This is the weekly "J.Crew Reviews {straight from the JCAs}" post, to help each other share our reviews.So if you have recently purchased, or stopped by a J.Crew store to try on an item (or two) from J.Crew, maybe you might be willing to share that information with us in this post.
Also, this request is not just limited to clothes. Please feel free to discuss bags, shoes, jewelry, accessories, etc.
In particular, if you could mention a few of the noteworthy details like fit, size, fabric, and the like— that would be fantastic! Thanks in advance! :)
A few reviews here.
ReplyDeleteI reviewed the Silk Pocket Blouse in warm ivory today on my blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://danibp.blogspot.ca/2014/04/the-elusive-ivory-silk-blouse.html
It's a keeper for me, it feels amazing on and it is the perfect shade of ivory. I ordered my regular size 2 and I do find the sleeves quite long, you might want to keep that in mind if you are petite (I believe it comes in petite sizing as well as tall).
Thank you for the review. It looks lovely on the JC website, but your IRL photos are better. Definitely a must-have.
DeleteThese all get 25% off w/SPRINGISHERE:
ReplyDelete* gem stack pin & crystal fan pin - preferred the crystal fan
* lace-sleeve top & lace-stripe skirt - thumbsup
* stretch eyelet dress - thumbsup
Hi all. I am looking for the reviews od viv flats (patent) and martina (patent). I am size 10 in JCrew and Cole Haan and I am wondering which size to get on those two-- If someone can post a link to the reviews, I would surely appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteProf Crew I own an obscene number of the Martinas, in patent leather, suede, calf hair, and metallic. I love them. They are my go to shoes for work and also many social outings. I agree with other JCAs, go up 1/2 size in these. I would suggest going in store or ordering your first pair non final sale to get a sense of fit. I do find that the fit varies a bit from season to season and between colors and materials, but I still always go up 1/2 size from my typical non J Crew size. I have some pairs that are a more comfy than others but on the whole it is a great shoe.
DeleteProfessor Crew - I am 7.5 in most rands, incl Cole Haan and size up to 8 in Vivs (narrower toe box than reg ballet flat) & the Martina wedges.
Deletesilver_lining linked to my apricot mist review. Here are more in case you're on Ebay:
* calf hair
* metallic blush
* dark aubergine
* metallic gold
* soft desert
* suede - rustic brown
If I'm not the president of this club, I'm definitely on the board.
Ha ha, you are awesome, thank you so much! I really enjoy reading your blogs as well! Btw, in one of your posts you recommended leather protectant spray from Amazon. Could your share it again? Need to protect my new bag--
DeleteGigi, I need to be on that board, or at least a shareholder. LOL!
DeleteGigi, I'm with you there. Today I received my umpteenth pair (I have seriously lost count) in Warm Cognac even though I have the Warm Sienna which a similar tone. I'm going to compare the two to see which works best with my skin tone. All while I'm still searching for the Slate color from before I knew about the Martina's wonders. When are board meetings?
Deletereview of madewell's c'est bon pullover: very nice, a little sheer and light but it feels great on, and it's cute. It's also on sale.
ReplyDeleteHi Professor Crew - hope these help.
ReplyDeleteViv flats from Easy Petite Looks
Viv Printed Flats from Rynetta
Martina wedges from Petite PhD
Martina patent wedges on our girl Gigi
silver_lining: thanks for posting a link to my review!
Deletesilver_lining - thx for the link love :)
Deletesilver lining, BIG THANK YOU for the links!
DeleteThis community rocks!
Greetings Professor Crew - I love the Vivs and Martinas. I have them in the neutrals and some fun colors. I think they are both well-made, classic shoes that I plan to wear with many outfits now that it's not snowing anymore (knock on wood). That said, they are NOT TTS for me. I have been a size 10 for years and have to go up to a 10.5 in both these styles. Because of this, I have to sometimes grab them when I can as the 10.5s sometimes sell out quickly (thank you WWFIFY and my online VPS!). Size 11 doesn't work - simply too big. Also not all the Martinas (I'm looking at YOU Collection Calf Hair) are offered beyond a size 10, which is disappointing. I am a size 10 in the other J.Crew styles - Biella, Cleo, Darby, Everly, Kiki, etc. so the fit issue seems to be limited to those two. I would do a try-on in-store if you can, or order the shoes (NOT on FS) in a couple of sizes to see what works best for you. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree Prof. Crew. I am a size 8 in all Cole Haan and most JC, the notable exceptions being the vivs and the martinas, for which I always get an 8.5. There seems to be a general consensus on this sizing up by 1/2 a size, but I'd agree, best not to do FS b/c you never know if even the best reviewed shoes are going to be comfortable on your feet...
DeleteThank you!
DeleteMadewell reviews - Erin boot in apple butter. These are not my usual style, but I loved how they looked in the catalog and love them IRL. Ordered a half size down, after reading the reviews, and this was a good call. I usually wear a 6.5 in flats and heels and ordered a 6 in these. I plan to wear them without socks or with very thin 'no-show' socks. They would be too tight with a medium weight sock.
ReplyDeleteThe color is not a solid brown color. It has some dark grayish black shading, more so on the pair I received than appears in the on-line photo. For me, this will make them more versatile.
Linen-front Embroidery tank - a nice medium weight linen front that is not at all sheer. The back is a cotton knit. It is a bit long on my 5'3" self. It should look nice worn out over skinny pants or tucked into skirts.
I love these boots too! I was between sizes. My regular size was better for my wide foot, but the heel could have gone down a size. I may have to add something to keep my heel down eventually, if they stretch (and I have a feeling they will, just not in the width). I love the color.
DeleteOT: Do different stores have different prices/sales? I ordered a shirt in a second colorway because my store did not my size in stock. Shipping was supposed to be free. When I checked my credit card this morning, the price I was charged was more than what I paid for the exact same shirt locally. I'm confused!
ReplyDeleteI tried a few of the new arrivals in the store. It was in one of the smaller stores in Atlanta and i was surprised how little new things they had.I tried a striped ponte dress,the Amie dress in colorblock,a floral skirt,a new shell,a cotton dress in bright colors and a long merino cardi.
ReplyDeleteYou can see it on my blog here.
Merino baseball sweater in scallop intarsia (A6438) - ordered this a while ago but it just showed up. Very soft, but oversized in my usual S, completely see through, and grey was not as dark as it looked online so you couldn't see the scallop very well (which kind of defeats the purpose of the sweater!). Return.
ReplyDeleteThat is very disappointing. Does anyone if it is available in-store in other colors?
DeleteI sized down 2 sizes in the eastwood jean and now it feels and fits like the perfect slouchy jean. I could size down 3 sizes and have a more fitted less slouchy jean. Crazy sizing. I like the color/wash and the higher waist is comfortable on me.
ReplyDeleteI really like the bronze metallic vans. I'd been looking for them, they sell out quickly everywhere, and was so happy to get them before they sold out again. They're just the right amount of sparkle for me -- not too much, and not at all flaky/glittery.
I was surprised to discover that the wool minnies with the zippered "pockets" on the front (they aren't really pockets, just zippers) are a slightly sleeker fit than the other wool minnies that I have. I snatched them up when I saw them in the sale section and I like their fit better than the other bi-stretch wool minnies.
I sized down two sizes in the Eastwood, and agree I could go down another size. Right now, they are perfect slouchy jeans with a little higher rise. I love them. Haven't taken them off since I got them. They are short. Cuffed once they come to the top of my booties. I like the look, but you should be aware that they are a cropped jean. They sort of have a 1990's vibe about them, but they work for me.
DeleteThose Eastwood jeans look really nice. Are they super flattering? For that price, I want to look fantastic!
DeleteHey guys, I was hoping to get more insight to the Eastwood jean! I am a little curvy (have hips), would the jeans look ok on me? I'm typically a size 27 in the toothpick jean - if it was 2 sizes down is it still very baggy around the bum/thighs or just a little? Sorry for the questions.. they look so good on the model but its got such mixed reviews!
DeleteHello, JCAs! Here's my most recent purchase/review.
ReplyDeletePuff-sleeve blazer in pinstripe (a2380)
From the few comments this blazer has received so far it seems that it could be one of those "I either love it or hate it" items. Personally, I happen to love it. I've gone with my usual blazer size and it is TTS. It is very fitted, more so than the schoolboy blazer, so there's no room for heavier layers but I wouldn't want to wear anything more than a cami, t-shirt or a blouse underneath it anyway. The fit in the upper arms is perhaps too perfect and could be a little snug for some.
Now let's talk about the puffs at the shoulders. To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive about them at first as I'm not crazy about the idea of wearing shoulder pads and looking like I'm about to have a major fight with Joan Collins on the set of Dynasty, lol. But once I had donned the blazer I was fine. The fabric folds are lovely, sophisticated box pleats, and are done in a way that just slightly exaggerates the shape of the shoulders. n fact, the (small) shoulder pads sit mostly on top of my shoulders and extend only a tiny bit over. The wool is yummy -- soft, smooth and on the thinner side. As the description says, there's a bit of stretch to it. I really love the idea of dressing it down with a white t-shirt and jeans.
Maqsad's review was helpful to me before purchasing this jacket. Thank you, maqsad!
Aw, thank you, ivanka! Glad you loved it too! I love the idea of dressing it down as well! I also compared it to the cotton blazers in puff sleeve when in store, but the wool has smth special that the cotton doesn't.
DeleteThe new blue and white striped sleeveless dress is cute and I think runs a bit big. It is longer than recent dresses like this. I think it had an exposed gold zipper in the back and I think it had pockets.
ReplyDeleteThe new mini-rollout has a lot of v-neck solid colored linen tees in different colors. They're still a bit sheer but at least they're not all white. There is navy, a bright blue, army green, a light violet/periwinkle color, gray (had black in it, I think).
There are linen button downs. I saw white, coral, and a citron yellow. These are like past years, as far as I could tell.
There was a yellow lace striped dress, didn't try that on though.
Gaaaaaaaaah! (That's for the zipper).
DeleteWhat is it with the exposed zippers? Everyone is doing it -even very high end designers - it looks awful!
DeleteExposed zippers work great on certain pieces, like moto jackets, but just look cheap when thrown on any and everything. I can't stand them on dresses with back zippers.
DeleteCan someone tell me why J.Crew is always messing with their really great items?!
ReplyDeleteIn my mountain of online purchases that arrived today was the Collection silk maxidress. I bought the two colors available last year and love them. I wasn't going to buy the black now available but I saw it on Gigi and and just had to give that color a chance. The color is fine. Great even. I was worried that I'd be wandering into Morticia Addams or Elvira territory but I surely didn't get that vibe. My gripe is that this isn't the same dress as last year's version. I guess I should have known. Why else would they change the description and the item number but I never really pay attention to those. I just see the beautiful photos. Last year's version was a medium to heavy-weight silk crepe de chine that was unlined. It didn't need lining IMO. The perfect summer maxi dress. This year's version? Light, semi-sheer silk that's lined in poly. Polyester lining on a long black dress in Summer? Um, no. I'd have to be assured of the presence on air conditioning. Maybe for Spring but still... It's going back. I'll consider it at a deep, deep sale.
My other gripe on changes is courtesy of the suede Martina wedge. It's changed right? When did that happen? The wedge is different, narrower and raised at the sole, and there's something else that I can't quite put my finger on. The sole is different too. I'm not sure if that's a leather sole on the older version but you can definitely see that the wedge is narrower when viewing the soles side by side. I wish that I could upload photos to prove that I'm not insane.
New version vs Old version.
Despite being slightly miffed, I would have still kept them if the Warm Cognac color had worked out. It's still a comfy pair of shoes, I just don't know why they 'improved' on perfection.
On the plus side, I cannot say enough good things about the E. Porselli geometric velvet flats. Worth the price for me. This is my second pair and I can tell that I am going to abuse them this summer.
D*ska - I've been wondering if I need the warm cognac Martinas and now I'm really not sure. The dark brown was my first suede pair and I felt that they fit a little different than the others that I have. I didn't think to compare them side-by-side. Thanks fror sharing. :)
DeleteGigi, I don't have any metallic or patent Martinas so I don't know how the suede and calf-hair ones that I have compare to those. I did go half a size up in both styles though as with the other Martinas it seems. But me thinks if they changed the suede ones they probably did so with the others too. I still can't figure out how I knew they were different just by putting them on, since the changes seem very subtle. Maybe I have a clothing sixth sense.
DeleteThe Warm Cognac is true to its name I think. It's a warm color from the brown family but it had a little too much orange and yellow in the undertones to work as a good neutral for me. I'll be sticking with the Burnt Sienna.
I'm currently stalking the older version in colors that I missed since none of the other new colors interest me.
Hi D*ska! I know this thread is a little old but would you be able to tell me how you've like the Collection silk maxi dresses? I'm looking at buying one on eBay for a formal wedding coming up, but I'm a little nervous about the fit and how it'll wear. Feel free to email me rather than post here - kristin(dot)dorn(at)gmail(dot)com. Thank you!!!
DeleteI was in the habit of buying several pairs of Capri Sandals every summer. I saw they replaced them with the Rio sandals this year. I just received the Rio's in the mail today - meh. Not as cute and the curved bottoms and strange heel make them feel strange. I miss the Capris :(
ReplyDeleteOh no - is JCrew no longer selling the Capri sandals?! I've gone through a pair every summer since they first came out, and they've always been a great "dressy flip flop" for me. I wish I'd stocked up during the sales last fall...
Deletecheck factory, they look more like the capri
Delete