So with that in mind, I started on a "mission" to find the perfect chambray popover. I talked a bit about looking for different versions here, but I actually ordered or tried them on in store to find the right one for me.
Old Navy Chambray Button-Yoke Top: originally $19.50
I ordered the Old Navy popover version in three sizes during a 30% off promotion a few weeks ago, making the end cost $12.50. My full button-down Chambray from Old Navy is a Medium Tall so I assumed that the yoke version would fit similarly. As you can see above, it does not. The fabric is waaaaaaayyy too tight in the arms, a problem I do run in to quite a bit. The Large Tall fit my arms well, but had a lot of extra fabric at the bottom, which would have made it difficult to tuck in and/or layer with other shirts as I plan to do with this shirt. Out of the three sizes, the regular Large fit me the best. The arms weren't too tight and there wasn't too much extra fabric towards the bottom.
For me, the biggest downside of this shirt is that it does not button up all the way. There are only 3 buttons, so it would be difficult for me to layer it how I would want to. In the end, I know that I would want a shirt that allowed me to layer it multiple ways so even though the price was amazing, I knew I had to make the smarter decision and keep looking (and trust, for $12, that was really difficult for me).
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New York & Company: $44.50
Beth sent me an email telling me she had seen a chambray popover at NY&Co. and that it was worth checking out. I generally don't shop there as nothing ever seems to fit me right, but I was hopefully. I ended up making about 5 laps around the store until I found the shirt - but it was only left in a medium so it must have been a very popular piece! Unfortunately for me, it did not fit properly on me. Again it was too tight in the arms, and also somewhat short on me (as most pieces there are). I liked the color of the shirt, and it buttoned all the way up which is was a plus. For me, the wrong fit was obviously a deal breaker, but I think I would have probably passed on this as well as I think the front flap pockets would make it difficult to layer.
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J. Crew Faded Chambray Popover: $78
The J.Crew chambray picture is actually what sparked this desire for a chambray popover, which is why I was so excited initially when I saw the Old Navy version. I'm glad I went in and tried this shirt on instead of ordering it blindly (for close to $80! that's so much!). Again the medium is too tight in the arms, but the large fit well. Besides the outrageous price for a shirt (hi, literally half of my month's budget), I wasn't IN LOVE with it. The color is just a bit lighter than I would want - it's a really really faded blue which I think may make it harder to wear with certain other colors. In the end, I knew I couldn't spend that much money on a shirt that I wasn't 100% sure I was going to enjoy wearing.
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J.Crew Factory Chambray Popover: $49.50
As I mentioned, I ordered the J.Crew Factory version during their recent 30% off everything promotion, so with shipping this shirt cost me $40 (there wasn't anything else I wanted to spend money on, and the nearest outlet is an hour away so I made an exception to my no paying for shipping rule). I ordered it in a Large as that is what my polka dot popover is. I AM SO HAPPY WITH THIS SHIRT. It is exactly what I was looking for. It fits me well in the arms, it is long enough to so it isn't boxy on me, it buttons all the way up, and the color is something that is more true to what I wanted. The only small downside I can find is that the pockets on the front are two different sizes but that doesn't bother me as I think they somewhat blend into the shirt. I felt the most comfortable in this shirt and I really can not wait to wear it. I'm so happy I didn't decide to overspend on a shirt, or settle for the cheap alternative. This smart spending thing takes a bit more time but I think, for me, it'll be worth it in the end.
