UPDATE: I now have the XS for comparison. Photos 11 on.
in my mind, there is no comparison; although we're dealing with even worse light today (sigh) the fit is much better.
However, there is one tiny wrinkle, which may not be obvious: the dickey is inserted in this one, there is a slight "pull" at the front. This is not because it is too small or snug; it has to do with the way the dickie is attached in relation to the pockets on the smaller size -- they don't have as much room to play with so the jacket wants to stand out rather than lie flat. It may relax some with wear, though, or perhaps when I re-attach it I will do a better job.
In a way, it doesn't matter, because the jacket fits better without the dickie and also fits perfectly well with my own hoodie underneath and is comfortable. This is my bulkiest hoodie and I'm wearing a fairly thick tee beneath that.
I'm inclined to keep this in the new size; it's really comfortable and feels super easy to wear and work into my closet.
Back in 2017 I bought a Black Watch suit from Banana Republic that I loved for its versatility -- it was very easy to dress down because the pants were ponte and the jacket had a spunky shorter cut (despite what it says in the Finds -- this was actually a short jacket). The pants gave up the ghost, alas, and anyway, I had tired of the skinny silhouette, and the jacket is still functional but looking the worse for wear. So I've been hunting for a replacement.
Several people suggested I search out a knit jacket during my recent thread about style adjectives, style persona, and the challenges of my work-from-home wardrobe. This Liverpool suit includes a knit jacket with a dickey (a poor woman's Veronica Beard) and slim straight pants.
For those who might be considering it -- Angie featured the trousers (in a different colour) here, and for good reason. The quality of the fabric is quite nice -- it drapes well and feels soft but substantial to the touch, stretchy but not too stretchy. It is not as warm as the BR ponte pants but that might be a good thing -- those trousers did not work in transitional seasons all that well. The sizing is very generous. I sized down. I would need to hem these (of course) to make them ankle length -- such are the everyday realities of being short. I have turned them up here. These are a mid rise on me -- just below my belly button. Keep in mind, I have a very long rise.
The jacket is also fun. I'm showing it with and without the dickey. By the size chart, this should fit, and it does fit the shoulders (at least with the dickey inserted) but it is actually quite wide through the body and looks a. touch wide in the shoulder without the dickey, so I have ordered a size down to compare.
I would almost never wear the sleeves at full length; guaranteed I would scrunch, and the nice thing about a knit is that you can.
It's a bit weird, in a way, to make a knit jacket dickey style. The whole thing about the dickey is that you don't have to have the full layer underneath because for some people that would feel constricting. However, a knit is stretchy so the constriction issue is much less. I honestly don't know how often I would wear the dickey thing -- I'd probably rather have my own hoodie to wear underneath! The zippers are a bit fiddly and annoying. But it's nicely constructed for the price.
I've tried to show the plaid, which is a very quiet navy, charcoal, grey that will work well with most of my tops. I think it would look nice with fuchsia, magenta, burgundy, and red, too. Obviously, I would mix and match these pieces, wearing the jacket with jeans and the pants with different jackets.
What think you? I'm tempted to keep if the XS jacket fits. Despite the dickey issue. There's another I might try from Simon's to compare, though. (In Finds). The problems with that one are the plaid is black, predominantly, and the jacket, I think, is longer.
Comparison photo of the old Black Watch. That jacket was a bit shorter (I like a short jacket for myself!) but this one is not too long.
