As many of you know, J.Crew has come out with the Beaded Zebra Graphic Tee (Item 13854; $68.00), in both orange and grey. This tee has been receiving a lot of attention in the media (refer to here). "Thanks!" to Marietta who let us know that it was also featured in In Style magazine's Hot Finds (click here).According to several Aficionadas, the grey Zebra tee seems to be flying off J.Crew's shelves and selling out in stores. (Was it even for sale online?) Although I saw the regular Zebra Graphic Tee (the $33 non-beaded version) this weekend, I have not seen the beaded tee version. "Thanks!" to Donna who shared with us some real life images of the grey zebra tee.
After seeing some real life images, I do think the tee in grey is super cute! However, I think the tee is a tad overpriced at $68. I understand there is a lot of bead work... but it is a cotton tee. ;)What are your thoughts on the grey Beaded Zebra Graphic Tee? Do you like it more or less now that you have seen some real-life images?
I bought the grey one for my mother. I think it is great! I would have bought it for myself but there were other items I wanted.
ReplyDeleteI have mentioned it before- but I will again. I LOVE this tee and have it in gray! Looking forward wearing it with cute jeans and black patent sandals:)
ReplyDeleteTwiga
Cute!
ReplyDeleteI love my grey Zebra Tshirt. :)
ReplyDeleteI saw his piece on a mannequin a week ago. It was gone by the time I left the store.
ReplyDeleteI first want to say that I'm not criticizing anyone who likes this tee. :) But I do wonder, why would a person want to wear a big zebra head on their clothing? I wondered the same thing about owls, skulls, bunnies, horses, and pineapples. I'm just not getting it! I would like a zebra-striped top, but not one with a zebra head on it.
ReplyDeleteOooh, I meant to add..... if you have your zebra head tee on and you come across another girl with the same tee on, do you feel weird? Or do you like high five each other? :)
ReplyDeletelol Alexandra, I think I would high five. That is, if I can only find one to buy!! Been calling a lot of stores and cannot seem to find any in my size. (if at all.) I keep on blogs to size up too, so I guess I would be needing a small. If anyone knows where I can find one, please let me know!!
ReplyDeletechyleung@gmail.com
woops, I meant to say, "I keep on reading on blogs" instead of "I keep on blogs". Must be a sign that I should get off this blog and get to studying :)
ReplyDeleteOK, I'm a little freaked because I did a Google search on "zebra tee" and I'm finding all sorts of different ones. Who decided that zebras are a fashion motif this year? What's next year, squirrels? Or was that 2004? :) If I sound snarky, I'm not intending to be. I actually think the J Crew tee is cute, I just can't imagine wearing it. I would feel very odd. I love zebras. :)
ReplyDeleteI almost never wear t-shirts with any kind of design, but this one I had to have. I did a "We will find it" search for the gray zebra tee about 10 days ago and they did, in fact, find me one a couple of days later. How do I like it on me? I don't know yet, as UPS seems to have sent it via drunken carrier pigeon.
ReplyDeleteOne thing about unusual items of clothing like tees with giant beaded animal faces - when someone asks me (or I ask myself) where I'm going to wear it, I answer "Everywhere." It worked out fine with my silver glitter Converse sneakers from Target.
I would NEVER wear a zebra on my front. Why? I just don't get it??? Who else thinks this is ugly? There are so many pretty clothes out there. Why buy a zebra of all things???
ReplyDeleteConnie- I bought mine last Thursday at the collection store and they seemed to have them in stock. Hope you like it!
ReplyDeleteNew York Madison Avenue
347 Madison Ave NY 10017
212 949 0570
I tried this one on but ended up not getting it. I think it's cute, but it didn't look right on me.
ReplyDeleteThe owner of jcrewaholics is selling it in all sizes for $150 on ebay lol. Naturally she is posting about it like it is the best thing ever. Ridiculous. This is not the next rose tee.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's kind of cute. If it was a pretty kitty I'd have to have it. I think JCrew took people's comments about making cute Crewcut tops in women's sizes. This is a pass to me.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE mine, in fact I wore it yesterday with 501s, my vintage J. Crew safari jacket (from 5-6 years ago...more fitted than this year's model) and black patent flats. He looks really cute peaking out of the jacket...
ReplyDeleteIt would look weird on a large chested woman. The slub cotton one is cheaper and not a garish as the grey one.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this tee and bought it in the Greenwich, CT store as soon as it arrived. It is snug though, I had to size up to an XL and normally I wear a M. The gray color is fantastic and the beading is beautiful. LOVE IT! : )
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for your great comments! :)
ReplyDeleteFor those who own this tee, I have a few questions I was curious about: Is the tee heavy? Does the bead work pull on the shirt? Thanks in advance! :)
rng: Your "drunken carrier pigeon" comment was hysterical! I actually laughed out loud. ;)
Alexandra & Connie: If I owned the Zebra tee, I would totally high-five others wearing it while I was as well! ;)
I've seen this out in the wild a few times in NYC already. Love it in real life!
ReplyDeleteThe tee is echoing the safari theme that is so hot (read: being pushed) this year. It would look totally ridiculous on my big boobs. Kinda like a flashing neon sign saying, "look here!"
ReplyDeleteEnjoy ladies.
I have to say that when people started to talk about the zebra tee on this blog after seeing it in the spring lookbook I didn't like it and I didn't like the idea of wearing the head of a zebra on my chest. Also, I don't like the orange at all. But I immediately loved the gray one when I tried it on. Still, I didn't buy it immediately because $68 is definitively expensive for a T-shirt, even a good one. But then I regretted not buying it and came back before it was sold out. To be honest, if I didn't read this blog I would probably have waited for a markdown. Anyway it's supercute, I don't know, maybe it's because I have a toddler and I love seeing her pointing at it and saying "zebra mommy" ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt is surprisingly light- no weird sagging or drooping. There are more sequins than beads making it lighter.
ReplyDeleteI LOL when I looked at the group of tees they are promoting as hot for spring. The only one I liked was the Public Library tee. It was kind of cute and supports a good cause. The rest of them are just overpriced disposable graphic tees.
ReplyDeleteI am an interning psychiatrist. My mentor says that the surge of graphic tees is a replacement for tattoos and piercings, which are fading out of vogue as they become mainstream. People these days use adornment to make themselves feel noticed and unique. In our parents' generation it was all about your accomplishments. Today people want something easier and immediate to define themselves, they don't want to work so hard.
Interesting theory. I guess that is why I bought that Valentino handbag. :(
Alexis, I don't think the tee is heavy at all - I was worried about that, too, and went to try it on even though I had already ordered it (figuring I would just return it if I didn't like it). But it was surprisingly light!
ReplyDeleteI bought the gray zebra tee as soon as it came out, fearing it would be sold out. I felt it ran TTS, although it does have a "fitted" look. I am busty, but I don't think it draws too much attention to the girls. I'm looking forward to warmer weather, so I can wear it out!
ReplyDeleteCORRECTION The shirt is at this store-
ReplyDeleteNew York Collection
1035 Madison Avenue NY 10075
212 249 3869
The beads are likely plastic, which would make it much lighter than if they were glass. Cheaper too.
ReplyDeletePersonally I'm not a fan of this tee, so it's a pass for me. I'd rather spend $68 on an item that I love, that I can wear for more than one season. To those that love it and own it.... enjoy with happiness!
ReplyDeleteI have this gray tee and would also suggest the GAP Product Red zebra tee which is more abstract and is gray on gray. I learned about it here and it is a very nice compromise between the more obvious zebra head and just plain zebra stripes.
ReplyDeleteI find the beaded zebra tee to be light because like another JCA said, it is a lot of sequins.
I had a zebra-striped tee in the 80's. I sang with my brother's band occasionally and that was the style back then. I would totally LOL if I saw someone wearing one today. Not at them, just at the memory of how crazy we looked back in the 80's. Giant pouffy hair, skin tight pants and all that.
ReplyDeleteBAHAHAHAHA!
i tried on the tee and was really impressed with the beading. The tee was not too light or too heavy; there was no sagging.
ReplyDeleteI did not purchase because honestly, that shade of gray just wasn't great on me, so it wasn't worth the money.
I could see it being cute on the right person. I am not the right person. I fear this zebra would wear me.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra- I googled Zebra tee too and so many are retailers are selling them! I think it's pretty cute, love the color combo of orange and pink (like Dunkin Donuts!) but it's a no for me. I know I would somehow mess up that expensive beadwork, and I am pretty busty and I don't need to bring anymore attention to my chest, let alone a zebra!
ReplyDelete7:45--Exactly. Of course, this t has a FEW fans, but it's entirely possibly she's creating all sorts of handles on here to make it appear more desirable and popular than it really is.
ReplyDeleteDonna, thanks for your tip, the NY Madison store doesn't have my size :( But one JCA advised me to use the "we'll find it" function! So I think I'll do that. Does anyone know if the "we'll find it" ships for free?
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to start high fiving all the zebra tee wearers :)
semi-OT, but I went to Martin+Osa the other day and bought the elephant tee. More safari-themes, I guess :) I liked that it was a little less obvious than the Zebra tee. Dunno why, but wearing a big Zebra head feels strange. I do agree that the Zebra tee is a cute shirt, though, and the beading is a fun idea. I just can't do that bold...yet :)
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 9:25am ... your psychology post is really interesting, but I wonder why people would choose some random motif to define themselves, unless they are trying to say "I follow meaningless trends". I propose in the fall that J Crew make a chiffon squirrel dress, with some tastefully placed beadwork in order to justify the jacked-up price. :)
ReplyDelete@Anon 11:28 - Doesn't it seem like the T has more than a "FEW" fans if it is practically sold out everywhere? At my store, they said it sold out in 2 days!
ReplyDelete@Connie - Yes, we will find it ships for free!
@Anon 11:33 - Why does someone's owning/wearing the T mean that they are using it to "define" themselves as psychiatrist-intern Anon postulated? It never seems to occur to the haters that people might just genuinely like the T, and I think insulting people by saying that they are just "follow[ing] meaningless trends" is pretty rude.
Jenny-Yes, a FEW. Many are being bought up by resellers. But the stock on these was low to begin with. It sounds like your ego is feeling hurt. A lot of people like to wear tacky clothes, so wear with pride. Who cares what we think.
ReplyDeleteOK people, when WalMart has zebra tees, you know the trend is past its prime.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10308308
Do a Google shopping search on "zebra tee" and "zebra t shirt", and you'll see just how ubiquitous this motif is. I'm mystified! This is way beyond just being attributed to safari theme. Did Stella McCartney make a swimsuit with a zebra on the crotch or something? (Remember the hideous pineapples?) Where did this zebra stuff come from????? This is going to bug me all day!
Aw c'mon Jenny. Are you saying that someone who wears a giant bedazzled zebra head on a t-shirt is NOT trying to get attention? They're trying to blend, huh? lol.
ReplyDeleteJenny, sorry, I didn't mean "follow meaningless trends" to be necessarily insulting. I do it too. I love ruffles, I didn't like them until this year. It's a meaningless trend and probably next year I'll be thinking they look horrid. :) But by following the ruffles trend I'm definitely not telling people that I'm unique or different, I'm telling people that I'm buying into a trend. And I do want to say again that I think the zebra tee is cute, I love zebras. I just think it's so faddish that the trend is over just as it's getting started.
ReplyDelete@Anon 11:54 - It's not about my ego - it's about disliking a t-shirt without insulting people who wear it. If you want to call that ego, go ahead. (Also, I never said I own the T-shirt - I just think it's unnecessary to be so overly rude about it.)
ReplyDelete@Anon 11:58 - To me, there is a difference between wearing a T just to get a attention, and wearing a T that will generate some discussion because you like it. I doubt most of the people who bought it did so simply as a ploy for more attention.
@Anon 12:01 - That makes sense. I love the ruffles trend, too! :)
Slightly off topic - I bought the sea horse graphic t-shirt this weekend (in gray, graphic is green) and I love it. I don't normally go any where near a J. Crew store or a mall, but I had to shop for a dress for a formal event and I was walking past the store and saw the zebra tee in the window and went on into the store. I don't normally buy J Crew anything full price but I splurged and bought this tee and wore it on Sunday and received at least three comments on it.
ReplyDeleteI'm normally a medium and this tee fit me in medium (I some times have trouble with J Crew medium size tees because I have a 34D bra size).
I don't get the attraction to this piece, but, to each his/her own ~ I say if you love it, than wear it and rock it, not for me.
ReplyDeleteI bought this t shirt twice and ended up returning it both times. I love silly t shirts in all sorts of colors, and I do think the zebra t is cute (moreso in the gray than the orange) but I was turned off by all the beading. IMO it is heavy for a t shirt and yet delicate and difficult to wash at the same time. Perhaps if they had used fewer beads I might have hung on to it. Plus, I prefer the designs on the chest more than the hip because I typical wear a cardigan over the t and that would cover up the $68 zebra. I do love the current ruffle scoopneck t shirts (though they are a little sheer)!!
ReplyDeleteOT - J Crew did a we will find it search for me on a final sale skirt I had ordered (and they shipped me some tacky pants instead) and they totally found it!! They're giving it to me an extra discount and free shipping on it too! Hooray!
@Anon - I didn't claim that anyone was calling the wearers of these tees those things, and please stop making assumptions on my ego when you don't even know me. As for sharing opinions, I'm all for it - I just think it could be done with a little more courtesy, and I am not the first person to make this observation.
ReplyDeleteI agree, more courtesy would be nice. The internet has made people very discourteous, myself included. I'm not proud.
ReplyDeleteStill trying to find the source of the zebra motif, by the way. :)
The seahorse tee is nice, it goes great with a pewter cardigan.
ReplyDeleteand BTW this place has really become unfriendly, the economy or shopping withdrawal has everyone in a sour mood!
Hmm.... I think when an inanimate object is up for discussion, anything and everything can be said. It isn't anyone's job to hold back because some people are insecure in their choices.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra: maybe Jcrew started the zebra trend ;-).
ReplyDeleteI checked the Martin+Osa link and for the life of me I couldn't have recognized an elephant in that shirt if I hadn't been told...
When did this blog start employing pseudo-psychanalyzers? Egos? "Insecure" choices?
ReplyDeleteAnd to Jenny's point - I also think criticizing people's egos and calling them insecure is unwarranted.
Zebra is the only flashy t-shirt I've bought since college and I love it/him/her. Wore it last week with black velvet trim-fit jeans-style pants and a white silk jacket; so, though I favor it with jeans, zebra can be dressed up and minimized in a fun way. Of course I have no chest to speak of, so I don't interfere with the design--the only bright side of being flat, one supposes. High-fie to all zebra sisters . . .
ReplyDeleteAm I insecure for wearing ruffles? :) Or having several different pewter cardigans? (Speaking of pewter, I think it looks better in wool than in cotton, just got my Jackie pewter cardigan last night and I'm sending it back, color is too flat, no depth.)
ReplyDeleteI think the point the shrink was making is that people used to say, "I got a promotion, wanna hear about it?" And then they were saying, "I got a tattoo, wanna see?" And now adults are looking for the statement via graphic tees, which used to be something for children and teenagers decades ago. Now it's "How do you like my new tee?" Or just showing it off without a word. Read the number of posters who defend their choice by saying they wore it and got comments/compliments, not just in this post but in past posts. So the tee is doing its job, I guess. Who doesn't want to look good in their clothes?! Besides, it is way easier to get noticed for your clothes than to work hard to become accomplished and respected for that, especially in a society that becomes more anonymous each day.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I prefer to make a statement with expensive jewelry and to each their own. Differing opinions should be respected for what they are. People can agree to disagree.
Certainly people follow trends or we would all be wearing hoop skirts and crinolines.
My mellons will look swell in the zebra tee. Zebra will look like he just swallowed 2 mellons. It'll be fab.
ReplyDeleteLOVING the real life pics of the grey tee!! It's not for me, but it's very striking!!
ReplyDeleteThe zebra tee is indeed doing its job! Wherever it came from, it's causing quite a stir, and a lot of knock offs. I'm wondering if it's postmodern animal prints, like instead of using the pattern of the fur, you use the entire animal. :) Zebras are definitely the new owls. I'm wondering what next year's hot motif will be. Plant or animal?
ReplyDeleteROFL @ "mellons"
ReplyDeleteAs far as beaded tees I think the crawdad tee is beautiful in person. I bought it and the zebra tee. I don't think wearing something like this is any different than wearing the Hayworth cami or the leopard cardigan. I passed on both those but it doesn't mean that the people who bought them have bad taste.
ReplyDeleteWho knew a zebra could start such a stir?!?!
ReplyDeleteI bought the zebra tee and LOVE IT!! I wore mine last week over a long sleeve white blouse...left tail of blouse untucked. Added a double strand pearl necklace, vintage jeans rolled to ankle with my silver metallic mary jane pumps. It was a fun outfit!
Thanks everyone for responding back about the beads and its weight. Its good to know that its light to wear. :)
ReplyDeleteluv2shop61, that sounds like a super cute idea for a zebra tee outfit!! And mellons....lol. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a skinny flat girl, so my zebra will probably look like it ate too much as well, but I will wear my hungry zebra with pride...because I am a trend follower, and darn proud of it!!
(That, and, I just plain like this tee!! it's so something Carrie would wear. Unique and eclectic but still really cute!!)
*I* have 2 more minutes to waste on this beat down subject. A couple more posts on this and PETA will be up in here protecting the poor thing.
ReplyDeleteI love the beading but this would only work for me if I were a mom & visibly pushing my kid in a stroller. Then it would be so cute. Nothing against the non-moms who own it & love it. I just look so much like a kid as it is I don't need to be caught in something that smacks of Garanimals.
Anon @ 5:23 I agree that zebras seem like the new owl! I have that owl tee from jcrew from last year or the year before, actually. does anyone remember it, the big brown owl against a cream and brown striped background?
ReplyDeletei LOVE this tee, but $68 is a bit much for a tee for me. I bought the one with the orange zebra against a cream background to satisfy my zebra needs.
Anon 9:17
ReplyDeleteROFLMAO - satisfy my zebra needs.
hahaha
This is a wear only one season shirt and therefore a trend and not worth the high price tag. I like my clothes to last more than a few months so this would be a pass. I mean Wal-mart has a zebra tee for crying out loud...Trend big time and will shout spring 2009!
ReplyDeleteThere's a girl's giraffe tee which is very cute, it came up in a search when I was looking for pewter cardigans (the darker pewter, not light). No beading though. I think it would be nice on an adult tee. This makes me feel better, to see giraffes in addition to zebras. I was beginning to think that there was something going on specifically pertaining to zebras, like some coded message I'm not understanding!
ReplyDeleteI have an extra grey zebra in M I will sell for cost plus shipping and paypal fees if anyone still "needs" one!
ReplyDeletesumandjosh08@hotmail.com