Monday, September 29, 2008

J.Crew Vintage Flower Pins: Sold Out!

Anonymous at 4:52 AM, Naomi, and Silver_Lining (in the "The Great (Weekly) Exchange" post) noticed that J.Crew's accessories page has a special notice on it: "We wish we had more. Because they're so special, our vintage flower pin collection has already sold out. We apologize for any inconvenience."
Like Silver_Lining, I did not see these pins for sale on J.Crew's website, so I am a bit curious how customers were able to purchase them. :) Silver_Lining thinks "that because they weren't on the site people Googled Dulken & Derrick and went directly to their website instead (where most of the flowers are more reasonably priced than JC's rumored $85-$110). They even had a section named "J Crew Inspired", although I believe they changed the name on that to "Special Collection". HOWEVER - if you go to their site the message on the main page reads: "*Due to relocation Orders will be processed slower than usual and many items listed are unfortunately sold out. Please be patient while we reconstruct the website, adding new flowers and categories."

Were any of you Aficionadas able to purchase one before they sold out? Do you already own one, if so please let us know what you think of the pins. :)

51 comments:

  1. Hey thanks for the tip on finding the flowers from the source. The website isn't as pretty as J. Crews but the prices are great!

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  2. I didn't buy one from J.Crew...I'm going to Jo-Ann fabrics tomorrow to get silk flowers and safety pins to make my own. :)

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  3. ffm - if Jo-Ann does not sell them, you can find bar pins at jewelrysupply.com. They are the backings that most brooches have and are better than safety pins for attaching to the flowers. Also, I find beautiful silk flowers at judithm.com, a millinery supply store.

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  4. Thanks Jen! That's the exact type of safety pins I am looking for, so I will be sure to check that site if Jo-Ann's doesn't have them. :)

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  5. Maybe the bug pins ate the flower pins.

    haha. :-)

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  6. The pins were available on the jcrew site for a couple of days. I bought two of them. They are lovely.

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  7. Are they really "vintage" or just vintage-looking? That confused me.

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  8. Molly, many of the flowers that D&D sell are vintage or made with vintage fabrics. Though they sell "vintage inspired" as well.

    FYI, for those who want to order from D&D, their flowers will still need to be made into pins. You may request that they do it or you may sew the pins on yourself.

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  9. Molly at 10:53: I'm loving your theory on why the flower pins are gone. Sounds like a conspiracy to me! LOL!!!! Too funny!

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  10. hdayton: Thank you for letting us know that they will still need pins. I did go to their website to look, and never realized that they were not "wear ready". Also, could I ask, which pins did you purchase from J Crew? I absolutely love the way pins can transform a look. Lucky you! :)

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  11. Molly,

    your "bug" comment makes me smile:)

    I found the D&D website futuring J.Crew inspired collection for those who haven't seen them. They are so beautiful...

    http://www.flowersinthecity.com/jcrewinspired.html

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  12. I managed to spot the flower pins on J Crew one of the days they were up, and they really were beautiful. The mass market fake flowers available today at craft stores just can't compare to hand-made vintage ones. Anyone who managed to buy one of these really did get a piece of art. That being said I'm going to try to recreate one. There's a home decor store here called Chintz & Co that sells incredible fabric flowers. My brooch won't have the subtle vintage colouring of the J Crew original or be silk, but it'll still be pretty. I think I may buy some pearls at a bead store to use as the centre of the flower, too.

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  13. I purchased 3 flower pins from Dulken & Derrik this past week. The 3 pins came to $145 including shipping to Canada. I spoke with a really nice lady there by the name of Pam and prior to my purchase, she told me that the flowers come WITH the pins already attached. She told me that some (very obvious decorative ones - ie. for the hair or for room decorations) do not come with pins but the rest did. I placed my order on Monday this past week. She told me that I would get my order in about 2 weeks.

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  14. crew girl in canada: I can't wait to hear your review of the flowers. They are just gorgeous online!!! Let us know what you think once you receive them!!

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  15. I am sorry....yes, I could afford $150 in flower pins but I would rather have nice ones that I made with my daughter-- an experience together OR purchased elsewhere for less....and donate the excess money to charity. What a waste of money in this day and age of need!

    I don't care of they are silk or vintage...like I would get that close to someone's pin and really notice the difference!

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  16. I am kind of mad at J Crew for this- I emailed a CSR early last week to ask about the flower pins, and he told me that they would be online soon. I checked EVERY DAY (yes, I was looking forward to them) and NEVER saw them. So to know now that they are gone really makes me think twice about shopping at J Crew. This, plus getting an order canceled 2 weeks after I placed it- it is too much. I love the crew, but I love not getting angry about flower pins more.

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  17. I happened to go one of the large retailers--I do not mean to sound discriminatory at all--but they are all owned by asian people. Meaning every different store like the one mentioned. Kinda like the nail salons. Anyway--it is where they sell all the handbags, more jewelry than you can shake a stick at and every other accessory you can think of. Well, I bought about 5 different WONDERFUL looking flowers here for $5-$6 each. They look vintage, they are very well-made and I am psyched! I also found a beautiful long, nice weight, hand tied and very real looking string of pearls that I can triple for $8! They look JUST like the ones the models are wearing with so many of the fab looks at j Crew. So ladies--although these flowers and pearl necklaces at J Crew are nice--save yourself some $ and go get them at one of these FAB stores! I am sure glad I shopped it! :)

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  18. Besides vintage shops or craft shops, wwww.etsy.com has lovely hand crafted pins that look identical to these pins! I love this site for unique jewelry, scarves and other custom pieces!

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  19. Regarding the Jcrew accessories, I went to jcrew retail store nearby yesterday and saw a bracelet that is abosultely shinning. The style No. is 98333. I've not seen this one at jcrew.com. Does anybody get one yet? How could you find it in a cheaper price? Thanks for sharing ....

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  20. ITS A BLUFF!!!! So people will buy them more when new ones are released. They are just trying to ration them and make them a collectable. I dont believe this.

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  21. Anony@1:08 OMG! You may be onto something.......

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  22. ilovejc - Employee here. Could you describe the bracelet you saw? Many of the jewelry pieces are retail only and will never be available on the website. Maybe I could help you figure out which one you saw.

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  23. Hmm..I'm not sure I buy that they are sold out...unavailable for sure (maybe due to high demand at D&D?).

    Molly: Haha about the bugs eating the flower comment! :)

    Don't forget etsy.com and ebay as a source for silk flower pins too! They are extremely reasonably priced and I think the quality is still nice (depending on the seller, of course).

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  24. I think J.Crew is lying- the last time I looked, it said they weren't even go to BE online until October. And they are "sold out"? that's a load of crock! Someone here posted that they are just trying to raise interest in them-I agree. Ridiculous. On a side note, I made my own flower pins back in 2001, when Carrie from Sex and the City was wearing them. If J Crew thinks they were starting a "new" trend, they are VERY wrong!BGD

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  25. I have been looking online everyday to buy one as well. What is ridiculous is that I am a cardmember and supposedly card members have first access to these so called special items. I would have called and preordered one but besides the ones the models we were wearing I didn't see any pictures of them! I would have appreciated a heads up about these are some of the styles so I could have ordered one! I was waiting until they went online and for them to be gone is ridiculous. I have looked everyday. What happened to cardmembers perks?

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  26. Anon zt 3:52, I agree! Having a J Crew card really guarantees nothing, except a high APR no matter what your credit score. I have the silver card, spend WAAAAYY to much money there, often know more than the store salespeople, and that doesn't mean squat! If they can't let cardmembers take a peek and purchase early, they should at least give some definite time/date when the item will be available.

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  27. Oh man, etsy.com is amazing! So much beautiful jewelry, and the prices are really reasonable. Great, just what I needed -- another addiction!! :)

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  28. The explanation for mysteriously fleeting flower pins might be very simple ( besides bug theory, Molly, it was HILARIOUS): D&D could not/did not want to fulfill the obligation and the whole gig got cancelled. In case they get their wits back together and produce more, J crew created a huge splash around "exclusivity" of those pins. Once/if more is produced, they will fly from the shelves faster then hot pancakes. It's a win/win for J crew and D&D. Did not someone mentined they 9d&D) are moving/relocating at the moment?

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  29. j_crew_girl: If you don't mind telling us, which flower pins did you purchase from D&D? Thank you!

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  30. Crew girl in Canada: I stand corrected! When I last purchased from D&D about 8 years ago, they had to be made into pins. I apologize to you all for my misrepresentation. Enjoy your beautiful blooms!

    Slastena: I've missed you! So nice to "see you" tonight!

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  31. Hdayton:
    so sweet of you , thanks! I am all smiles.:)
    I am here, I read all the time, just don't have time to write much. Last couple of weeks were crazy for me, but I love all discussions and this blog is my guilty addiction.

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  32. just some more information about the famous flower pins... jcrew actually only had 6 of the pins available for sale, each one being uniquely designed. (so.. 6 flowers, 1 of each style, 100 bucks each and THATS ALL). they werent set to debut until october, however due to pre-selling the items were gone as soon as jcrew received the item. but maybe if feedback is high enough jcrew will offer them again. (call and give your feedback at the catalog number!) hope that helps :)

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  33. I purchased 2 pins from D&D directly. I got the Euro Rose and the Cabbage Rose. The Euro Rose looks VERY similar to the rose pin shown on the model with the pink cords. I ordered on Friday evening and they arrived today. They both have the pins already attached and ready to wear. They are absolutely beautiful!!! The Cabbage Rose is huge, I would guess 5" diameter. I spoke with the owner and she was ever so helpful with all of my questions. I am so pleased with my order and plan on ordering some others. Hope that helps some! :-)-Skye

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  34. Omg they only had 6 flowers! They really are trying to drive us crazy aren't they lol. Great advertising for D&D though!

    Any ideas how JCrew hooks up with these smaller companies? Does Jcrew seek them out or are items submitted to JCrew from outside designers?

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  35. I don't know if I'd buy these but I still think they look fabulous. :) I think they'd be fun in your hair too.

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  36. I did see the orange pin online for sale and then gone forever. I really didn't give it much thought because seeing the other pins online and the now infamous bug pins, didn't think it was worth it for price. I guess what turned me off was all of those flower pins I got on sale when the Carrie Bradshaw craze died down. I paid less than $20 for huge, beautiful ones that looked all the same. And, you could make them if crafty, no rocket science here. I gotta say its a crock if they put them only to create a buzz for later, I fell for the "limited" and "preorder" lines before with their jewelry, only to see it on clearance a while later for weeks. I don't know what is the deal with this company, but, it's starting to cross a line anymore. Please don't take us all for fools, its getting old.

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  37. There are some beautiful, real silk flowers on etsy for $10. If you got sucked into JC's "limited edition" marketing hype and paid $100 for one of those flowers, you were had.

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  38. Leslie: I will definitely provide a review as soon as I receive my flower pins.

    jcrewjunkie: I purchased the following 3 pins:
    1.) Open Round Organza Rose in Charcoal - just like the one featured on J Crew's website. D&D advised that it's 7" in diameter.
    http://www.flowersinthecity.com/oproorro.html
    2.) Romantic Rose in Camel. It measures 7" across. http://www.flowersinthecity.com/rose2.html
    3.) Hand-Rolled Poppy in Orange and Yellow. I was told that the difference between this and the one at J Crew is that J Crew's is 1 solid color while the one I got is dual tone. The one I purchased was also featured on the cover of Harper's Bazaar a couple of years back.
    http://www.flowersinthecity.com/haropo.html

    hdayton: No worries. I hope I didn't come across as being rude. I was merely stating what I found out. By the way, I understand that you purchased 2 off J Crew. Which ones did you buy and how much were they, if you don't mind me asking. I particularly wanted the plum colored corsage featured on the Plum Peacoat.

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  39. OK - I MADE SOME FLOWER PINS MYSELF! Take that J. Crew. I went to the craft store this morning and literally threw together 2 pretty darn good looking flower brooch/ pins. I'm not sure how to put the pictures on this comments page - but go to
    "mommy2connor@blogspot.com" and the pictures I took will be at the top of my blog!!

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  40. Crew Girl in Canada: I can't wait to hear what they look like IRL!! These pics are gorgeous. In the meantime, check out Lindsey B's blog for the one's she made today. They are gorgeous!!!

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  41. lindseyB,

    I really like your flower pins...very, very well done:)

    Julie

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  42. Lindsey B, I love your flowers. They are so pretty. I never thought about making them myself. Well, for about a nano-second, I did but then I remembered that I suck at crafts so I decided to buy them instead. But if they're easy to make, I might just return the ones I got from D&D and make a set myself. How did you get the pearls into the center of the flower? Did you take the flowers apart? Would you be willing to share your "How-To" secrets with us? Pleeze. :)

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  43. Lindsey-Those turned out beautiful!

    Ladies-I added some flower pin instructions and supply links to my blog this morning, if you want to try making your own :)

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  44. what is your blog shannon?

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  45. From the moment I saw these beautiful flower pins, I couldn't wait to get one or two. I googled dulken and derrick and purchased a gorgeous pinky-beige gardenia for $25!! It was part of their fall sale. It's good to have a new source, just hope their prices don't skyrocket.

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  46. I just bought TWO flower pins from Dulken & Derrick. Thanks to all of you wonderful people that spread the word about these pins! I was so upset when I went to order one from Crew and they were gone. I heart JCrew, and fellow JCrew customers!!

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  47. That's so lame of Jcrew. I don't think they were ever available on their website, quite frankly. I've visited their site for the last month and a half and they were never made available for sale. Lame, Jcrew.

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  48. I just ordered my bridesmaids dresses from a dress designer that had the amazing flower pins like j.crew at half the price!!!

    Luckily the designer sells her flowers online!

    Check out:
    http://kathlinargiro.ecrater.com/category.php?cid=626519

    The flowers are almost identical to the ones in the jcrew catalog! So beautiful and chic. I got the lilac magnolia flower for my bridesmaids to wear on their dresses!

    http://kathlinargiro.ecrater.com/category.php?cid=626519

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  49. I just ordered my bridesmaids dresses from a dress designer that had the amazing flower pins like j.crew at half the price!!!

    Luckily the designer sells her flowers online!

    Check out:
    http://kathlinargiro.ecrater.com/category.php?cid=626519

    The flowers are almost identical to the ones in the jcrew catalog! So beautiful and chic. I got the lilac magnolia flower for my bridesmaids to wear on their dresses!

    http://kathlinargiro.ecrater.com/category.php?cid=626519

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  50. You should check Etsy, they've got some artists on their that make some wickedly chic flower brooches and pins!

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Dear J.Crew Aficionadas & Aficionados: Please feel free (and encouraged) to share your thoughts and opinions. :) However, please note that this is still a personal blog. So comments that are considered inappropriate (e.g. obscene, racist, homophobic, personal attacks, rude, and just plain mean) will be removed.

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