Cardmember Email: Psst. The gotta-have-it spring necklace, just for Cardmembers.

"Thanks!" to many of you, including HeidiG, Rosa In DC, Marietta, Twiga, Cass, & Alisa, who shared with us the latest email from J.Crew to its card members.

The email above features the not-yet-officially-released-online Crystal Rock Necklace (Item 26074; $128.00). J.Crew describes the rock candy necklace (which comes in either Gunmetal or Copper) as:

A bold statement piece, assembled completely by hand with oversize stones (we love the contrast of their heft with the beautiful luminosity of the faceted glass). Equally at home peeking from beneath a button-down shirt or grazing the neckline of a favorite dress, it's the one you'll wear again and again—and again. Round glass stones on a hematite-plated (gunmetal) or copper-and-gold-plated (copper) brass-and-steel chain. Signature spring clasp closure with connector ring.

Frankly, I am not sure if I like this necklace or not. The round glass stones (in both shades) are lovely. However, I am not sure what to make of the stones surrounded by cheap-looking chain. And the size factor... dayum! Is it just me, or does it look huge on the mannequin?

Incidentally, does this email only indicate that new arrivals will be available online soon? If so, then wahoo!

What are your thoughts on the Crystal Rock Necklace? Do you like the style- from the size to the style with its glass stones & chains?

What's Up w/ the Vintage Zebra-Stripe Trench?

Vintage Zebra-Stripe Trench
Click here for product page
Item 22365
Regular: $188.00

J.Crew describes this trench as the following:

All the true-to-tradition details of a classic trench, updated in a brushstroked zebra stripe (what can we say, we're animal lovers). The best part? The playfully tiered ruffles in back. Yup, this is the piece that will make you pray for rain. Cotton/poly/metallic threads. Long sleeves. On-seam pockets. Functional tabs at cuffs. Fully lined. Hits at hip.

The Vintage Zebra-Stripe Trench is no Snow-leopard Simone Peacoat (which I absolutely adore!) Instead, this trench makes me wonder if J.Crew is straying from the classic but chic appeal of their line by going to ruffle-overdrive. Apparently, I am not the only one...

A big "thanks!" to Tiffany Rose for suggesting this item for a "Questionable Item of the Week" post. At first glance, this jacket from the front view does not seem so bad. In many regards, it has a cute zebra print with a classic trench shape. However, from the back... there are a lot of ruffles goin' on. The tiers of ruffles on the back side are way too much. I love ruffles and I think J.Crew does a great job of incorporating ruffles in the past few seasons, but maybe they shouldn't stick ruffles onto every new arrival. ;)

Also, a big "thanks!" to Mack who took notice of this jacket for a different reason. She found a mini-blooper with the stock photos of this jacket. In particular, the image of the jacket on the model shows cuffs around the sleeves while the image on the mannequin does not. To emphasize this blooper, the cuffs disappear/ reappear when you zoom in and out from the image of the jacket (shown on the model).

What are your thoughts on this jacket? Do you like or dislike the style (e.g. ruffles) or print? Do you own this jacket? If so, please share your review (& let us know if it came with cuffs or not). :)

Sneak Peak: Metallic Beach Cardigan

A big "thanks!" to Fashion Dork (the beautiful blogger behind Fashion Dork) who shared with us images & details of an upcoming new arrival.

The Metallic Beach Cardigan (Item 23159; $129.00) comes in two lovely shades: Metallic Silver & Metallic Camel. It is expected to be available this March or May.

What are your thoughts on the cardigan? Do you like the style & colors? Would you pre-order this cardigan?

Extra 20% Off Final Sale {& free shipping} Is Back!

"Thanks!" to many of you, including Green_Dino (in this post), Suzi, & Marietta, who shared the latest promotion from J.Crew.

J.Crew is offering customers 20% off any purchase from Final Sale {no minimum} and free shipping {on $150+} with promo code EXTRA20. This offer expires 2/21/10.

I have a feeling that the Final Sale merchandise will be restocked quite a bit in the next couple of days. (Since brick & mortar stores have been returning Winter & Holiday sale merchandise back to the warehouse for the past two weeks.) Hopefully JCAs will be able to score some amazing deals! :)

Will you be taking advantage of this promotion? Are there any sale items you are interested in getting?

J.Crew's Jenna Lyons Talks Trends

A big "thanks!" to HDNB, Carla, & Chris, who shared with us the following news/ video. The video (found at this Facebook page) is from American Express at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

It features J.Crew's Creative Director Jenna Lyons who is talking about trends. Jenna Lyons talks about "borrowing from the boys" and "boyfriend inspired styles" this season. She also suggests the best items for guys to get is the Ludlow suit. She even shows us a "behind the scenes" look at where the graphic tees get made.

What are your thoughts on Jenna's advice? Do you disagree or agree with any of her suggestions for styling?

Note: I tried to share the video from the Facebook page, but it wouldn't let me. I am not 100% sure if the following video I made works. Apologies in advance for any issues with the video. :)

J.Crew Men's Fall/Winter 2010 Collection {already?}

"Thanks!" to J.Crew Guy In Canada, who shared a post over at the Mister Crew Blog (click here) that features J.Crew's Frank Muytjens & the upcoming Fall/Winter 2010 Collection. There are additional images of the collection over at the "Oh, you'll love it. I promise." blog (click here to view).

The collection was a part of the GQ event to select America's top menswear designer (refer to the February 3rd "J.Crew Makes It To GQ's Best New Menswear Designer..." post). J.Crew's Frank Muytjens is nominated as one of the finalist.

What are your thoughts on the Men's Fall & Winter 2010 Collection? Are you "loving it" or "not feeling it"?

Madewell Email: We love you, Boston (15% off, limited time)

"Thanks!" to Margot, who let us know about another wonderful offer from Madewell.

The Madewell store in Boston, Massachusetts is offering local customers 15% off any purchase (no minimum!) This offer expires Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

Just click on the image above or here (which will take you to a larger version of the image) and print it out (so the associate can read the email).

The location for the store is:

Madewell Boston
329 Newbury Street
(617) 424-0904

Congrats to all those in the area!!! :)

Crewcuts Email: you're invited to an exclusive crewcuts trunk show

"Thanks!" to Wille & Marietta, who shared with us the latest email from Crewcuts. J.Crew will be hosting a trunk show for its Crewcuts collection. Details for this {fantastic} event include:

Get set for summer... Join us for an exclusive trunk show featuring the most special pieces from our 2010 Spring and Summer collections. Crewcuts is everything you love about J.Crew, in smaller sizes for boys and girls sizes 2-14.

P.S. We will have some special items for Mom too.

Hosted by: Aline Shapiro

When: Wednesday, March 3rd, 6:30-8:30PM
Thursday, March 4th, 8:30-10:00AM

Where: Crewcuts on Madison
1190 Madison Avenue
Between 87th & 88th Streets

RSVP: Alineshop@gmail.com

**Receive 10% off, plus free shipping on all purchases made during the trunk show

This event sounds like a lot of fun! I wonder what items they have available for "Mom too"! :)

Will you be attending this event? If so, please share with us the details of this trunk show. :)

Alexa Chung Debuts for Madewell

As mentioned in the January 19th "Madewell News: Alexa Chung Collaboration" post, Madewell announced it would team up with Alexa Chung (model and former MTV show host) on a new line of clothes.

The following is an article from Wall Street Journal (click here) on the debut of this collaboration.

TV’s Alexa Chung Debuts for Madewell
By Elizabeth Holmes
February 15, 2010

Madewell, the little known sibling to J.Crew, has had somewhat of a rocky start. Since Mickey Drexler launched the brand more than three years ago, sales at its handful of stores have been slow. The denim-based concept is aimed at college-age shoppers, but the brand still doesn’t offer e-commerce on its Web site. The opening price point of its jeans, once starting around $98, had to be brought down to $59.

But the fledgling brand’s buzz factor rose considerably Monday evening with the debut of Madewell’s partnership with Alexa Chung, the model turned television personality who is a fixture on the social scene’s best dressed list.

“What a great way for Madewell to revamp their look and image. How fabulous,” said Christian Siriano, the Project Runway alum who had his own show in Bryant Park this week.

Ms. Chung, a 26-year-old Brit, was most recently the host of MTV’s “It’s On with Alexa Chung,” which was cancelled late last year. The last episode aired in December and, in January, her partnership with Madewell was announced. A friend of Ms. Chung’s who works at the brand helped pair the two up, Ms. Chung said.

Madewell’s “vision is kind of the same as mine. They like laid back styles, they like kind of relaxed clothes — classic, timeless things. So when they asked to collaborate, it was a perfect fit,” she said.

Madewell staged a presentation of the collection at the Bowery Hotel on Manhattan’s Lower East side Monday night. In between photographs and interviews, Ms. Chung snuck in conversations with the models, asking if they were comfortable and giving them sips of her drink.

The clothes were inspired by the 1960s, Ms. Chung said, which was evident in the short shorts and tea dresses. The colors were fairly soft, in tans and blues and grays, with the occasional pop of bright red or black velvet. The models slouched on vintage suitcases and posed near a retro bicycle as oldies including “My Boyfriend’s Back” blared overhead—the soundtrack was courtesy of Chung’s DJ friend Tennessee.

One prevalent style in the Chung-Madewell partnership: socks with sandals, a trend that is cropping up all over fashion week. “Sorry about that,” Ms. Chung said with a laugh, attributing the look to the woman who styled the show. The gray socks worn by many of the models were from the “school boy department” at English retailer John Lewis, Ms. Chung said.

What remains to be seen is if this partnership is a permanent one. “We haven’t really discussed another [collection] yet but it would be amazing to do,” Chung said. “We’ll see how this goes.”

It would be nice to see some additional shots from the event... and here they are:

• "Thanks!" to the style crusader (in this post), who let us know there are several images & mini-interview with Alexa Chung over at FabSugar (click here to view).
• "Thanks!" to jcbellemarie (in this post), who let us know there are additional images over at Coutorture (click here to view).

From the image above, the clothes look okay. From left to right, outfit 1 & 3 look cute. I can see myself wearing either one. :) Outfit 2 is confusing since I can't tell if she is wearing a dress or a sweater jacket with no pants. Outfit 4 is a mess with that high waisted skirt. As for the socks with sandals look... no more, please no more! ;)

What are your thoughts on the article? Do you think it is a good marketing move to have a celebrity collaboration for Madewell? Do you think Alexa Chung's collection is a good fit with Madewell? :)

J.Crew to Open Fourth Men’s Store

Over at WWD (click here), some exciting news has been revealed. I apologize for not posting the entire article (as I don't have a subscription to WWD and that was all the access given).

J.Crew to Open Fourth Men's Store
by Jean E. Palmieri
February 16, 2010

J.Crew is stepping on the accelerator to grow its men’s business. The retailer has signed a lease for its fourth men’s-only store in the New York area ...

It seems that J.Crew's Men-only stores are performing very well to continuously open new stores. That is great news! {yey!} I wonder where the new store will be located and what special items will be offered.

What are your thoughts on the latest Men's store opening? Do you think this is a smart or foolish move? Will you visit the latest Men's store?