Friday, January 27, 2012

J.Crew of Season's Past: {a look in the closet}

It's no secret that I like to search for images of J.Crew pieces from seasons past to collect in my virtual J.Crew LookBook. So I thought it would be fun to post an image or two from my virtual LookBook of beautiful items that J.Crew offered in the past.

The first look features the Alpine Holiday Skirt (Item 88945; $395.00). J.Crew described this whimsical skirt as: "Straight from the archives of an Italian couture mill: a scenic ski print in breathtaking colors on heavy cotton sateen. We love the vintage romance of the '60s Alpine resorts — and the precise alignment of the print on our limited-edition skirt."

I want to say this skirt came around 2008 2007, during the Holidays. (Please correct me if I am wrong.) Although it is a skirt one would wear a few times a year, it is absolutely adorable! And I love that it is paired with an olive tee and J.Crew's Patent-Leather Mary Jane heels in yellow. (Honestly, they need to re-issue those heels ASAP!)

What are your thoughts on the look(s)/item(s) from the past? Do you find the look(s)/item(s) classic or do you think they are dated?

60 comments:

  1. I love this skirt. I remember it faintly from about 2008. And I agree, bring these pumps back ASAP....these are too cute and I need them!

    I love when you pull vintage pics...they are my favorite to drool over.

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  2. Alexis, I love the posts about vintage items. This skirt was not for me but it is special. I think J.Crew is moving back in the direction of offering unique prints and whimsical statement pieces. This skirt would be fun to wear.

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  3. I almost kept this skirt when it came out, but it was way too long on me and the print makes it nearly impossible to hem! I couldn't bring myself to cut into any of that gorgeous print!

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  4. Shariyu: I am happy you like the post! My hope is to have one or two of these a week. And those heels are gorgeous!!! Let's hope J.Crew hears us and bring them back. :)

    xoxo: I agree- I think J.Crew is moving back to more of these unique prints. Like the heart print in the upcoming Spring collection- which I can't wait to get the dress version of. :)

    Tasty Moog: You are right- it is long! I am fortunate to have found this skirt years after it sold out (thanks to eBay!) and found I need heels to really pull it off. But the print is so darn cute! :)

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  5. Great skirt! Love these posts and looking forward to more!

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  6. I have no memory of that skirt...must have been during my salad days when I couldn't have afforded it anyway! It's adrorable, lucky you for finding it, Alexis!

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  7. What a lovely skirt! I don't remember it at all, but I'm sure it was worth that hefty price tag.

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  8. OMG, great vintage find but that skirt is far from cute (sorry).

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  9. Alexis: Just to clarify, the heart dress is a shirt and skirt. I thought the same and while in Jcrew last night a personal shopper shared with me that it's acually 2 pieces.

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  10. I agree with xoxo - I like the direction JC seems to be moving in, bringing back the looks and feels that made us fall in love with the brand in the first place. Like the colorful enameled jewelry and saturated shoe hues. Now bring back some super-fantastic prints!

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  11. Catherine K: Yey! I will definitely be posting more. :)

    Clicquot & Elaine: That happens to me too!!! Every once in awhile someone will wear J.Crew that I have no memory of either! Then I see it everywhere. ;)

    In2itive: No worries! I completely understand that the skirt is not for everyone. It is definitely a print that is polarizing (you either love it or hate it).

    Amanda: I DID NOT KNOW THAT!!! I was wondering why I couldn't find the dress in the new arrivals section and assumed it would be a part of the next roll out. (Thanks for letting me know too!) That is so disappointing! I would have liked a dress of that print. :(

    Lisa: I agree! The Spring Jewelry line (like the frog necklace and giraffe bracelet) is definitely a nod to their past offerings. :)

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  12. Yes, this seems to be a new thing ... they put together a top and skirt in a matching print and it's easy to look quickly and think it's a dress. When the pic of the heart outfit first leaked out, I was sure it was a shirtdress. Was happy to learn you could buy the shirt seaparately, but sad when I saw the price. It will never make it to sale, so I'll just hope it pops back someday...

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  13. Alexis, thanks for the memory and a big smile on a Friday! I loved this skirt!

    I never tried it on, but I sure did want it for Christmas that year!

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  14. It's not mentioned in the post, but in the comments here, and I see it on ebay and other blogs all.the.time: Can we stop calling things from the 2000s "vintage"? Because it's not.

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  15. tasty moog: You got my curiosity going about what "vintage" means! I wondered if a certain amount of time had to pass in order to be considered "vintage". (Like champagne is only wine produced exclusively within the Champagne region of France.) I looked it up and one definition (according to Dictionary.com) is "representing the high quality of a past time" and another is "being the best of its kind: They praised the play as vintage O'Neill". Under those definitions, I can see how vintage is being used here. :) Although, in all fairness, there seems to be several definitions. In any case, it was interesting to find out more about "vintage". :)

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  16. I've had this discussion about the word vintage before, and its tricky. Usually for some folks its minimum 50 years and anything around 20-25 years would be retro.

    With that said, I feel that because things took such a drastic change in design in the last couple of years calling it vintage should be fine. As a preservationist I don't mind it, and honestly calling it ye olde j crew of yore is a bit of a mouth full lol

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  17. "ye olde j crew of yore"

    (You made me chuckle aloud!) BEST LINE EVER!!! Well said Caribbelle, well said. :)

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  18. Ok, I have two '08 holiday catalogs, and I don't see this skirt anywhere. The product shot has more of a '06-'07 feel to me. Can someone tell me which catalog it's in from'08? Thanks!

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  19. JustVisiting, those heels are from 2007 (November Isle of Skye catalog) - I think the skirt was in the Holiday '07 catalog.

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  20. Alexis, what a FANTASTIC post idea! This skirt isn't quite my style but I still see the appeal. I can't wait to see future showcases of items past. :)

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  21. Ye olde j crew of yore.......ROFL. I feel like I should go hitch up the wagon or something! Ha!

    My verification word is "mancomet" .... lovesit.

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  22. This is a skirt from the Holiday 2007 catalog (the one with Vanessa, etc. in a snowbound place--maybe Chile?).

    I recall them mentioning that this skirt was printed so that the flags lined up precisely to each size, so a size 0 would have a differently sized print than a size 12. Does that make sense?

    Also, I like old school J. Crew. That has always been my favorite way of celebrating the best of J. Crew. :)

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  23. Thanks! The alpine skirt just didn't fit into my recollection of holiday '08. So I had to go look at my catalogs, and google, etc. It's always easiest to just ask here.

    Didn't JCrew used to send a catalog with every order? I think that is why I don't have any catalogs earlier than '08. They were plentiful, and I would just throw them away. :(

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  24. I'd kill for this skirt, and gosh I just love the shoes, one pair of every color, please. 2007 was unfortunately right in the middle of my being a poor student years. I remember drooling over the fall and holiday 2007 stuff yet not being able to buy anything. It sucked.

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  25. Hello ladies! I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but I checked the label on the skirt and sure enough it is Holiday 2007. Sorry for the confusion and thanks to Dina & those who let us know! :)

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  26. P.S. I think the reason I thought it was from 2008 is because that is when I first saw it at a NYC store as a return. Even on sale it was ridiculously out of my price range.

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  27. it's from the holiday 2007 argentina catalog (yup, they've done holiday in argentina twice).

    technically, vintage clothing should be at least 20 years old. it has become acceptable to call items from the 90s "new vintage." we're not quite there yet with jcrew pieces from the 2000s. ;)

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  28. Oh my just found your blog and am obsessed! I'm in so much trouble! Love love love jcrew!! Thanks!

    ~Heather
    www.perpetuitystyle.blogspot.com

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  29. This skirt is another example of why I love J.Crew! Their special pieces and beautiful prints tend to be the clothing that I am happy to wear year after year. Wonderful purchase, Alexis!

    I also really need those shoes!

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  30. Glad I can make you guys laugh, I'm actually really kind of sore that my older catalogues were victim to one of my dad's de-cluttering crusades.

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  31. Wish they'd bring back those MJ's and the Juliets!

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  32. I Love seeing Vintage J.Crew!! :)
    Makes me Happy! Thanks for posting Alexis!! I prefer thier older stuff to their newer stuff. I do think thought that they are moving in the right direction now.

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  33. What a fun skirt! Alexis- I've always loved your posts on season's past so it would be fun to see them featured more frequently. J Crew seems to be giving a welcome nod to it's own past with their recent fall/holiday collections which makes your posts even more relevant.

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  34. I'm glad Caribbelle said yore. It was in my head, but thought it sounded funny. It does, but funny-good ;)

    This is vintage, in my book. The rules are different in the Crewniverse. They went from rum-pa-pa-pump me up (or my bill) to rat-a-tat-tatters from 09 onward. I think 09 was the famous chiffon rose tee that was going for 100+ on Ebay, but couldn't survive the wash. Not vintage.

    Yes, Alexis. A re-issue on these Mary Janes with 1/2" less heel.

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  35. It always takes me by surprise to see items from 2007 or 2008 being described as vintage because I still have many JC items from that time in my closet.

    Strangely enough about six months ago I cleaned out a closet at my parents house. I got rid of many jc items that I had in high school and college. I was in hs and college in the mid and late 90s. ( Yes it is sad that it took me that long to clean out that closet.) Those items I would consider vintage.

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  36. Gigi, YES! Many rules ARE different in the Crewniverse :)

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  37. Thanks for the pic Alexis. I could not pull that skirt off (too short) but love to see some of the old stuff. I was looking in my closet this morning and have some wonderful pieces from early 2000's when I did not shop at J Crew that much. They really are special, mostly sweaters that I fell in love with and had to have. Hard to compare the quality now to then, they were all 100% something, not X% of this and Y% of that.

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  38. Those yellow mary janes were one of my first J.Crew purchases and I even paid full price! (gasp!)...it was a splurge but I never regretted it. I have to say they are not the most comfortable shoe, those babies are high! But oh-so-pretty!

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  39. Interesting tidbit about the printed flags, dina! This skirt was way before I was visiting JC on a regular basis, but very nice to see!

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  40. I actually owned this same print in a dress and, alas, sold it on ebay. It was just too whimsical for my style. That said, I think it's a classic skirt.
    http://magpiestyle.net

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  41. I love this skirt and it is in my closet:) I love JCrew prints of yesterday and I personally don't see the current heart print being even close to what they used to produce. Really, an unoriginal heart print?? esp. at the price point?? I am so disappointed in the current rollout. Where are the gorgeous UNIQUE prints of yesterday?

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  42. Great post Alexis. I like this idea, hope you find more.

    I'm surprised at the price. For 2007, that would have been really high. I guess I thought all the expensive pieces were recent.

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  43. Wonderful post Alexis. Very pretty skirt that I could never pull-off myself ! I am never comfortable trying to locate "vintage" JC on Ebay since I don't know what their sizing was like "back in the day". I am just not a gambler. At first I thought JC was making a turn back toward earlier years, but looking around at other retailers (sorry die-hard fans, their dresses are too damn short!) I have noticed the same clothes. Everyone has very bright colors and some prints but nothing like "old school" J Crew. I would be afraid at the outrageous price they would charge for a truely unique piece.

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  45. Hi - I just noticed that the skirt is on sale on ebay (size 6) in case anyone is interested in buying it ...

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/271735095128?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_sacat%3D0%26_nkw%3D271735095128%26_rdc%3D1

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