Weekly Share: Other JCrew-like Retailers

This is the weekly "Other JCrew-like Retailers" post (similar to the "Off On A Tangent" posts), where we can share our finds from other retailers that have offerings similar to J.Crew (like LE Canvas, Gap, BR, Talbots, Ann Taylor, and the like.)

If you have recently encountered items that are similar to 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 experiences with certain merchandise pieces, promotions/ offers, in-store visits, transactions with store associates, etc.

J.Crew & Women's Japan Love tee

"Thanks!" to Megan who let us know that J.Crew was selling a few products to help the victims of the earthquake/tsunami in Japan. They are also offering free shipping on these items.

Customers could buy the Love Save Japan tote (Item 52558; $25.00), or the Women's Japan Love tee (Item 52460; $25.00), described as:

This tee is available for pre-order. Wear your heart on your sleeve: 100 percent of the profits from the sale of this limited-edition tee will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society, which provides much-needed medical care and emergency supplies to victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami. The custom map design, created by our in-house graphic guru, is featured on soft cotton. Boasting a slouchier boy fit, this tee not only looks good, it's for an extremely good cause.Enjoy free shipping on this tee. Cotton. Crewneck. Short sleeves. Import. Machine wash.

But what makes this a bit more interesting is what Red (in this post) shared about the tee:

I'm a huge fan of J.crew, but 've got disappointed in Jcrew's current Japan relief campaign tee. ...The "Women's Japan Love tee," ... incorrectly labels the East Sea as the "Sea of Japan." This name originates from the period of Japanese imperialism and the brutal Japanese occupation of Korea from 1905-1945. It is part and parcel of the legacy of this time, which includes genocide, atrocities, slave labor, and the exploitation of tens of thousands of Korean and Chinese women as sex-slaves - the "comfort women" - by the Japanese. The United Nations has recognized that this body of water should be referred to as the "East Sea/Sea of Japan." Please change the name on this tee shirt to a less offensive and inaccurate name. ...

Well, apparently J.Crew took notice of this situation. On their Facebook page (click here), they share the following message with their fans today:

We received a number of emails voicing concern over our T-shirt design that we created to offer Japan support in their time of need. We are updating the T-shirt and have temporarily removed it from our site. Thank you to all who voiced concern—and most important, we hope you all share in our support of relief efforts in Japan.

I applaud J.Crew's move to help the victims of Japan. I am also happy J.Crew listened to all the concerns over the tee by updating to a more appropriate design. I look forward to purchasing the upcoming version. :)

Madewell Email: Not just jeans (+ free shipping)

"Thanks!" to many of you, including Ketan & Irina, who shared the following email from Madewell today.

The email features the Heritage Premium Worksuit in Bighorn Wash (Item 39802; $200.00), which is lovingly described as:

Our latest and greatest invention: workwear gone irresistibly cool in small-batch, high-quality denim—simply roll, add sandals and try not to let all the compliments go to your head. Cotton. Slouchy fit. Long sleeves. Button placket. Belt loops. Chest patch pocket, slash pockets, back patch pockets. Import. Machine wash.

O.M.G. This is just the worst... the worst. Premium? Worksuit? Bighorn? $200? Ugh. And to say it's their greatest invention? No Madewell, you have done better (much, much better than this). I especially found the "try not to let all the compliments go to your head" line peculiar. I doubt that scenario would happen.

I have to say that I have been giving a lot of props to Madewell lately for its recent collection. But this is a huge step back. I mean, the denim jumpsuit looks dirty. Check out the item page, it shows what looks like dirt and paint splatters on the pant legs. Questionable item of the week? You betcha!

What are your thoughts on the Worksuit? Am I being too harsh in describing this one of kind piece? Have you tried this on or own it? If so, please share! :)

Mini Update: So J.Crew sent another email with Jenna Lyon's pick from Madewell, the Share with... Le Minor® Dip-Dyed Tee (Item 48155; $95.00). This sailor striped tee is apparently "custom-dip-dyed just for us by hip Montauk boutique Share With".

Meh. The tee looks like it got accidentally bleached. This reminds me when I accidentally washed a red scarf with my Vintage Bateau Tee from J.Crew. To reverse the effect of bleeding on the tee, I tried boiling water + bleach and ended up with a similar effect. I decided the tee was no longer good enough to wear outside and demoted it to a house-lounge tee. Had I only known I was creating the next fashion trend— at a fraction of the price! ;)

J.Crew Reviews {straight from the JCAs!}

This is the weekly "J.Crew Reviews {straight from the JCAs}" post, to help each other share our reviews.

So if you have recently purchased, or stopped by a J.Crew store to try on an item (or two) from J.Crew, maybe you might be willing to share that information with us in this post.

Also, this request is not just limited to clothes. Please feel free to discuss bags, shoes, jewelry, accessories, etc.

In particular, if you could mention a few of the noteworthy details like fit, size, fabric, and the like— that would be fantastic! Thanks in advance! :)

J.Crew's Fall Arm Candy & More!

J.Crew's 770 blog posted some close-up shots of their Fall 2011 accessories collection. (Click on the above image to view larger.) They also share:

We snapped a few of our favorite accessories from our fall ’11 press presentation—from polished purses in unexpected patterns to bold bracelets and bangles in the season’s best hues. If only Bonnie could have nabbed one of these…

So many pretty things! I really love the classic shapes and candy shades of the newest handbags. I am going to need to save up, starting now! ;)

J.Crew also shares some of their make-up secrets for their Fall 2011 Presentation:

“We wanted the girls to look fresh, clean and dewy…The skin was left almost bare with just a slick of polish on the cheekbones, the bow of the lip and the eyelids. For a soft flush of color; the lips were matted out with foundation first and then with a pop of pink or melon just at the center parting of the lips. The brow’s were filled in and brushed up for a totally natural look with the eyelids left almost totally clean…a warm shadow for definition and just a curl of the eyelashes with one coat of mascara.”

Give hair a fluffy dry texture with a slight bump at the crown, then gather hair into a ponytail keeping hair loose over ears for a pretty profile. The finishing touch on each girl’s ponytail was a J.Crew tortoise barrette!

Face: Laura Mercier Primer & MAC Strobe Cream.
Cheeks: Stila Convertible Color in Gerbera & Petunia for cheeks.
Eyes: Laura Mercier Rose Gold Metallic Creme and a slick of Vaseline with Mabelline Great Lash Mascara.
Lips: MAC Lip Erase, MAC PRO OJ & Genuine Orange lip pencil or Make-up Forever 18C lip pencil.

What are your thoughts on J.Crew's upcoming accessories & handbags? Do you like how they styled the models at their presentation?

The Great (Weekly) Exchange {looking to sell}

This post (of weekly posts) is for individual members who want to swap/sell/share among yourselves. This post is where you can mention your items and outside listing/ auction site (like eBay and eCrater & the corresponding user ID).

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Please note: this posting is not for resellers. If you are a reseller, your comment gets automatically deleted & you will get publicly called out on it. :( So instead of this, simply do not post in the Weekly Exchanges. Thanks in advance for your cooperation! :)

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Please note that any transactions are independent of this blog. (Especially since you will be using an outside listing/ auction site like eBay or eCrater.) I have no dealings or interactions with any of the potential communication, listings, or transactions. :) Moreover, please limit comments about items to swap/sell/share to the "Great (Weekly) Exchange" posts. (Refer to "A Quick Note to J.Crew Aficionadas" post.)

Do you have any items you would like to swap/sell/share among yourselves through your outside listing/auction site?

Sidenote: What's up with JCAs writing "sub" or "subscribing" as their comment? It just means they are subscribing to all the comments (which are then automatically sent to their email) in that particular thread. This way they can stay aware of all the comments posted. :)

The Great (Weekly) Exchange {looking to find}

This post (of weekly posts) is for individual members who are looking for and interested in buying certain items. Please feel free to share a J.Crew store location and/or your outside listing/ auction site if it matches the requests made in this post.

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Please note: this posting is not for resellers. If you are a reseller, your comment gets automatically deleted & you will get publicly called out on it. :( So instead of this, simply do not post in the Weekly Exchanges. Thanks in advance for your cooperation! :)

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Also note that any transactions are independent of this blog. (Especially since you will be using an outside listing/ auction site like eBay or eCrater.) I have no dealings or interactions with any of the potential communication, listings, or transactions. :) Moreover, please limit comments about items to swap/sell/share/finding to the "Great (Weekly) Exchange" posts. (Refer to "A Quick Note to J.Crew Aficionadas" post.)

Is there an item (or items) that you are looking for and interested in purchasing?

Sought & Found: Did you visit J.Crew this {past} Weekend?

This is the weekly "sale watch" post, to help each other find sale items at our various local J.Crew stores. ;)

If you are stopped by a J.Crew store this past weekend to see what's available (if anything!) in the SPRING sale, or to see some new SPRING 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!!! :)

SPRING FEVER: take 20% OFF your order of $150+, in stores and online

"Thanks!" to many of you, including MeganCrew (in this post), GigiOfCA (in this post), as well as Marietta ,Kathryn,Elseejay, & Louise, who shared the following offer from J.Crew this morning.

They are offering 20% off (on regular and sale items) on orders of $150+ with promo code SUNNY. Another amazing thing is this offer is applicable to both online and in-store purchases (just print out the email) at J.Crew, as well as J.Crew Factory online (click here to shop online). This offer ends Tuesday, April 5, 2011. The fine print includes:

*Offer valid in J.Crew retail stores and at jcrew.com only. Please print out email to redeem offer in J.Crew retail stores. Offer is not valid at J.Crew Factory stores. Offer does not apply to previous purchases, alterations or the purchase of gift cards. Offer not applicable to third-party branded merchandise. 20% discount applies to purchases of $150 or more before shipping, handling and taxes are added. Offer valid through Tuesday, April 5, 2011, 11:59pm ET. Savings are applied at checkout with code SUNNY. Offer not valid on phone orders. Cannot be combined with any other promotion or redeemed for cash. Limit one promotional code per order. Terms of offer subject to change.

This may be one of the better promotions I have seen from J.Crew! Again, bravo J.Crew! Whoops! I thought this promotion included free shipping on $150, but as many JCAs correctly pointed out, it does not. So this offer is okay, not great. It's nice to have a promo on regular priced items. And it is still nice for those JCAs who did not get the Mickey Green card to get a discount in a store. But paying for shipping on $150+ kind of washes out the discount of 20%. It's almost better to use the free shipping offer instead- this way if a customer returns any items, they are not out any money.

Will you be checking out J.Crew & J.Crew Factory? Are there any items you are interested in getting? If so, please share. :)

Seek & Find: Will you visit J.Crew this Weekend?

This is the weekly "sale watch" post, to help each other find sale items at our various local J.Crew stores. ;)

If you are stopping by a J.Crew store this weekend to see what's available (if anything!) in the SPRING sale, or to see some new SPRING 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 is carrying an additional percent off sale. Thanks in advance!!! :)

P.S. I noticed that many of you have already been reporting sale items (and in which stores) in other posts which by the way "thank you!" :) I really appreciate how helpful we are for each other!