You, Madewell + a $2,000 shopping spree (enter for a chance to win)

Madewell and Vogue are running a new sweepstakes to win a $2,000 Madewell shopping spree and accessories from the Alexa Chung for Madewell Collection. This sweepstakes ends November 13, 2011.

To enter, click HERE. For official rules, click here. Fine print includes:

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. To enter and for full rules, go to teenvogue.com/contest. Contest begins at 12:01am ET October 10, 2011, and ends at 11:59pm ET November 13, 2011. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States age 13 or older, except employees of Sponsor, their immediate families and those living in the same household. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received. Void outside the 50 United States and where prohibited. A.R.V. of 1 grand prize: $2,000. A.R.V. of 10 runners-up prizes: $100 each. Sponsor: Condé Nast.

Good luck to all the Madewell Aficionadas! :)

Madewell Email: Shop it first: Alexa Chung for Madewell tee (+ free shipping)

"Thanks!" to IRL who shared the following email from Madewell today.

The email announces that Alexa Chung's newest Collection will arrive September 22, 2011. The email also showcases the very first piece: the Alexa Chung for Madewell I'm Serious Tee (Item 53014; $50.00). They carefully describe it as:

We couldn't wait to see what our favorite style icon turned fashion designer would pull out of her hat for her latest Madewell collection. Once again, she's created an inspired lineup of covetable-cool pieces, like this destined-to-be-a-favorite tee, silk-screened with a drawing plucked straight from the pages of Alexa's sketchbook.

I know the item is called "I'm Serious", but are they kidding me? FIFTY DOLLARS!?! Fifty dollars for an ill-drawn cotton jersey tee?! Are the proceeds going to some charity that I don't know about? I rather buy a Hanes Tee and take a Sharpie Permanent Marker to it. It will cost $45 less, achieve the same look, and I have an extra 2 tees in case something goes wrong. Seriously though, this tee will probably be sold out after one day or something.

What are your thoughts on the "I'm Serious" tee? Am I being overly critical? Are you a fan of the Alexa Chung for Madewell line?

Win a $2,000 Madewell Shopping Spree...

"Thanks!" to many of you, who shared the following promotion & code from Madewell.

Madewell and InStyle are running a new sweepstakes to win a Los Angeles shopping trip and a $2,000 Madewell shopping spree. Plus, an invite to Alexa Chung For Madewell launch party. This sweepstakes ends August 10, 2011.

To enter, click HERE. This sweepstakes ends 7/20/10. For official rules, click here.

Madewell is also reminding us about the offer for free shipping (no min! any order!) with YESPLEASE. This offer ends Sunday, July 17, 2011.

Good luck to all the Madewell Aficionadas! :)

NYT's Critical Shopper Looks at How Well is Madewell

A big "thanks!" to Diane, Emily, Jessica, Erin, Disco George, & Cara who kindly shared the following article from the New York Times with us (click here to read in its entirety):

Madewell, but Remade How Well?
By Alexandra Jacobs
June 14, 2011

FOR about five years, the brand Madewell has been rattling like rusty ironworks around the edges of my consciousness, producing vague and somewhat conflicting associations, like “flannel shirt,” “rain boots” and “Alexa Chung.”

After further investigation, I suspect this is the exact impression that its owner (or should I say hijacker), Millard S. Drexler — the mass-retail wizard who injected pizazz and profit into first Gap, now J. Crew — wants to convey.

Around the turn of this millennium, Mr. Drexler, known as Mickey, presciently intuited a groundswell of consumer yearning for traditional American dry goods and bought the rights to, though not the physical remains of, Madewell, a brave little workwear manufacturer in New Bedford, Mass., that opened in 1937 and closed in 1989, bookended by economic bad times. He then superimposed its true-blue, ye olde time-y logo on a line that might be described as Skipper to J. Crew’s Barbie. Fewer sequins, more lanyards.

This made-over Madewell is connected by but the flimsiest of threads to its defunct namesake; indeed, as several forays to its new flagship on the Ladies’ Mile attest, the company is now producing clothes not for the working class, but for the class of young women who attend expensive private colleges and are taking a gap year to, you know, figure out what they want to do with their lives.

How about a road trip? Or if you don’t have the energy: how about a souvenir from someone else’s road trip? A collection of T-shirts ($78 each) printed with Big Sky images taken during a cross-country drive by Dylan Forsberg, a Manhattan photographer, is titled “Where I Want to Be.” This idea of carefree, slightly removed itinerancy (tumbleweed by way of Tumblr) is echoed in the store’s décor, a hodgepodge of rusty bicycle seats, battered viewfinders, wagon wheels, Stewart Warner radios and stacks of burlap suitcases.

Atop the last are several smaller bags in the rucksack category: a “dusty roads messenger” ($245), for those delivering urgent files to rural shacks, I guess; a $132 “backyard binocular bag” in the vein of the still-extant heritage brand J. W. Hulme (now sold at Barneys); and, for the crosstown bus, the so-called “scholar” ($148), a shameless imitation of Ms. Chung’s signature, much more expensive purse for Mulberry.

Ms. Chung is the winsome young British presenter-for-hire who has designed a few items derived from her personal style for Madewell (cropped fisherman-knit sweater, $140, available online) and who is quoted on the wall, alongside Lucky magazine editors, declaring this season’s omnipresent chambray “a no brainer” and concluding, “Long live tomboys.”

I applaud her determination not to be crushed by the frill juggernaut, as well as the good cheer of the Madewell sales maidens, who place no restrictions on the number of items you can carry into the dressing rooms. “You can try on the whole store,” one said generously, shoving aside a curtain made of mattress ticking so I could take a pair of cute gold linen-Lurex shorts ($88) for a spin.

Later she was gracious enough to return to me the pair of scratched sunglasses I’d worn in and accidentally left on a chair — lucky for sure, as it’s not inconceivable that otherwise they might have been appropriated by an eager stylist and sprinkled into the store’s stock. “Found. A one-of-a-kind discovery from us to you,” read the artfully crumpled, handwritten tag adorning a Wrangler denim shirt ($78) spattered with an unidentifiable dark red stain. (Rust? Blood?)

Madewell brass, lovingly tarnished I’m sure, also pride themselves on showcasing items from local partners, or so-called “hometown heroes,” including Other Music in the East Village, which provides indie CD’s to throw into the car for the imaginary road trip; and Love, Adorned in NoLIta, source of some (oh, for a simpler time) Alyssa Ettinger “NYC-themed” white ceramic dairy bottles ($40 to $50).

They are less forthcoming about the fact that most of their all-American looks, including “heritage premium” overalls in a faded “bighorn wash” ($200), are made in China. Now that’s distress of another stripe. “We started out as a workwear company in 1937, so we know a thing or two about denim,” smoothly elides Madewell’s marketing literature, suggesting that the urbane Mr. Drexler personally took lessons in rivets and topstitching from a union foreman in New Bedford.

LIKE every other jeans joint in town, Madewell offers a denim bar, as if it were serving cocktails instead of flares and skinnies. Here there is also a bracelet bar, with plastic bangles woven from used floor mats in Burkina Faso ($10.50) and rope cuffs like the ones girls exchange at summer camp ($5). Dangling from the rafters and enhancing the Etsy-ish, wayfaring milieu were a few brightly colored yarn pompoms.

Defying a longstanding personal rule against white pants, I tried a slim-cut version called the Switchyard ($69.50), with an ankle zipper. (When in doubt, Madewell designers throw in a zipper: up the back of a strappy wedge, $228; on the pockets of a delicate blush cardigan, $69.50.) The jeans didn’t electrify. But they were nicely oversize — engineered, perhaps, to give every mall walker in America the illusion that she is Alexa Chung.

Madewell | 115 Fifth Avenue (East 19th Street), (212) 228-5172; madewell.com.

TRADE WELL A subsidiary of J. Crew, the store, which also has a location in SoHo, juxtaposes in-house labels (Broadway & Broome pleated ikat dress, $245) with lumberjill classic brands like Penfield (olive anorak, $149) and Stetson (chambray fedora, $78). There’s also a smattering of pieces from nearby independent businesses.

PAID WELL Staff members are cheery and helpful, if a bit vague about the main stock, which — despite the brand’s tenuous roots in all-American manufacturing — is mostly outsourced overseas.

FRAYED WELL Mason jars, exposed light bulbs, stray ladders, zippers and spools create a rare, if obviously cultivated, “homemade” atmosphere on a rather generic shopping row.

Well said! I think the author did a great job summing up Madewell in her observations of the store. The store definitely tries to portray itself as one way (small, made well products, slightly lower price points than J.Crew), while it really is another (more expensive than J.Crew for many items in many categories).

Now in all fairness, I find the associates at Madewell very nice. Even though I am not their target customer, I still manage to find one or two items to crush on, like the Staircase Skirt (Item 41703; $168.00). ;)

What are your thoughts on this article? Do you agree with the author's take on Madewell? Any points you found interesting?

Madewell Email: Tried & true with Alexa Chung (+ free shipping)

"Thanks!" to many of you, including Ketan, who shared the following email from Madewell this morning.

The email features Madewell's favorite it-girl and fashion collaborator, Alexa Chung. In a new segment called "Tried & True" (click here to check out), Alexa explains how to wear Madewell's five most iconic pieces.

1. Perfect Chambray Shirt (Item 25240; $68.00)
   Alexa says... "This shirt is incredibly soft and comfy. I like to wear it on days when I can't be bothered to think about what I've got on but still want to look nice."
2. Striped Tribute Tee (Item 38540; $38.00)
   Alexa says... "A striped tee is a wardrobe staple and this pale pink guy is a twist on a classic."
3. Skinny Skinny Jeans (Item 39284; $95.00)
   Alexa says... "Skinny jeans, they're so easy to team with anything. I usually wear an oversized band tee with mine."
4. Denim Midi Shorts (Item 39262; $59.00)
   Alexa says... "Jean shorts are practical but also make an outfit a little more unexpected."
5. Safari Shirt-Jacket (Item 38120; $128.00)
   Alexa says... "Military clothing just looks cool and this take on an army jacket is great for a relaxed tomboyish layer."
   

Similar to other JCAs experiences, I have been noticing Madewell more and more in the past 12 months. They have really stepped up with their collection, in terms of styles and prices. I am a fan!

In particular, I am crushing on the jacket she is wearing with her Iconic Pick #4 of denim shorts. She picked the wrong iconic piece! ;)

Don't forget! They are offering free shipping (on $100+) with promo code GOFORIT.

Will you be checking out Madewell? Are there any items you are interested in getting? If so, please share. :)

J.Crew Employees: Don't Think About Alexa's Stuff!

"Thanks!" to Ashley, who shared an interesting (and somewhat weird) article from NYMag's The Cut (click here to read in its entirety):

J.Crew Employees Banned From Buying Alexa Chung’s New Madewell Collection at a Discount
By Amy Odell
September 9, 2010

J.Crew is good to their staff. We've heard tales from the inside about free all-you-can-eat-ice-cream day in the cafeteria and very generous employee discounts. However, every now and then something so special comes along that even the kindest of companies have to prioritize who they work for — the general public — over who works for them.

We hear that employees are banned from using their discounts on Alexa Chung's new Madewell line, which just went up for sale online. Of course they could probably find a way around it, and sneak into the store as a plebeian and buy it full price, but all special employee shopping privileges for this collection are off. Since it's such a hot commodity, if you had your eye on any of it you might want to swoop in soon, like the bat on Alexa's shirt that says "HELLO." How can you resist the "HELLO" bat? It's perfect for anyone going to Fashion Week who wants to wear their mood (you know, batty) across their chest.

Update: A source tells us J.Crew employees are banned from buying the line at all. Oh well — at least they have ice-cream day.

Bizarre. It makes little sense that J.Crew would deny their talented work force the opportunity of buying the Alexa Chung for Madewell collection (click here to view & shop the line). I mean, they are b-u-y-i-n-g it after all!

Isn't someone actually wearing the clothes, the best advertisement for the line? Why not the employee while working at Madewell?

And while we are on the topic of Alexa Chung & Madewell... "Thanks!" again to Ashley, who shared the following articles too:

• Style.com's "Alexa Chung Thinks It’s Weird That You Dress Like Her" post
  
• Reagan's Blog "Alexa Chung for Madewell. (don’t expect me to shut up about her any time soon)" post

What are your thoughts on this news? Do you think it makes sense to prevent J.Crew employees from buying the Alexa Chung for Madewell line?

Alexa Chung for Madewell Coming Soon {real soon!}

"Thanks!" to Heidi who shared the following story from the LA Times (click here to read in its entirety):

Shopping: Alexa Chung collection to launch at Madewell stores
The TV host says the clothes are for women her age 'who like to be comfy but also like to look chic' or 'anyone who likes to dabble in hot pants.'
By Emili Vesilind & Max Padilla
September 05, 2010

Like fellow Brits Kate Moss and Sienna Miller before her, model and TV host Alexa Chung is known as much for her enviable personal style as she is for her professional accomplishments. And her penchant for boyish, effortless-looking getups makes her a fitting collaborator for Madewell, a brand steeped in classic casual clothes tweaked slightly for the trendy set.

The British beauty has teamed up with the niche fashion retailer for a capsule collection launching Saturday in all Madewell stores.

The cutesy-cool line, which is heavy on hot pants, easy-fitting dresses and super-skinny jeans, looks like it could have been pulled directly from Chung's closet. "Madewell totally got my aesthetic," she said. "They're also a brand that's in keeping with my tomboy, comfortable style."

The collaboration between Alexa Chung and Madewell has been discussed a few times on the blog (refer here). I will say that although I am not her "target demographic", there are a few pieces that look quite lovely for me. :)

Are you excited about Alexa Chung's collection over at Madewell? Are there any pieces you are interested in? :)

Inside Madewell Fashion Maven's NYC Home

"Thanks!" to Marisa & Ashley, as well as spockcookbook (in this post), who shared the following article about Madewell's Marketing Director, Gigi Guerra, from Refinery 29 (click here to read the entire article & to view all the great photos).

A Chic Peek At Madewell Maven Gigi Guerra's Pad
By Christene Barberich & Piera Gelardi
Photos By Kava Gorna
May 19, 2010

Chances are, you're probably just as big a fan of Madewell's quirky-chic style staples as we are. Smart-fitting jeans, great I-can't-believe-it's-not-Margiela knit jackets, and way too many dangerously good pairs of shoes to count. Surprise! One of the brilliant minds behind this label we wanna live in, marketing director, Gigi Guerra, just happens to be a former editor at Lucky and one of our longtime gurus of personal style and a certain sort of off-beat chic…times a hundred. Naturally, we were super psyched when she invited us to her home on the Lower East Side, which is pretty much like one big, carnival of sartorial surprises. Vintage, designer, random ephemera from Guerra's travels all over the world…it's all here, but it's how she makes it work so effortlessly and with such a wink of fun that really enchants us. ...

Describe your personal style in three words:
"Spontaneous, affordable, mash-up."

What's your secret weapon, the thing you turn to in a pinch to bring a look together?
"In winter it's black tights. In summer, Madewell jean shorts. Year-round, it's a cluster of mismatched vintage brooches and stick-pins."

Tell us about working with Alexa Chung on her forthcoming Alexa Chung for Madewell line. How did you two collaborate and how did you decide to bring her on board?
"All of us at Madewell are huge fans of Alexa's. Her personal style is just so intuitive and individual and inspiring—she really does her own thing. I feel her brain is always exploding with ideas: When she was on vacation she faxed us some sketches of T-shirt illustrations, and those exact ones ended up going into production, literally straight from the fax."

Any exciting new Madewell products or news in the works?
"The biggest news is that you'll be able to shop Madewell online early next month at www.madewell.com. I can't wait! Absolutely everything in the line will be there, and if you want to find out exactly when it's all happening, sign up for emails now at the site. The Alexa Chung for Madewell collection will be there, too, when it launches this fall. I'm going to live in it all. Also, we're launching a partnership with Shareen Vintage, an amazing (and wallet-friendly) vintage dealer out of L.A., in mid-June. The L.A. Madewell will stock the collection, which was handpicked with Shareen and our design team, as will the NYC Madewell. Most of my vintage comes from her, so I'm super excited."

On a related note, "thanks!" to Jenn who shared the following news with us: "just called J.Crew for a customer service inquiry and while on hold they noted that Madewell.com would be launching online shopping on June 1, 2010". Can't wait to see Madewell's new e-commerce site! (Although I have been saying that for years now!) ;)

What are your thoughts on the article? Did you like Gigi's style & take? Are you excited about Madewell's online arrival? :)

Madewell News: How It's Doing & Alexa Chung

Over at Lucky (click here), there is a video of Alexa Chung (at the launch of her line for Madewell during Fashion Week) being interviewed. She is asked several questions, including what is her inspiration & what kind of girl would buy her clothes.

On a related note... J.Crew's CEO Mickey Drexler had a lot to report about Madewell's performance during the last quarter & last fiscal year. Some highlights from the StreetInsider article (click here for its entirety) include the following:

• ...approximately $13 million in losses associated with Madewell, which includes expenses for our e-commerce launch and is essentially flat to 2009, excluding one-time costs related to store closures and impairment charges...
  
• ...We look at the penetration of the J.Crew brand, and Madewell has a potential, and I didn't mention anything about Madewell, because until we see it start to contribute earnings. It's not going to be on top of our we're so excited list. But in the meantime the indication is good. ...
  
• ...Well, we've had an interesting experience with Madewell and we've been kind of very cautious, which again I'm glad to say. We are seeing now every indication that our people like it a lot, customers like it a lot day-by-day. We are going online this summer, and we're pretty pleased about what that looks like. Again, we have a conservative sales plan, but we are - we're actually going to be looking at more stores for 2011, we're going to be a bit more ambitious about that than we've been. But it's - we've seen a lot more consistency in our performance there over the last six months, I'm really happy to say. If you go into our stores today, I think you'll see an assortment that's much more reflective of - starting a new company is really complicated. It's not an exercise that I would recommend to most, although some of us have been there successfully and not successfully, I think, so we're actually committed. We hired Alexa Chung, who - Alexa's been pretty unknown, but for us a muse of sorts for the Madewell brand. So, I think we're really - I don't want to be too optimistic, but we're spending a lot of time in the stores. We're looking at the customers, we're getting a lot of buzz and if you ask frankly a lot of women you know who shop in Madewell, you're going to see a lot more loyalty, higher traffic, a better conversion and price points. And we're becoming quite famous for our boots, our denim, our accessories, our scarves and it's actually nice to see. So I guess more to come in the next three months in terms of reporting. ...
  

It's interesting that Madewell is still under-performing expectations. If I am not mistaken, Madewell has lost money every year since its been under J.Crew's umbrella. I also heard too many times to count now how Madewell was going online (with a fully functioning e-commerce site), to only postpone it. I understand that Madewell is Mickey's baby, and he will do what he can to make it successful like J.Crew. However, I wonder how long investors will continue to support the Madewell brand if it continues to lose money.

Are you a fan of the "Alexa Chung for Madewell" Collection? Did you like (or dislike) her responses in the video? Also, what are your thoughts on Madewell's future? :)

Alexa Chung for Madewell {coming in August!}

As mentioned in the February 16th "Alexa Chung Debuts for Madewell" post, Alexa Chung (model & former MTV host) presented her line of clothes. The following article from HollyScoop (click here) reveals that the line will be available for purchase this August.

Alexa Chung Designs Line for Madewell
By Bridget Daly
March 01, 2010

British model Alexa Chung has just debuted her very own collection for Madewell! The best-dressed female by Vogue has teamed up with the J.Crew-owned company for the line.

She told StyleList at the launch, held at the Bowery Hotel in NYC, "I really love the brand and actually wear it, so it seemed like an easy-peasy choice.”

The collection is reminiscent of our school-girl days—cardigans, velvet shorts, blouses, and jumpers. Chung says Madewell’s “vision is kind of the same as mine. They like laid back styles, they like kind of relaxed clothes — classic, timeless things. So when they asked to collaborate, it was a perfect fit,” she said.

The collection hits Madewell stores in August, and price points begin at $59!

To view additional images of the "Alexa Chung for Madewell" line, click here & here. Also, check it out over at Madewell's Facebook page.

I am curious about this new collection. There are certain pieces that are super cute (like the polka dot dress shown below)!
Are you excited about Alexa Chung's collection over at Madewell? Are there any pieces you are interested in? Will you be getting any of her pieces? :)