ABC News has an interesting quote (click here to read in its entirety) from J.Crew's Jenna Lyons:Michelle Obama Is the ‘Most Incredible Gift That Keeps on Giving’ for J. CrewI am curious who the client/ celebrity was, that made the request. I am also surprised they turned down the offer, citing quality.
By Sheila Marikar
February 14, 2012
..."We just got asked to do something for somebody for the Oscars, literally this morning. I said, 'When are the Oscars? Two weeks? No way.' We can't turn samples and make really good-quality clothes on such a tight timeline," Lyons said in an interview with ABC. "I certainly love the idea, but we're not set up that way. If someone wants to wear a feathered skirt and a cashmere sweatshirt, then sure." ...
What are your thoughts on the decision from J.Crew? Do you think J.Crew has a place at the Oscar red carpet?
J Crew siting quality at this point just makes me chuckle. I was instore today making a return on the striped knit scarf which was unraveling when two other customers also came in with quality issues. Last week two painter tees formed holes. But then again, I did buy the fanfare popover even though the stitching is horrendous. The new floorset looks amazing and they did honor the current 20% on all new items. I am having a harder and harder time justifiying the money on shoddily sewn garments but the color and patterns keep reeling me back in......
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they could have done it if they really wanted. And Susan... I agree. Quality keeps degrading. Everywhere.
ReplyDeletei agree with the first person, the thing about quality with them is that they should offer the same quality to everything they make... and they dont.
ReplyDeleteI do think her outfit looks cute in that pic, though!
ReplyDeleteI had wondered about that when I read it also. No idea who it might have been, but IMO, how foolish not to at least try to accommodate the request! The businesswoman in me wants to smack her! That could have been an opportunity for incredible exposure for the company. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
ReplyDeleteI have to laugh at this too. I'm always suspicous of statements like "we won't sacrifice quality even if it means not dressing someone for the Oscar's" because why are they making such a big deal about it? It's like those couples that are so lovey-dovey in public [and on FB] that you have to wonder if they're faking it.
ReplyDeleteI hear you all on quality, but love to imagine who it would be - not Angelina - her style is all class these days. Would have to be someone young and sporty - maybe Roony?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elaine, missed opportunity. Are they afraid of failure/criticism? It seems incredible that a giant like JCrew wouldn't be able to sew a gown in two weeks. I mean those Project runaway nobodies do it in two days! Quality standards has nothing to do with it in this case, it is not a garment meant to last anyway...
ReplyDeleteI am 100% convinced they turned down the Oscar request because of who made it, not because of quality. If it had been an A-lister or a nominee who wanted to wear J.Crew, they would have been all over it. Seems to me they got a request that wasn't worth scrambling for and figured hey at least we can spin it for publicity by talking about it in an interview with some junk about how we value quality.
ReplyDelete@ pretty addicted: This is exactly what I thought, too. If it's just some C-lister who managed to wrangle an Oscar invite, J.Crew was smart to turn it down. Kind of like how nobody wants to lend LiLo clothes anymore.
ReplyDeleteI am thinking that I'll be wearing an outfit similar to Jenna's (above) to work tomorrow....
Quality?! I literally laughed out loud at that. With J. Crew the quality is hit or miss these days. Even with their 'Collection' pieces. I miss the days of Robert Noble wool jackets
ReplyDeleteBeyond ridiculous. I don't believe a word of it - but if JC was asked, I don't believe that "quality" was the reason for the turn-down. Although, come to think of it, maybe they were afraid of the publicity risks: missed delivery, sloppy packaging, sloppy sewing, little holes... and in this sense, of course "quality" was the reason for the supposed turn-down. It's all in how you read it.
ReplyDeletei agree with a couple of others and i think she turned it down because of the requestor, not quality or timing. i guess jenna doesn't want to design for just anyone!
ReplyDeleteJenna is so full of crap. She probably knows the "client" will return the outfit (because of the poor quality) and TMZ will broadcast the hell out of it...lol.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing that the person might not have been that famous, because if the reason is quality what was the turnaround for the majority of things I bought?
ReplyDeleteicackled when I read the article last week.
I'm actually finding it hard to believe there really is a person who made such a request. I see it more as a set up opportunity to state that J. Crew cares so deeply about "quality" in their clothes that it would be unthinkable to put it at risk. I have been buying J. Crew for many years and the past couple of years have been awful when it comes to quality. It actually breaks my heart because I was so obsessed with the clothes. I still purchase but I have such lower expectations which is too bad.
ReplyDeletei'm with the others above thinking it was who made the request, not the request itself. although there could be some shred of truth to quality concerns...regardless of the declining quality over the years, not too much damage has been done to their reputation...however an oscar diss from the fashion police could have widespread harm (in the same way that oscar night accolades could make you the next fashion darling...it's the risk you take)
ReplyDeletein a totally unrelated note, i found myself sitting next to jenna lyons over the weekend, both of us watching our respective kids at a museum. was nice to see her dressed down in mom mode and she seems like a very loving parent.
J Crew is simply not a fashion house. They are a factory brand that doesn't produce anything in the US! You would think someone could whip up a gown in 2 weeks in the headquarters. Someone there must be able to sew. Or not.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question in this post...no, they should not design for the Oscars...'nough said!
ReplyDeleteNo time to get it from China, lol.
ReplyDeleteOK, maybe that's mean. But quality??? Come on!!!
Maybe it was Beyonce. She is a big fan. :)
ReplyDeleteRobin Roberts of ABC's Good Morning America wore a gorgeous, custom-made J.Crew red/coral silk gown to the Oscars in 2009. She worked with Jenna Lyons and the rest of the design team to create the dress. J.Crew is capable of making the items - the dress Robin wore was not off the rack. This statement from Jenna Lyons sounds more 'politically correct' than a true quality issue, perhaps because she did not want to associate the brand with a name that wouldn't garner the 'right' publicity.
ReplyDeletelol@ Mags & lots of others
ReplyDeleteMaybe they were afraid of Joan Rivers writing issuing a huge, nasty ticket on Fashion Police *lol*
Robin Roberts' dress was just a red/orange version of the gracie wedding gown, wasn't it? Let's not give J.Crew too much credit here. They didn't invent a new dress for her. I did really love that dress though... it looked great on Robin.
ReplyDeleteI agree with others that Jenna's statement sounds suspicious.
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ReplyDeleteConsidering that the entire article is about how Mrs. Obama's liking for the clothes lends them a certain cache, jumping to the conclusion that the requestor was someone that J.Crew didn't want to be associated with isn't that big of a stretch.
ReplyDeleteThis is a day late and perhaps a dollar short, but I had to put my two cents in after seeing what I saw today. I got home from work and watched a travel show (Globe Trekkers) on PBS Create, and the host, Adela, traveled through Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteHer first stop was in Lagos, where she walked with a friend through a busy and boisterous market.
One of the market stalls they stopped in was a fabric shop, filled to the brim with vibrant, beautiful bolts of patterned fabric. Adela bought a 10-yard piece of fabric and actually brought it to a different shop that had seamstresses who could make a custom dress in one hour. ONE HOUR!
This dress was great - floor length gown with a a-line skirt, a sweetheart neckline, and a ruffled single shoulder strap. While the pattern wasn't for me, I thought it looked great on her!
Like other people have said - no, J.Crew realistically didn't turn down this offer because of quality integrity (get some, already!). If these seamstresses can whip up a great dress in an hour, imagine what they could do (and J.Crew apparently "can't") with TWO WEEKS!
...and not to be mean, but it's 'citing quality' not 'sighting quality'. In any case, over the past few years, the cashmere sweaters have gotten thinner (featherweight in marketing terms), the cotton button down shirts have become as thin as cheap 1-ply toilet paper. I have been a customer of J. Crew's for 15 years, at least, and quality has gone way down hill while prices have risen (even with cheap Chinese production!) over the time I've been purchasing from them. Also, I'm surprised that J. Crew was asked to do something for the Oscars for any celebrity, C-list or otherwise. I love their clothes for work and for hanging out, but they definitely lack sex appeal, and I think you kind of need that for the Oscars. Their clothes have that kind of I'm-too-high-class-and-preppy-to-ever-be-too-sexy-because-it's-vulgar kind of vibe, which is perfect for the workplace, but outside of that, who wants to look like a sterile princess all the time?
ReplyDeleteRaina: whoops! Thanks for pointing that out- just fixed it! :)
ReplyDelete