Happy Monday! Such a cliche to say but here it is almost Halloween and, wait for it…yes, I can’t believe it’s almost November. I do love this time of the year – right before the hoopla of the holidays when the air is crisp and stressful preparations are still just “to do lists” on my iPhone notes app. And speaking of crisp air and keeping warm and cozy, I find myself wearing my quilted vests more and more these days when layering is a must. I bought the J.Crew Excursion vest (in beige) last winter and even though I snagged it at the sale price of $78, I thought it was rather pricey..but if I calculate CPW (cost per wear), I’d say I got my money’s worth. With all the wear it’s been getting, I’ve lusted after the other colors as well but again, don’t want to spend $120 (regular price). So at a recent trip to Old Navy, I was thrilled to see the Quilted Barn vest, regular priced at $30 in store (online it’s priced at $45 – strange), which is pretty much a dup to the J.Crew version. I picked up the pink version on sale for $25 (yay!) about two weeks ago. Here are some of the key differences/features of each:
- Material – both are made of 100% polyester, including the lining of the quilting. For some reason, I assumed the J.Crew version had down lining, guess not.
- Thickness – the difference is most obvious in the thickness of the vests – the J.Crew version is thicker; this is a matter of preference depending on how cold it gets where you are.
- Hardware – the gold hardware in the Old Navy is more pronounced; the Excursion vest is a bit more subtle. Also, the pockets are zippered in the ON version only.
- Collar – the collar in the J.Crew is thicker which makes it stand up easier rather than fold down; I wear the Old Navy vest with the collar folded down, it just looks and feels weird when it’s standing up
- Sizing – I wear XS in both versions; they tend to run big in both. For reference, I wear a Small in the J.Crew Tippi sweater.
- Colors – the pink in both versions is very vibrant – the pics above and below are coming off more berry in the Old Navy version but it’s a true bright pink. Old Navy carries it in navy, black and beige as well while J.Crew has more color options.
- Price – the J.Crew version is regularly priced at $120 and Old Navy at $45; both have promotions offered all the time – ON currently has 25% off entire purchase online.
Overall, if a thicker vest is your preference and price is not a concern, then I would definitely recommend the Excursion vest. If you’d rather not spend too much on this layering piece, I would highly recommend the Old Navy version. I love the pink one I bought and may go back for the black one too. These are so versatile and have been a perennial favorite of mine winter after winter – see how I’ve styled both versions so far this year in the pics below. That’s it for now – enjoy your week!
Dear Boo and Lulu 
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