Finally, quality Scarlet Witch-inspired apparel! One of my biggest pet peeves about the Age of Ultron and Civil War merchandise is that too often, it’s considered “inclusive enough” if Black Widow is slapped on it despite there being two female members of the Avengers. Wanda often gets shafted and official apparel featuring her has so far been limited to icky “unisex” tees or print-on-demand shirts of questionable quality. But finally, Her Universe has filled the merchandise gap with their casual cosplay take on Scarlet Witch’s awesome coat.
Product sizing
As Tara noted in her review of Her Universe’s Thor dress, their sizing can be a bit inconsistent. When I sized up for the Loki dress of the same series after reading many reviews it ran small, the large was baggy and unflattering on me and ultimately had to be returned. As an hourglass-shaped woman, I constantly have to choose between fitting clothing to my waist or to my bust and hips. I often can’t wear the other brands Hot Topic carries because the medium will not fit my chest but the large makes me look like I raided my big sister’s closet. I’m happy to report that my usual size (medium) fit perfectly through the body.
Hot Topic does warn that Her Universe products run in juniors sizing, so your mileage may vary. Be sure to check the size chart.
Definitely designed for taller people
In the movie, Scarlet Witch wears fingerless gloves with the outfit this jacket is based on. Her Universe translated this into extended sleeves with thumb holes. Cool idea…not so great in practice. I’m 5’2″ and the thumb hole is several inches from where I need it to be. It’s not a big deal to bunch the sleeves up a bit, but I really can’t wear this jacket without making use of the thumb hole. Additionally, I worry for the jacket’s longevity – in my experience, longer sleeves like this get dirty and wear quickly.
But if you don’t like it, I don’t think it would be a big deal to hem the sleeve higher. The burgundy patches at the elbows also give you a convenient place to take the lower sleeves up if you’re feeling crafty. Ultimately, I’ve decided to leave it. If the sleeve edges get gross, I can always cut them off later.
Flattering for multiple body types
When I first saw the promo images, my heart sank. I’ve had to walk away from so many beautiful dresses at Hot Topic because they tend to favor a very high waistline that often ends up in an awkward, semi-empire-waist location on me. The burgundy waist band on the model falls in a similar location, and I was definitely concerned that while the jacket would fit, it wouldn’t look good. Fortunately (and possibly because I’m short), this wasn’t a problem at all! The band sits at my natural waist and the jacket creates a beautiful fit-and-flare silhouette.
The fit is actually remarkably similar to my cosplay coat. A+ on recreating the actual thing!
The boob factor
Not an issue. It zips up just fine and as I mentioned, the waist band is not forced unflatteringly high to make room for my chest.
Quality and design
I’ll admit it: my Victoria’s Secret jacket is much softer. It also has no tailoring and looks awful on me. This isn’t to say that the Scarlet Witch jacket isn’t comfortable, because it is. It feels well-made and sturdy, and it has pockets while still being flattering (kangaroo pouches are not my thing).
Shopping experience
A word of advice: Never pay with PayPal if you’re ordering online and aren’t 110% certain the item will fit you. When I tried to return the too-large Loki dress to my local store, they were completely unable to do anything for me. I could not return or exchange it, even though they had a medium in the store. My only option was to ship it back myself and even then I was told I could not request an exchange.
Needless to say, since I was worried about the fit I paid with a “regular” method this time.
The jacket is not cheap, coming in at around $70, but I managed to snag a pretty good deal through a browser extension called Honey. It did not automatically apply any coupons, but Honey’s actual page for Hot Topic had several useful active codes.
Disclaimer: I have not received any compensation from the mentioned brands or websites for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned.
