Fit Review Friday – J.Crew Fall Arrivals in Size Petite 000 & XXXS

For this week’s Fit Review Friday, I have some new fall arrivals from J.Crew in petite sizes 000 & xxx-small. As per usual, you can find my measurements for comparison here. Apologies for the grainy photos today, I couldn’t take photos until the very end of the day and natural light was scarce.

J.Crew Campbell Blazer in Wool Flannel – Black  // Size Petite 000
$198

As J.Crew seems to be phasing out the Schoolboy Blazer (although I’m hopeful it’ll come back deeper into the fall arrivals), I’m happy to see a new blazer design debut for fall that isn’t another iteration of the Regent (I’m not a fan of the stand collar, it’s just asking to get makeup rubbed all over it). The Campbell looks a lot like the Schoolboy at first glance…gold preppy buttons, menswear inspired pockets, fun striped lining…but is different in a number of ways. Firstly, it’s cut lean and feminine, sculpted nicely through the bust and waist, a deviation from the boxy “boyish” torso of the Schoolboy. Secondly, it’s much longer, with a total length of around 23″ vs. the cropped 21.5″ of the original Schoolboy (the later version was a bit longer, but I don’t have those measurements for comparison). Thirdly, it’s a one-button design vs. the two-button design of the more “traditional menswear” Schoolboy. Lastly, the lapel is also a tad bit wider, but still feels proportional to a petite frame.

I picked up this blazer immediately when I saw it was being offered in new size petite 000 for two reasons. I’m always looking for small-fitting blazers, especially if the shoulders seem like they’ll be nice and narrow (I have narrow shoulders on top of being petite, so they are always a problem area for me), so I HAD to try this new size for it’s super petite potential. Also, I’ve been looking for a simple black blazer to replace my Aritzia Talula Exeter Shrunken Blazer (review of one here), which has served me well for a few years now, but the shoulders are just a tad too wide and always make me a bit uncomfortable, especially when I can feel the shoulder pad traveling down my shoulder when carrying a shoulder bag. I never had the shoulders tailored because the blazer wasn’t all that nice of quality to begin with, and the cost of alterations would likely equal or even surpass the full retail price. Instead, I felt this Campbell blazer had great potential as a closet upgrade.

I was surprised the shoulder measurement wasn’t smaller than the size 00 petite blazers already in my closet, which disappointed me a little (I LOVE a 13″ shoulder, but they are very hard to find off the rack), but the 1/2″ difference there between this Campbell blazer and my usual Aritzia one makes a big difference on my frame, so I’ll take what I can get. I also like that the fabric is largely wool (98% if I recall correctly), vs. the roughly 60% wool content of the Aritzia. Typical of the J.Crew wool flannel blazers as of late, the wool isn’t amazing quality, as you can test yourself by scrunching a hand-full of blazer in your hand for a few seconds, and then letting go. Pesky wrinkles will remain…a hallmark of mediocre wool (good quality wool will drop wrinkles fairly easily).

Overall, I believe this blazer to be a keeper, as I’ve been looking to upgrade my black blazer anyway, and I really like the flattering, lean silhouette this one provides. My favorite way to wear it…un-buttoned with the sleeves pushed up, of course!

The approximate measurements of size Petite 000 are as follows:

Shoulder: 13.5″
Bust: 15″
Waist: 13.5″
Sleeve Length: 20.5″
Bicep: 5.25″
Length: 23″

For comparison,  here is the Aritzia Talula Exeter Shrunken Blazer I’ve been wearing for the last few years…

Aritzia Talula Exeter Shrunken Blazer – Black (longer version)  // Size 00
$125

If you look closely, you can see the shoulder protruding a bit off my natural shoulder line compared to the Campbell blazer. That extra 1/2″ really makes a difference! The fabric is much stretchier, and the construction is not as nice. Upon comparison, I noticed a creasing of the fabric on the chest near the armhole I hadn’t paid much attention to before, but really stood out to me after seeing the straight, clean lines of the J.Crew blazer. Also…gotta love the perfectly petite sleeves on the J.Crew.

The approximate measurements of size 00 are as follows:

Shoulder: 14″
Bust: 15″
Waist: 13″
Sleeve Length: 23″
Bicep: 5″
Length: 22″

J.Crew Field Mechanic Jacket  // Size Petite xxx-small
$178

Military jackets, mechanic jackets, whatever you call them, generally are meant to fit oversized. The problem with this is most of them appear to be not just oversized, but comically oversized on 4’11” me. As a result, I’ve gone military jacket-less despite really liking the style because they always leave me with a general felling of “that just looks stupid”.

I thought this petite version might be the fit I’ve been looking for, but after a few twirls in the mirror, I’m still not sure. I think the problem is with the placement of the drawstring, which is meant to feminize the fit by cinching the waist, but on me, sits so low it attempts to cinch my hip. This is probably the product of having a short torso, so I’d say this jacket will look much better on people with more average to long torsos.

As far as military jackets go, this is a very nice one. Thick, crisp cotton construction, lots of pockets, and the hip pockets do double duty by also opening at the side, for easy hand shoving in cold weather. The collar stands high and pillowy, unzipping to reveal a packable hood. It feels sturdy and looks traditional, both things I’ve been looking for in a military style jacket.

The approximate measurements of size Petite xxx-small are as follows:

Shoulder: 14.5″
Bust: 16″
Waist: 16″
Sleeve Length: 20.5″
Length: 25″

J.Crew Sunday Slim Chino – Hillside Green  // Size Petite 000
$89.50

I was so hopeful for these pants, but alas, it was not meant to be. Looking for a fit that doesn’t require major alterations like my other J.Crew pants in the past, I chose these because they seemed like the slimmest fit in the traditional chino, so they seemed worth a shot. Instead, they hung low and slouchy on my hips, slouchy in the rise, and generous through the leg line. The whole look was unflattering on me, and doesn’t even come close to the nice fit of my Gap chinos.

I have one more pair of pants coming in the mail…the Ryder, so maybe those will be a better fit.

The approximate measurements of size Petite 000 are as follows:

Waist: 13.5″
Hip: 17″
Thigh: 9.5″
Leg Opening: 5.75″
Rise: 8.25″
Inseam: 26″