Friday, June 6, 2008

Shoe of the Month: THE gift for the shoe obsessed

I am sure most of you who received J.Crew's 2007 gift catalog, noticed something very special in the pages... Touted as "a gift for the shoe obsessed," J.Crew was offering customers (for the low price of $1,800!) to have their designers handpick their favorite shoes to be sent to members each month. (Also known as a "shoe of the month" club.)

Although I love the idea of being a member of this exclusive offering, it was (read as: still is) waaaaay out of my price range.

Despite not being able to participate, I am still curious about how the gift works. Luckily for us, a visitor to this site is a member and shared her experience in the June 4th "Darlings, is it time for a J.Crew coupon code?" post. I felt her comments needed its own dedicated post, in the hopes of sharing that valuable insight with others.

A big special "thank you!" goes to "Anonymous from June 6, 2008 at 11:07AM," also known as "sf to ny",who shared with us her impressions of J.Crew's Shoe of the month experience. The following italicized text is a direct quote of her comment:

The shoe of the month club....I have mixed reviews. I think (not exactly sure since it was a gift) that it was about $2,000 or so to join, so I was expecting some great shoes. You have the option of choosing between either flats or heels or alternating your selection. I chose heels only. Here is a list of what I have received:

1st shoe - Linen peep-toe Maryjanes in yellow
2nd shoe - Martine satin heel in Royal Purple
3rd shoe - Patent leather Maryjane in black*
4th shoe - Liza peeptoe heel in Cherry Blossom
5th shoe - Lucia heel in yellow/purple
6th shoe - (June Shoe) Bateleur printed calf-hair heels
7th shoe - (July Shoe) Lulu Leather Ballet Flats in Burnt Sienna
8th shoe - (Aug Shoe) Long Glenbrae leather high heel boots in Maple*
9th shoe - (Sept Shoe) Crystal-lollipop patterned peep-toe heels in Saffron Embers*

*I returned this heel because I think Patent Leather Maryjanes are ugly, and I was disappointed that I had received 2 of the same style shoe within 3 months of each other. This was very problematic because you are not allowed to return any shoes from the shoe-of-the-month club. Luckily, I was finally able to cajole them into allowing it, and I ended up getting the GORGEOUS Becky jewelled heel in its place.


Overall, the shoe club has been fun...it's nice to receive a surprise box of shoes every month, but the membership was definitely marketed as a more exclusive club, i.e., members would be getting shoes that may not be available to regular customers, or designer selected shoes, etc. That is not really the case. It seems that the most popular shoe, chosen by the marketing team in NY, and priced around $150 is sent. When my husband bought my membership, they told him that he was 1 of only about 150 people who had signed up. I don't know if that is still the case but I would figure that if the membership was a small number, then the shoes would be mainly from the J.Crew Collection line, rather than the everyday ones.

I will let you know what I receive for June!

If you are a member of J.Crew's Shoe of the Month, please share with us your experiences. We would love to know more about it. And again: thank you to "sf to ny" for sharing with us your experience! :)

*updated on 9/26/08

46 comments:

  1. I will make sure to update the blog when I receive my new shoes each month!

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  2. Hi Sf to NY- I take it you are the Anonymous submitter of the comment. Well thank you so much! We really appreciate the insight on the program!!! :)

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  3. SF to NY- I am about to add "SF to NY" in the post. But I want to make sure I double check with you first: you are the Anonymous submitter of the Shoe of the Month comment? (I want to make sure proper credit goes to the proper person). Thanks!

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  4. I thought about asking "Santa" for this for the holidays but was a bit skeptical about it--- I too would have hoped the shoes would have been from the limited collection.

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  5. Has anyone seen this bag in person? The Owen Bag. 956011 It reminds me of the YSL Mombasa Bag with the horn.... Thoughts?

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  6. I agree Nicole R.- I would have expected more shoes from the limited collection.

    I have to say I am also surprised they won't let you return the show without a hassle. For the price of "admission" I would expect J.Crew to be more accommodating.

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  7. Wonderful! I love that we will be able to follow the shoe of the month club offerings. Good for the anon poster that she was able to exchange the shoes!!

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  8. I think they should be exclusive shoes that no one else can buy! Otherwise, I'd rather just pick out my own pair each month! Plus, you could return them then if needed. This sounds to me like a marketing ploy that people got "suckered into". On the other shoe, I think it is wonderful that your hubby got you this gift! He is a keeper!

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  9. I know there has been some discussion of the fit of flats, but i have high arches and narrow feet and was wondering if they would fit... Also, i wear a size 10/11 and when the shoes get that long they tend to get nice and wide...

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  10. Marissa, I wear a 10-10 1/2The JCrew 10's are too short on me and the 11's are just right length wise. I have a very narrow foot too. I just bought my first JCrew shoes....flats from the sale section. I will have to put a Dr. Scholls insole in to take up some room but I think that will work. I only plain to wear them on occasions that I won't be doing a lot of walking.

    I love the Wellies by the way. The 11's fit great and run narrow if you ask me. I have other wellies that I bought, wore once, b/c they are too wide. The Jcrew ones work for me.

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  11. I also have a pair of wellies from Jcrew, green with a small pink stripe at the base... they are old, a few years I think, but I don't wear them as much as I did when I lived in NYC.

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  12. My wellies are the red plaid sherpa lined ones from fall 07 and the seahorse ones from 08.

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  13. I would love to hear your opinions of the Linen peep-toe Maryjanes? I think they are very cute, but I have a hard time buying shoes online and J.Crew doesn't have an opinion/comments section like other website (i.e. zappos).

    Thanks!

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  14. I'm really tempted to try this next year only because I'm too conservative when it comes to shoe purchases. I love the idea of being forced to try different shoes. Seriously. I have a black and a brown pair of riding boots, city ankle boots, ballet flats, everyday heels, and strappy dress heels, along with half a dozen pair of sandals. Nothing pretty or interesting - I'm too much of a coward.

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  15. Nooooo...I was just looking at the Wellies and thinking about how much I'd like a pair. Especially since they're on sale!

    I can't believe you guys are tempting me with all these comments about the Wellies...

    :o)

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  16. sue.bee - get the wellies! I just received mine, and they are super cute and really comfortable!

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  17. The other shoe I forgot to ask about earlier are the driving mocs. Any experience with those? They look so comfy but I certainly don't want them to fall off!

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  18. My sister has the driving mocs. She found them looking as new at a second hand store in Chicago. Lucky thing! She let me wear them the weekend she visited and she is lucky she got them back. They didn't fall off my foot but they were about a size smaller than I normally wear.

    Antigone, I am like you....not a big shoe person...I have trouble finding shoes to fit my foot...next to impossible...so I don't buy more than a pair or two a year (if that some years!) I just try to take really good care of the shoes I have--polish, don't wear in rain, etc.

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  19. I can't decide which Wellies to get! I like them all. Dilemma...

    The two-tone are more tempting though since they're only 19.99 :o)

    But the shipping cost...booooo

    Just got the e-mail for CrewCuts. Free shipping for $100 or more - CRITTERS. Expires June 9 @ 11:59 ET

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  20. Just wanted to comment quickly on newly purchased shorts( alas, they were not on sale). Glitter-dot linen cuffed short item 93879 was totally unexpected purchase. I saw them in a store (love linen) and shimmering dots did catch my eye, so I thought why not give it a try. At 3 1/2 ", the are a little bit shorter than what I usually wear, but b/c of structure (stiffer then twill) they were amazing. I bought them on a spot. I paired them w/ navy Elizabeth hater and silver belt and silver sandals for a girls night out. They are so dressy, but I can picture wearing them casually with polo shirts.

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  21. Oops, sorry, I meant to post in a "Short sale" post. :)

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  22. I love this blog! How much money do you women spend at this store per month? Am I the only guy that reads/post here?

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  23. Marisa: I have several pairs of the driving mocs and they are super comfortable! Definitely worth the $39.99 price they are going for right now!

    Slastena: congrats on the shorts- They sound great!

    Abijah- welcome! I think there are a few other guys out there that read this blog. :)

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  24. P.S. Sue.bee thanks for the CRITTERS code. I did get the email and posted about it before I saw your comment. But I appreciate the "heads up". Please keep those coming! :)

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  25. Dadgummit... I really want those Wellies now :o( But I need to bump up my purchase to $100 to use the free shipping code.

    I posted this in the Headbands section, but I don't know if anyone's trolling that post anymore, so I'll post again here :D

    Does anyone have the Sparkle Metallic-Leather Headband? Or at least tried it on? It looks cute, but I'm concerned that the elastic band thingie might snag hair...

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  26. Marisa-I own York driving mocs item 85512 ( 2 pairs- in blue and black) and Maisie mocs in Yellow (item 88514 ). Maisies are more narrow ( and I have a wide foot) and they do not slip at all, York ones are wide even for wide feet. What I did ,I tightened the front buckle all the way up and they do not slip as much. Overall, they are super comfortable and at $39 they are a steal. I got many compliments on them and do not mind owning another pair (once they become available in my size). I am size 8, and have noticed that many of J crew's 8s are a tad bit longer/wider than my other 8s.

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  27. Where are the $39 driving mocs? I checked out the online shop and they were all $89+.

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  28. Well, I went ahead and bought the wellies and the headbands (several of them! lol)...I'll let y'all know if the headbands are any good.

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  29. Sue.Bee, I don't have the sparkle metallic headband, but I do have one of the braided headbands from (I think) last summer that has the same bottom. It sits quite nicely and doesn't hurt or get stuck in my hair. It's one of my more comfortable headbands, especially for summer, and actually keeps my hair back out of my face.

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  30. Congrats Sue.Bee: let us know how they all turn out! :)

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  31. haus_frau:

    Thanks for sharing :o) I feel better now considering I just bought 3 of them!

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  32. Abijah:

    I'm sure you're not the only guy that reads this blog... or maybe you are ;o)

    Umm...I don't shop at JCrew each month, more like a few times a year. I probably spend a 5-600 a year?

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  33. Thank you Alexis for the link. I always forget to check out the featured items.

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  34. I tried looking for the "featured" items all over the website to find those driving mocs with no luck. Can someone point me in the right direction? Thank you!

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  35. Hi Anonymous at 1:34PM! I posted the link to the driving mocs in the comment above, but here it is again :)

    Link to Kingston suede driving mocs

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  36. Hi Alexis,

    Yes, I am the original poster of the Shoe of the Month Club.

    As for the person inquiring about the linen peep toe Mary Janes, they are great little shoes! The heel is moderate....I generally tend to buy higher heels and am not really ever thinking about comfort, but rather style; alas, these shoes are very cute and very comfortable. I would definitely recommend.

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  37. sf to ny - thanks for posting your opinion on the linen peep-toe shoes! they are SO cute! now all i have to do is wait for the additional 20% off! :)

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  38. Thanks sf to ny- I will make sure your username appears on the post!

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  39. slastena: thank you so much for the idea about what to wear with the glitter dot linen shorts (which I happen to own).

    abijah: I spend about (OK, I am hyperventilating at this point as I have never thought about this before) 20K per year at J Crew. I am a total addict. :)

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  40. Anonymous at 9:15 AM: 20K per year on JCrew- I am completely jealous of you! ;) Your closet probably looks like a small J.Crew boutique. Love it! :)

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  41. June Shoe of the Month Selection - Bateleur printed calf-hair heels

    July Shoe of the Month Selection -
    Lulu Leather Ballet Flats in Burnt Sienna

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  42. SF to NY- Thank you so much for updating the list. The Lulu Leather Ballet Flats look wonderful!!! :)

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  43. August shoe of the month selection - Long Glenbrae leather high heel boots in Maple

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  44. September shoe of the month Selection - Crystal-lollipop patterned peep-toe heels in Saffron Embers

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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! :)