Today, I thought I would share another set of images found on the The Terrier and Lobster blog (click here) of J.Crew's October 2005 catalog set in England. There is a little something for both women and men! Just click on any of the images to view them larger.
Many of those pieces look great today! They really stand the test of time with their classic lines and beautiful style.
What are your thoughts on these catalogs from the past? Do you enjoy looking through them for outfit inspirations? Do you find these looks classic (like I do) or do you think they are dated?
I have this catalog and many of these items. This is when I was truly obsessed with J. Crew and before blogs were so popular so I was alone. I loved J. Crew's classic, semi-British take on prep. They had some amazing shoes that Fall and the clothes were so well made with all the details. I was in Boston then and liked the Chestnut Hill store which had most things.
ReplyDeleteFall 2004 had some really cute jackets (some I missed and regret) but Fall 2005 they were really hitting their stride.
It looks like there was a small website update! As it's an off Thursday, there are some new arrivals. Btw, I'm about halfway done with scanning the November catalog and will get it up in the next few days!
ReplyDeleteThank you posting part of the 2005 catalog. I loved the items that Jrew made at that point. I still look, but the number of items that I have purchased has decreased.
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ReplyDeleteI have and still wear that little gold & brown floral skirt in the fourth picture down, plus the tweed hat & a clutch in the same material. Such great quality. I may wear it this weekend. Will just have to pick up a packet of fish & chips, heh heh.
ReplyDeleteLove these images -- thanks for sharing Alexis!
ReplyDeleteSome new items added today -- off to peruse!
I love the old J.Crew catalog pics. I do not feel they are dated at all. The styles and silhouettes you see from 2005, you still see today in catalogs from Boden, Talbots, and other prep-style retailers. If anything, I think J.Crew's current offerings can might be labeled as dated one day and they have gone from mostly classic styles to offering many more trendy pieces. I miss the old J.Crew. I love the classic, well-made offerings. Looking at older pictures really shows how their quality has gone down, especially when it comes to their knit items.
ReplyDeleteLove these looks. A lot of items have remained similar over the years (cabled turtleneck sweaters, tweedy jackets, printed pencil skirts), just the quality stinks now.
ReplyDeleteAlso, that hooded ivory coat is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy looking at the images of J.Crew from past years...thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteOT: I scanned the first 81 pages of the November 2011 catalog and posted them on my blog this morning. Click here to view.
Oh wow, looking at these images takes me back (to my single, pre-baby days!!! lol!). Thanks for posting these pics. There are some really beautiful pieces in there and the quality back then was amazing.
ReplyDeleteI gotta say, those outfits still look fresh and current to me.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about the Fall 2005 items! I wore my tweed Marni kitten heels yesterday, that season had the best shoes!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree that some of the styles have remained the same at JC, but how they were styled back in 2005 is what makes them oh-so-appealing. Just lovely!
ReplyDeleteI remember that catalogue! I wish I had had more money that fall. We were moving into our house and the bills were piling up everywhere, I don't think I bought anything that year.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the step back in time Alexis!
life as a cat: It's good to 'see' you! I haven't seen you comment in awhile, so I went ahead and started scanning yesterday since I wasn't sure if you were able to scan this month. I'm glad to see you back and to hear that you are in the process of getting the entire catalog completed to post online. :)
ReplyDeleteLovely, appealing and beautiful...those were the days! There was a connection in those catalog scenes you just do not have now...something is missing!
ReplyDeleteAnother thing, notice the large yellow enamel bangle from the Paris 2007 catalog...they are back this fall...now if they could bring some additional items like the great shoes, dresses and cropped peacoat sweaters! Amore!
ReplyDeleteAlexis, thanks for sharing these catalog images. I didn't buy much that year as I was in college but I do have a Robert Noble tweed blazer that I'm sure was from fall 2005. It is pumpkin with gray windowpane check, leather buttons, contrast piping on the lining. I love that jacket.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to look back at what was popular then. I'm not enamored with a lot of the current retro trends I am seeing. It's like Hot Tub Time Machine exploded sometimes.
Love! I totally agree with you Valerie re: the shoes. I looove my marnies! Wish I had more than one pair though. The shoes were so awesome back then!
ReplyDelete@ xoxo: I remember that tweed blazer. I have 2 Robert Noble blazers from Fall 2005...one is camel and the other is a black houndstooth tweed with thick ties at the waist that I wore for my very first client presentation in my first job out of college. They really did have beautiful woolens back then.
ReplyDeleteWhitney, I agree, the wool blazers used to be really special. I remember thinking that the blazer I bought was an investment piece. Cost per wear is probably pennies by now and it still looks great.
ReplyDeleteWas anyone else surprised to see that mink was used on the camel cardigan? Also, I wish I could read the copy to see how things were priced then!
ReplyDeleteI have to say as much as I really like these quality items from back then, I do think the styling is a little matronly. I would really like the quality back, but I enjoy the new styling.
ReplyDeleteI seriously just love how HAPPY and FUN the models look in these older catalogs! The latest ones has more smiling models again, but there are also a lot of "vapid, model-y" faces in there as well. Ugh, no thanks.
ReplyDeleteAnd men AND women! Interacting! Outside of the wedding section! Unheard of (these days, at least)!
I just pulled out the black and white tweed coat on image 20 and it's 100% wool with an acetate lining. And the ivory duffle coat on image 15, I have in the olive color. It's so heavy it would probably be $700. now. It's made of 78% wool and 20% nylon. I go to JC site and the coats are made of "Italian wool/polymide". What's polymide anyway? Is that polyester?
ReplyDeleteLove the clothing back then. I think the style is classic and I own many of the older pieces still. I don't care for much of the low quality out there today but many younger women don't know what they were missing with the quality and detailing of the long ago items. That is what keeps me from buying much these days; the styles are too trendy and mainly low quality.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, polyamide is a type of nylon. It provides added durability to the wool without a noticeable decrease in softness and it takes color extremely well. It also provides good insulation and is used in heat-resistance fabrics.
ReplyDeleteIt was originally created by duPont and has been in use for decades in military and first-responder uniforms because of the durability and heat/flame resistance. It won't melt or catch fire like some other synthetic fabrics.
@ liz2838: I am racking my brain to remember 2005 prices, and I honestly think that the wool jackets were priced about the same as they are now, and the wool trousers were *less expensive*. I'm almost certain that the wool gabardine city-fit trousers that were part of my first interview suit cost $118 in late 2004.
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing that burns me up the most re: whole declining quality issue. I've watched the prices creep up dollar by dollar and thought, "ok, inflation is lame". But COME ON J.Crew, don't expect me not to notice when you take away the linings, or toss in 45% of a fabric that was extruded out of a giant vat of boiled chemicals in China for about 12 cents on a skirt that used to be 100% wool and charge THE SAME PRICES. If I just want to pick up a pair of cheap, nondescript pants for work, I'll go to Marshall's or Express and expect man-made, clingy materials with bumpy seams and nary a lining in sight and be fine with it. I shop at J.Crew when I want to pay a reasonable price for quality, when I want something that I know will make me feel and look my best today, tomorrow, and 5 years from now, and will make people want to know if the woman inside that outfit is as sharp and polished as her style.
Boo - sorry for the rant, I just miss my J.Crew!
Not dated at all!! I have stuff from that catalog and before then, too, that I still wear. Some of those items closely resemble items they have in this year's catalogs. Classics never go out of style. Good shirts, skirts, blazers and sweaters really do last through the seasons.
ReplyDeleteThe American Observer, it's so true. Classic is classic is classic, as silly as that sounds. I still wear my Robert Noble and Bella blazers, they look fabulous on me and that's what's classic. Looking good never goes out of style.
ReplyDeleteClassic looks! I love seeing "Seasons Past J.Crew". It really makes me wish I'd known this retailer back when.
ReplyDeleteI remember looking at J.Crew catalogs in 2004 and 2005 (not long graduated) and wishing I could afford all of the jackets. I especially remember a brown jacket / coat with pink plaid or tweed...I think in 2004 that I wanted so badly and I brought the catalog with me wherever I went for some reason.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any 2004 catalogs?
imagine having all the vibrant prints that you see in j. crew's new line alongside these outfits
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