Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Campo Di Fiori Sweater Dress {double-take}

Remember J.Crew's Campo de' Fiori sweater dress (Item 89422; $175.00) from early 2008? Such a lovely dress with its flower design, blooming from the hem. J.Crew described it as "merino wool in a very fine 14-gauge knit, carefully printed by hand with a winsome floral found in the archives of an Italian mill that supplies major couturiers".

A big "thanks!" to Catherine, as well as Crewbie (in this post), who found a dress over at Nordstrom, that shares a striking resemblance. The dress is the ECI Print Linen & Cotton Shift Dress (Item 295571; $98.00).

Personally, I like J.Crew's version a bit more. (Both the floral design and sleeves of J.Crew's version appeals to me.) However, Nordstrom's version is great for those who missed J.Crew's dress the first time around.

Incidentally, to see some real-life images of J.Crew's dress, check out:
-"Spring Has Sprung When I Wear the J.Crew Campo De Fiori Dress!" post over at GingerSnap's Daily Fashion Post
-"Field of Flowers" post over at Love at First Shop
-"J.Crew Campo di Fiore Sweater Dress" post over at goldenmeans

What are your thoughts on the Campo Di Fiori Sweater Dress? Do you like the version from Nordstrom? :)

27 comments:

  1. Like how Nordstrom came out with a Linen version, since I love linen dresses but either way its too bold of a print for me. The price is great too!

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  2. Death to originality. There's something cooler about owning the original jcrew one!

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  3. I don't like the bell sleeves, but the print is spot on.

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  4. I like the cut and styling of the Nordstroms dress better plus the price is better. I also like the neckline design and trim:)

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  5. I like the Nordstrom dress a lot. The bell sleeves are something I really like and I will have to look for this one:) Thanks for the post.

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  6. "death to originality" -- riiight, because jcrew has never knocked off any designers?

    I like the print of the jcrew version, but I also like that the new version is probably not see-through, and that it's linen/cotton.

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  7. I like the J.Crew one better but I'd buy the Nordstrom one and have the sleeves altered. I also don't like the embellishment at the neckline... seems a bit excessive.

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  8. I love the JC dress and like the summery Nordstrom sub - but I wish it didn't have bell sleeves or was sleeveless. Do I like it enough to buy it and have it altered? Hm ...

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  9. Another blatanat ripoff! Unreal!

    But I prefer the J Crew version. The printed neckline on the Nordies dress is unnecessary and takes away from the clean lines of the print. I also don't care for the bell sleeves.

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  10. I'm not a fan of the bell sleeves or linen so I definitely prefer the J. Crew version!

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  11. I absolutely loved the J.Crew version, but couldn't swing the price as a college student at the time. The Nordstrom version is very similar, and would definitely be worth trying in person, although I like the JCrew version more.

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  12. Isn't the simple styling on the old JC item a breath of fresh air?

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  13. The J.Crew version seems more refined IMO. It's a beautiful dress. Not my colors unfortunately, but lovely nonetheless.

    Cass, I miss the former styling as well. Definitely not excited about the latest rollout.

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  14. What attracted me to the J. Crew version (and inspired me to pay Full Price--agh) was the mod-looking daisies, and as much as I like that Nordstrom's is offering a very similar dress, I do not care for the roses...there are too many of them, and the look is not as mod in this interpretation. I also agree with the neckline being too fussy!

    I look forward to seeing what else is out there. (I believe I saw a polyvore set that pointed out a similarity between the Havona tank from last summer and a pair of shorts being offered at Nordies, as well!)

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  15. Imitation is the highest form of flattery. If it weren't for the bell sleeves (rarely do they work for me) this dress would be de-lovely. I am lucky enough to have the original J. Crew version after a friend found it for me on eBay. The idea of it being linen has some appeal but the sleeves kill it for me. However, sometimes you just have to try it on to call it.

    What a nice find for those who missed it the first time and a great sense of community for sharing.

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  16. Well, I missed the JC version. So I ordered this just so I could see it. So at this point, no opinion yet.

    As far as altering the sleeves, it's hard to say w/o seeing it, but most sleeve seams are on the bottom (underarm) side, and if you took it in there, you would loose the flowers. Hmmm.

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  17. I missed the 2007-2008 Jcrew so much! I regretted it so much that I didn't get this dress a couple years ago.:(

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  18. One of my friends is pretty high up at a Nordstrom in Virginia. She said that they are going for a new look and modeling their clothes and even the lay out of their women's section to be like that of J. Crew's, just a little more affordable.
    I asked her if they were going to start giving a student or a teacher's discount too, and she said no. But at least we can find some similar basic (and apparently now, not so basic) items for a cheaper price and around the same quality?
    I'm still (obviously) a sucker for J. Crew though :)

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  19. If anyone has the original in an XS, I would love to take it off your hands. Thanks!
    tararoach at gmail dot com

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    1. Seriously, just create a saved search on ebay and check that regularly. I just nabbed one "new without tags" for $99. I'll let ya know how nice it is once it arrives. Still skeptical for now.

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  20. Oh, this is lovely!

    The J Crew merino one is the only thing (from any retailer) I have spent full retail price on in close to a decade. It is just that beautiful and special.

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  21. I actually think the Nordstrom knockout is kinda hideous. That embellished neckline is dreadful, I don't care for the bell sleeves, and their take on this print is kind of sad.

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  22. I love this dress! It's whimsical and playful but still classical enough to seem timeless!

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  23. I love this dress! It's whimsical and playful but still classical enough to seem timeless!

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