Wearing the Felted Merino Wool Sweater
If you’re a long time reader, you know this blog was built on Everlane reviews (see the extensive but not updated list here). So I was surprised to see that I had yet to do an Everlane review for 2023, but then again I hadn’t purchased anything from them until just recently. In the last couple of months I got the Wide Leg Dream Pants (on eBay), the Organic Cotton Striped Tee Dress (from Crossroads—a thrift shop), and the Felted Merino Wool Half-zip (on the Everlane website during their F&F sale). So as sparse as this list is, I thought it might be worth doing a quick recap of this year’s Everlane purchases.
{Wearing Quince’s Australian Merino Wool Half Zip, Everlane Dream Pants, Birdies shoes, Celine Tabou bag}
The Wide Leg Dream Pants
I’m not sure where I first saw the pants (I’m guessing somewhere on Insta), but I was intrigued and wanted to try it out. So I saved a search of it on eBay (my go-to these days for Everlane items), and when one in my size popped up I nabbed it. For sizing, I would say these run true to size, but are a bit more forgiving too since the material (a cotton, modal, and elastane blend) is quite stretchy. I love the elastic waist and the stretchy yet thick fabric. It’s also wrinkle resistant so it’s great for travel. And even though this pant is labeled as a wide leg pant, I think it’s more of a straight leg to me. Their original Dream Pants were tapered, so they probably called this the Wide Leg to help differentiate it from their original. I also love these pants because they’re supposed to be ankle length, which means for someone with short legs like myself these pants are the perfect length (and I don’t need to go get them hemmed). Overall I’m really happy with this purchase and look forward to wearing them when I want a more polished look.
{Wearing on the left: Everlane tee dress, Alohas loafers, Loewe small Puzzle bag; on the right: Everlane tee dress, Nili Lotan for Target trench, very old Loeffler Randall boots, and La Portegna Adeline bag}
The Organic Cotton Striped Tee Dress
This was a find at Crossroads in Berkeley (a thrift shop), and I like the loose easy fit. I’m wearing a large in this and I would say it’s true to size. I like that the sleeves have stripes going in the other direction (vertical instead of the horizontal stripes on the body), which looks odd at first but make more sense when you roll up the sleeves. The only thing I didn’t like about it is that the bottom hem doesn’t stay flat after washing. Of course you could bust out your iron and make it straight but that kind of defeats the purpose of an easy-to-throw-on tee dress. I don’t know why but a lot of cotton items from Everlane just don’t have quality hems (like all my old Everlane tees with wonky collars). TBH I bought it because it was $25 and I used Crossroads credit. I probably wouldn’t buy it new, even at the sale price.
{Wearing: Everlane Felted Merino Wool Half-Zip, Agolde jeans from the RealReal, linen cap from Amazon (great for big heads!), The Row Park Tote dupe from Etsy}
The Felted Merino Wool Half-zip
This was the only item I purchased new this year, and it was during their Friends and Family sale back in October. I remember liking the look of this sweater after first seeing it on Kristen. So during the sale I thought I would at least try it out and return it if I didn’t like it (since I have a similar sweater—Quince’s Australian Merino Wool Half-Zip Sweater worn in the picture with the Dream Pant above). But they’re so different, with the Everlane one being a lot thicker and warmer, and with a different shape. First a note on sizing, I got this in a medium and it is plenty over-sized in the body but the sleeves hit at the right spot. If you’re looking for a more fitted sweater, this isn’t it. TBH I feel a bit like a Gen Z-er wearing this baggy sweater and my loose-fit Agolde jeans. I’m not sure if I feel like myself, but I do feel like I might be on trend lol. But the best thing about this sweater is the warmth. The fact that it is felted (as in boiled wool) makes the wool feel thicker and quite impenetrable to the wind (as much as a wool sweater cand be). Compare this to the Quince half-zip, which is just regular wool, and the wind can definitely blow through the Quince knit. I also really love this heathered oat color, which is a nice milky white. I 100% think this was worth buying, and it’s even cheaper now on Everlane’s website at 30% off!
Overall, I do think Everlane makes quality clothing and accessories. And even though they border on fast fashion in that they churn out a lot of product, I think for the most part purchasing a couple new items from them every year is fine (and even better if you can find it used!). I may not be an Everlane addict anymore, but they will always hold a special place in my wardrobe.