As mentioned in an earlier post, I am on vacation! Unfortunately, I won't be able to keep up with all the latest J.Crew news, promos, and the like.So this post is the "catch all" for J.Crew Aficionadas and Aficionados to share with one another the "current happenings" for today. Feel free to post your comments here- from current J.Crew promotions, sales, emails, and even questions on products (regarding fit & size), and the like. :)
What comments do you want to share or ask of other Aficionadas and Aficionados? What is currently happening (in terms of promos, sales, emails, products, and the like)?
P.S. There will be a daily "J.Crew News: What's Happening Today?" for each day while I am gone- in order to keep the most current news on the most current post. :)
You're amazing for setting up all of these posts.
ReplyDeleteSaw the Super 120s pinstripe short for $29.99 last nite in-store.
Went to the B&M yesterday and found the Bettina cami's marked further down to $29.99. Didn't see the sweater promo anymore, but there were new mark downs on some things.
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ReplyDeleteAh, a catalog shot that made me weak in the knees, made me think I should reconsider and wear more yellow, made me want to dive into a cassis religieuse (they are sublime), made me want *to buy* from this retailer. She isn't weighed down with gobs of cheap "statement necklaces," the Dani peacoat is neither bedazzled nor ruffled, she's wearing pants ('Who needs pants' seems to be j.crew's latest fad). And a pretty model who looks vibrant and happy. Le sigh.
ReplyDeleteLBH, I had the same reaction. I saw the photo and thought 'ahhhhh...' At the risk of sounding like an old bat, I pine for those days. lol
ReplyDeleteAnd now we are left with the results of M & J's deal with the devil:
ReplyDeleteStill for the fond illusion yearns my soul… .
What I possess as from afar I see;
What I have lost becomes reality to me.
Just read (elsewhere on this blog) that there is a Madewell aesthetic (gaah!) and it includes hot pants.
Would love opinions on which is the best NYC JCrew to visit. I'm going to be in Manhattan for a day and plan to hit at least one JC. I've been to the Rockefeller Plaza location many times...but I suspect that's not necessarily the one with the best selection?
ReplyDeleteClicquot, my suggestions: Selections vary from store to store. Why only visit one? you can use the Madison Avenue bus to visit the Madison Avenue/46th Street store, and then get back on the bus (any bus, 1,2,3,4) and go uptown. The wedding store is at Madison Avenue/66th Street (sit on the right-hand side of the bus to get the windows, they won't let you in without a reservation!), and Collection store is at Madison Avenue/86th Street. 46th Street and Collection both have great customer service. Then walk East on 86th Street to Lexington Avenue (2 long blocks), and take the subway downtown (fast ride) to Spring Street stop -- from which it is a v. short walk to Soho store! (use Mapquest), and not far from Madewell. Just to give you some perspective, distance between avenues varies, but there are 20 numbered blocks in a mile.
ReplyDeleteRock Center is small, crowded, unpleasant. The crowds and service at the TimeWarner Center store vary.
Clicquot I like the prince street location not only because it is a larger store but a fabulous shopping area. You can spend the whole day shopping at soho.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being so thoughtful Alexis, have a wonderful vacation!!
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ReplyDeleteAh Alexis, you are like the perfect wife who left us meals for each day in the freezer. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSince this is a catch-all post, how about taking the suggestion from yesterday and creating some posts sharing stores besides J.Crew, where fashionable JCAs shop?
ReplyDeleteI've already blathered on endlessly about Brooks Brothers and they do have great quality and well-tailored clothes, but their offerings are fairly limited as they focus more on menswear. Great end-of-season sales though, especially on shoes.
Another place I shop occasionally and have found some gems is Club Monaco. They often have very pretty skirts, pencils and other shapes too.
From time to time Benetton and Tommy Hilfiger have some preppy styles that are really cute, too. I bought a cotton/cashmere cardi from TH this spring to get the look of J.Crew's piped and twisted cardi, which I found scratchy and thin so sent back. I've worn the TH sweater at least a dozen times and it still looks new, there is only the slightest pilling under the arms. It's really soft and doesn't have the twisted look so it's more refined.
I bought an argyle sweater dress at Benetton and it really hugs my curves in the most flattering way. Machined washed already a couple of times and no holes or seams coming apart. Why that made me want to cheer is a mystery... not!
XOXO...I agree on Brooks Brothers, I've been shopping there for years and I love their non iron shirts. I also really like the personalized experience in the store.
ReplyDeleteOther than JC, I'm a huge fan of Lands End and Canvas (this is recent and because of this blog). I like the quality of their clothes, so far none of my T shirts have any holes and I like the initial price point plus the frequent coupons and lower free shipping minimums.
My dislikes would be the color saturation on the T's and cardigans, I think they could be a little deeper from the start though I would say that none of mine have faded at all. Some items seem a little less perfect style-wise but I'm guessing it will improve with time.
Lastly, I like that the reorder is free and they match the price plus FS (and that you can order more items at the same price). I might just be lucky each time, but I've received consistently good CS from LE.
Clicquot, I love the Time Warner Center location in NYC because it's such a huge store and always seems to have a well-stocked sale section. I also like the one in the Flatiron district.
ReplyDeleteBut to each her own! They're all so spread out, and the TWC location isn't really near anything else except for Central Park South, etc.
OT: Just saw this headline from the San Francisco Chronicle, and must say I'm confused:
ReplyDeleteJ.Crew's 'Edgy' Basics Outperforming, Champine Says: Tom Keene
The article goes on to say:
"They do a fine job of walking the line between what's too edgy, but if you really look at the clothes on a standalone basis, they're pretty basic," Champine said in a radio interview today with Tom Keene on "Bloomberg Surveillance." The retailer's shift toward higher-end is partially because the apparel purveyor is "not being nearly as promotional as a lot of other brands. That move into more fashionable product helps them keep that brand premium."
Does this not seem completely backwards to the all the backlash that spawned from the recent earnings report about the retail slump in the July? I thought everyone said J.Crew had gone too far with their perceived "edginess" and taken "fashion mis-steps" -- and now they're saying the stock is going to outperform?
Yet again Wall St. dictates a company's successes or failures (and then contradicts itself just a week later.)
Cliquot, the Soho store is one of the biggest in the city (if not the biggest) now that they have kicked out the men's and it's close to the 5th avenue one. I don't recommend Time Warner as it's isolated from everything else (and not that big). I wouldn't bother with the Collection store unless you are looking for a pair of those hatem sequins pants (they don't have sale items). HTH!
ReplyDeleteEma, I've picked up a lot of sale items at the Collection store, and they mark down certain things (jewelry, bags) before anyone else does. I guess like anything else, it depends on the phase of the moon -- when you get there, who's been there first!
ReplyDeleteI have never had a good shopping experience at TW, sad to say, and since the building is just another urban mall, I don't bother any more. I prefer the stores in neighborhoods.
If your real purpose is to get a look at or try on some things your home store doesn't carry, or that you've wondered about from the website, I'd move quickly from store to store, taking notes & snaps and bearing in mind that …your home state sales tax may be more favorable than ours.
This is the perfect place to share a little laugh I had w/myself yesterday. Forgive me for being ignorant! I kept wondering who this "Edie Beale" was that you were all talking about in previous posts. I figured she was some old time Long Island socialite, but just didn't know. Sooooo anyway, yesterday, I finally watched Grey Gardens!! Now I know!!! LOLOL! And now it all makes sense........
ReplyDeleteSaw the following sweaters on the sale table today:
ReplyDeletemarled shawl cardi (camel) $69.99
lumiere cardi
sweet violet cardi $49.99
glimmer cardi
ciel etoile cardi
Bettinas marked down to $29.99
Tons of jewelry in the case reduced, including my favorite, embroidered link bracelet $39.99. There was a lot more, but I only had time to do a quick return. Saw some very pretty new things and will have to go back. Trying to be good -- in training for the new return policy. No more buying full price, ever.
Thanks so much for your feedback on NYC stores. I think the Prince St. store is the best bet -- from the sounds of it it's big and has good selection, and it's close to some other stores I want to hit in Soho.
ReplyDeleteOn another topic altogether, have any of you ever returned an item on eBay to a vendor who stated they did not take returns?
I literally just opened a JC Bubble Necklace I bought from a vendor on eBay who has 100% positive reviews, etc... When I opened the box, one of the large stones was sitting in the bottom, having come off of the setting. Shock! Disappointment! In addition to that, the chain smells strongly of brass and some of the findings on the beads have been crudely attached (the metal is not in a neat loop, but looks as though it's been pinched with needle nose pliers). I'm beginning to wonder if it is indeed a true JC piece or a knockoff, even though I paid quite a bit for it. It says clearly on this item that the vendor does not take returns, but I notified him anyway and sent pictures I took of the problem.
Sorry for being so long winded...this is my first eBay purchase and I'm annoyed and bummed that the necklace is such poor quality.
Clicquot that is horrible news!! I'm so sorry this happened to you! eBay scares me because of these things... The bubble necklace is something ive wanted forever but I've heard so many stories of the fakes I'm afraid to order. Sorry I know this doesn't help. Hopefully he will accept returns I'd contact pay pal too and write a bad review!!
ReplyDeleteThe vendor just replied to me that they will accept my return and "eat the loss" and insisted that when the necklace left their hands it was in perfect condition (I don't doubt it, why would they send broken merchandise?).
ReplyDeleteI'm still disappointed about not getting the necklace but satisfied that the vendor is making things right. Live and learn.
Clicquot, that is awful and unfortunately you are not the first. Miss Masala blogged about fake bubble necklaces on ebay here and here. Hope it all works out for you in the end.
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI have a JCREW sizing 911 going on. I love the Blackwatch Mackintosh coat but JCREW customer service has no sizing info on hand. I read a blog this morning that said Mackintosh coats are cut generously and many folks suggest ordering a size down. JCREW customer service could not advise me on any measurements and did not know if Mackintosh sized the coat or if specs were given to follow standard JCREW sizing. Has anyone out there ordered this coat? I'd hate to order the wrong size as I live in Canada and have to pay huge duty charges to bring ship here.
This is a great idea! :-)
ReplyDeleteClicquot, I'm glad the vendor is taking care of you. Most of them will work hard to avoid negative feedback. If that hadn't worked out, however, you could have made a complaint with ebay, and with Paypal if you paid that way. They offer a fair amount of buyer protection.
ReplyDeleteThere are A LOT of fake bubble necklaces on ebay. In addition to Miss Masala's experience, I have several friends who have purchased what was described as authentic bubble necklaces on ebay that turned out to be fakes. I have three purchased from J. Crew and when we put them side by side, there was no comparison.
On a related note, I recently put my turquoise and papaya bubble necklaces in the market place because I wasn't reaching for them as often as my black one and no one bought them. That turned out to be a good thing. When I was checking Google for links to images to include in my post I got all kinds of new ideas of things to wear them with and have worn them a number of times! Now I don't want to part with them.
xoxo - My other fave retailers/sources:
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Loehmann's (online is smartbargains.com, but in store is sooo much better)
shopbop.com
yesstyle.com (asia)
and recently, asos.com
also Zara and once in a while h&m
jcbellemarie, thanks for sharing. asos.com is new to me and looks interesting. Of course in another post I just said I'm going to curtail online shopping for a bit but it doesn't hurt to look now, does it? And it's always good to have options. ;^)
ReplyDeleteHere is some financial news--doesn't look like JC is going under any time soon according to this analyst:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-09-09/j-crew-s-edgy-basics-outperforming-champine-says-tom-keene.html
Are new arrivals coming tomorrow?
ReplyDeleteDesertFlower -- can you tell me what differences you noticed between the fake and your real Bubble necklaces? I noticed some on eBay look like they have faceted stones and some smooth -- the one I got was faceted.
ReplyDeleteClicquot, the main differences between my necklaces and the ones my friends got were the size of stones, the appearance of the settings and whether or not there were the same amount of dangling beads. Also one of them was literally a scaled down version of mine. It was quite a bit smaller.
ReplyDeleteMy black and turquoise necklace have faceted stones, the papaya does not. If memory serves, the dark blue was not faceted either (I sold that one).
Hollylovescrew, I've read from other JCA's here and was told by a sales associate that new arrivals will be in B&Ms tomorrow. Not sure about online since those are usually on Thursdays.
ReplyDeletegem twin, too funny! We love you, Alexis!!
ReplyDeletexoxo, I really like that suggestion! I'll second your picks and add even Nautica for women. Wasn't even on my radar, but they had some great looks in their outlet window last fall and lo and behold, inside was wonderful. They're online, too, and there wasn't any difference between what they offered there and at the outlet...
Will there be percent of sale in store tomorrow!?
ReplyDeletesome analysis -- JC is "avoiding discounting"?? What about the rush to markdowns and the online outlet? Ah, yes, quality research drives the market...
ReplyDeletegem twin,
ReplyDeleteNo one wants J. Crew to go under, just to stop making overpriced low quality merchandise!
Good threat about where JCA's shop. Stores I like include:
ReplyDelete-Zara
-Anthropologie especially for unique peices and they have the prettiest earrings
-Ann Taylor for Business Professional Wear
-Club Monaco especially for Chic accesories (I wish you could purchase items online)
I am searching for online stores to purchase cute sundresses if anyone has any favorites please share :). Anyone have luck with Lilly Pulitzer? Is sizing similar to J.Crew?