I bought this for my daughter who is in college, and we were both very impressed with how heavy and soft it is. I did buy a large after reading reviews, she is a medium 8-10. It fits her exactly the way she wanted, a little loose so she can wear it over other clothes and it still fits nicely.
I wish I'd read all the reviews for this jacket before buying. I love the way it's made - soft fabric and lining, but way too small. I am usually a good medium even a small at times, but this is way too small. I agree with the others that the sleeves are snug, too short, and the fit is not roomy enough for a rough and tumble jacket like I thought this would be. When I first received the jacket, I tried it on and it seemed fine. Not until I actually wore it out and about did I realize it was not the fit I would have desired.
I ordered this hoodie a couple of weeks ago and absolutely love it! It is very warm without being extremely bulky. After reading the reviews, I debated on the size but ended up getting the medium instead of the large. The medium fits very nicely over a tee shirt or single layer. However, it probably wouldn't fit well over a heavier sweater. It fits more like a sweatshirt than a jacket. The brown is not as rich as pictured--more of a sueded brown--but still very nice!
I am a new shopper at LL Bean. My sister loaned me her unlined fleece hoodie in a Medium, which fit perfectly. After being somewhat confused by the conflicting reviews, I called customer service and they gave me the garment dimensions, which helped a lot. In the end, I ordered this is in the medium and it was perfect, so I'd say it runs true to LL Bean sizing. That said, I normally wear petite size 8/10 in other manufacturers (5'3", 135 lbs), so I can see where others are saying it runs small.
Regarding the sleeves - any sweatshirt with a lined sleeve is going to feel more snug than an unlined sleeve. I don't think it is a defect in design as much as personal preference about fit.
I got the Pacific Blue and I'm totally delighted with the purchase.
