I needed to buy a sweater for my boyfriend to update his wardrobe a bit. He's a very chic man but leaves it up to me to update him subtly. This sweater I felt was perfect for our evenings out hanging out in Seattle at our favorite trendy bars.

When the sweater arrived it was left in the packaging until I wrapped it. When I viewed the sweater through the plastic I was very excited, it was a heavier rib than I realized (which is great for cold Seattle winters!), and the navy was a nice dark blue rich color that I knew he would like.

The trouble began when I opened the plastic to wrap the sweater on Christmas Eve.  IT SMELLED HORRIBLE. It smelled as if it had been procured from a thrift store. NOw, I'm not knocking thrift stores, I love thrift stores. But this smelled like a someone who smelled stale had worn it to the thrift store and stuck it in a box full of sweaters that then sat there for two months before being discovered. I WAS MORTIFIED. All I could think to do was take some dryer sheets and as I folded the sweater to put in the shirt box I stuck dryer sheets everywhere hoping that would alleviate the smell.

Xmas day arrives, my boyfriend opens the sweater and he loves it. He is a size large and built very similar to the models in the picture only his shoulders are broader (and I think his chest is sexier!). He looked smashing in the sweater. I instantly apologized for the smell because as he stood in the mirror checking out his new sweater I could smell the awful smell again.

I apologized and he said he didn't smell it, until he took the sweater off and said "oh, THAT'S what that smell was?" He said, no problem babe, I'll wash it. My boyfriend is very anal when it comes to laundering his clothes (he even uses Woolite!). He follows label directions to the tee. Which is what he did when he washed the sweater. He followed the label directions exactly. The next day I came over to find the sweater drying flat and it was PILLING! It also looked as if it was faded a bit and one of the patches on the shoulder looked as if it was raising where the thread had loosened. I asked him how he washed it and he said he washed it exactly as the label said. He felt bad because he felt he ruined it. I told him, no worries, it was obviously a very cheap sweater.

He wore again for me later that day, but it had faded, I could tell. And I was annoyed by the pilling.

If you purchase this product, be careful. It is a great sweater for cold evenings (40 degrees or so), but when you wash it. Its done for.

And I hope your packaging doesn't stink to high heaven like ours did!!!!