This is the weekly "Looking to VENT with J.Crew" post, a place to share our not-so-stellar experiences with J.Crew.If you have recently experienced a frustrating situation with J.Crew, maybe you might be willing to share that information with us in this post.
Please feel free to share your story on almost any topic— including poor experiences with purchases & orders, promotions/ offers, in-store visits, transactions with store associates, etc.
My comment was more of constructive criticism than venting. I really like J Crew heels as they are very well made and beautiful. However, when I compared my J Crew heels (like the Mona), to my other shoes of Cole Haan, I had to say Cole Haan shoes are noticeably more comfortable. I like the fact that they had non slip soles and Nike Air technology for better foot support in Cole Haan shoes. I am wondering if J Crew can incorporate more on the practicality of the heels (like non slip soles etc) to make their beautiful shoes even more wearable. The Everlys are a good start as the toe box are roomier when compared to the Monas.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree IMI. I recently got a pair of the Seville Wedges and despite being fairly comfortable, the jute on the bottom actually forms part of the sole- nothing covering it. I understand they are summer shoes, but sometimes rain happens and I'm pretty sure they will get ruined with a hint of water. It wouldn't have cost very much to make them much more durable!
DeleteIMI, I am also with you. J.Crew makes such cute and gorgeous shoes, but the comfort is just not there. I have to say they have greatly improved the comfort of the ballet flats, but they have done nothing to help the heels, save add leather linings to more pairs, which does help. Cole Haan heels can be so amazingly comfortable... if J.Crew could make theirs half as comfortable, it would be wonderful!
DeleteI agree that the ballet flats have gotten more comfortable, but what I've noticed most about the flats is that the last two pairs I purchased had rubber soles which meant that they didn't fall apart in a month like all my previous pairs. I think that helped a lot with the comfort, traction and general life of the shoe.
DeleteAlso agree about the heels, although I will say that in general I've been finding heels these days to be either cheaply constructed or well constructed but extremely uncomfortable, and that's across the board. That said, I will always remain skeptical about purchasing JC shoes if not at a sizeable discount. Remember the Lulu bow heels from several years back (2008?) that were incredibly stunning? Mine literally fell apart and got completely water stained the first time I wore them in the rain - leather shoes! - and I've yet to recover from the loss. Loved those shoes.
25% off & free shipping on orders of $150+ with code STYLE25.
ReplyDeleteI was getting ready to go to sleep and now I have to work on my order. There's not a lot I need so I'll have to sip lightly from the Crewlade.
ReplyDeleteHoliday hiring has begun! I've noticed new employee and they're painfully new. Not clear about the merchandise or procedures. I'll be bringing a lot of patience with me in the upcoming months. They're not bad employees. I've just been surprised to see the attire on some, which doesn't look J Crew at all and makes me wonder if I'm even in the right store.
ReplyDeleteDitto. I did an online return 2 items and a retail exchange the other day and it took forever! Good thing I wasn't in my lunch hour!
DeleteOh, ditto. Oh, so very ditto.
DeleteCalled the VPS line or so I thought, to make sure that a particular item was returnable and got someone who sounded like her big sister had abandoned her with a few random pages of last year's script. And NO I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IT IS IN THE "ESSENTIAL NATURE OF ALL CASHMERE TO PILL." I told her she'd left out a word or two: It is in the essential nature of all JCREW cashmere to pill.
Whew. Ok, so I'm not the only one.
DeleteThe sweet new ones...today's lovely didn't know what shearling is. I would've loved to share the info w/her, but the first thing that would've come out is, you don't know what shearling is?! Which wouldn't be a helpful opening, so I just smiled while turning to shut the fitting room door.
Funny, and perhaps a little frightening, how well trained I'm getting in looking for the like button. :)
DeleteI am so, so sad they discontinued the wool crepe suits. I like them better than the Super 120s, mainly because they don't wrinkle!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU, Caitlyn. You made my day!
ReplyDeleteNot a vent but the full price promo that everyone has been waiting for is finally on today! 25% off and free shipping on purchases of $150+ with code STYLE25! Yippee!
ReplyDeleteOops - did not see that Caitlyn posted the same thing!
DeleteI am excited - I can finally order some things that rarely ever go on sale...
This is more of a general vent, than directed solely at JC. I'm really tired of "pops of color" - the expression in general is really starting to irritate me and it's everywhere! It's starting to feel tired to me. I simply don't feel comfortable dressing in a bunch of different colors from head to toe. I know some people here absolutely rock it. And I do like to have a little bit of color - like bags, shoes or jewelry - just not all together. My prediction is that w/in the next couple seasons we are going to start seeing a trend back to neutrals....
ReplyDeleteIn total agreement with Jruby on this one. I really wish the phrase "pop of color" would go away.
DeleteI can't stand pops of color! I have very soft coloring so all neons and brights look horrible on me. I miss when J. Crew used to have colors like "heather thistle." Sigh!
DeleteReally tired of opening packages to find that the items are nowhere near the colors they appear to be on the website. Keeps happening to me this season and it's incredibly frustrating. First there was the Super 120s No. 2 pencil skirt in the bright blue color which turned out to be a darker, more muted blue IRL, not to mention the fit was atrocious compared with prior years. Then there was the double serge pencil skirt in retro jade - why does this look blue online when in fact it's green? (And a better question, what does a girl have to do to get a bright BLUE pencil skirt from JC??) Also on the topic of color, I hate that "spicy gold" is back. This always looks like a beautiful yellow color to me online and then when I receive it, it's a green-tinged yellow that I can't imagine looking good on any fair-skinned woman such as myself. JC, please stop recycling the same colors every other year. It's gotten really old, and there's nothing more disappointing than receiving a brand new skirt or sweater that looks identical to an old one already hanging in your closet.
ReplyDeleteThis is a big issue for me too. I ordered several sweaters from retail and factory and only one looks like the online color. I bought the Fiesta Purple cardi from factory and it is nothing at all like the Fiesta Purple cashmere sweater I bought from retail last year. If you're going to use the same color name, make it the same color. And drop the wash-out effect on the other colors please.
Deletewhat they said... can't get a color to go with the snakeskin print that does NOT look like a Spannaus spangle-clash. tired of returning sweaters, maybe it's time to return the skirt.
Deletewellfedfred, I hate to agree with you about returning because it's such a lovely skirt, but yesterday while I was looking at it in store I realized exactly where I've seen it before - it's the 2010 JC pencil skirt hanging in my closet, in a leopard print instead of snake but identical fabric and color scheme, that I never wear because it matches with absolutely nothing. It makes me sad every time I look at it because it's so pretty yet I can't pair it, and naturally the way in which it was styled online offered no guidance.
DeleteDara, thank you! I thought i was losing my "eye." Even went into Collection and begged for help. I think the chiffon snakeprint blouse would add 40 years ...
DeleteIt looks quite nice with the dark rosewood color that came in the calista cami and jackie cardigan 1-2 years ago. However, once these items wear out, I will probably be in the same boat as you...
DeleteITA that there have been many many times where I love a JC item, but cannot find anything to pair it with and the things they show it with on the model would look terrible IRL (i.e., sequin pencil skirt with undone striped cotton top).
Cass, that's exactly the color I was looking for when I started ordering / bringing home sweaters! you know how sometimes JC repeats a color but renames it? This would be the year they don't .
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DeleteTry the heather burgundy tippi with the snakeskin print skirt. It looks great together.
DeleteThanks, I brought that very one back today, it was pilling before I got it out of the cellophane. Unreal. Called to double-check that it was returnable, because I couldn't be bothered to do reverse math to see if I'd grabbed it on FS, and was offered a CASHMERE COMB. Had mad vision of self wearing skirt with sweater decorated with brass & plastic combs, like the plastic plaques on that other sweater...
DeleteDisappointed with the Cashmere Bateau sweater. The knit is very thin. I ordered the sandy color and I could totally make out my white tank top and black bra underneath.
ReplyDeleteI'm tempted to order a darker color, hoping this will help to camouflage my undergarments below.
I got an order today with the bateau in a solid and a stripe. I was also very disappointed in the solid- very thin and the fit was blah. The stripe on the other hand was nice and thick and held a nice shape. Needless to say in am returning the solid and keeping the stripe :)
DeleteAgreed on the uncomfortable heels. I am wearing my Sydney patent sandals for the first time today (a decent deal at $41.99). They are high - 3.5 inches - and because they are made of cheap materials they are not very comfortable. Better materials often make for more comfort. I pay more when JC shoes have leather linings and/or soles.
ReplyDeleteThis is my vent for the week, has anyone had a helpful "chat" with the online chat function? Or even on the phone with customer service? I find that the people who man the lines do not know very much about the clothing selection online. Now I don't expect people to be as passionate about J.Crew inventory (or fashion, in general) as I am, but I do expect them to be able to respond to questions about fit or availability without having to put me on hold to ask someone else. I guess I wonder why they don't have that kind of information easily accessible to themselves so that the "chat" or phone customer service appears to be knowledge. And not sure if we're allowed to post two vents, but I have to also ask, when did J.Crew begin outsourcing such a large proportion of their shoe selection to China? The shoes don't feel the same as the ones made in Italy. I know everyone is trying to figure how to offer good quality at a good price, but I'm willing to pay a bit more for the quality that J.Crew used to have.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about the chat feature. Sure, they can do a WWFIFY search or tell you the measurements of something pretty quickly, but as far as anything that is subjective- forget it! It's like chatting with a robot. Terrible!
DeleteThanks for the affirmation. Was hoping that I wasn't the only one. Saw another post about how unhelpful the VPS line is, as well.
DeleteSorry to be asking again... regarding the lime green suiting dress with 3/4 puff sleeves that I saw online a couple weeks ago but has since disappeared, does anyone recall the name? Was it perhaps a popback from an old season? Funnily enough, I was about to use the live chat feature to ask but decided against it because if JCAs don't know, I doubt they would either.
ReplyDeleteDara, it is the "collection italian wool dress"
Deletehttp://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/Collection/dresses/PRDOVR~98802/98802.jsp
It is from this season.
Oh, and I saw one on eBay for around $150... can't remember the size though. Could be worth some eBay sleuthing if you are really interested in it.
DeleteThank you so much!! Even though it's sold out, I can totally stalk it now :)
DeleteWhere to begin? I placed an order several weeks ago using a rewards card, two store credits, and my JCrew card. I ordered two items: a handbag (on back order) and a Tippi sweater. They shipped the sweater to me and put a charge on my Jcrew card. I really wanted to use up the credits and soon-to-expire rewards card, but discovered at my local store that they couldn't be used because they were being held to purchase the bag, which would not ship for at least a month. The store manager said "that's very sneaky of them, isn't it," and told me I should cancel the order.
ReplyDeleteI canceled the bag, and could immediately use the rewards/store credit to order the houndstooth sweatshirt during the 25% off promo. They sent me a crewcut boys tee instead of the ladies sweatshirt. I called to request the correct item, and they told me that If I wanted to use the rewards card/store credit, I would have to wait until they mailed me a new card. They assured me that inventory was sufficient in the size I wanted, but of course, it sold out while I foolishly waited for my card.
And today, I noticed a small hole on the front of the pilar paisley shirt that I was wearing. Fortunately, it wasn't too noticeable. However, when I got home, I discovered a huge hole on the back of the shirt. Not a torn seam -the fabric simply disintegrated.
Oh my goodness, what a horrible week in J.Crew for you! Regarding the hole in the back of your shirt, I just wanted to say I feel your pain. I was wearing a cardigan at work last year and when I got home I discovered the fabric had disintegrated (a great way of putting it) at the elbow into a hole of 2" circumference. I work in a big law office and could not have been more embarrassed that I walked around like that all day without knowing!
DeleteOh and it was the bling button cardigan. They bring them back every year and I'm tempted but then I pass. No more holey sweaters for me.
DeleteDara, re. the Italian wool dress, try to call the Collection store (ex. wedding) on Madison @ 64th. They used to have it so maybe you will be able to find it. They also had a navy version made exclusively for the store.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ema! Going to do exactly that this afternoon, or maybe I'll even pop by the store after work. I hope they have it! I have a feeling I would love a navy version.
DeleteI ordered a Barbour jacket with the Liberty lining. It's not available in the store, so the sales associate ordered it for me. She asked if I wanted to apply for the J. Crew credit card--I normally don't use store credit cards, but 10% off $399.00 was worth it. After I got through the credit card process, the person on the phone said the 10 percent off was not valid on the jacket--I can't remember the reason--maybe he said because it was a co-promotional item. So I said that I didn't want the card and to cancel it. I ended up paying cash for the coat.
ReplyDeleteA week later, I get the credit card anyway. Then I saw the 25% off promotion and call customer service. After back and forth with her manager, the customer service person says the promotion isn't valid on the jacket (the co-promote thing) but that she didn't see why they didn't give me the 10% off the jacket. She went back to her manager for a consult. So now they are going to send me a gift card with the 10% amount on it. So it sort of ended well, but I spent 20 minutes on the phone, cancelled the credit card (a separate phone call), and now will have a gift card that I have to spend in the store, but I'm sure I can make use of it. On the positive side, the Barbour jacket is lovely.