Last week, J.Crew introduced new arrivals on their website. Part of the new arrivals included the latest additions from J.Crew's upscale Collection line (click here)."Thanks!" to Sami (from FabSugar), Isabelle (of Pink Lemonade), as well as Yellow Lux (in this post), who let us know that FabSugar is also sharing the images of J.Crew's Spring 2010 Collection (click here for the FabSugar post). They also state the following:
In case you're not familiar with J.Crew's Collection line, it's the brand's exclusive limited-edition assembly of its favorite pieces. Think of it as the crème de la crème of J.Crew. For Spring '10, its compilation includes rose-tinted sequin dresses, silk waterfloral gowns, tulle tops, and standout trousers.Also, "thanks!" to Rosa In DC who let us know about a post over at Refinery 29's Pipeline (click here) about the styles in J.Crew's latest Collection. The author shares the following:
Looking through magazine editorials for inspiration might be all good and well, but sometimes, we'd like to look at some styling a little easier to digest than looks straight off of Unwearable Runway Trends '10. Magdalena Frackowiak in J.Crew Collection (that's J.Crew's limited edition line) teaches us a lesson or five in what we want to dress like for spring. On the syllabus: How to wear overalls without looking like a doofus (See image no.3), an ingenious new way to tie your scarves (See image no. 7), and the best color combo—that's rose and a fiery orange—you'll want to put together all the time (See image no.13). Trust us. We're taking notes!Moreover, "thanks!" to Kelly (from the Thread) who let us know about her post over at NBC New York's The Thread (click here). The following are her thoughts on the latest Collection line:
The J.Crew Collection spring look book has arrived, with the brand honing its signature preppy quirk tossed with some bohemian styling and feminine vintage accents. We're digging it.I love the Crewlade. I really do. It's delicious and I could drink it all day. {burp!} That image of the Waterfloral Pastiche Delphinia Gown ($650.00) paired with the white jacket is scrumptious. With that said, is it just me or some of the styles are c-r-a-z-y?!?
The Collection represents the top end of the pile, produced in limited-edition in small quanities each season. Sequins are still going strong, coming back for an encore in the spring collection, which pairs some increasingly luxurious statement pieces - suede jackets, layered jumbo jewels, lots of sparkle -- with the classic, menswear-inspired elements -- worn-in denim, cotton tees, khaki.
Jewelry remains a stand-out, knocking it out of the park with fun-to-wear costume baubles reminiscent of found antiques.The color scheme makes us want to sing about springtime in rose gold-colored glasses, blending muted neutrals with warm, dusty pastels.
I mean paint splattered overalls with a dressy black jacket? Really? And what about look No. 11 that features the Beach Chambray Ruffled Vest ($75.00)— why is she wearing rubber rainboots with no pants. No pants! (Incidentally, did anyone else think of the scene from the first Bridget Jones' movie where Bridget runs out of her building with no pants on?) ;)What do you think of the overall Collection for Spring 2010? Are there any pieces you love or question? What are your thoughts on the styling (likey or no likey)?
I love all of the Collection items with the exception of the overalls. I am not too fond of the camo print either, but I think it could work on the right person.
ReplyDeleteSo if there are overalls in the Spring catalog, what do you think is in store for summer? Rompers? Or, cut-off overalls with the legs rolled up?
:o)
I always love looking at the Collection pieces and usually pick a few favorites that I wish I had the money to buy and a place to wear. I really like the sequin dresses and the pastiche dress but almost burst out laughing when I saw the overalls! I cannot even believe these are back. They were horrible 20 years ago and still are ridiculous! Really J crew these are a collection item???
ReplyDeleteNO! Nononononono! No! They *didn't* style those overalls with one of the straps undone! (Having a sudden, nauseating NKOTB flashback.)
ReplyDeleteIts been mentioned in other posts - but the model for the Collection photos is freakishly thin! Scary skinny! Yikes!
ReplyDeleteThis is also been mentioned in other posts, the expressions on the models faces and their poses are just ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteMy guess is the painted paints are J Crews version of the acid wash jeans from the 80s? I saw in a magazine Harem pants and pleats are coming back too looks like JC had a version of them in one of the photos yikes!
the way the earring is positioned in the first picture made me think it was a cell phone ear-piece thingie. :)
ReplyDeleteok, the overalls are not just unsnapped a la NKOTB, but it's got that selective-spot acid wash/bleach that looks like bird poop. yuck!
I like a lot of the Collections pieces, but don't really care for the way they have them styled at all.
ReplyDeleteI know J.Crew is really big on bringing back the 80's right now, but I can't believe they've included overalls. Every time I see them I can't help but think of Bananarama or Dexy's Midnight Runners and their Come on Eileen video.
Did you notice the ankle zipper jeans? Wow, that brings back memories of the Guess jeans from the 80s I just HAD to have.
ReplyDeleteI think my 40-year old body will skip that trend this time around, but it was fun then.
I might be able to draw some accessorizing ideas from the Collection lookbook, but like others have mentioned I certainly have no idea how the clothes are going to look on a woman with anything even close to curves. Apologies for being negative, but that model looks sickly thin.
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ReplyDeleteI usually like a lot of the Collection pieces but there is no way you'd ever see me buy or even try on those overalls. I'm really loving a lot of the sequin dresses but the prices are way to high on them this year. Did they really need to make like 4 super expensive sequin and jeweled dresses? Where is the affordable version?
ReplyDeleteOOF! I want, desire and need that first floral dress.
ReplyDeleteac - hilarious. But you can bet those were exclusive Italian songbirds they let loose on those overalls.
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ReplyDeleteI always love looking at the collection items. However, this time I was not excited. The dresses, bracelets, the scalloped top and the two vests- the military style one and the double breasted one...These were specifically the only things I loved and would consider buying..Regarding the styling,uhmm (clearing throat) ; really I have nothing to say.
ReplyDeleteThey failed to mention the eh-hem.. fascinating romper with WHITE FISHNET STOCKING look---barf.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand..I ADORE the waterfloral dress but not the price:(
I wish they would put the regular collection page back up instead of this slideshow. I'm sick of looking at this emaciated model. Very off putting.
ReplyDeleteFor now, I'm just looking at the items by doing a search under "collection." The neapolitan lady jacket is cute, but too expensive for what it is.
It's so pathetically obvious that jcrew is ripping off fashion editorials and even other mall retailers like urban outfitters for their styling. Nothing original here. Identity crisis is more like it.
Jesus. The model looks like she escaped from a concentration camp. It's hard to concentrate on the clothes when you're cringing inside.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else think it looks like she's using her scarf/blouse for a napkin in look #8? What is going on there?
ReplyDeleteThe overalls are just goofy. You could probably find a similar, shapeless pair at a discount store and distress or paint them yourself. *shakes head*
In Look #10 it appears as though the lovely print from the dress will also be available in a blouse. When I click on the "shop this look" on the Collection page the blouse isn't listed yet but hopefully it is coming soon. Such a beautiful print, it would be nice to have a more affordable version.
I am laughing out loud! Thanks for the humor ladies- it's made my day.
ReplyDeleteAlexis, I'm hoping there are some of those cheesy gray boy's gym shorts in Image 12 under the the Ruffled Vest and above the rain boots in Image 11. She's so tiny she could actually have a pair of jeans on just rolled up higher than the usual J. Crew fold/dbl. tuck.
I like the Nadja Bomber Jacket & "mystery bag" on Image 12, Contrast Pencil Skirt and Jeweled Celestial Dress.
I love overalls!
ReplyDeleteARGH!!! I thought that I'd seen a JC romper in a dream. I did a search for romper, it didn't come up, and I looked through most of the categories in vein. I had forgotten I'd even skimmed the Collection but lo and behold! Therein lies the quackery!
ReplyDeleteSo I guess JC decided to follow in One Tree Hill's footsteps and dedicate this one for the 80s. Cute for OTH, not so much for JC. I tip my hat to Rae and ac for their comments on the overalls! One question... Why did those boys in NKOTB wear topless hats if they were getting dive bombed by crapping birds? Shouldn't you want more coverage rather than less?
perhaps i am beating a dead horse here (sorry, horsey!), but i really and truly cannot believe how much the brand has changed in the past, what, five years? Six? i've been flipping through my old catalogs from 2002-3 and i cannot believe the difference in everything: clothing, styling, models, etc.
ReplyDeletethere are some really hilarious things like, $20 off an order of $70! cute shoes for $70! and that isn't on sale!
i mean, i do love some of the newer stuff, but man, i feel BITTER and nostalgic at the same time.
and no, to overalls. ever!
Megha,
ReplyDeleteI know! I wish I would have saved all those catalogs. Little did I know how much things would change.
I know companies need to be care when offering too many directions, but what about a "J. Crew Classics" line that would cater to their loyal clients who provided a solid foundation of sales all these years? I had hoped that was where they were headed with the Lauren Hutton catalog....
Wowzer... I placed an order from Land's End Canvas for the first time, received my order yesterday, and today received a handwritten note card from one of their representatives thanking me for my order!
ReplyDelete(I was secretly hoping it would be a coupon, but a handwritten note is pretty impressive!)
If only JC could step up to this level of service. Oh well...
Oooooh, love it! And like the styling!
ReplyDeleteOT.. does anyone have an anthropologie coupon that I could use ? I want to get a bag but don't want to pay shipping ! TIA !
ReplyDeleteMegha,
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone. And to add on crewcricket's idea, I wish J.Crew would add a "J.Crew Paris" line where they just kept remaking items from the sept. 2007 catalogue, lol. If that were reissued today, I'd buy more from it, at full-price, than I've bought from j.crew's uninspired collections since last fall.
Does anyone have any idea the progression/procession of designers for JCrew since let's say 2000? The only one I can think of off the top of my head of course is Jenna, and at this point I think she's suffring a little from over exposure. I think she was definitely around for the Paris catalog that we all adore so much, but I wish whomever was chief designer for that rollout would please step forward and take the reins again. Megha, it's true- I've been cleaning out closets since the first of the year and I found a pair of JC espradrilles, receipt dating 05/03- $68.00! I had high hopes for this Spring collection. So far my wallet is happy, my closet is not.
ReplyDeleteThank god other people are mentioning how skinny that model is. She looks like a walking corpse.
ReplyDeleteSallyO,
ReplyDeleteI too love them. I have a Guess pair that I wear all the time.
I bought and returned the Watercolor potourri spring floral coat. I am tall and thin and it looked so fresh on the model. It looked like an old lady/thrift store coat when I took it out of the box and tried it on. Yes, it is a swing coat but it is just not flattering/style but mainly the print. I kept trying it on with different things but it just keep haunting me: "Old lady, old lady." I am sure there are other out there who will love it but not for me~esp. for the high price. Had to LOVE it.
I think the model is very pretty but she does seem to be skinnier than the typical JC model.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little disheartened to see JC focusing on their Collection items because it seems like the focus is off their "regular" items. I'm sad that the general quality of their regular items going down. I'm sure the Collection items are quality pieces but that does leave a lot of customers out in the cold since every JC customer can't afford $600 for a sun dress.
I didn't mind the price points of JC items when I thought that I was investing in the pieces but now it seems like they're more focused on trendy, disposable items.
Also, just because you call something "heirloom-worthy" doesn't mean that it is.
Two words that don't go together: "ruffle" and "vest." However I generally prefer the newer JC stuff to the old stuff (at least design-wise) because it's more interesting. If you want basic preppy blazers etc. there are still the various Ralph Lauren lines (also try Rugby for critters a la old JC), LL.Bean, Lands End.
ReplyDeleteOT, I was in the Columbus Circle NYC store today and they had racks of the victoria ruffle tissue tanks for 24.99 and a whole rack of the new ivory-colored tee with the brightly painted orange flowers on it for 24.99. There were also the cotton cardigans with the horizontal ruffle stripes in off-white and dark gray, I believe for 59.99. I will also give them props for customer service. It wasn't busy so there were 3 different associates helping me at the register.
Love the flowered dress!
ReplyDeleteCrewcricket I mentioned J.Crew classics in a previous posting...hopefully J.Crew is catching on to this idea! They already have an audience for it.
Starving model in overpriced overalls uh no J.Crew please please no! I still stand by my comments about J.Crew styling being weird lately.
You all have reminded me that I meant to comment on the model's extreme skinniness, too. It's rubbed me (and others, I know) the wrong way to see JC offering fewer and fewer of their items in sizes 14 and 16. Now it seems they're producing many of their collection items only up to an 8 or 10 (if that). Combined with the anorexic images? - I'm definitely disturbed.
ReplyDeleteeverything is ok, but the ROMPER? WTF? Who the heck is going to wear that? Looks like something American Apparel would sell!
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to step out there and say i like a great number, if not, most of the Collection pieces. Do i have the lifestyle or occasion to wear them, not always, but i find them very original. Pre-2007, i didn't even glance at JCrew. Their style was too classic for my tastes. I want pieces that are a little edgy. I do draw a line at the overalls, though.
ReplyDeleteI view most of the online complications as simply their attempt at artistry. I write "attempt" because i think JCrew is still exploring and trying to define its branding; and the looks, while not serious (in my view), are novice if i compare them with the top designers. The styling doesn't bother me, and i don't take it seriously, only inspirational and fun.
My only contention with JCrew of late is the quality and quality control, too many thin fabrics, and some of their price points do not correspond with the quality or design.
Even so, i am inebriated on the Crewlade. Give me a double! :)
I like the contrast skirt and the wrap blouse, but that romper? Yuck.
ReplyDeleteSequin overload IMO. At least on the dresses and tops that are available now. The tiered brique skirt looks cute but it doesn't look 18" long to me. Maybe it sits higher on the waist. Trying to think of somewhere I could wear it but I'm coming up blank.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of collection items, please help me decide whether to keep the Lexi tote in Amethyst. I bought it before final sale promo for $199 and I am contemplating returning it. I am not crazy about the gold hardware but like the idea of wearing it as a messenger. Can anyone who has it or returned it give an opinion on how useful or useless it is? Does the leather wear well?
Thanks!
Okha, I don't think anthro ever offers free shipping codes. The only special I'm aware of is that they give you fs on orders $150 or more from Thanksgiving through Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI guess I wasn't the only one disturbed by how rail thin the model looked like, not to mention the blank stare.
ReplyDeleteI do like the first dress and some other pieces not so much the awkward mixing and layering of bunch of stuff altogether.
I like the some of the edgier J.Crew styling but the price point does not correspond with the quality. I've seen way to many tissue thin cotton and merino stuff with holes, snags and fraying edges.
I find it incredibly funny (in an irony kind of way) that Kate Spade, an accessories company, can design better clothes than J Crew. Maybe I am just not getting it?? Hmmmm...
ReplyDeleteFFM- My thoughts exactly! I love me some Come on Eileen but this is taking things a bit far LOL!
ReplyDeleteI do like the tux stripe pencil skirt. But it looks like unfinished sweatshirt material and I won't pay three figures for that
Lauren S. - Thanks so much for that info. I really wish they would give out promotion codes you know; I found out that if you maybe sign up for their card, they send you a coupon on your birthday. So I guess I will be trying that..but my birthday is not anytime soon !
ReplyDeleteOkha,
ReplyDeleteJCrew does not send out anything on your birthday.
Victoria Secret and BR do though.
Sephora gives you a present on your birthday :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't know that there's another store card that does as little for you as j.crew's.
Right on, GlobeTrotter!
ReplyDeleteOT: I ordered a pair of Juliets a couple of months ago. When I received them I thought they seemed oddly large but I chalked it up to size variation and put a heel grips in to make them fit. I happened to turn them over today and saw that they sent me the wrong size! The box, the order, and the packing slip all say 7, but the shoes are 7.5. In this case the size worked out OK, but sheesh, what crappy quality control.
ReplyDeletei really like a lot of pieces, but what's up with the crazy short dress/skirt hem lines? Not many women over the age of 30 can wear things that short!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Cleo26..I like the edge and still think they are providing plenty of cute options for basics. Quality isn't deserving of full retail, though.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone on the model..I am almost more concerned with how they find the "drugged" look on her face to be an attempt to be "cool" Honestly, her face creates images and brings to mind reflections of things not good in the world.
Genny- The birthday coupon talk was about Anthropologie. Yeah, Jcrew does not do birthday coupons.. though I wish they did !
ReplyDeleteThe overalls are a Ralph Lauren knockoff. I was appalled when I saw them in his spring collection. I usually love RL and get a lot of great ideas from his shows, but this spring is a bust.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2010RTW-RLAUREN