BlackBook Breaks Down J.Crew's Style Guide

"Thanks!" to WMM, who let us know about a humourous post over at BlackBook (click here to read in its entirety):

Things That Only Happen In The J.Crew Catalog
By Jessica Wakeman
September 15, 2012

Oh, the J.Crew catalog. 89 aspirational pages for me and every other middle-class working woman with big sartorial dreams and not enough disposable income. Will I pay $45 for a tee shirt? Will I really pay $45 for a tee shirt? Sigh. ...If it helps, remember that the J.Crew catalog is like Dr. Who's space-time continuum where things happen between its pages that don't actually happen in real life.

First of all, they call it the "the J.Crew style guide" because catalogs are for companies like (sniff) Boden. Other ways the J.Crew-niverse is not like the real world:

• Orange lipstick is not a thing women wear.
• Monogrammed cashmere sweaters, unless you live in Greenwich.
• Only in the J.Crew catalog does the phrase "VERY personal stylist" not sound like someone who is going to style your pubic hair.
• Clashing.
• A small army of women who look and dress like Jenna Lyons is actually creepy.
• $400 for a pair of slippers.
• Matching your "red pepper houndstooth popover" to your "red pepper popover pant."
• What is a "red pepper houndstooth popover" and why does it cost $525?

If Old Navy would just make a catalog — excuse me, style guide — it would really be better for the self-esteem of every woman that I know.

Too funny! And the small army of Jenna-drones is very creepy. I am surprised J.Crew is keeping up with that.

What are your thoughts on BlackBook's take on J.Crew's style guide? Agree or disagree with any points made? Do you have any points to add to the list?

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 Anthropologie, 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.

Exciting news from jcrewfactory.com...

As mentioned in last month's "Join the J.Crew Factory Club {yes please!}" post, J.Crew is creating their own Factory Club.

Today, J.Crew sent an email reminding customers that a new J.Crew Factory site will be available on Thursday, October 11th.

Even though this email does not mention it, I believe JCAs need to sign up (click HERE) to join the club (is this now called "Factory First Program"?) You can add a new email account or log-in with your existing J.Crew account.

I am excited to see what the new Factory site will look like, what extra features it will offer, and what the Factory First/ Club entails! For example, I love to see more outfit ideas than the few they currently offer. I think that actually helps sell Factory clothes to customers like me, who are infrequent Factory shoppers.

From the email, it sounds like the J.Crew Factory site will be down from October 8th through the 11th. I can only hope that the site goes live without issues. (Let us hope they learned from J.Crew's website upgrade failure from a few years ago.)

Did you sign up for the J.Crew Factory Club? Are you loving the perks? Think J.Crew should extend the club to its other sites?

J.Crew Card Members: Check the Mailbox!

"Thanks!" to Silver Lining (in this post) who shared the following news with us:

Hey JC cardholders, keep an eye on your mail - I received a new card yesterday (not sure why, since they don't have an expiration date on them) and included in the envelope was a coupon for 20% off your next purchase of $100+ online or in store when you use the JC card. Good until 11/18/12. The coupon says "Here's a little something special (after all, we did promise you perks)". Hee hee!

"Thanks!" to FirefighterWife who also shared that news and the image above which shows the backside of mailer.

That is a pretty nice surprise to find! So keep an eye out in the mail for your new credit card and coupon from J.Crew! :)

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 of Seasons Past: {a look in the closet}

It's that time again, to take a look at an image of J.Crew pieces from seasons past! As caribbelle (in this post) so beautifully termed, "ye olde j crew of yore".

This post features an ad used for the Double-Faced Wool Lexington Jacket (Item 85798; $250.00) from 2007. I know, I know. Enough about this jacket. But the jacket is timeless. I also think the outfit is something I can easily see on a store mannequin today.

What are your thoughts on the look(s)/item(s) from the past? Do you find the look(s)/item(s) classic or do you think they are dated?

Extended! 25% Off & Free Shipping on Orders of $150+

"Thanks!" to many of you, including AD MD & Tiffany Rose (in this post),  Fabulous Florida Mommy (in this post), as well as OperaRach (in this post), who shared the following promotion with us.

J.Crew is offering 25% off *and* free shipping on $150+ with promo code STYLE25. This offer is extended until today Monday, October 1, 2012. The fine print includes:

*Offer valid at jcrew.com only. Offer not valid in J.Crew retail stores or J.Crew Factory stores. Offer valid in the US and Canada only. Offer not applicable on In Good Company third-party branded partnerships or men's suiting. Offer does not apply to previous purchases, alterations or the purchase of gift cards. 25% discount applies to online orders of $150 or more before shipping, handling and taxes are added. Free shipping offer is valid on Internet orders shipped via regular shipping (3 to 6 business days). Free shipping applies to online-only orders of $150 or more before shipping, handling and taxes are added. Offer valid through Monday, October 1, 2012, 11:59pm ET only. Savings and free shipping are applied at checkout with code MONDAY. Offer not valid on phone orders. Cannot be combined with any other promotion or redeemed for cash. Limit one promotional code per order. Details of offer are subject to change.

This promotion is pretty amazing, so I am happy to see it got extended. Although it is available online only. Ah well! I will take what I can get.

I am also hoping we will see another version of this promo before the year ends. Fingers crossed!

Will you be taking advantage of this promo at J.Crew? Did you pick up an item or two? Please share! :)

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, retailers or businesses. If you are a reseller, retailer, or a business, 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. :)

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 FALL sale, or to see some new FALL 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!!! :)

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, retailers or businesses. If you are a reseller, retailer, or a business, 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?