If
you are stopped
by a J.Crew store this past weekend
to see what's available (if
anything!) in the SALE, or to see some NEW ARRIVALS
{sigh!} in person, maybe you
might be willing to
share that with us in this post. In
particular, if you could share
with us a few of the noteworthy items
that are available, at what
prices, and potential sizes the
store is carrying (as well as the
store location)- that would be
fantastic!Also, please let us know if your local store was/ is carrying an additional percent off sale. Thanks in advance!!! :)
I stopped in on Saturday with a pile of returns. There wasn't much I still wanted to try on, they had a few new items from the smaller rollout recently. I did try on the chambray tie-waist top which I thought was really cute and I will have my eye on it. It hasn't warmed up and it's definitely a weekend top so I'm going to see if I can catch it on sale. It runs big - you'll definitely need to size down but it looked cute with white jeans and it's a cute(albeit slightly trendy) chambray button down alternative for summer.
ReplyDeleteI did pick up the white star floral necklace and the striped pouch. I don't have a white necklace and I think it will be a fun addition to my summer wardrobe.
Has anyone seen this in store? Collection tiered ruffle skirt with tie waist (item G5564)? It looks like something a 6-year-old would wear, with all those ridiculous layers. Maybe I'm missing some sophisticated styling element that is the reasoning behind the price and the Collection label.
ReplyDeleteIf I had been told I had to wear that skirt when I was a 6-year-old, I would have run away from home.
Delete@eeps, I noticed that skirt the other day when I did the Pre-order search. Couldn't wrap my head around what I was seeing! A lot of Collection pieces don't work for me, either due to fit (I'm very short) or lifestyle, but I can still see how they might work well on other figures. Even when the pieces are over-the-top (such as the Ultra-wide leg pants), I can appreciate the 'fashion' and trend element to them. THIS particular piece, however, seems like it'll be ill-fitting on most figures AND I fail to see the fashion angle --- i hate the back view, especially, with the mismatched, rough-cut layered hems. It looks like the kind of workmanship I would have produced when hand-sewing outfits for my dolls back in the day. Just, no. :-O
DeleteOMG the back view is the worst!! The asymmetrical layering.. and who wants ALL that fabric on their butt??
DeleteIt was hard to miss that one in the preorder section. Les Miserables ensemble came to mind.
DeletePretty sure they actually modeled that skirt on someone's kid for the NYFW presentation.
DeleteIt's true, Cass.
DeleteOT, but does anyone know if there will be a June sample sale in NYC this year?
ReplyDeleteI was wondering the same thing. Usually it is the first weekend in June. I haven't seen any ads for it and it's not on any of the upcoming NYC sample sale calendars... I wonder if these will stop now that they closed the clearance stores and they are sending that merch to factory stores?
DeleteI just checked and last year's sample sale ran from June 20th through the 26th, so it might still happen (though I'm wondering the same as you, Cass, now that the clearance store have closed.) We'll have to stay tuned!
DeleteOh really, for some reason I thought it was the first weekend of the month--thanks!
DeleteThe Boden sample sale is happening this Saturday at Metropolitan Pavilion from 10-4. Has anyone been before? I'm not a huge Boden fan but it might be worth a look...
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DeleteJust announced! June 18-25 (and once again, the last day is the Pride Parade)
DeleteOh great, thanks for that info, eeps!
DeleteI was really surprised how much i liked the strapless crossfront top in navy. It holds really well even though i do not have a loy to hold it lol. It looks awesome with wide legged pants to balance them out. I went with my true size,pic on my IG.
ReplyDeleteIt looked really nice on you with the plaid tie waist pants Ina!
DeleteThanks @shoppingcelle! It was an instant buy for me and customers loved it too!
DeleteBreaking news: Mickey steps down as CEO.
ReplyDeletewow...like WOW !!! this is HUGE >
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DeleteI'm hoping for the best but it doesn't sound super promising to me. At least Mickey will still be involved as it sounds. Having Jenna, Frank and Mickey out seems like it will leave a big void. I really hope they don't go towards fast fashion.
DeleteWow- that is breaking news! I wonder if Jenna and Frank knew all along and may have been one of their reasons for departing first. They all seemed like the A team for bringing JCrew at its pinnacle in the heydey. It will certainly be interesting to see what this former West Elm CEO will do for JCrew.
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ReplyDeleteIn the article I read, in the WSJ, he says that he had been planning to leave for a year.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post from Esquire
ReplyDeletehttp://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/news/a55486/j-crew-mickey-drexler-steps-down-ceo/?src=socialflowFB
Thanks to both of you, silver_lining and j crew guy in Canada, for posting both of those articles. (The Esquire one was particularly nice and nostalgic!) I do remember reading in yet another article of this ilk that they were starting to talk about Mickey eventually retiring (i forget that he's in his 70s!), so it makes sense, but the timing is certainly curious. Ah well, I hope the new captain is able to right the ship.
ReplyDeleteThe Business of Fashion article is reporting that Jim Brett was chosen for his ability to "innovate" and develop "omnichannel brands." I wonder what that means for J Crew.
ReplyDeleteMickey owns 10% of the company and will remain chairman so he's really not "exiting" in the same way Jenna and Frank are. The debt balloon coming due next year and it makes sense that the equity firms are demanding change.
I don't know much about West Elm. I hope this is a good thing.
I am not thrilled about the CEO of West Elm taking over. West Elm has horrible customer service, overpriced cheaply made products, and they don't allow reviews on their website. I have regretted every purchase from them and had such horrible customer service that I vowed to never shop there again. I hope this does not follow to J. Crew.
ReplyDeleteEverything that you wrote is exactly what I thought when I first read that he is taking over....This is not great news in my opinion, but I hope I'm proven wrong
DeleteI don't know anything about West Elm other than I thought it sold furniture but it seems like an odd pairing. I am a bit worried as the Gap continued to spiral downward after Mickey left, although maybe gaining some ground lately. I don't want J Crew to follow the same path. I guess maybe the world got a wider glimpse into J Crew when Michele Obama and her girls started wearing J Crew but IMO its best years were the 2005-2007 era which is before she started wearing the items as FLOTUS. Don't get me wrong, I loved that she and the girls wore J Crew and she always looked amazing, but it condenses all that is/was wonderful about the brand into a single theme. It didn't go from boring khakis to dressing FLOTUS. The brand and what it means to us is different for everyone but we certainly wouldn't be here caring about Mickey Drexler stepping down from J Crew if it didn't have something special which took years to develop.
ReplyDeleteI kind of disagree with the Esquire article. I think a lot more is made of their late pivot to athleisure than need be and that shows a bias towards an urban market. Sure, athleisure is everywhere, but most of us still need pants, shirts, etc. I still, and always will, think the problem became thinking Jenna was their client instead of the average person mildly interested in fashion, but mostly interested in looking great. Yes, the price points were an issue, but many of their clients would have paid slightly higher prices for good quality, which stopped being the case too. I fell in love with gorgeous clothing, interesting details, and great fits. I will pay for all of that if the quality is there. Sadly, it wan't. They can move towards fast fashion, if they want, but I don't think that will right the ship. It would take a major pivot in people's idea of the J. crew brand which is a costly and slow endeavor. Nearly impossible given their debt load. What they should do is focus on their core client, who has aged, but is still young, vibrant, and has disposable income. Also, get a designer who is comfortable with the female figure in all forms. I don't think Somsack's designs do much to make a woman look good. There is just so much that needs fixed. I hope they have found the right person, and that Mickey gives him the space he needs to get the job done.
ReplyDelete"Mildly interested in fashion, but mostly interested in looking good--" yes! well said, Jennifer! i've been thinking that Somsack's designs look a little desperate, like he found a bolt of fabric and had to use it up in a hurry, like Project Runway on meth.
DeleteThere are a number of talented, energetic and capable executives in the fashion industry who would make the right move for the right reasons, but nibble-offer-acceptance is a two-way street, and right now J.Crew is radioactive. Headhunters were trying to fill a slot where the hiring pool already knew too many negatives about the company and with 10 minutes research could find out more.
Mickey did not get good advice at the time of the first public offering - he seemed to feel surprised and burdened by a public company's obligations to shareholders and to the government. He did not get good advice when he took the company private - the lawsuit over that move shows that he thought he'd be able to run his fiefdom as he chose. He didn't think of the possibility that creditors would be more demanding than shareholders, and in a better position to enforce their demands, nor did his advisers explain to him that the influx of cash would mean the lenders would own him.
I've just bought a few things for next winter, because winter is coming. .