First and foremost, this is a beautiful piece that I am absolutely, absolutely stoked to own.
The fit is wonderful, not too suffocating or baggy. The embroidery is stunning, with incredible detail, texture, and weight. It hangs at a beautiful length that goes well with both my leggings and skirts. And, despite its thin construction, it feels durable and long wearing. It is everything I have asked for. But seeing some of the folks below, I can see why some people may be frustrated with what they receive.
So onwards with the quirks. Particularly the quirks of this piece being 100% linen.
This piece is unlined. I brought this piece knowing this - and in my experience, most darker linen pieces are unlined because linen clothes is often made for its light, airy nature and lining linen garments would defeat that purpose.
This, however, does mean that the embroidery's "back" is exposed. It is very well sewn onto the fabric and I have no fear of the embroidery falling off, but there are some loose threads and the texture of the exposed embroidery is rough and somewhat scratchy. And the embroidery is everywhere, including the sleeves.
Because I am wearing this as a summer overcoat on top of at least one (mesh) layer, I don't have any sensory issues, but I can imagine it may feel a little unpleasant to some who wear it directly on their skin.
In addition, because this is linen, the embroidery parts are much stiffer than the linen, giving the fresh-out-of-the-bag a sort of "panel look" that will likely soften up over time.
Secondly, linen doesn't stretch, but I recommend to be mindful of the sizing chart. I typically wear a large, but after checking the chart, I ended up going with a small. This gave the jacket a much more fitted look (especially the sleeves!) which I was going for. I am not at all uncomfortable, but if I ordered just based off my "standard size", I may have found this piece far too baggy. Which might be what some folks want!
Linen doesn't fold or drape like cotton. It is much stiffer and also "papery", so trying to get its folds to lay where you want to can be a bit of a process that often requires a bit of ironing. And like all linen pieces, it wrinkles like a monster, though it's not very noticeable because it's dark.
The cardigan only comes with one button and has built in belt loops (and pockets!) which is buttoned/gathered a little above my waist, right below my ribs. I don't intend to ever belt/button this piece very often, so I'm fine with this, but it does give the piece a very low neckline. Your mileage may vary on whether you like this look or not. The belt is double-sided, with one side being black and the other a pomegranate red, and is very sturdy. It can be tied with the belt without the belt loops, but I found it to slide on the embroidery if you go up, though it's pretty solid if tied at my hips/navel. Taking off the belt doesn't really ruin the look because the belt loops are quite tight to the piece.
Finally, the hood is pretty much insubstantial and light. I don't ever intend to wear it as a hood, especially since I like how it cuts up the solid black on top as a sort of mock caplet, but I personally think it is much better for show than to actually be a hood. Again, your mileage may vary.
And now for the price: $250 is a pretty penny. I personally think it's priced fair for a very gorgeous garnment of a completely unique style that I find myself wearing almost daily because I think it makes look fabulous.
But this is a beautiful, unlined, high quality linen cardigan that comes with all the beauty - and the quirks - of being an unlined linen cardigan. So to prospective buyers, buy this keeping that in mind.
Happy shopping!
