Designer Diaries: Olivia Rubin Cardigan

     Last month, I purchased my very first designer clothing piece! While I do have a couple of lower-priced designer shoes and bags, I'd never had a clothing item that could be considered designer before. I am so excited about the gorgeous sweater that I ended up getting from Olivia Rubin, so wanted to write a full review of it! If you're new to my occasional Designer Diaries series, it's where I review purchases that are big splurges and share if I think they're worth it or not. It is rare that I get fashion items that are very expensive, and I try to be very thoughtful about those purchases, which is why I like to review them after using them here on the blog!

Photos by H. Marie Photography 

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Cardigan // Jeans // Shoes {old, similar here} // Bag c/o //

Olivia Rubin Cecily Cardigan Details: 

     Olivia Rubin is a British fashion designer whose clothing line focuses on joyful designs in bright, eye-catching colors. (Sounds a little like Lilly Pulitzer right?!😉) Olivia Rubin makes a whole variety of clothing- everything from dresses to sweaters to loungewear!

     I hadn't heard of the brand Olivia Rubin before last year actually. I first saw a similar Olivia Rubin rainbow striped cardigan style called the Mika featured on my all-time favorite blogger, Katey of Chronicles of Frivolity, in September 2019. Two months later in November, another very favorite blogger of mine, Jenn of Style Charade, styled the Mika cardigan as well. I was beyond obsessed with the way both ladies styled this! I immediately tried to purchase one for myself, but I stopped when I saw that it was a designer item and out of my budget at the time. I tried to find a dupe version of a rainbow cardigan on Amazon and a few other places, but there was no true "dupe" for this- all of the lower priced rainbow cardigans I found weren't nearly as cute. 

     Last month, I noticed Shopbop had quietly reduced prices on select merchandise for a few days. This wasn't as big of an event as their bi-annual big sales that they do, but for the select merchandise that was discounted the deals were good. I had a gift card to use, so I started browsing. I was ecstatic to find that a very similar Olivia Rubin cardigan style, the Cecily, was discounted about 40% during this promotion! With the discounted price, the gift card that I had was enough to cover it in full. I decided to pull the trigger and get it! The Cecily cardigan is a little shorter in length than the Mika cardigan that I had originally seen, and the colors of the stripes are a little different too, but overall it was fairly similar in style. I ordered a size S and it fits well!

     

Olivia Rubin Cecily Cardigan Pros: 

     This cardigan way exceeded my expectations! The fabric is thick and well-made. There are sequins woven into it, and it's surprisingly not itchy at all despite this, which was something I was worried about. The colors of the stripes are so beautiful in person- so vibrant! And I think my favorite part are the buttons! They are just so sparkly and glamorous and fun. Since I'd never owned a designer clothing item before, I truly didn't know if this sweater would be worth the high price point. Now that I have it, I definitely think it is! This is not your standard affordable cardigan- the quality is evident. 

Olivia Rubin Cecily Cardigan Cons:

     Honestly, the only real con I think is the high price since it is designer. Had I not had the gift card, in full honesty I probably wouldn't have splurged on this right now. Designer clothing items are a bit out of my day-to-day budget. But, I did have a gift card that covered the cost when it was on sale, and this was such a fun splurge purchase to make! Something I'll treasure in my winter wardrobe for years to come.

     I couldn't have thought of a prettier item to be my first designer clothing purchase! I now have my eye on some of the gorgeous Olivia Rubin dresses... maybe if I have another Shopbop gift card next year that'll be my next treat-myself gift. 

     God Bless,

      xoxo Annaliese