Thank you, everybody! In the end she went with the bold stripe one (#1) although in this case she actually took the second one, and then exchanged it for the first (and we had quite an adventure involving a lost Nordstrom's card as a result!)
Both looked great, but the bold stripe felt more summery and this is intended as primarily a summer item for her.
Unfrumped, I would give it a try -- it does work well on many body types!
Jeanne, I tried the houndstooth, too. I loved it, actually, but decided to keep the striped one instead. The houndstooth has a different outer fabric than the others. More like a polyester.