Monday, June 2, 2008

me, the Crew,... and you!

Seriously, a big "thank you!" to all those visiting this blog and posting comments! This site has been growing at a steady pace thanks to you!

For those who have just discovered this blog, it is meant to be an open conversation for all J.Crew shoppers and admirers. My hope is that you feel encouraged to not just visit, but to join in the discussion. (That is why I enabled the option to be "anonymous" when commenting, so you don't have to login.) I have found that we have been able to learn a lot more by sharing and drawing from our collective knowledge. :)

I have several new ideas for future posts. However, I also want to hear from you all: What are some of the topics you want to discuss and see more of on this blog?

P.S. Do you wonder about the three
"No way! They have every right to do that"votes in the "Are you upset that J.Crew removed its promo codes from other coupon websites" poll? Out of 530+ votes, I was still surprised to see votes in that column. I almost believe it is someone who works for J.Crew! :)

33 comments:

  1. What about reviewing J.Crew items we have personally purchased? We could also give styling tips on how we wear J.Crew.

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  2. i think that personal product reviews are a great idea!

    i also wanted to echo the other comments that this blog is excellent! it's very well laid out as well as informative! keep up the good work :)

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  3. Thanks FabulousFloridaMommy and Anonymous at 1:31PM! I will definitely take advantage of those suggestions!

    Incidentally, are there any products in particular that you would like reviewed?

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  5. I hate that Jcrew removed all coupons! Thank you so much for listing the free shipping codes. I am a Jcrew fan for myself, husband and daughter, so I would love product reviews. Thanks for writing this blog.

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  6. I also love the personal product review idea

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  7. By the sound of it, I will do more product reviews.

    I have done one product review so far, and two "love it or leave it" which are almost reviews on specific products (the visitors write their experience). Those seem to work well.

    The task of course is finding a product that can get everyone talking about (if not purcahsed)!

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  8. Thanks everyone- and please keep the suggestions coming! :)

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  9. i love this blog, i visit it everyday at work. It's very cute, informative, and well-laid out. Like the others before me have stated, I like the product reviews and love it or leave it. Similarly, I like the tips you've left. A few styling posts would be nice--like how to wear some pieces or how you'd wear it.

    Thanks!

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  10. Anabelle- thanks for the comments! I will also use the styling suggestion that you and others have mentioned. These are all great suggestions. :)

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  11. Hi Alexis! I have a couple of suggestions for doing the reviews:

    1)Not sure if this is possible, but...is there a way to post a section in your blog where we could list say 5 or 10 J.Crew items we own and give our review on them, plus add our suggestions on how to style each item?

    If that isn't possible, then:

    2)Since most of us on here seem to be J.Crew sale shoppers and check this blog daily (some of us several times a day)...could you list maybe 10 items currently in the J.Crew sale section, and then if we own it...we could post our review with sizing and fit info, how easy or hard it is to care for the garment, how and what we wear it with, etc. For example: I own the Daphne Tank, Susannah Cami (all 4 colors), Jackie Shell, Cashmere Shell, and Cross Back Tissue Tanks (which I returned due to being defective), among other items, that are currently available online now, and I would be more than happy to share my feelings and opinions on them, in case someone has been contemplating buying any of them lately, but just isn't sure what they are like in person. I know I would have loved to have read some reviews on a few of the items I have purchased and then returned because they were so NOT worth the money.

    Anyways...just throwing out a couple of ideas...still LOVING this site...thanks again!

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  12. With the mention of defective items being sent back in the last post...I would like to know what current season items people returned b/c they were defective and what the defect was......if someone from JCrew quality control reads this might help us all get better quality garments. Altough JCrew does have great quality overall I seem to have gotten a lot more defective items in the last year than ever before.....

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  13. Hi jagjag2! I personally returned 2of the cross back tissue tanks, due the straps ripping at the point where they connect to the bodice...I must also mention that I take EXTREME care when laundering my garments, so these were washed on gently cycle and laid out flat to dry, yet both ripped at the same place.

    Another item I have had a problem with are the Jackie Shells: I own 3 of them, and 2 of them have ripped out around the neck. I have contemplated taking them back, but no longer have my receipts, so I'm not sure how well it would work out. Fortunately I purchased them on sale, otherwise I would be really extra upset for having to repair them myself.

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  14. Hello, all! Great blog, indeed. I check it daily as well.:)
    On the topic of defective items: few of my tissue l/s tees got holes after 1st wash, some waffle henleys discolored ( esp. true for gray color items- they got blotchy w/pale yellow spots for no apparent reason), plus all of my Dream yarn items pilled like there were no tomorrow, and finally slight pilling on cashmere sweaters. And yet still, I continue buying J crew . Is this an obscession or what?:)

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  15. Fabulousfloridamommy you brought up a great post about current items in the sale section and listing them for others to review.

    So far the list would include:
    Daphne Tank,
    Susannah Cami
    Jackie Shell,
    Cashmere Shell,
    Cross Back Tissue Tanks
    tissue l/s tees
    waffle henleys

    It is definitely disheartening to see the common theme of defective items from Slastena, jagjag2, and others! You should definitely return those items!!!

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  16. I know J Crew is a fictional person. But.. what does the J stand for? Jason? I wonder... Love the site.. you also have some "male" fans it would be nice to see a few of the nicer guy looks when possible. I know chinos and t-shirts arnt really that stylish for this season.. but maybe in the warmer weather styles. Great site.. I highly recommend.

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  17. Hi Anonymous at 6:27 PM!

    Good point about the male side of J.Crew. :) I actually had a similar idea about a future post ("Does your Man wear J.Crew too?") to discuss what he wears and what styles are coming up for men.

    As for the "J" in J.Crew... I found an answer from a post in the Jezebel site (J.Jill Vs. J.Crew: It's A Fashion Showcase Showdown). They asked a J.Crew customer service representative who said, "We get asked a lot. The man who started the company liked to row, so he chose 'crew' and a letter that looked good in front of it."

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  18. I want to add myself to the fandom comments. Until this blog, I'd really not found a J Crew blog that was updated and had enjoyable writing. You've done an excellent job!

    I think reviews/discussion of different products would be great! Like others, I've also had trouble with certain items, especially the tissue tees. They get holes so often that I've just passed up buying them now (even though I love them).

    Also, maybe some ensemble posts? Like putting together different outfits based on different events. What to wear to a fall wedding, dinner and drinks, cute casual ensembles. That sort of thing.

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  19. Haus_frau has an amazing suggestion. Would be great to do sort of a style/look book of what would work together for different occasions.

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  20. I would also be interested to know what others do when it comes to wearing one of the sheer blouses that J.Crew seems to make so many of now? I have realized that anytime I order something in Ivory, Snow, or White...I can be assured that it will be basically transparent...even the Cashmere is transparent in the lighter colors. I personally wear a cami underneath...just don't feel comfortable wearing something so sheer out in public.

    I do have to say that it seems to me that if they are going to charge $89+ for a blouse...they could at least make it so that you can wear it by itself.

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  21. Haus_frau: thanks for the nice comment. I also agree with Slastena that you made a great suggestion (ensemble posts) that I will definitely employ in future posts.

    Fabulousfloridamommy: I found your last comment (about how if the price of blouses are so high, they should also be able to wear alone) both funny and true! :) I have found myself pairing up shirts with camisoles as well.

    Everyone: Again, thank you so much for all the great suggestions! I am both really impressed and appreciative of these comments that will help make this blog be more informative for us all. ;)

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  22. Love the ideas! Y'all have my vote :o)

    Thanks again for this awesome blog, Alexis. It's so fun!

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  23. Thank you sue.bee! You have been adding a lot of beneficial info to this blog too. :)

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  24. Alexis, I would like more product reviews, too! I would also like to find out what draws people to J.Crew. How do people become J.Crew aficianadas and how long have people been building their collections?

    I read your posts and it seems like you have 3 - 4 of every J.Crew item! That just amazes me. How do people manage to indulge in a J.Crew obsession while staying on a budget?

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  25. P.S. As for a product review, I thought I would say something about this year's embossed shift dress. I loved the version they had a year ago, which was more fitted with a flowing skirt and cuter button detail. I think the ones this year are not true to size and fit like a dumpy apron. Has anyone else had this problem?

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  26. Hi Melanie- great suggestions that I will definitely take advantage of! :)

    As for my J.Crew collection... I definitely spend the majority of my clothes budget (and then some) on J.Crew. Since I typically buy on sale, I am able to afford more pieces. I am also notorious for buying duplicates of items (same item different color). A deal is a deal. :)

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  27. Couple of ideas I just thought of...couldn't tell if they were already suggested in the earlier comments (all great minds think alike, however ;o))

    - Maybe a topic/review on the Personal Shopper? I'm curious to know if anyone's actually used them and what their experience was like.

    - To expand on your Love It/Hate It posts, maybe take a full outfit from the JCrew site or catalog (so like a picture of a model wearing at least 3 separate JCrew pieces - skirt/top/shoes, jacket/pants/top, dress/jewelry/shoes, etc) and have people vote/comment on whether they love it or hate it...or suggest other JCrew pieces that would look better, complement the outfit, etc.

    - Branching off that idea, something fun for other to contribute. Maybe people can e-mail you photos (of just the body if people are internet-shy) of how they wear their favorite JCrew item(s) and a description of what they're wearing. Example: "JCrew summer shift (from Fall '00) with a cardigan from Target, Ann Taylor heels, and jewelry from Macy's." People can be as detailed as they want. Maybe like a "reader of the week" or month, or "reader look of the week/month".

    - Reviews of the JCrew stores. So people can comment on their favorite JCrew location or which ones to avoid, which ones have the best sales/discounts/employees, etc. Or maybe posts where people can highlight their best/worst/funniest in-store experience :o)

    That's what I've come up with so far...and now that I think about it, they're kinda lame... but maybe someone can use those to come up with something BRILLIANT! :o)

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  28. As this blog grows, you'll definitely want an archive menu to link to posts by category.

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  29. SueBee and Chini- thanks for the great suggestions! I really like your idea SueBeen about taking the whole outfit that J.Crew shows to discuss! :)

    Please keep the great ideas coming! I will definitely incorporate them all.

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  30. Maybe J.Crew will hire you.

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  31. Alexis: not sure if this is possible, but maybe we can post pictures of "j.crew in real life" While it is fun to see the models in the catalogue/online in the outfits, it is good to see it on everyday people too. People seem to post questions about fit and such on the blog that it might help to have a visual.

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  32. Hi Yogichicki- I think it is a great idea to be honest. Someone else had that great idea too recently! The other person who mentioned the idea as well, also suggested incorporating Flickr so people can load easily their photos.

    I am looking into it and I think that using a site like Flickr so everyone can post their images of how clothes look on real people (as oppose to models with pins clipping the clothes from the back) is a great one. This way I don't have to deal with attachments and opening them up. :)

    Thanks Yogichicki!

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Dear J.Crew Aficionadas & Aficionados: Please feel free (and encouraged) to share your thoughts and opinions. :) However, please note that this is still a personal blog. So comments that are considered inappropriate (e.g. obscene, racist, homophobic, personal attacks, rude, and just plain mean) will be removed.

And now back to J.Crew! :)