Winter Fern Sweatercoat - a review

I was returning the pinafore pullover the other day.  The Winter Fern Sweater coat stands out among all the pretty things in the store.  I was wearing the kindred spirit dress that day, naturally the bright red print in the Winter Fern sweater coat lifted the whole outfit and I was immediately in love.  There was a lady with her son passing by commented how cute it looks on me.   Despite it is full price @$228, I brought it home with me because it is such a stand out piece.

Here is some detail about the sweater. It is by Lia Molly.  It is not very warm or thick although in the picture it might look warm and fuzzy.  According to the description on Anthro's website, it is made of rayon and cotton.  It is very silky and soft to the touch, almost like a silk cotton blend.  The knit and the pattern is very beautiful and detailed. Lia Molly is known for its fancy knit and this piece certainly stands out.   It is between crimson and rusty orange, not as deep as in the picture.  There is a large hood in the back.

After I cooled my head a bit,  I decided to return this item.  Or maybe also because when I try it on the second time I was wearing jeans.

The hood and the length give the whole sweater a very bathrobe feel, although a nice luxury robe.  The fit is weird.  I sort of know that at the store because I had Initially try the XS in the store.  Although finding the top part to fit well, when I button it, the waist area feels tight. I upsize it to the small.  The top feels loose on the bust area  and the sleeves are a bit looser  and the waist still a bit tight. At the store,  I attribute it to the attached belt on the kindred spirit dress.  But with the jeans, it is still the same problem.  The sweater looks good unbuttoned.  When it is buttoned, it became very unflattering.  This is largely due to lack of curve and structure in this sweater. It is a rather straight cut and the waste band in black doesn't stretch much. Aside from that, the length of the sweater is a bit too long and draggy for my height.  For your reference, I am 5'4".

I think the reason it had worked with the Kindred spirit dress is because a) I wore it open b) the dress flares out a little bit, giving the sweater a bit of curve.  This sweater being so thin, drapes nicely with the dress. However with $228, I want to spend on something look nice universally with a lot of outfits instead of just one dress.