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.
Not really a vent because I am actually glad that I don't find anything exciting, appealing, or must-have at J.Crew now. I have put in place a self-imposed shopping ban, and for whatever reason, I'm actually not struggling--not at all. That's not a boast. It's just something that surprises me about me. This book is inspiring me (perhaps you already know of it): "Project 333" by Courtney Carver. I've read the first few chapters, and I can absolutely relate to what the author says about having way too much in the closet(s). I think the real treasures I own are being upstaged by the so-so promo driven purchases I have made. Way too many of those. Just thought I would share in case you too can relate or perhaps someday you will feel what I'm feeling right now. Or not. It's not just J.Crew. I'm not looking at anything else either. I have unsubscribed to all retail emails.
ReplyDeleteI am minimizing other things in my life too, and that feels good. I just resigned from one of those "socially prestigious" organizations (huge eye roll here) that I never ever appreciated. It was not a good fit because it was not true to who I am. I let someone talk me into it, and I'm pretty sure the only thing they will miss is my annual dues.
What does that have to do with clothes, etc.? Well, it's one less place in my not-very-large life that I won't be dressing for. There were no meetings in the past year because of covid, and I realized how relieved I was. Au revoir to that!
This is a lovely group, and I will still be reading your posts now and then. I'm on this journey, and I feel highly motivated to stay on it until I reach my destination.
Oh please stay here for the virtual support. For me anyway!
DeleteI’m not being as hardcore (I mean that in a positive way) as you right now but I’m in a similar place, and I’m annoyed by all the sales purchases I couldn’t pass up and trying to unload a lot of it on Poshmark just to clear the space for what I love and wear all the time.
Good luck and please keep posting!
I would like to hear more about your journey as it unfolds. I feel similarly, and have realized some of stems from being now middle aged and simply not going out as much, being a single mom, where I do go when I go out (bleachers of baseball practice? shop rite?). For whatever reason, I have also felt a shift in myself. Please keep us posted.
DeleteOh you dear sweet ladies! I am more than happy to keep you posted about my "journey." I just didn't want to annoy anyone since this is a blog about J.Crew and what I'm doing is certainly off topic. I will share some of the blogs and FB pages that are inspiring me. The clothes, shoes, bags, etc., etc. are a huge part of this minimizing project, but there are other areas that need attention as well, and I'm on it!
DeleteI'm definitely NOT a true hoarder like you would see on one of those horrid shows, but I have shopped compulsively "because I can," and that really does not feel good at all. Okay, it's perhaps a momentary boost in that part of the brain while it's going on, but the accumulation has made me appreciate everything less. Deep down I know that much of this was not at all thoughtful and was very wasteful.
There is guilt associated with it when I look it over. How many T-shirts? I don't think I can bring myself to count. How much unworn or worn very little? Way too much. It is not serving me well and is only making me "happy" for that quick minute that I'm clicking around.
Anyway, today I am off to deliver some beautiful donations to the American Cancer Society's Discovery Shop. It's an hour away from where I live. They prefer to sell better things. I am not selling anything. I can't be bothered with that. I guess I need the same type of immediate gratification in ridding myself of excess that I did in accumulating it.
Apologies if this is too much information. This is my task for today. There is soooooo much more ahead.
Thanks for listening/reading.
I seem to go through phases of strongly wanting and then NOT wanting (urgent need to get rid of) clothes. Sometimes seasonal. (I have a similar pattern with coffee/caffeine where my consumption ramps up and up and up then I get frustrated and taper off and quit completely! I always stay off about a month then start up again, ha.)
ReplyDeleteYes, hope you will keep us posted on how it is going as I love to hear about others experiences with this and obviously we're all clothes-lovers here.
I recently read You Are What You Wear by Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner (it's only $3 on kindle) which I really enjoyed it goes into the psychology of different personality types and why we overbuy/accumulate.
I have no history of success with this type of shopping ban and minimizing. Okay, I once made it through Lent without purchasing anything. Just once.
DeleteMy hope that this time might be different is based on how I feel. I am more motivated than I have been in the past, and, quite frankly, I'm worn out with expending the energy on everything that goes with this habit.
Thank you, MmeJacqueline for this post! I’ve also committed myself to somewhat of a ban. I’ve set a big goal and as I reach individual steps within that goal, I can earn one new item. Like you said, the joy of finding a new item can be fleeting (except for beloved items that bring joy each time I wear them). I’m using that joy to fuel this goal of mine. Please keep posting and updating - this is such a lovely community that I love!
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely community, and I appreciate that some of you understand what I'm doing and actually want to know about my experience. I'll share unless someone complains.
DeleteDear lovely ladies: I don't want to give the impression that I intend to live like a monk. I am not pleased with my excess and am not finding joy in having too much. It is not serving me well.
ReplyDeleteI guess this is rather personal, but I'll tell you a couple of my justifications for this "habit." I hope to stare myself down about this and be more realistic about my actual life!
(1) "Oh, but I've always lived well below my means, so it's okay." Truth: I have lived so very far beyond my needs that it simply doesn't feel good. I'm tired of dealing with it all, including the returns and then switching so many things around with seasonal changes. It's exhausting.
(2) "But I don't have any vices. I never drank, smoked, or used drugs. It's just shopping." Truth: It's a habit that results in excess, and after the initial rush, it's just stuff.
So many purchases were based on promos, and most of us know that it is easy to get sucked into that. "Oh, it's good enough for the price." I'm thinking that "good enough" is really not "good enough."
I can identify with the questionable promo purchases! For me, the issue is purchasing way too many similar or identical items when they’re marked down. Yes, it’s something I like and wear, but there’s a limit to how many I can use!
ReplyDeleteOTOH, I have no desire to have a stripped down, minimalist wardrobe. I tried something like that a few years ago when I was moving cross country. I packed a suitcase with a small selection of clothes and shoes I liked and I sent everything else with the movers. It was about three weeks from the time my belongings were picked up by the movers to the time they were delivered to my new home. I was absolutely miserable! I constantly felt like I had nothing to wear and all my clothes were dirty. The single warm sweater that I kept ended up being shredded by my bored cat. I had to go shopping for a new sweater because I was freezing! “Project 333” posts on Instagram give me anxiety lol.
I remember going way way back, buying a red leather pencil skirt and jacket from the Gap. I was mostly a SAHM, worked two days a week in advertising sitting at a computer and had a toddler. Back then my husband said I would buy things just to return them.
ReplyDeleteI know I’m at a place now where I’d rather have quality than quantity, but it’s a hard habit to break. In 2019 I bought a pair of rag and bone leather trousers. I wore them to almost every gathering we had that fall and winter. They “replaced” a more fitted pair of leather pants from Jcrew I wore for two years before that. (I still have and wear both.) BUT did I need the faux leather pants or the coated denim pants too? Not really.
I think that’s one of my issues. I will buy something I love and then I try to find similar items for less so I don’t wear out the original.
I know what you're saying here! I am definitely at that place where quality is more important than quantity. The quantity is getting in the way and crowding out what is better. Example: I have a blazer that I adore more than any other blazer. I paid dearly for it, but I believe that I absolutely got what I paid for: the fabric, the fit, the cut, the color. It is perfection to me--the "gold standard." Whenever I wear it, I feel great. It is the blazer I would grab if the house were on fire (after the cats, of course). Then there are the countless others that I might wear and not experience any of those same good feelings. I'm trying to pick a "gold standard" piece in each category and ask myself why that item is the best. I'm not saying that I will only own one blazer, coat, skirt, etc., but I have too much. Saving things "for good" (in any category of stuff) doesn't make sense at this point in my life--or perhaps at any point, really. Good is right now.
DeleteYup. Maybe if I had to be at work in an office 5 days a week I’d feel differently but chances are that will not happen. No one would notice if I wore the same three pairs of casual pants right now. Even with my gym clothes I buy multiples of leggings and tanks that I like. I mean this actually makes sense in this case because I’m so picky with fit. But I like a uniform. I don’t need to think too much!
DeleteA few weeks ago I bought a backup for my favorite everlane pants. Thank goodness I washed them right before I got the new ones because I could see the fading was part of the fabric and mine are still in perfect condition. At $36 the new ones were a great deal, but what are the chances I will wear out the originals? Slim to none. So I returned the back ups.
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ReplyDeleteReally great info you provided here.
ReplyDeleteThank You
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