Monday, November 17, 2008

Product Review: Watercolor Leopard Kate Coat

Watercolor Leopard Kate Coat
Click here for product page
Item 99455
Regular: $548.00

"Thanks!" to kitchy7 who guest blogged about this {beautiful} coat. The following is her product review:

I fell in love with the watercolor leopard Kate coat the moment I saw it in the new catalog. I thought the print was beautiful, I love the A-line shape in coats, and I thought the combination of brown and black would prove to be quite versatile: I typically wear brown instead of black, but I occasionally wear black, and how nice to have a pretty coat that would work with both!

So I splurged and paid full price for it (although I did receive free shipping with a code). The coat arrived within a couple of days, and I excitedly opened the box. It came wrapped in ordinary plastic without a special box or garment bag like some other collection pieces. I looked past that because I was so excited about the coat. And the coat is beautiful in person – the print is gorgeous, and the buttons have the same print, so they blend right in. But…then I really examined the coat.

The first surprise was the feel of the fabric. It was a lot rougher and less flexible than I expected, to the point where I never would have guessed it contained silk. It almost felt like canvas. The second surprise was the weight of the coat. This is not a coat for very cold temperatures by any stretch of the imagination. It would best be worn like a trench coat – as a fall or spring coat or on only slightly cold days. This was a bit of a surprise to me given the coat’s price. Then I tried it on and discovered the third surprise: the shoulders and arms were incredibly roomy. I have broad shoulders, and this coat gave me more room in the shoulders than any other coat I own from J. Crew. That was great, because I sometimes have to size up for the shoulders to fit. Based on the shoulder
fit alone, I could easily size down in this coat. But finally, the fourth surprise, and the saddest of all for me: because of the way the back and sides of the coat are cut and the lack of flexibility in the fabric, it hung more like a banana than an A-line. I was only wearing a t-shirt underneath, nothing heavy, and the coat still puffed out and then back in at the bottom in a very unflattering way. I felt like a watercolor leopard marshmallow.

I really wanted to love this coat in person, but it looked horrible on me. I highly doubt that sizing up or down would have made much of a difference – sizing up maybe would have given the coat a better hang, but the shoulders would have been huge on me, and sizing down would have exacerbated the hang of the coat. Sadly, it will be going back on Monday.

"Thanks!" again to kitchy7 for her great review of this coat!

What are your thoughts on the Watercolor Leopard Kate Coat? Do you already own this coat? If so, please let us know what you think! :)

43 comments:

  1. I saw the stormy lille coat in the store--sounds like same issue with fabric-- stiff and not winter weight at all. More like spring or fall trench coat. That one is also going for ~$550.

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  2. stupid q--was there temporary stitching closing the pleat in the back of the coat, and if so did you remove it? That might be what was creating the "banana" effect. Just notice that some women wear their new coats out without realizing to take that little stitched "X" off the back pleat.

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  3. There was a temporary X stitch, and I did remove it. It didn't help. :(

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  5. I'm having a hard time visualizing the banana effect. Do you mean that it sort of poofed out in the back, but stayed close to your body at the shoulder and bottom of the jacket? Sorry. :) Thanks for the help!

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  6. Exactly, Melanie. Just like someone was holding a banana to my back -- the top and bottom were close in, and in the middle it curved out.

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  7. So sorry to hear of your disappointment. I know the feeling exactly...so excited for an item and then to have it let you down A LOT!

    I was very disappointed in the Simone snow leopard coat that I bought at full price. The wool was prickly in places and you would have never known it has any silk in it either!!!

    On a minor note: I think JCrew needs to package its collection pieces much nicer and more consistently--some people get garment bags, some do not---some people get little cedar balls with cashmere, some do not.

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  8. I love J.Crew, and I loved it forever! But through ever since I started reading this blog and seeing the myriad of problems loyal customers have faced, I think I'm becoming jaded by J.Crew!

    Whether it's been problems with waitlist and pre-orders, the shady pricing, the high shipping prices, the lack of coupon codes or the almost non-existent rewards that came with the credit card, I stuck with J.Crew because of the quality.

    But these days, I find myself yearning for the J.Crew of ten years ago, where the sweaters were thick, the prices were fair, and if I'm remembering correctly, you could play games on J.Crew's website (or my memory could just be shot)!

    Quality of everything in the store seems to have decreased, and while I still love J.Crew, my loyalty is wavering. When you're paying almost $600 for a coat, shouldn't it be better?

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  9. I'm sorry to hear that the coat was so disappointing, and even sorrier to hear others' stories about the diminishing quality of J.Crew merchandise in general (and particularly the "collection" pieces--shame on you J.Crew!).

    I wore my cashmere lily cardigan yesterday and when I took it off it was pillerific...so many pills I couldn't believe it. To add insult to injury, when I went to depill it, I put a small nick in it with the sweater shaver, which I then had to sew with the teeny tiny amount of thread provided with the sweater (and I've noticed they don't always give you spare thread with sweaters any more). Boy was I pissed!

    I remember when you could wear a J.Crew item for years and years and it was indestructible. Instead of telling us about Italian cashmere and Japanese beads or whatever, give us real quality, as in cashmere that doesn't immediately pill and beads that don't fall out of the jewelry.

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  10. maryw2062

    I know exactly what you mean. I had the same experience with my brand new $168 cashmere sweater from JCrew that I got and wore on Sat. and I did NOT get any thread with mine. All of my sweaters in the past did!

    I have a hand held (manual)little defuzzer that I got at my local dry cleaner...I have knicked my sweatshirts using the electric one and had to sew them up many times!

    I agree about the item descriptions making things sound so glamourous. I would prefer better quality.

    And,no, I don't believe we are being over critcial here...just wishing things were better and sharing disappointments:)

    Clare

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  11. An OT note on the shoes: shoe sale aside, they have reduced the full price on some of the shoes.

    Alessia peep-toes: were $215, now $150

    Gayle heels: were $250, now $175

    Calf-hair heels: were $328, now $250

    The 25% off is tempting, but after shipping costs it wouldn't really be worth it to me. Same if you try to call from the red phone: now that these are on promo, they will apply shipping.

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  12. Clare, you make a good point - if JC's quality had always been hit-or-miss/declining a lot of us wouldn't be shopping with them. We've had some great quality pieces and fantastic customer service in the past so we keep holding out for improvement from the current situation because we love the clothes. I've noticed that a lot of the product reviews are about an item that didn't meet expectations - between the styling in the catalog/.com, the elaborate descriptions/"if you only knew" line, and the prices, how could a customer's expectations not be high?

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  13. Clare

    I agree that we aren't being overcritical--just relaying our experiences. I have a Charter Club cashmere cardigan that I got a couple of years ago at Macy's (cheap, too, much cheaper than JC) that barely pills at all, and I wear it a lot. I love JC, but I do see declining quality and increasing prices since I began shopping with them years ago.

    And I want my extra thread with my pricey sweaters, darn it!

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  14. OT: The "other blog" (jcrewaholics) has some new item pictures posted.

    I think they are all really awful and I am really disappointed in the holiday offerings.

    I am not into sequins (yuck) and disks (completely covering) a sweater. They do not look classy in my book.

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  15. mary,

    Thanks for the reply.

    Yes, my mom got me a (Famous Barr--now Macy's black cashmere sweater 8 years ago and it has worn ver well!) and it was super cheap!

    Yes, I too have shopped with JCrew for 8 years and have noticed a steady decline in quality while prices have risen. Style has gone up but what is style without quality.

    I didn't even realize my sweater had no thread until you mentioned it! I feel like emailing and asking about it (nicely)

    What color was your pilling sweater?

    clare

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  16. silverlining,

    Yes, thanks for expanding on my point. I like what you said as well. Exactly! My expectations for JCrew are high and they aren't being met.

    I love my Andrea Pique jacket (FFM raved about hers so thank you--glad I ordered it on sale) that also came in my order but the two sweaters are just sad:( (poor quality)

    Clare

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  17. As someone pointed out before most of the garments are now made in China it doesn't matter how much you pay the quality is the same poor.

    It is not just J Crew, I tried on a Lands End coat and the zipper broke right there, it was flimsy, they used to be high quality.

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  18. I checked out the jcrewaholics blog. I love the sequin sweater. I saw it in real life and Slastena also reviewed it this weekend. The other sweaters scream 'matronly' to me.

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  19. The sweater with the disk is horrible imo. It looks just like something my frumpy aunt wore to Christmas every year in the late 80's and early 90's, minus the huge shoulder pads!.

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  20. I have not purchased a cashmere sweater from J Crew in years. Or I should say I have not kept a cashmere sweater I have purchased in years. I have bought several and they have all gone back for fit or quality issues. I purchased a couple of argyle merino ones last year and have been happy with them.

    I just find that my Ann Taylor and Banana Republic ones wear so much better. Today I am wearing a three year old AT cashmere cowlneck that literally does not look like it has been worn.

    However, I keep coming back to J Crew for the double cloth, pique and serge coats. They are unbeatable for quality, style and durability.

    I am sorry this one didn't work for you as it is lovely online.

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  21. OT: did google take the JCREW catalogs off the website? I can't find them. Any help would be great

    thanks

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  22. I haven't had as much trouble with the cashmere, but I have purchased and returned THREE dream sweaters this year already - they have all pilled so horribly after one wearing that they were not worth keeping. Pretty disappointing...

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  23. On Friday night I wore my Double Serge Tuesday Trench (Navy) to my son's football game and not only did I look fabulous, but I stayed warm as well! This is still in the sale section and I highly recommend it! :)

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  24. Man that stinks when you look so forward to a must get item and it devolves into a must return situation. Sorry about the Kate!
    I am in full agreement about the declining quality. The recent post about what your oldest piece of J crew still in rotation has kept me thinking seriously since it was posted. I have a couple items form when I first became an aficionada like eleven years ago in rotation, but so much of what I've bought since then has gone to the great goodwill bag in the sky. I wish that someone with any pull in policy making would read this blog and feel our pain!

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  25. Yes for a company that so highly regards themselves for having great quality, it sure isn't great anymore! I do love Jcrew and that's why I want them to realize this and fix the problem! Your quality is going down and it's going down fast!

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  26. agree with matronly on those new sweaters-yucky. i think jcrew is worth its price on sale for the quality. occasionally you hit on something (perhaps an older collection piece that shows up again really marked down in the sale section) that is amazingly well-made and u hold onto that with hope. tried on the sequin shell in store and the sequins are pulling off left and right. its beautiful and i really dont blame j crew for this i think it is very inherent to the sequined pieces and a person has to be extra careful handling them but it does make it unreasonable at $150 when u cant lv the store with a new item because the sequins are hanging off all over the sweater already:(bummer

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  27. Hey Kitchy7--great review and sorry it did not work out:( Thanks for reporting your findings! I also wondered--you ordered the Golden Roses jacket too-didn't you? What were your thoughts on that one? I LOVE it (fabric) but had concerns about the fullness of that double-breasted, kinda blob looking shape. Wondered if it fit differently in real life? I wish these coats were single breasted with slightly less fabric.
    BTW-did you get golden roses shoes? Are they TTS and whats the comfort factor?

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  28. I am not sure if this has been mentioned already or not but how is the Merino Lily ruffle in IRL? Is it the one that looks matronly also or the ruffles don't look as nice as shown online? Just wondering. Thanks.

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  29. i think it looks just like it does online in person. if you like the online look that's what it looks like. if you're hoping for better, it's not

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  30. I saw the Merino Lily in my store this weekend and I didn't like it at all. It was very cheap looking imo. The sweater itself is very thin and sheer. The ruffles were just plain weird looking imo...they were sort of flattish, not what I would even consider true ruffles...they looked more like petals or something.

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  31. about the kate coat...i don't know about something that could only be worn like a trench coat but isn't water resistant at all. looks like this could be ruined easily, and if there isn't a lot of days that it could be worn, why bother with the price tag? it doesn't seem like you could wear it in cold weather. i think this is for really rich people that buy things and only wear them once or twice, max. i believe that even though jcrew customers might be able to purchase a higher end, higher cost item, we'd like to be able to really wear it.

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  32. Thanks! I was also thinking that the ruffles on the Merino Lili wasn't going look as pretty IRL. Is the Merino Lili Tuxedo cardigan any better since the design is different but the quality is still the same?

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  33. covert5 -- yes, I have the golden roses coat and shoes. I just received the skirt as well, and I'm waiting on the cami (as you can tell, I love the pattern). I'll do an entire 'golden roses series' review in the next couple of days. :)

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  34. ^ Thanks--what about fit of shoes TTS? Comfort for J Crew (most of us know the scale barely exists;) but on a scale 1-10?

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  35. Oh--and I LOVE the pattern as well! One of my favs-I am really enjoying the cami-it gorgeous and very flattering-size down.

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  36. Actually comfortable and perfectly sized. I was happily surprised!

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  37. I agree with jcrewjunkie . . . the Tuesday trench in wool is well worth even full price. The fabric is gorgeous. You can either tie it at the waist or tie the belt in the back for a sort of a-line. The fabric looks like something from another era.

    I wouldn't get all excited about BR cashmere. I had a cardigan I got on sale that lasted exactly one (short) season. I loved it, but it pilled to the death.

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  38. ooohhh, but it's hard not to get excited about BR cashmere. Last January I got a $268 tunic length cableknit turtleneck that is absolutely gorgeous for less than $17. I wore it constantly until it got warm here in Michigan, and have been wearing it since it got cold again. Love It!

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  39. Clare

    I'm sorry about not responding this morning, but I had to go to work!

    My lily cashmere cardigan is navy. I love the cut and style of the sweater, but not the cashmere itself--those pills drive me up the wall. I got the sweater on sale (still pricey, mind you) but the original price of the darn thing was like $170.00. The thread that came with it is an increasing rarity among J.Crew's sweaters, and I think if you're going to tout your quality, you'd better include a little plastic bag of matching thread!

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  40. BR Cashmere is one of the best, I have a cashmere hat that I wear in the winter and it is going into its 5th season. They have a beautiful sweater in the store right now its about $185.00, the quality is top notch, compare that sweater to JC cashmere there is no comparison.

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  41. I received thread with my cashmere tee last week that I purchased on sale, maybe yours was a return?

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  42. I think the coat is unattractive, and would make one look sort of bigger than you are. Actually, b/c of the print, I have that same worry about my Snow Leopard Simone that is coming tomorrow!

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  43. maryw2062,

    Yes, work is very important! Hee hee

    I emailed JCrew and they are looking into getting me some yarn. Hope maybe, you can do the same:)

    Clare

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