The blue color is really bright and it's actually kind of boxy which is what I wanted. It doesn't have shoulder pads (thank goodness) and the beaded part is a patch sewn onto the sweater but it really is beaded. The sweater is very true to size and quite comfortable and not itchy at all. The collar on me is a little higher than pictured and it is quite a good weight so you can wear it without anything underneath and still be warm