This is the weekly "Looking to LOVE with J.Crew" post, a place to share our favorite experiences with J.Crew.If you have recently experienced a positive situation with J.Crew, maybe you might be willing to share that information with us in this post.
Please feel free to share your story on almost any topic— including stellar experiences with purchases & orders, promotions/ offers, in-store visits, transactions with store associates, etc.
Glamour magazine interview of Jenna Lyons in the September issue.
ReplyDeleteI like her outfit. Stripes! <3
http://www.secondcitystyle.com/2015/08/10/j-crews-jenna-lyons-talks-success-and-moving-forward/
I like her outfit, too. The color mix is pretty. It looks like all JCrew???
DeleteThanks for sharing the link!
Hi maryeb - I think that stripe tee will be on next week's roll-out, the shoes are out already, and the pink skirt, I'm guessing was shown at NYFW - the one worn with the blue sweater??
DeleteThanks for the info. I'm looking forward to next week!
DeleteI actually found the interview insipid and repetitive of statements Jenna's made before, and at some points unbelievably unaware.
ReplyDeletewould have liked to see her step up and say something like "I'm the president and the creative director, and if J.Crew's in trouble, well, the buck stops here."
"We all have to own it" just doesn't cut it. Not with her salary and bonuses. "I get paid to play with sequins and cashmere" -- ??? Who's watching the store? Besides the JCAs, of course.
Here's a link to the full interview: http://www.glamour.com/inspired/2015/08/career-advice-from-jcrew-president-and-creative-director-jenna-lyons
I thought the same, too, WFF. Oblivious. I was hoping to read with her defending the company, and her thoughts on how the company can revive after being in a financial slump. She didn't really answer the question when asked about company's revenue being down. Ugh.
DeleteThanks JSR and WFF for the links.
DeleteQuoting the middle of the piece...
"The only sad part about down business is if you don't learn from it, you know? Get in there and be humble. If you've had a great run, now's the time to sit back and put down your feathers."
Frankly, Jenna has had time to learn from JC's mistakes - about 2.5 years in my estimation. What frustrates me is that she keeps making the same mistakes over and over, and she just doesn't own it. She and Mickey seem to think oh, we've had down cycles before - this too will pass. But this doesn't feel to me like an ordinary down cycle. Unless significant change happens soon, the company as we know it is toast.
Nobody at JC will ever admit to cutting quality to maximize profit - it's the (jewel-encrusted) elephant in the room.
DeleteAnybody remember their "If You Only Knew" campaign of 2008 (for newer JCA's, it was like "If you only knew... we source our cashmere from the finest Italian mills...etc., etc.)? Quality was starting to decline then... now, I think many JCA's would give anything to have 2008 JC back!
ha, I do remember that campaign. I agree quality was just *starting* to decline around then but if I only knew how much farther it would fall!! I would have stocked up on much better quality pieces and would have happily paid full price! I'm still wearing my '06 navy Jackie but my one I just bought this Spring is stretched out and sad.
Delete"The tilly has to take some responsiblity" "a neon orange wheelchair" while I usually love Jenna....this just makes me mad at her being so thoughtless (all of a sudden) C
ReplyDeleteTotally! She better thank her lucky stars she wasn't laid off!
DeleteEven though I did not like the Tilly on me at all, I think it's an unfair scapegoat. How about all of the old standbys that they took construction shortcuts on, decreasing the quality while retaining (or raising the price)? Cece, Jackie, Cafe Capri, Minnie, Matchsticks, Schoolboy blazer, No. 2 Pencil skirt, Tippi... to me, that's more offensive than a new model of sweater that didn't work out. But if everybody's harping on Tilly then they're not looking at the bigger picture (which probably works for JC).
DeleteAgreed Silver Lining. But one interesting nugget out of all the bad financial disclosures has been the extent to which JC's business model is reliant on strong numbers for sweaters and knits - about 40% of the business. Most of the beloved items you mention above aren't sweaters and knits. When JC screws up on a sweater, it may not seem like a big deal to us but it clearly looms large for JC (no pun intended).
DeleteThanks, cousy - that's interesting! This is where the constant new arrivals probably helps them. If there are lackluster knits/sweaters one rollout, new offerings are never far away.
DeletePS - September style guide starting to load on Pinterst. As usual, men's items first.
I had a vent yesterday and I do have a love / review today. I stopped by my local J. Crew last night (Walden Galleria) to try on the Italian Tweed Sheath Dress (C8994). I liked this dress a lot in person, but it didn't end up coming home with me, mostly because I felt like the prime season for it was mostly passed (past?).
ReplyDeleteHowever, I did try on (and take home) the Structured Knit Zip Dress (B6128). This dress was extremely flattering. Ran TTS to slightly small. Its fitted and the fabric is a really nice weight. Its some sort of blend, but its got rayon in it, so its not the dreaded polyester. I loved the color (midnight, which is like a bright, dark blue) and in my opinion, this is an example of where exposed zippers work. The zippers on the sleeves and the back actually add an interesting visual twist to the dress. The sleeve length (slightly longer than 3/4) was awesome and I really love having sleeved dresses in my closet. (This is one of the reasons I chose this dress over the sleeveless sheath -- I feel like sleeveless dresses are a dime a dozen, but well-fitting sleeved dresses are not). If this dress came in other colors, I would purchase those as well. I'd love it in a rich cream color.
Add some pretty jewelry and shoes and its an instant polished work look that will make you feel like a million bucks. LOVE.
Hi - glad this dress works for you. I've been eyeing this dress for a while. How's the length? I'm 5'6".
DeleteI'm shorter than you by three inches, but I didn't notice any issues with length. I would say it came to mid-knee cap for me.
DeleteI also tried on this dress and loved it. Felt like I instantly looked 10 lbs thinner! I have a review here
DeleteI thought this looked interesting, but the website says online only. Glad to hear I can try it at a store.
DeleteThere were several items that were added to the sale section this week in store and online that I wanted but it is not going to happen. They are only marked down a few dollars and now you have to spend at least a hundred to get only 25% off. I love the ikat maxi dress but I think it would still be close to $90.00 with the current discount. Too much. I did get the sunnylife beach towels yesterday that I got 75% off and they are fabulous! Also, got my denim jewel encrusted Cyprus sandals and they are a love as well.
ReplyDeleteA picture of the new graphic peony print is posted on my IG--jcrewismyfavstore. The print is stunning in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteThat print is so gorgeous! Thanks for sharing, Rynetta. I can't wait to see the pieces. I hope there are a lot of them.
Deletemaryeb: you're welcome! I totally agree!!!!
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