"Thanks!" to lovesargyle (in this post) who let us know that the {infamous} J.Crew Bug Pins (click here) are featured in Lucky Magazine's "Style Steals Blog" (click here).According to the post, "...stores are going to experience a significant run on brooches thanks to our stylish new First Lady elect, Michelle Obama. If the surplus of styles now suddenly available is any indication, I'm guessing Kim is totally right. I love how Michelle O. wears them scattered across the collars of her sweaters so they look like a necklace. Banana Republic and J.Crew are always excellent sources for fancy-looking costume jewelry. I love this sparkly version (and, as an aside, this fantastic necklace, too) from the former, while the latter is doing these totally amazing bug pins. I want them all!"
I have expressed my opinion on the bug pins multiple times on this blog (refer to here, here, & here). At this point, I find them amusing. ;)
What are your thoughts on the bug pins being selected as "amazing" brooches? Disagree or agree? ;) Do you agree that the latest trend will be to wear brooches? :)
I wonder how much jcrew paid for that publicity stunt?
ReplyDeletecouldn't agree with you more, anon @12:00. the broch is ugly!, would not wear it even if i got it for free.
ReplyDeleteHa, Ha, ha...haaaaa, haa, ha, ha, ha nuff said :)
ReplyDeleteJCrew showed more brooches in the fall/winter than it has in the past seasons (at least that I can remember). I think with "Michelle O," as this author has already taken to christening her, she may have influence on that and brooches may be a new trend to watch . . . . I truly hope that JCrew can come up with ones that aren't so unusual (I guess I would call it) as the bug pins.
ReplyDeleteI don't find the pin that ugly but I just don't see how it would make a stylish addition to any outfit and anyone, including the most gorgeous models.
ReplyDeleteI just don't buy the whole zoo theme... bugs, elephants, giraffes, seahorses. Am I supposed to look cutesy or cool or neither in them?
ReplyDelete^that's funny stuff
ReplyDeleteMaybe J. Crew can do a follow up with a fly-swater pin and a can of Raid pin. Can you tell I'm not a bug pin fan? I do have to admire our blog participant "bug pin" who loves her pin and is proud of it (it's cute).
ReplyDeleteHimmiefan-first, LOL at your comments!
ReplyDeleteSecond, LOL HARDER as my name is pure sarcasm--thus I laugh about the insane mind that felt the design of this giant vermin would add glamour to any aficionadas wardrobe :)
One can only snicker as any mother of a 5 year old prob already has something similar in her box of treasures...definitely the inspiration was there.
Hehee I am loving the blog post title if you think of bug pin as a person....(sounds like "our" bug pin has an award reception to go to or something!)
ReplyDeleteI'm a total fan of brooches in general, but these pins look poorly crafted to me. Aesthetically it's not just that they're ugly - they look cheap. I'm quite certain I could hunt down some scrap fabrics and sequins, pop something together using my glue gun and still come away with something more attractive and well-executed than these. Regardless of who is wearing them, I will never be convinced that they look anything more than ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteHow 'arts & crafts' . . .
ReplyDelete*cries*
ReplyDeletebug pin:
ReplyDeleteI am just curious:) Do you have a J.Crew bug pin?
Anonymous at 12:00 AM hit the nail on the head...JCrew had to pay for this article/ad from Lucky. What a joke!
ReplyDeleteI love pins and brooches but I hunt out the vintage ones at charity shops. If you are ever in the UK they have wonderful charity (thrift) stores. So many high quality items in a more boutique type setting...each supported by specific charities. I have found some amazing jewelry for 3 and 4 pounds each!
Can you say child labor? Only someone under the age of 7 would make these. I am kidding, or am I;)
ReplyDeleteThose would be really cute ... if my child made them for me and I had my mommy-goggles on.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, they just make me go ... "hhhmmmmmmm."
Also in the same category (summer camp schlock): they had a leather square with rhinestones on it.
I saw one by the register at my local j crew and the sales girl must have read my expression and she just laughed and said, "we have no idea either."
I absolutely love brooches and already own several of them (not the bug pins)...I actually still have a couple of them I bought back in the 80's. :)
ReplyDeleteRIDICULOUS! No one in their right mind would refer to the bug pins as "amazing"...unless they were being paid off! Those things are just plain ugly.
ReplyDelete...
ReplyDelete$50 for one of those things?
Has anyone seen these IRL? Perhaps there is something special that just doesn't translate online....
ReplyDeleteIMHO, brooches can be great with the right outfit.
ReplyDeleteBug pin...not as much.
It seems like the advertisers in these magazines have way more influence in the so-called editorial pieces than they would have us believe. This just proves it...
ReplyDeleteIts fug no matter what any magazine says.
ReplyDeleteI love pins and wear them on my sweaters, coats and scarves. I have many beautiful costume pins made out of cameos and crystals that my late Grandmother left to me. She purchased them over time at thrift stores, department stores and jewlery shops. I adore every one and wear them with pride! I'm happy to see they are coming back in style through stores like JCrew. HOWEVER...I think the jewlery that Jcrew offers is crap. Overpriced crap to be more specific. I find better looking jewlery at the summer time garage sales near my beach house! The bug pin is gross.
ReplyDeleteI almost spit my coffee out when I saw this post... my husband thinks I'm crazy...I'm trying to explain it, but he doesn't undertand how funny this is!
ReplyDeleteGwen,
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think JCrew jewelry is overpriced crap! I know others like it but they need to get out more and explore jewelry...they will be in for a real surprise! Quality and price is so much better at other stores! If JCrew's jewelry was either lower in price (even their sale prices are a joke for the quality) or the quality was better...then we'd talk.
If I were the age of Madeline Albright, I might rock a bug pin--short of that age, I am not getting into brooches. I think they are aging on Michelle Obama, and I don't see a bunch of women in their 20s and 30s reading Lucky magazine emulating this look.
ReplyDeleteAside from that, the bug pin is just plain ugly.
I have to agree that the jewelry is very poor quality. I read several bloggers post that they had issues with cracks, breakage, pieces falling off, etc.
ReplyDeleteWhen J.Crew announced their jewelry line I was quite disappointed as I felt it would decrease the focus on quality clothing. I believe I called that one correctly.... =P
I would only wear those pins if my children made them for me. (I've worn macaroni necklaces - lol)
ReplyDeleteHey Bug Pin! Call me slow. At first, I didn't see the sarcasm. Now that I do, it's hilarious! : )
ReplyDeleteI'm a Lucky magazine subscriber (somebody gave it to me as a present). Let's just say their writers are given to hyperbole. Everything they like is 'an obsession,' 'amazing,' 'completely brilliant,' etc.
ReplyDeleteThe bug pin is just weird. The image I want to project with my style doesn't include crawling insects. Unfortunately, Lucky mag tends to love weird (just check out the bizarre styling in any of their photo essays).
bellemarie-I hadn't read it that way but you are SO right-that's too funny!
ReplyDeleteRebecca:
ReplyDeleteI hear you about Lucky mag. I was a subscriber for many years and just cancelled my subscription. Their styling of outfits was just too out there for me...almost European. I would never put together those outfits, much less, leave my house in them so I'm saving my $16 a year! Doesn't surprise me that the editors over there like those bug pins. This should give everyone an indication of their style.
I haven't seen the bug pin in real-life, but when I saw it in the magazine, I thought that it didn't really fit with the general J.Crew style. I think it's kind of quirky and could see it being something sold by an artisan and worn kind of ironically (in a good way) but don't see it fitting in with the general aesthetic of their collection.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I think brooches are hard to pull-off in a fashiony way. I think they often come off as dated or "trying-too-hard" or random. You need a really good sense of style and accessorizing to pull them off.
I have worn all kinds of brooches and pins since my early 20's and now I am in my late 30's and still wearing them. They are definitely not aging! OMG! LOL at that comment....
ReplyDeleteIMO the Lucky editors have the worst taste of all the fashion mags and they'll hype anything for the right $$. I'm not surprised at all they featured that awful pin.
ReplyDeleteI do wish JC would drop it already though. The pins are all over the latest catalog. Please JC sweep those bugs under the rug and bring us a pretty pin instead
Brooches, like other accessories, fit the style of some, but not all. I love them with some outfits and have several vintage brooches from my mother and grandmother that I wear regularly. Perhaps it is the sentimental value that perks me up when I wear them but I often get compliments so it's not just me.
ReplyDeleteI have also been wearing brooches since my teens and I'm in my 30's now and still wearing them. They are especially nice on suit jackets and coats, or pinning a scarf in place. If JCrew offered some cute pins, I might consider buying one or two. I am tempted to buy one of the bugpins, just to see what it is all about IRL. Am I crazy?
Has anyone see the bug pin in real life? I have not seen it at my store? Can you comment on why J.Crew had it priced so high? It looks like something I could make myself!
ReplyDeleteI did purchase the BP - on sale - because there are a few JC fans in our office and we wanted to see it. I must say that it is uglier IRL than it is in the catalog. We have taken turns wearing it and it gets an "eeww" from everyone who sees it. It's on my bulletin board and now we joke around about whose day it is to wear the BP!
ReplyDeleteTo those of you who commented about Lucky Magazine's tendency to style clothes in funky ways... I totally know what you mean! I also subscribed, but decided to not renew my subscription. Most of the outfits (and I mean 95%) featured in the magazine, I would never wear. I would rarely find inspiration from the magazine.
ReplyDeleteHowever, most of the outfits in a J.Crew catalog (and I mean 99%), I would wear in a heartbeat. I also keep my J.Crew catalogs as inspiration (when it comes to outfit ideas). ;)
UglyBug: Your story about the office sharing turns in wearing the pin made me smile- I love it! :)
ReplyDeleteMy Lucky magazine subscription ended recently and I did not renew it for the same reasons (wierd styling). Also, I felt that they often did not feature enough reasonably-priced options. Whenever I looked through it, I asked myself "am I too cheap or is everybody else really buying all this stuff?". Anyway, I think Lucky will soon be going the way of Jane magazine...
ReplyDeleteUglyBug..I love, Love, LOVE that story! How much fun is that?! That's the type of thing that keeps some mirth in the office and allows everyone to get a laugh and get back to work. Cute story. Thanks for sharing:)
ReplyDeleteBTW-I was unaware but the bright yellow Bug Pin is actually featured on p. 16 of the new catalog (which I just recv'd and love perusing firsthand;) and it is actually MINI! It's the Mini Velvet Bug Pin in sweet lemon. Upon closer examination via the site, it may be smaller but it still looks like a pre-school project;)
ReplyDeleteHilarious, Himmiefan.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking of buying a couple of the bug pins so I have cute accessories to put on my Snuggie.
ReplyDelete(https://www.getsnuggie.com)
I think they completely complement each other in trend factor, amount of glamour they project, and quality of construction.
Maybe J. Crew could do a Snuggie in liquid brown plastic for a true upgrade!
^Oh the beloved, Snuggie. My kids and I have had more than our share of laughs over the break each time we see yet another commercial for the Snuggie. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI honestly think that anyone who purchases a Snuggie has just about given up on life.
ReplyDeleteI just can't imagine a more bleak level of fashion in my era.
Anyone who purchases it so their arms can stay warm while turning channels doesn't even have the brain power to realize most remotes are strong enough to zap through blankets.
I torture my husband by saying I'm going to buy a matching set so we can go to a sporting event together like in the commercial!!
Oh my god, the Snuggie. I giggle every time that commercial comes on TV because it's so absurd.
ReplyDeletemy family thinks the snuggie was inspired by cult uniforms.
ReplyDeleteBUT IT REALLY DOES LOOK FUNCTIONAL!
Ha! I can't believe the snuggie made it to this blog! We laugh @ that commercial all the time too. It doesn't even cover the back of you. It's like a hospital gown. What's the world coming to.
ReplyDelete^I am LOL right now ladies-thanks for crack up! JaneK--that is be-yond hilarious!!
ReplyDeleteMy husband has to then go on to explain to the kids that a snuggie is indeed from the front of your pants whereas a wedgie is from the back..don't ask:)
Oh, the snuggie. Do you really need that? I mean come on, just wear your robe backwards. Geez.
ReplyDeleteJ Crew has amazing PR.
ReplyDeleteJ Crew has amazing PR.
ReplyDeleteJ Crew has amazing PR.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I read somewhere that J. Crew has some amazing PR.
ReplyDeleteSorry, couldn't help myself. :)
so nice blog
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