mad dash to get as much done today as possible because my mom comes to visit tomorrow! So excited for her to get hereâwe donât really have anything special planned, just spending lots of quality time together, hopefully cooking some good meals and going for lots of long walks!
Switching gears to todayâs postâI think itâs one many of you will be excited about!
Every so often a brand comes along and starts blowing up on my Instagram feed and subsequently (because Iâm assuming you all are seeing the same ads I am! đ) in my dmâs! That latest brand is Quinceâand many readers have been asking if Iâve tried any of their items, whether Iâd heard anything about the brand, and if their items are worth all the buzz! There was only one way to find out, so I purchased a few things to test drive myself! In the name of âinvestigative journalism,â you know. đ (You can see my whole Quince try on right here on Instagram stories!)
What I learned: From my google stalking, I learned that Quince is basically old-school Everlane. Obviously I was intrigued! The brand is built on cutting out the middlemen and making high quality items direct to consumer, for less. In some instances, a lot less! Their items are sustainably made as much as possible, by partnering with ethical factories which meet or exceed global guidelines for workplace safety and equitable wages. Loving all of thisâbut do the clothes live up to the hype?
I am excited to reportâI really think they do! Overall I was very pleased with everything I tried out in my order. (Again, you can see my whole Quince try on right here on Instagram stories!) The biggest standout though: the oversized cashmere boyfriend cardigan! I can confidently say this is the sweater Iâve reached for 80% of the time Iâve gotten dressed in the past several weeks since purchasing it. Iâve heard it touted as a budget-friendly Jenni Kayne dupe, but Iâve never bought anything from Jenni Kayne (so beautiful but SO EXPENSIVE) so I canât compare the two directly!
So IS the Quince cashmere boyfriend cardigan worth it?!
(I meanâŚyouâre reading a whole post dedicated to it, so I think you already know where I stand on the issue. đ)
Of course, the term âworth itâ is all subjective. I can only define âworth itâ as it pertains to MY terms and I can confidently say yes, I do think the $139 price point is worth it. I love it so much that I purchased two colorsâthe black and the brown and if I had less willpower I probably wouldâve purchased a third and maybe a fourth. đ I REALLY love this sweater. I love it both buttoned, front tucked, unbuttoned, untuckedâhowever you wear it, I think itâs incredibly versatile and a really beautiful sweater.
Sizing: Itâs very generous in sizing but itâs supposed to be. Therefore, order your regular size for an oversized fit. Iâm wearing a small.
Is the cashmere itchy?
VERY popular question here. I think this too is a very subjective question. I am not typically bothered by cashmere, mohair, or other natural fiber sweaters. I think this sweater is very soft! However, a LOT of people areâso if you are one of those people who typically thinks cashmere is scratchy, I donât really think this sweater is magically not going to feel scratchy to you! The good news is that Quince makes two alternatives that are 100% organic cottonâIâll like those below!
Cashmere alternatives: Quince 100% cotton oversized cardigan OR the 100% organic cotton oversized cable cardigan
Either of the cotton sweaters can also be styled just like you see me styling the cashmere version here!
All in all, Iâm really impressed with Quince and the quality of their sweaters. I will definitely be repurchasing in the future. Now, letâs get on with some styling ideas, yes?
Shop the Quince cashmere boyfriend sweater:
Shop cotton alternatives:
Quince cashmere boyfriend cardigan (TTS but oversized, wearing small), Cuts Tomboy tee (TTS, wearing small), A.Golde Riley cropped jeans (TTS if you want them tight, size up if you want them relaxed) I also recommend the Everlane Cheeky jeans for a similar slim-straight cutâthey come in several washes and lengths, Blondo lug sole waterproof boots TTS (also available here), similar Sezane neck scarf
First, an example of how Iâve been wearing this sweater lately, because, of course, itâs still cold. đ Not exactly bare ankle weather here in Chicago! So wearing it with lug sole boots has been the go-to! (I particularly adore these Blondo lug sole boots. Theyâve been so great for winter in Chicago and the fact that theyâre high cut and hug your ankle make them easier to style than some other pairs.
On choosing the right cut of jeans + boots with a boxy sweater:
I often feel like itâs a bit of a guessing game when trying to find the right cut of pants to wear with ankle boots and a boxy sweater. First, you donât want your ankles to be coldâso you need the right combo of pant length and ankle boot height. I also think the straight leg trend can tend to just feel very boxy in generalâand when you pair a boxy sweater with boxy pants, sometimes you just feel like a big ole box! The easiest tip I can give is to choose a pant that has a slim straight leg. I think this is the nicest cut that makes you feel proportional and on-trend, but not too baggy 90âs-girl.
More reasons why this pant/boot combo works: The boot fits snuggly through the ankle, and the pants are cropped. Not TOO cropped, but enough to give you some ankle definition. (This is the same concept of waist definitionâjust for your ankles!) If these pants were full length, that would make me feel frumpy. Yes, I know thatâs âthe lookâ these days, but it just feels too 90âs for me when paired with a flat chunky boot. (Note I am 5â6 and Iâm wearing a 26.5âł inseam here!)
How to front-tuck a boxy sweater:
So, I originally wanted this to be a whole separate post, but it turns out this tutorial is really awkward to shoot still photos of đ I laughed so hard when I looked at them and decided to turn it into a reel instead. See that below!
Styling a buttoned cardigan over a tee:
Another element of this outfit I like (that Iâve been playing around with) is the cardigan buttoned down over a crewneck t-shirt! This adds not just a more visually interesting element but also of course, added warmth, which is always a good thing here in Chicago. The t-shirt is totally optional and I also love wearing this cardigan buttoned-up all on its own (for more of a deep-vâwhich is especially cute for a date night!)
Speaking of t-shirts though, before we move onâI love this tee. Itâs from Cutsâthey gifted it to me when Neal did a sponsorship for their mens items a couple months back. They originally wanted me to do a sponsored set of stories about the t-shirts, but I wasnât interested because I said âa t-shirt is a t-shirt and I didnât believe they could be that greatâ So you know when I say Iâm ruthless with my paid partnershipsâŚsometimes Iâm TOO ruthless. đ
âŚ.welllll I was wrong and I wish I hadnât passed on that! đ Turns out the tees are actually really great. Theyâre very thick and substantial but stretchy. Definitely much nicer than your average t-shirt! Oh wellânow you know, theyâre the real deal!
Quince cashmere boyfriend cardigan (TTS but oversized, wearing small), New Balance sneakers (TTS, also sold here!) Cuts Tomboy tee (TTS, wearing small), A.Golde Riley cropped jeans (TTS if you want them tight, size up if you want them relaxed), similar Sezane neck scarf
Exact same outfit elements you see above, I just unbuttoned the sweater and swapped the boots for sneakers! I recently purchased these New Balances (I feel like my wardrobe is gradually getting more casual/sporty just due to the phase of life Iâm in, so these filled the âsporty but casualâ hole in my wardrobe!) I absolutely LOVE them and they feel like walking on clouds. I wanted something I could walk for miles that was a bit of a go-betweenânot a classic white sneaker but not a workout shoe. Canât recommend enough! I think theyâre perfect to wear with jeans, leggings, bike shorts, a workout dress when it gets nice out, etc!
This would be a perfect outfit for a travel day (you could always swap with leggings for more comfort! I swear by Aerieâs offline leggingsâtheyâre SO comfortable and feel just like Luluâs align leggings for so much less!) I often wear this combo along with, of course, a neck scarfâbecause I think it jazzes up any outfit to look more polished and intentional!
Quince cashmere boyfriend cardigan (TTS but oversized, wearing small), Cuts Tomboy tee (TTS, wearing small), A.Golde Riley cropped jeans (TTS if you want them tight, size up if you want them relaxed), similar Sezane neck scarf, Flats: Rothyâs (I love LOVE these flatsâsee my Rothys review here!)
I love how this outfit looks with just one button on the cardigan, and the shoes swapped out for my favorite cap-toe Rothyâs flats. This would be a great casual outfit for work (you could easily elevate it with some work pants or some nicer non-ripped jeans!) Of course you could always keep the neck scarf too, but I love tying it in my hair as well! (Especially when Iâm traveling or anytime I donât want to waste time washing my hair!)
Speaking of work pants, I purchased these straight leg ponte pants from Quince to try out too (not that I have a need for these, but I wanted to scope them out for my gals who are back in the office and looking for some nice/versatile/comfortable work pants!) they are only $39 and they are GREAT! Again, see the try-on video here!
I hope this was helpful and that this you love this sweater as much as I do!
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