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.
Thinking about how it’s a shame that Jenna’s influence wasn’t continued at J.Crew even after she left. I’m looking at the current fashion spread on J.Crew’s site; the models wearing the rugby tops...looks very 1989-91 and outdated. There’s nothing fresh and current about it.
ReplyDeleteI’m missing the spring neons, pretty/cool prints, unexpected pairings with a twist.
Ah...Le sigh.
Did anyone snag something from Jenna’s The Real Real e-sale? I was too lazy to join online to see what she was selling. How was it? Any J.Crew treasures? What was her size? Considering she’s a tall lady...🙂
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DeleteJ.Crew I would say had a 80% overhaul from hairstyle, models, clothes, etc. I do wish that the company kept the presence of Jenna because the image it cultivated made the brand more desirable and upscale. I'm all for throwbacks in the 80's, but the company also have to understand that it made the brand bland and boring causing decrease in sales with multiple CEO's walking out the door. I would say 80's classics are great; however, J.Crew during the 20's is even better!
DeleteMickey and Jenna were great but they just got a little to carried away. I checked Jenna's real real sale and the sizing inconsistency definitely reflected the brand.
Yes, I agree going back to 80s/90s styles is not going to save JC. It wasn't doing that great then. They heyday was about 2006-2008 when styles really started elevating, before they got too carried away with over the top ruffles, mini skirts, etc. So some Jenna, but scaled back. No Jenna is just boring. The stuff may as well be from Aeropostale.
DeleteI was able to snag a few things. Two clutches and a sequin skirt. Her sizes were medium or size 6 mostly so I had to keep my purchases to accessories and a skirt I hope to alter. I love her style so much and miss it at Jcrew.
DeleteI agree the good old days were in the mid to late 2000's. When I look at the style guides from that era everything is just so much prettier. The models, the styling, the colors, the clothing itself, even the backdrops for the photo shoots.
DeleteIt definitely seems as if "pretty" is no longer in trend (in fact, it seems like Madewell & J.Crew go out of their way to make the clothing and models appear unattractive)but I can't help it. I love pretty things and wish I had a place to purchase them.
Agreed, Violet. I already know how to look like I'm not making an effort!
Delete^^100% agree
Delete2006-2008 was the Golden Age of J. Crew, for sure. Did you not want EVERYTHING in the Style Guide in those days?
DeleteAnd did you notice a couple of the models wearing the scoop bathing suit with whateveranorak or parka jacket...wait for it....GYM SOCKS with FLIP FLOPS. Yuk. J.Crew...please make the effort.
DeleteI agree, I would even say the fall of 2004 to 2010. By 2005-2008 I definitely wanted everything, it was all so gorgeous. I'm pretty sure it was the fall 2010 catalog that was accused of being expensive and perhaps too lush but I loved it.
DeleteI don't even think it's the fact that things got expensive that caused problems...people will pay more for a differentiated product of good quality. It's when it got expensive and the designs got too weird. I really think the "we got too expensive" analysis of what tanked J.Crew is wrong.
DeleteITA with Ruffles. 2006-2008 really was the Golden Age of J. Crew. I still own and love quite a few pieces from that period. However, I'm also a big fan of the new rugby shirts. I don't think they look outdated at all. They're a classic style and I love classics.
DeleteI'm not a huge Jenna fan like some of the rest of you. Yes, she had some positive influence on the brand a few years ago, but I also think some of her more recent impractical, unwearable styles were responsible for the brand's downfall. I got the impression that she was a bit of a narcissist, designed clothes for herself and didn't seriously consider her customers' wants and needs.
Agree with all of this!
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DeleteI mean I wouldn't put all the blame to Jenna. For me it was Tom Mora who was the head of womenswear 2012-2015 that steered the J.Crew ship to high fashion which alienated a lot of the consumers. Now I wouldn't discredit his designs because they're great, but it's not what the average consumer is looking for. See for yourself.
DeleteFall Winter 2012
Spring Summer 2013
Fall Winter 2013
Spring Summer 2014
Fall Winter 2014
Spring Summer 2015
Fall Winter 2015
And then Somsack Sikhounmuong came a long as the brands head of womenswear at 2016-2017 and it made the brand more confusing than it already is.
DeleteFall Winter 2016
Spring Summer 2017
Fall Winter 2017
I believe the last collection that Jenna did was in the Spring/Summer of 2016
Spring Summer 2016
I have J Crew items in my wardrobe bought in 1992 through 2017 and some years I have loved more than others. I feel that maybe in the early 2000's the styling reconciled best with where I was in my life, and what I was looking to wear. I'm not a fan of Jenna and always felt the changes in models and styling that moved toward more high fashion with those silly glasses, tightly styled hair and weird posing were her influence. Marissa Webb also had a big influence on the brand in colors and fabrics but it still felt "J Crew". I was unhappy they changed the logo and added all of these cutesy things. Now, I feel like I'm looking at a Jack Wills or Abecrombie & Fitch website. I love the diversity in models and sizes but really don't like the styling and the overall feeling of what they are trying to sell. It almost feels like an entirely different company that's using a brand that doesn't belong to them. I'm sad that this is happening, they have been my corporate life partner since college and I could always find something I liked, and probably still can, but it feels that it is in spite of the brand and not because of the brand anymore. Sorry to be so negative it's been a long winter and just a blech past few months. I want them to do better but they seem to make decisions that move them in the opposite direction. Thanks for letting me vent everybody.
DeleteTeriLynn, I agree on so many points. Especially the brand disconnect with what they are selling these days. If you didn’t know it was J Crew, you would never believe it when you see the cheap swim, tweenager bralettes, string jewelry and 90s throwbacks in store.
DeleteI keep saying ... I miss the “polish” of the Golden Years. Jenna wasn’t perfect but she absolutely elevated the brand. Today we have basically a surrender strategy to fast fashion ... “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Considering that even Zara just posted disappointing earnings, that’s surely not a winning strategy, either.
I went in yesterday to pick up my PA discounted fair isle sweater. Sale was not on sale. The woman at the register next to me was having a difficult time understanding what was included in the promo. She had a lot of stuff and about half was excluded. The SA attempted to explain it several times and it just seemed foolish.
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ReplyDeleteI just received an e-mail from the JC in Austin, addressed to Patrick, inviting him to celebrate the return of his favorite heritage pieces. ??? I live over 1200 miles from Austin and I am most certainly not Patrick. JC, please fix your database!
ReplyDeleteAnd now I received a "shopping alert! see what's in your bag . . . " message, knowing full well that my cart & wishlist are currently empty. Clicked through just for kicks (perhaps it's Patrick's bag? maybe he has good taste & I could get some idea's for DH's birthday?). Sadly nothing to see in whoever's bag it was.
DeleteSo much excluded from the online sale- both Madewell and J.Crew- so I didn't buy anything. I was going to and would have with some percentage off.
ReplyDeleteI went to make a return today and discovered an unpleasant surprise: a pair of pants I bought on popback turned out to be JCrew Factory disgusting as retail JCrew. The product description did not state it was Factory (or Mercantile) and it did not have the telltale label with the diamonds. An SA and I were both clueless about why it wasn’t ringing up as returnable in the system, and a manager came to take over the return. She spotted the green label and the printed inner waistband and recognized it as old Factory. She had to call CS to do the return. I’m still not sure how she knew it was Factory (I don’t shop Crewlet so all I know is the label with diamonds) but I was seething that they didn’t state it in the online description. A manager with less experience wouldn’t have been able to return it and I would have had to use the stupid label to return. It’s one thing to mix Mercantile with retail but to do it without stating it explicitly is false advertising!
ReplyDeleteWow, which pants? That's really not cool
DeleteFavorite-fit wool twill university pant
DeleteThis is so weird - I had those pants and they were from retail probably 9-10 years ago. This was back when the JC label was upper-case white text on green, and these also had a printed interior waistband. Eeps, do you have the item number from your order e-mail? I'm just curious if they were really retail but just so old that they weren't showing up in the system.
DeleteI personally believe they were so old they didn’t show up in the system. But the manager insisted they were Factory. The item number was 96135.
DeleteI had those, too, in a pale taupe color. Definitely retail from 9-10 years ago, per silver_lining.
DeleteThose are definitely retail pants. Google "J.Crew 96135" and the product page will come up in your search results. The older tags were various colors which determined their department (at least when I worked there 18 years ago, the tag colors denoted casual, workwear, etc).
DeleteWell that's good to know that the product description wasn't lying after all! But still bizarre that I was able to purchase them online but couldn't return them. SA showed me his screen with my order history and the pants didn't show up even though he had my printed receipt and it was clearly there. Side note: really bummed I had to return something from the golden era of the Crew. The pants were really good quality, but just too big. And where have they been hiding in the JC warehouse all these years??
DeleteI think this may win the award for "Most Extreme Popback"! If I see the catalog picture, I'll put it up in my Insta. ; )
DeleteI received a Poshmark order today for an item I'm happy with (new curator pants from 2010) but there were napkins/paper towels stuffed in the pockets. Seller wrote a sweet note about sustainable fashion and it was nicely packaged (though in two layers of plastic so not exactly sustainable.
ReplyDeleteI was trying (hoping) to understand the purpose of the napkins in the pockets and hoping they're stuffing as opposed to someone leaving dirty napkins in the pockets, that makes sense, right? RIGHT?
She did include her email in a note so not sure I should say anything of just happily deal with it.
Are you sure it's a napkin/paper towel? I sometimes stuff dryer sheets into clothes I put away to keep them smelling fresh.
DeleteDefinitely not a dryer sheet. One was a papertowel and one was a tissue or napkin. I didn't examine just saw the texture and tossed immediately.
DeleteHow come they're showing larger sized models for women but not men? The men's section is so frustrating because my husband is an adult male, not a teenage boy who wears "slim" shirts and pants. It's very annoying to try to find anything for him but I guess regular American guys above the age of 25 are not the target demographic?
ReplyDeleteI mean there are multiple selections for men from slim to classic, ludlow and crosby, 484(slim)-770(straight)-1040(athletic). The models that they use for men are mostly young adults, and I do agree that they should have older men, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the clothes are just mainly targeted to young people. The mens selection I would say are mostly timeless classics, so regardless what age the person is the pieces would still be appropriate. The only thing that I would stay out off are the short shorts and jeans that has holes.
DeleteWent to a brick and mortar store this week and couldn't find one thing. Quality is really low. I have sent multiple emails. Does anyone know how else to get work to j crew this needs to be fixed??
ReplyDeleteWhy are there no black Cece's available online? Are they messing with the Cece again?
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