Hi! Your post made me chuckle as I had been obsessing over whether to get this cardigan.
First, I am a lover of all things striped... totally love love love stripes!
Second, I am not a J. Crew gal as I think of them as cheap clothing. That's just me of course.
However, I read reviews on this cardigan, and this one stylist just went nuts over her love of this sweater.
At first, I dismissed this cardigan, thinking it's another cheap striped cardigan. I kept thinking about it. I went to the J. Crew website and the ivory/navy and black/ivory were sold out. I read the reviews, and people loved this cardigan.
So.... I caved and bought the red one to try it out for size and quality as the red/cream color was in stock.
I am not kidding... I LOVE THIS CARDIGAN and the red. The reviews that said this cardigan is not your typical junky J. Crew were correct. This cardigan is 100% cotton (no cheap polyester), and it's a thick knit. It is very well made.
I bought the red for sizing only as I am not a red person for tops (love red for bottoms/jeans). Well, this red is a coral red, and it's beautiful. It is not a harsh lipstick red. Hence, I kept the red.
I loved this cardigan so much, I ordered and receive the ivory/navy. To add to my obsession, I also ordered the black/ivory version, but it will not ship until late December as it is on backorder.
So... if you love stripes, if you love cardigans, this one is it! This cardigan is cropped, and I wear it with wide-leg jeans. It looks great.
As FYI... another striped cardigan I love love love is the Frame ivory/navy. It is gorgeous, and the neckline makes it so different.
I bought mine a while ago, but I see it's on sale now, so that's another plus.
The online shopping at J. Crew was great. Shipping was fast. It's my only J. Crew item though. I did check their other cardigans, and I did not buy anything else. Their other pieces use fabrics that look to be cheap blends, so I passed.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
