I tried on the Boucle Astrid today in Bright Berry. The color in real life is not nearly as red as it looks on the J.Crew.com model. If you click on the color swatch, it brings up a photo of the jacket on a manni and this is much closer to the actual color, which is a fuchsia pink.

The Astrid runs true to size to a little big. It felt good in the shoulders and the lengths were nice. I am 5’4″, the sleeves were bracelet length and the jacket hit at the waist, lower than on the model who is no doubt 5″10″ or taller. I tried on the size 0 and although it looked good, once hooked closed, it was a little bit too big in the waist. It did not look boxy but I wish it would have been snugger at the sides. I would have loved to try a size smaller because I think my shoulders are narrow enough that it would have fit even better. But of course, J.Crew doesn’t make a 00 and this jacket is not available in petite.

Regarding the hook closure, I don’t like this aspect of the jacket. Like the Ecole’s, the Astrid gaped out oddly on me when hooked. However, unhooked it was very cute. I especially loved how it dressed up jeans, very Jenna.

As many have reported, the flower on the Astrid is droopy. Instead of stacking the flowers petals flat on top on one another and sewing through the center, J. Crew gathered the flowers into a bunch at the back. Which makes the bouquet tip forward. I still think the flower is very pretty and the jacket would be lacking without it. If I purchase the jacket, I may try adding a pin to the top of the flower to keep it more upright.

Even though I wish I could have sized down, the jacket did not look over sized on me. I keep thinking back about it wishing I would have brought it home. Perhaps soon

Retail Decription:An exquisitely tailored creation featuring amazing bouclé with a removable flower pin. Wool/nylon. Classic fit. Straight shape. No collar. Bracelet sleeves. Hook and eye closure at center-front. Attached flower pin. Front patch pockets. Fully lined. Hits at high hip. Import. Dry clean. Sale price: $160.00
See this item at JCrew.com

Overall: ***
Sizing: TTS-SD

One of our readers weighs in with a few quick reviews:

I went to my closest JCrew shop because online the Victoria Ruffle Blouse looked fantastic! Up close and personal, a big disappointment. Made of cotton, it seemed to attract much fuzz and dust, and for that price, no way!

The Dream Taffeta sash cardigan which was originally $148, went down to $59, so I bought 2! One black, one grey. They run large, so at my 5″ 36 bust, an XS fits just fine!

Thanks for the reviews, J. Crew fan

You know I have been dying for a 20% off code to pick up one of the many online only cashmere sweaters I am coveting. So, when the 20% sweater sale email came through to my inbox this morning, I snatched up a Blouson Sleeve Bateau in Bright Fuchsia. I think it will be very Madmen tucked into a pencil skirt

When I ordered the Bateau there was only 15 available in stock. That got me wondering what other sweaters are selling well? So, I checked out inventory levels online. Keep in mind these numbers are purely speculatory and are based on the inventory levels shown when you add items to your online cart. I don’t have any connection to J.Crew or insider info on how much stock is in their warehouse, although I wish I did lol!

Cashmere Blouson sleeve Bateau’s going fast! Most colors in Xsmall are under 20. Medium Citron 8, Large Peony 3, L Tangelo 7, M Cypress 16. There are several Mediums in black.

Cashmere Shawl collar sweater- XS Cypress-7, XS Tangelo-8, M Citron-16, L Spearmint-15. Plenty of Smalls in Peony.

Cashmere Heirloom henley- XS Peony-1, XS Black-5, S Papaya-15, L Cypress-2, L Blade green-5. These are going fast too but there are some colors showing around 50 still in stock including M Turquoise, XS Poppy.

Other sweaters showing lower stock- $500.00 Feather collar cardigan in M-4, XS-15, Eva in XS Peony-5, Dream Tie XS Poppy-15, Alpaca Kennedi jacket XS-20, L-18, Silver Beaded cashmere cardigan in Graphite XS-35, L-31, Cashmere Janelle XS-19.

Some sweaters showing many in stock- Lucinda cable cardigan, Clara chiffon cardigan, Dream Valerie bow cardigan, Cashmere Nola.

What are your thoughts on the sweaters selling and not selling out. I’m surprised how well Citron is selling! Are you planing on buying anything during the sweater sale or are you holding out for a larger discount?

I have to say, although I am happy with the 20% off, if the discount was reflected automatically in the price and I could use a Free Ship code, I would have purchased more than one sweater.

I made a quick stop at my J.Crew over the weekend. They did not have most of the new items I wanted to see yet. But I did get a chance to try on a couple of things…