In mid November Thinkgeek added this Rebel Alliance dolman cardigan to their website, and it was instantly on my wish list. Exclusive to Thinkgeek, the grey cardigan is made by Mighty Fine and is available in three sizes – S/M, L/XL, 2X/3X (all sizes are still in stock at time of writing). Usually priced at US$49.99 each, the cardigan is currently on sale (25% off) – reducing the price to US$37.49 each.
The cardigan is a dolman style – it has a wide ‘wing’ style that drapes really nicely at your sides when worn. The ‘sleeves’ have arm holes at the ends, which sit about my elbows in a 3/4 length style. The Rebel Alliance symbol is a lace appliqué on the back, and there are matching lace inserts along both shoulders that end at the arm holes. I love the softer colour of grey used for this garment – together with subtle lace details, this cardigan has a lovely feminine style. The ‘side seams’ are actually at the end of the sleeves, so it drapes around the body when worn, and there’s lots of give for different sizes/body types.
The cardigan has no garment tag – the fabric/care information is printed on the inside, which is nice. The cardigan is made from 87% polyester, 10% rayon and 3% spandex – the main body fabric is a lovely soft grey knit with lots of horizontal stretch. The floral lace used for accents is 92% polyester, 8% spandex – so it can stretch nicely with the main fabric. The lace inserts across the shoulders do not have any backing fabric, so anything worn underneath (or bare skin etc) shows through the lace. The Rebel Alliance symbol appliqué on the back appears to be double thickness (two layers), so it stands out more against the main darker fabric. It is sewn down with a tidy ‘zig zag’ stitch in matching colour thread. The seams/hems of the cardigan are all serged/overlocked, so they are nice and secure. The fabric isn’t heavy, but the knit fabric combined with overall size means that I personally wouldn’t store this cardigan hung up (so as to avoid any possible stretching/distortion in the shoulders from hangers) – I prefer to keep these types of garments folded in drawers instead.
I bought the size S/M – it measures approximately 120cm from sleeve ‘tip to sleeve ‘tip’ (straight across), approximately 70cm from back neckline to back hem, while the ‘arm holes’ measure approximately 16cm long. The Rebel Alliance appliqué measures approximately 26.6cm tall, and the lace inserts each measure approximately 50 cm long and 5cm wide. This is a type of garment that has a lot of give in it’s sizing – it’s loose, open style combined with soft, stretchy fabric means it can fit a wider range of body types than a standard button-up cardigan. I absolutely love it – and have been wearing it all the time since it arrived! It’s so soft and comfortable – I can dress it up or down depending on what outfit I pair it with.
