Some of you might think its the whopping $498 price tag alone, that got the Popcorn Sweater nominated for this dubious honor. As Silver Lining amazingly noticed, it is the care instructions that are baffling: "We recommend folding (never hanging) and storing in tissue paper." This is preceded by, "Treat yours with love and it will last forever." Why don't they just say, "We strongly recommend not wearing the sweater to maintain shape. For best results, store it in a locked cedar chest and throw away the key. With love and non-use, it will last forever."
Plus, did you check out the following: "This is not the popcorn sweater you had in the '80s. Ours is superplush and covered in raised dots everywhere except the sides, so it's still slim in the right places." Yeah, when you mention 80's and sweaters... I am going to think Cosby sweaters. Now that is all I can think when I see this. I am gonna pass on this hand-wash-only-top.
What are your thoughts on the Popcorn Sweater? Would you buy this or leave it at the store? Have you see this first hand, and if so, what are your impressions?
P.S. Every time I see or hear "popcorn", I think of Schmidt from Fox's the New Girl... video here.
whoa. i would never pay $500 for that! i think i could probably find 80s looking sweaters at a thrift store.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more! ;)
DeleteAlexis, I recently did a whole blog post on these awful sweaters they are trotting out. They are really quite something:
ReplyDeletehttp://onecantgetoverthehabit.blogspot.ca/2013/11/thursday-in-which-wendy-wonders-is-j.html
I totally agree with all the sentiments in your post and the comments. Tom Mora is not doing a good job with the women's collection. Out of all my JC orders in the past 6 months (which are much fewer than previously), I have kept a total of 1 item. I also used to get a rewards card of $50-$75 every quarter and I haven't spent enough to get one for the past 3 quarters in a row.
DeleteGreat post WMM! Too funny with the "And I get it that young people like to take old stuff and make it fun, as in "this sweater is SO ugly, now it's cool."" line!!! ;)
DeleteBut the line that hit me the most: "We can't find affordable dresses and skirts at J Crew now because that's not who they're trying to dress now." Too true. I miss their skirts...
I actually don't hate this sweater but I think the price is insane and would never buy it.
ReplyDeleteWhat bugs me about this whole thing is the approach that JC is using with items that have long-standing quality complaints, such as their cashmere and vintage cotton tees. Instead of trying to improve their quality, they just have the CFS write some sort of disclaimer regarding their care instructions (I believe 'washing in unicorn tears' came up here several times) so that they have covered themselves if somebody complains about their item falling apart or developing holes after 1 wear/wash.
Believe me, I get it - JC is in the business of selling clothes and if the clothes hold up, then there's less of a reason to buy from the never-ending barrage of new arrivals. I just wish they'd tweak at least some of the women's line toward the more classic/durable they way they tout the men's line.
I think you are really onto something with your comment "Instead of trying to improve their quality, they just have the CFS write some sort of disclaimer regarding their care instructions". I think they are covering their bases in the wrong way- just make cashmere stand up to the quality of the same sweaters they sold years ago.
DeleteI love this sweater and it's right on trend. It reminds me of something milly did this season. The price seems slightly high, but it's 5 gauge high quality cashmere. It's currently on sale too. As for storing it folded in tissue-ALL cashmere should be stored this way. I'm actually shocked people don't know that. Sweaters should NEVER be hung, especially cashmere. This has absolutely nothing to do with quality. Actually, the higher quality of cashmere the more delicate it is! If you buy a sturdy "cashmere", chances are they're blending it with other wool. Sweaters stay in shape better and are less likely to snag when stored with tissue in between. All my sweaters are folded with tissue in my closet. If people can't properly take care of cashmere maybe you shouldn't purchase it. I've never had any holes or quality issues with my jcrew merchandise. I'm not surprised people on here do if you're hanging sweaters! Maybe cotton or a sturdy wool fit better into your lifestyle, but why buy a delicate fabric and then complain you have to give it extra tlc. I think they finally had to tell people the proper way to care for cashmere because clearly people don't know how. I have a few Loro piana sweaters and I store them in specialty boxes in my closet. A simple google search on how to properly store cashmere will tell you to fold cashmere with tissue- this isn't a j crew thing!
ReplyDeleteI never realized all cashmere should be stored in tissue paper. (I do have mine in a special box in my closet, that was it.) So I learned something new today!
DeleteAs soon as I read "I've never had any holes or quality issues with my jcrew merchandise." I realized this must have been written by a paid J. Crew employee. And if you're wearing Milly or Loro then you surely WOULD take issue with J Crew quality. J Crew simply is not what it used to be. I long for 2005-07, or when it was just a mail order catalog. I do agree with folding, no hanging. No brainer.
DeleteSweaters don't need to be folded w/ tissue... it's not like they are going to spontaneously combust if you don't store them that way. Yes, obviously they shouldn't be hung, knits in general should not be hung, but tissue is not necessary! I keep my cashmere folded in a cedar chest which works for me and my sweaters have held up fine over the years, except of course for some pretty serious pilling on some of the crappier JC ones from 2009-10.
ReplyDeleteI personally think this sweater is hideous and overpriced, and probably wouldn't be too flattering since it's so thick and such a tight weave. Then again, I haven't bought anything from J.Crew in months. And what I have bought had major quality issues so it all went back. I too find it funny that instead of making things high quality, they tell you to baby things, like a disclaimer. Hehe.
Agreed
Delete"I too find it funny that instead of making things high quality, they tell you to baby things, like a disclaimer." - I second this!
DeleteLOL, J.CrewJD. I agree on all counts. Really, even if it is recommended, what % of women would actually take the time to fold their knits in tissue? Would they also freak out that it has to be a fresh sheet of tissue after each wear? And I imagine buying acid-free tissue paper would really cost you in the long run (just priced on Amazon; $10 for a pack of 12). I also think the sweater is ugly--ESPECIALLY in that colorway. Yuck!
ReplyDeleteLOL @ the women freaking out! I could not imagine having to tissue wrap all my cashmere sweaters. Too much effort to look effortlessly cool. ;)
DeleteAlexis - respectfully, I would like to nominate another J Crew sweater that is even more questionable. The Collection embellished Moroccan sweater, also $498, is, well, remarkable.
ReplyDeleteAs the ever-clever Gigi commented after the last new arrivals roll-out, this item looks like the wearer is preparing for a parachute jump.
Then again, perhaps I don't recognize "on-trend" when I should.
Cousy, that sweater is definitely next. Just one word: YIKES!
DeleteBut seriously, those customers pre-ordering this top... how are they styling it?
Eeep. It looks like the model is wearing a backpack with chest and waist straps.
DeleteCousy, good one! That's 'remarkable' for sure, though I am not sure J. Crew would appreciate my particular remarks.
ReplyDeleteLOL!
DeleteI hang my cashmere on hangers! No holes and the worst thing that has happened so far is a stretched shoulder if I haven't placed it carefully on the hanger. Life is too short to worry about it. I've considered folding them, but then I'd have to stack them, and when I stack sweaters, they always get creases.
ReplyDeleteCate, me too. I use the huggable hangers and everything is just fine in my cashmere-land. I do keep the super heavy cashmere sweaters folded but I have all price points from very expensive to Gap cashmere and no problems whatsoever.
DeleteCate & Shopalot: Count me as a huggable hanger fan too! I slowly converted 90% of my tops over to this amazing hanger. It really does a great job. :)
DeleteI don't use huggable hangers, just the clear/wide plastic ones with the curved shoulders. I'm not even sure what they're meant for, but I like them for sweaters because they don't stretch the shoulders. I have a feeling I'm making a lot of people cringe!
DeleteThe velvet hangers work great for me too! I get them from TJ and HomeGoods. I do fold most of my sweaters though, simply because there isn't enough hanging space. They definitely are folded perfectly, either. I haven't had any problem with excessive pilling or whatever from having them stored like that.
Delete*aren't
DeleteElizabeth- I don't work for j crew and I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't had any quality issues with my j crew merchandise. In all fairness I buy mostly collection pieces- maybe they're made better. I do agree with you that the quality isn't as good as it use to be! I don't like the acrylic or polyester fabrics they're using, but in fairness many high end designers are doing the same thing. I haven't purchased much from j crew this year either because I think they are boring. I like classics with a fashion forward twist. They were doing great styling the last couple of years but people complained and now they're boring. I don't want them to go back to their style 10 years ago- it's boring and outdated. Anyway my post was about storing cashmere and I like to take the time to do things properly. I don't see folding sweaters in tissue a big deal or time consuming. I think storing them in boxes and cedar chests are great too! I do cringe at the thought of anyone hanging a sweater:) I was just stating it's not a j crew thing to store cashmere this way. I'm sure we all have our things that others do that make us cringe:) I still love this sweater, but that's just personal taste.
ReplyDeleteI feel like they overcorrected from all the complaints. People liked the new direction in 2006-2008. Then they started getting a bit too crazy/overembellished 2009-2011, and people complained. I would love for them to go back to the 2006-2008 stuff, beautiful clothes with unique details. Now everything is just blah. They might as well just bring back the baggy roll-neck sweaters with the shapeless drab masculine stuff in the women's line this season.
DeleteIt's the shapes that are masculine, combined with embellishments that are not. What's missing now are the feminine silhouettes. It's almost like they are afraid to do them because they are not edgy enough. Feminine doesn't have to be frumpy.
Delete