Dress Like J.Crew, But Can You Smell Like J.Crew {answer: yup!}

Some exciting new additions are making their way over to J.Crew... J.Crew is set to launch two new fragrances!!! The following is from Elle (click here to read in its entirey):

J.Crew Launches Fragrances With a 1940s Feminist Twist
By Megan Cahn
August 15, 2014

We know we're not the only ones who feel this way: Open a J.Crew catalogue and you want to live in its pages—to go on the idyllic Indian/Balinese/English countryside vacation in the perfect not-trying-too-hard outfit with the most ruggedly handsome dude. The world of J.Crew has always been Instagram-perfect before there was Instagram. It's completely alluring, so today's announcement that J.Crew will be adding fragrance to its world just seems right.

Jenna Lyons and Co. worked with fragrance developer Carlos Huber, who creates scents that "restore the olfactive experience of a particular time and place" at his small-batch perfumery Arquiste, to create J.Crew's first two fragrances, No. 31 and No. 57. “Fragrance is not something we know a lot about, so when the opportunity to work with [Huber] arose, we knew it was time to do this,” Lyons told WWD.

The scents, out on August 18, are meant to evoke a very specific moment in time: January 5, 1943. This date marked the opening of the “Exhibition by 31 Women,” the first all-female modern art show in the U.S. Curated by Peggy Guggenheim and displayed at her Art of This Century Gallery on East 57th Street in New York, the show featured works by Lee Krasner, Dorothea Tanning, and Frida Kahlo. Of course, there was also a fabulous opening night party to celebrate the show, heralded as the "party of the decade." Huber describes the scene to WWD: “Guggenheim had oak chairs so patrons could sit down and admire art. The walls, floor and ceiling were all done in wood....There were Manhattans, negronis, and gin-and-tonics—all these cocktails that were popular during that era.”

J.Crew's new scents are meant to conjur up the excitement of that night. No. 57 evokes the warmth of the wood and glow of the party (aged whiskey, cinnamon bark, labdanum and vanilla), while No. 31 reflects the crowd and the cocktails (red vermouth, eau-de-vie accord, Bulgarian rose, and damson plum). "Each scent has a unique feeling and will attract many different women," Tom Mora, head of J. Crew women’s design, says in a release. "The scents are strong in their own ways, and after experiencing them, our customers might find that they love both; it’s a very personal thing."

J.Crew has dabbled in beauty before, but this foray into fragrance certainly seems like it will be a lot more memorable.

The Arquiste for J.Crew fragrances are available in 1.7 fl.oz ($78/£78) and 0.34 fl.oz ($25/£25) bottles. I read elsewhere that they will be available starting August 20th at J.Crew stores / online (and September 23rd at the J.Crew store in London).

J.Crew has dabbled in the scent game before. They came out last year with the Men's D.S. & Durga for J.Crew Homesteader's Cologne (refer to the "Don't Just Look Like J.Crew {smell like it too!}" post). For Women, as D*ska (in this post) mentions, J.Crew had a self titled perfume a super long time ago. A quick search on eBay found several bottles of "Sea Glass" by J.Crew (or should I say, So J.Crew!)

This new product seems like a good extension of J.Crew current offerings. They already offer makeup and hair accessories, so why not perfume? Plus, a lot of other retailers like Banana Republic and Zara, offer their own signature scents. So it's a pretty common move too.

I am curious what it will smell like in person. I already feel like I own too many bottles of perfume, but I can always make room for one more if it smells right!

What are your thoughts on this new product extension? Are you excited about smelling like J.Crew now too? ;)