Tuesday, April 15, 2014

J.Crew Listens To Customer To Bring Back A Favorite

"Thanks!" to  Sommer, as well as GigisGoneShopping (in this post), who shared the following article from AdWeek (click here to read in its entirety) with us:
J.Crew Brings Back a Discontinued Swimsuit Just Because One Superfan Asked Nicely 'Your wish is my command'
By Rebecca Cullers
April 9, 2014

Open letters to brands rarely work, though it might help your odds of success if you happen to be a fashion writer for New York magazine and The Wall Street Journal.

Last August, freelance writer Jenni Avins penned an impassioned plea in New York magazine's The Cut blog, asking J.Crew to bring back its scoop back tank swimsuit.

"What I want is smooth, taut fabric that stretches from my shoulders over my chest and ribcage, with hip-high leg holes and an open back to expose my skin to sand, sunshine, and seawater. I want it available in evocatively named colors like hibiscus, marine, and bottle green (in black, it's simply unstoppable.)"

The letter touched the fashionable heart of J.Crew creative director Jenna Lyons, who immediately responded, saying she'd see what she could do. A few months later Lyons announced the swimwear's triumphant return in a two-page New York ad with a sassy, handwritten note that reads, "Dear Ms. Avins, Your wish is my command ... within reason. XO Jenna."

It's an excellent example of a brand listening to and responding to the wishes of a loyal customer, buoyed by the PR boost of that customer being a writer for a high-profile publication. The only thing sad about it is that we, even those of us who are writers with decently large audiences, don't expect brands to actually listen.

So congrats, J.Crew, for being decent human beings who just couldn’t let a woman drown in a sea of shitty swimsuits.
I think it is great that J.Crew not only brought back this bathing suit, but included the back story in its ad. It is a cute touch!

Since this method worked once, I thought I too would try an open plea to J.Crew... Please, please, PRETTY PLEASE bring back the Cece Flat. I loathe the Emma Flats. The Emmas are no replacements for the Ceces. The Emmas look awful. The Emmas feel awful (as in majorly uncomfortable). The Cece Flats were the perfect mixture of sophistication, whimsy, and comfort. I cannot believe how much I miss the shoes! I have a feeling I am not in the minority on this either. So please, dump Emma and get back together with Cece. We can pretend like the whole fling with Emma never happened. :)

What are your thoughts on the article? What item would you like J.Crew to bring back? Please share! :)

52 comments:

  1. Cool story! It's a pipe dream, but I would love them to bring back the Gallerista skirt, since I missed it :)

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  2. Thanks for the mention, Alexis. Hilarious about the Emma fling, as you describe it. I've only tried on the shoe, but haven't purchased it. I can't get past the spaghetti noodle bow.

    While we're at it, bring back the Juliet midheels. Maybe no wooden heel...? Then we can have a fully covered patent leather shoe without any narrow toe pain. We all know the padding in J Crew shoes is for the birds.

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    1. Awwww, I LOVE that spaghetti noodle bow! It's the only reason I bought those emmas!

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    2. I love the way the Emmas looked too but I refuse to suffer in ballet flats. They're meant to save you from sadistic heels.

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  3. The writer wasted her plea on a single swimsuit?? How about a plea to bring back quality, stylish clothing?!

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    1. This reminds me of the Family Guy episode where Peter gets wishes from a genie and uses them to 1. see what Kelly Ripa is like in real life, 2. get his own theme music, and 3. have no bones. You get a JC genie to grant your wish and you use it on a one-piece swimsuit? I wonder if this is really a publicity stunt surrounding something they were going to reissue anyway (since everything 90's is coming back in a big way).

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    2. Doesn't baby stewie give any of you the heebie jeebies????!!!! Hubs says the show is hilarious but I just can't get past that freaky baby!

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    3. silver_lining, that is funny!

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    4. I was thinking just that... wow, this suit is 90's and not very stylish, at all!

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  4. BRING BACK THE EVERYDAY CHINO (and normal pants in general...)!!!

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  5. I would like them to bring back the beach dresses and their other summer knit dresses that had reasonable price points and could be dressed up or down.

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  6. Oh dear I remember those suits, they are designed for the small and or perky chested amongst us. Offered about as much support as my kids on cleanup day. I wonder if they will bring it out in baywatch red? I would wish for more a-line skirts and pretty summer dresses.

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    1. I remember them too. I can't recall if mine was from J. Crew or if I just had that style from another brand. The straps would not stay put, though, it drove me crazy.

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    2. Baywatch red! :) At least our generation made up a story (however weak) to go with the bouncing -- a friend just told me that Victoria's Secret now has an actual "fashion" show that airs on tv!! ??!!

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    3. Jude: does "vibrant flame" count as Baywatch red? Not sure it does.

      Only black seems to be selling in this style.

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    4. I had a scoopback one piece from Ralph Lauren. It was not as flattering as I thought it was (after seeing pictures of me), even in Baywatch red. Those things are truly not meant for anyone above a B cup.

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  7. I want the classic ballet flat back with some of the cute prints they used to do. And sleeveless tops and dresses without huge armholes. And pants that fit.

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  8. Here's an easy one - the Foxtrot Jacket.

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  9. If we're playing the 'Bring Back' game, please bring back cute printed pencil skirts that aren't at Collection prices. And the Bella Jacket. And the Lexington Jacket. Also not at Collection prices.

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    1. Yes! THE BELLA JACKET! !!!!

      and in a pretty reddish color.

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    2. WE WANT BELLAS. WE WANT BELLAS. Seriously. In petite and tall, too! Come onnnn! We have been begging for years...

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    3. These are amazing jackets that I pull out every spring and winter. There's little I wouldn't do to get my hands on a navy and a black. Oooh if they brought it back in a forest green and a royal purple...

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    4. That should be fall not winter. I've got winter on the braining because today it's SNOWING!

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  10. Definitely miss the CeCe! I am so happy that I bought them when I did. I don't care for the style of the Emma flats at all and won't buy them no matter how low the sale prices go.
    I have picked up a couple of pairs of the KiKi flats (which are so comfortable on) and hope they don't discontinue those.

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  11. BRING BACK REGULAR PANTS THAT ARE NOT CAPRIS OR ANKLE LENGTH!!!

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  12. I agree about the CeCe ballet, completely! And while we're at vintage swimsuits, how about the old cross-back tank with the low back?

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  13. TOTALLY agree about Ceces!! I own an embarrassing amount. Why would J. Crew mess with a good thing?! These shoes were perfection.

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    1. I have tried the Emma flats twice. I hate them. The Cece's were perfection! Bring them back, please!

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  14. Can I just get a nice (real) red pencil skirt?

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    1. My sister did get one, might be two falls ago now. I forgot the name but it seemed like a real red to me. Didn't seem to have any blue or orange undertones. Might have been Dark Poppy color name.

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  15. Just fyi, I wrote to factory about the price listings. Wonder if they will change back? They did surprise me by responding within an hour...


    Hello Audrey,

    Thanks for your feedback regarding the recent change to our Factory website regarding how the prices are listed. I've passed your thoughts along to our Web team. Changes sometimes are made based on customer feedback.

    If there is anything else I can help you with, please feel free to reply to this email or contact me directly.

    Best,
    Anne C

    J.Crew Factory Customer Service


    --Original Message--
    Date: 4/15/2014 8:35:51 AM
    To: contactus@jcrewfactory.com
    Subject: website layout

    Hi there,

    I am a huge JC fan and most of my wardrobe is from JC — I appreciate having factory online, as I have no factory store nearby, but I just need to tell someone there that the new “valued at …” “your price …” listings strike me as incredibly tacky! Would love if you would go back to the old way of listing…

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  16. Yes, please, bring back the Ceces! That might almost be worth a genie wish- I wear them every day!

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  17. I really like the Ceces too. And yes, I think they are much better looking than the Emmas, even the bow Emmas. But as an alternative, I also like the Tory Burch Eddies, which are almost the same -- at least, they feel the same to me except that they run a bit smaller than the Ceces -- but unfortunately, more expensive...

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  18. Could we please, please, PLEASE see a return of the Oxford Jacket in a variety of colors, beautiful double-faced wool and divine enamel buttons of the past. I dream of that jacket (sigh).

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    1. Yes please. That jacket in a rich, deep green would be divine.

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  19. Capri Sandals. (don't like the Rio's)

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  20. MERINO MADNESS...

    Okay the can of worms has been opened and this is as direct and candid as it gets. What is the stuff you call merino at JC these days? I have 100 percent Merino sweaters from 2002, 2004 and 2008 without a pill in sight. Oh and a 2004 made in Malaysia JC argyle merino cardie I got used from ebay that looks better than the JC sweaters I got 6 months ago! Years of wear and cold hand-washing and absolutely no piling. Bring back that old quality PLEASE. I refuse to buy another merino sweater from JC that pills after 8 hours of wear regardless of how yummy the colors. Oh and all those code words, whisper thin, delicate, breezy etc is code for crappy quality. Are you listening Mickey? I bet you won't be seen dead in most of what you offer us today.

    JC—This blog is your greatest resource for customer feedback, I don't think there is another retailer out there that has vocal customers like us. JC, listen to your customers and quit letting the margins dictate what you offer.

    Okay getting off soapbox now...

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    1. Agreed, i have some old merinos and they feel like today's cashmere- so maybe the cashmere is also not as great...if it feels like yesterday's merino. Also I love seeing the cashmere's tag: Italian cashmere-made in china. :/
      huh?

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    2. ITA. Telling us all about exotic Italian Mills and Family owned leather, vintage this and that etc. kind of stinks (no pun intended) when everything is made in CHINA.

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  21. Great publicity for J.Crew. Their P.R. team needs a raise. They saw a great way to market the brand as a cult fav. and definitely used that opportunity wisely. I doubt this open letter would work again. I'm thinking that they probably still use this swimsuit fabric and all that needed to be done was revive the cut from the archives.

    But while we're having pipe dreams over here... How about beautiful, classic jewelry that I'll actually be wearing forever. I'd would buy the library charm bracelet at full price if they brought it back now. Likewise with the dainty sphere necklace.
    Oh and the thick knit, cardigan sweater jackets that were my go to pieces during fall and spring. I'll take the merino military peacoat, cardinal or butterfield.

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  22. Just read that Marissa Webb signed on as Creative Director over at Banana Republic. I guess it's too late to ask that J.Crew bring her back.

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  23. As a narrow shouldered swimmer with a short torso, this type of suit is my absolute least favorite type since they are always too long in the body and the straps always fall off my shoulders. I always end up having to use hair ties (the ones with two balls at the ends) to secure the straps together to do lap swimming. That was years ago, of course, and since then I have wised up and refuse to even look at this type of suit.

    But you know, that's me personalizing it and all.

    I would have chosen something more fabulous like that dress that you really really wanted, Alexis, the Versailles Dress. http://jcrewaficionada.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-is-your-one-one-that-got-away.html

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  24. Another vote for Cece's! I love Kiki's, too, but only my first pair. The other four pair I've purchased gap on the sides, which is really too bad, because my first pair are the perfect ballet flat I dreamed of. Back to Cece's, I wish I had bought more colors when they were still available. I don't feel so crazy for buying them every chance I got.

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  25. One more thing, I miss the attention to detail- remember those bling sweaters where the buttons were like little jewels- what happened to those? Can all suit jackets with inside and lipstick pockets those are a huge plus for me. Wasn't the inside lining like a shirt of it's own- it always gave me ideas what color to pair with it.

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  26. LOOOOOOOOOVE CECES!!!
    Miss them so much :(

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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! :)