Marissa Webb is Back... But at Banana Republic!

"Thanks!" to many of you, including Kelly, GigisGoneShopping, bostonlizpoms, as well as ShopALot (in this post), who shared the following press release (from the Wall Street Journal, click here to read in its entirety) with us:

Gap Inc. Announces Marissa Webb as Creative Director and Executive Vice President of Design for Banana Republic
PRESS RELEASE
April 15, 2014

Gap Inc. today announced that Banana Republic has named Marissa Webb as Creative Director and Executive Vice President of Design, effective April 28. She will be responsible for guiding the brand's overall creative direction, as well as leading global product design for Banana Republic Women's, Men's, and Accessories. Marissa will report to Global President of Banana Republic, Jack Calhoun.

"I am so excited for Marissa to bring her own special touch to the brand, " said Calhoun. "What she delivers today is so fresh and relevant, I know her design sensibility will move Banana Republic forward in our effort to deliver Modern American style. I can't wait to have her on board."

A celebrated fashion designer, Marissa Webb is most recently known for her eponymous upper contemporary label. Prior to branching out on her own during 2011, she spent time at Polo, Club Monaco and over a decade at J.Crew Group Inc., where she served in various design roles, including Head of Womenswear and Accessories Design. Webb will retain her role as President and Creative Director at Marissa Webb (M Webb LLC), in addition to her newly appointed role at Banana Republic. Webb's first collection for Banana Republic is expected in the summer of 2015.

"I'm thrilled to be joining the extremely passionate, talented design and creative teams at Banana Republic," said Webb. "The brand has such a beautiful history which I truly admire. This is an amazing opportunity for me to combine my unique vision with a brand that has such a strong legacy. I'm excited to be joining Banana Republic and being able to make an impact for our modern customer."

Gap Inc. also announced that it intends to join M Webb LLC's minority investors by investing in the Marissa Webb label. Initially launched exclusively at Barneys New York, the Marissa Webb Collection is now available in over 30 stores globally, inclusive of select locations within Gap's Intermix division, as well as online. Calhoun will work with Webb as a strategic partner in the growth and development of her business. ...

So many random thoughts going through my head right now that I will just jot down a few:

1. So happy to see Marissa Webb back! Okay, Marissa Webb did not go anywhere. In fact, she started her own clothing line, so she was definitely somewhere doing something. (It was just too pricey for my wallet, so she kind of dropped out of my shopping radar.) I am so excited to hear about her latest news... 
2. Why didn't she return to J.Crew? Did they even make her an offer? J.Crew should have totally offered her a position to come back. Her time at the company definitely showed in the clothes. The styles were on point, on trend, in season, etc. (You get the point!) ;) It was apparent the collections were never quite the same after she left.
3. I totally get why she went over to the Gap/BR though. Investing in Webb's private venture so she continue her line is a pretty sweet deal.
4. I am curious what Webb's collection at BR will look like? Will it trend more J.Crew in its approach? Will it give J.Crew a run for its money? I have not shopped at BR in a long time. I will definitely be checking them out now!

What are your thoughts on this latest news? Are you happy to see Marissa Webb back at styling more affordable (relatively speaking) pieces?

30% Off Select Styles at J.Crew! (30-50% Off Sale)

"Thanks!" to many of you, who let us know about the following promotion this morning.

J.Crew is offering an additional 30% off select items, 30% off sale, and 50% off Final Sale at J.Crew with code BIGSALE. This offer expires April 20, 2014. The fine print for this offer includes:

*Offer only valid on the purchase of items listed in the 30% Off Select Spring Styles assortment at jcrew.com. Offer valid from April 15, 2014, 12:01am ET through April 20, 2014, 11:59pm ET. Offer not valid in J.Crew or J.Crew Factory stores, at jcrewfactory.com or on phone orders. Offer cannot be applied to previous purchases or the purchase of gift cards and cannot be redeemed for cash or used in combination with any other offer. To redeem, enter code BIGSALE in the promo code box at checkout. Limit one promotional code per order. Offers valid in the U.S. and Canada only. Terms of offer are subject to change. 

30% discount valid on the purchase of sale items at jcrew.com. 50% discount valid on the purchase of final sale items listed in the 50% Off Final Sale Styles assortment under the Sale tab at jcrew.com. Offers valid from April 15, 2014, 12:01am ET through April 20, 2014, 11:59pm ET. Offers not valid in J.Crew or J.Crew Factory stores, at jcrewfactory.com or on phone orders. Offers cannot be applied to previous purchases or the purchase of gift cards and cannot be redeemed for cash or used in combination with any other offer. To redeem, enter code BIGSALE in the promo code box at checkout. Limit one promotional code per order. Offers valid in the U.S. and Canada only. Terms of offers are subject to change. Final sale items cannot be returned or exchanged. .

This is a pretty nice offer. Not as great as the Facebook25 one, but pretty good!

Will you be taking advantage of this latest promotion? What are your thoughts on this sale? Are you loving the latest arrivals from J.Crew?

J.Crew Reviews {straight from the JCAs!}

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! :)

J.Crew Listens To Customer To Bring Back A Favorite

"Thanks!" to  Sommer, as well as GigisGoneShopping (in this post), who shared the following article from AdWeek (click here to read in its entirety) with us:

J.Crew Brings Back a Discontinued Swimsuit Just Because One Superfan Asked Nicely 'Your wish is my command'
By Rebecca Cullers
April 9, 2014

Open letters to brands rarely work, though it might help your odds of success if you happen to be a fashion writer for New York magazine and The Wall Street Journal.

Last August, freelance writer Jenni Avins penned an impassioned plea in New York magazine's The Cut blog, asking J.Crew to bring back its scoop back tank swimsuit.

"What I want is smooth, taut fabric that stretches from my shoulders over my chest and ribcage, with hip-high leg holes and an open back to expose my skin to sand, sunshine, and seawater. I want it available in evocatively named colors like hibiscus, marine, and bottle green (in black, it's simply unstoppable.)"

The letter touched the fashionable heart of J.Crew creative director Jenna Lyons, who immediately responded, saying she'd see what she could do. A few months later Lyons announced the swimwear's triumphant return in a two-page New York ad with a sassy, handwritten note that reads, "Dear Ms. Avins, Your wish is my command ... within reason. XO Jenna."

It's an excellent example of a brand listening to and responding to the wishes of a loyal customer, buoyed by the PR boost of that customer being a writer for a high-profile publication. The only thing sad about it is that we, even those of us who are writers with decently large audiences, don't expect brands to actually listen.

So congrats, J.Crew, for being decent human beings who just couldn’t let a woman drown in a sea of shitty swimsuits.

I think it is great that J.Crew not only brought back this bathing suit, but included the back story in its ad. It is a cute touch!

Since this method worked once, I thought I too would try an open plea to J.Crew... Please, please, PRETTY PLEASE bring back the Cece Flat. I loathe the Emma Flats. The Emmas are no replacements for the Ceces. The Emmas look awful. The Emmas feel awful (as in majorly uncomfortable). The Cece Flats were the perfect mixture of sophistication, whimsy, and comfort. I cannot believe how much I miss the shoes! I have a feeling I am not in the minority on this either. So please, dump Emma and get back together with Cece. We can pretend like the whole fling with Emma never happened. :)

What are your thoughts on the article? What item would you like J.Crew to bring back? Please share! :)

The Great (Weekly) Exchange {looking to sell}

This post (of weekly posts) is for individual members who want to swap/sell/share among yourselves. This post is where you can mention your items and outside listing/ auction site (like eBay and eCrater & the corresponding user ID).

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Please note: this posting is not for resellers, retailers or businesses. If you are a reseller, retailer, or a business, your comment gets automatically deleted & you will get publicly called out on it. :( So instead of this, simply do not post in the Weekly Exchanges. Thanks in advance for your cooperation! :)

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Please note that any transactions are independent of this blog. (Especially since you will be using an outside listing/ auction site like eBay or eCrater.) I have no dealings or interactions with any of the potential communication, listings, or transactions. :) Moreover, please limit comments about items to swap/sell/share to the "Great (Weekly) Exchange" posts. (Refer to "A Quick Note to J.Crew Aficionadas" post.)

Do you have any items you would like to swap/sell/share among yourselves through your outside listing/auction site?

Sidenote: What's up with JCAs writing "sub" or "subscribing" as their comment? It just means they are subscribing to all the comments (which are then automatically sent to their email) in that particular thread. This way they can stay aware of all the comments posted. :)

The Great (Weekly) Exchange {looking to find}

This post (of weekly posts) is for individual members who are looking for and interested in buying certain items. Please feel free to share a J.Crew store location and/or your outside listing/ auction site if it matches the requests made in this post.

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Please note: this posting is not for resellers, retailers or businesses. If you are a reseller, retailer, or a business, your comment gets automatically deleted & you will get publicly called out on it. :( So instead of this, simply do not post in the Weekly Exchanges. Thanks in advance for your cooperation! :)

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Also note that any transactions are independent of this blog. (Especially since you will be using an outside listing/ auction site like eBay or eCrater.) I have no dealings or interactions with any of the potential communication, listings, or transactions. :) Moreover, please limit comments about items to swap/sell/share/finding to the "Great (Weekly) Exchange" posts. (Refer to "A Quick Note to J.Crew Aficionadas" post.)

Is there an item (or items) that you are looking for and interested in purchasing?

Sought & Found: Did you visit J.Crew this {past} Weekend?

This is the weekly "sale watch" post, to help each other find sale items at our various local J.Crew stores. ;)

If you are stopped by a J.Crew store this past weekend to see what's available (if anything!) in the SALE, or to see some NEW ARRIVALS {sigh!} in person, maybe you might be willing to share that with us in this post. In particular, if you could share with us a few of the noteworthy items that are available, at what prices, and potential sizes the store is carrying (as well as the store location)- that would be fantastic!

Also, please let us know if your local store was/ is carrying an additional percent off sale. Thanks in advance!!! :)

Wait Listing Items with J.Crew

"Thanks!" to Jane (in this post), who shared the following personal story with J.Crew:

I ordered the lace sleeve tee in sky back in March. It was on backorder until May. Last week I saw that it is no longer on backorder and when I put several in my cart it said "in stock". I called and was told that for people who ordered after me it was available for shipment but that for me I still have to wait for May 11th., the only option they offered me was to cancel the order, reorder the top, then call them with the new order number so they could waive the shipping and apply whatever discount code I had originally used in March. ...

This story got me thinking about items that I have purchased with J.Crew that have been back ordered... And my experiences have ranged from (1) getting the item earlier than the anticipated date, (2) getting the item even latter than expected, (3) getting price adjusted without asking (yey!), (4) having my item canceled with and without notification. I can't remember if I experienced a situation where it was available and my order was not being fulfilled. (That would bother me a bit too!)

I will say, I have definitely noticed that purchases are not fulfilled in the order they are received. (I hope this last part makes sense. Just because I am the first to order an item does not mean my order will be fulfilled and shipped out first. Which kind of sucks, because it should be first come first served. But I am rambling now...)

Reading Jane's issue got me thinking about the website "upgrade" and whether her experience will become the norm from now on. (Incidentally, I think the associate who spoke to her should have looked into the order and sent her the tee right away. I mean, why should she wait if its available?? What's the point of pre-ordering anything then.)

Have you ordered a wait listed item recently? Have you been receiving them on time? Let us know your experience!

25% Off Regular Merchandise at J.Crew (30% off sale)

"Thanks!" to  many of you, including Doodle Daschund and Sinead (in this post), who shared the following email & promotion from J.Crew.

J.Crew is offering 25% off regular merchandise and 30% off Spring Sale (and 50% off Final Sale) with promotional code FACEBOOK25. This offer expires April 14, 2014.

Apologies for not posting this sooner (and doing a better job keeping up with the J.Crew news in general). I am having one of those moments in life, where there are more things for me "to do" than hours in the day to complete them. ;)

Will you be taking advantage of this promotion? If so, please share!

Gilt City + J.Crew Factory = 25% Off {wahoo!}

"Thanks!" to many of you, including Jessica, GigisGoneShopping, Megs (in this post), as well as Julie {The Splendid Guide} (in this post), who let us know that Gilt City is offering those who sign up a code (via email) to take an additional 25% off your purchase at JCrewFactory.com or any J.Crew Factory store. To sign up (which is relatively quick & easy), click HERE.

Gilt City also shares the following fine print for this offer:

Valid through Tuesday, April 15, 2014, 11:59pm ET. This 25% off voucher can be used on top of J.Crew Factory’s already existing sales and promotions of up to 50% off. Valid on all items except gift cards. For online and in-store purchases; discount applied before shipping and taxes are added. No adjustments will be made to previous purchases

According to Gilt City, "This 25% off voucher can be used on top of J.Crew Factory’s already existing sales and promotions of up to 50% off". That is pretty awesome and it makes this an incredible deal! (The perfect time to pick up that new Spring/Summer arrival too.)

Have you already signed-up for the deal? If you are planning to stop by your local Factory store, please let us know what in-store promotions are going on. :)