Jack Spade Menswear

Does anyone have any thoughts about Jack Spade's new menswear line? I saw it in the Bleeker St. store last night and I really liked the sport coat. It's not groundbreaking stuff (like a refined LL Bean), but I think the fit is excellent.

Link with pictures:

http://www.acquiremag.com/style/clot...-fall-2009.php

Looks like another generic menswear line...

Jcrew with 2 times the retail

Originally Posted by whodini

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Looks like another generic menswear line...

This. They had some nice, unremarkable dark grey flannel (?) button-downs there, but nothing to get overly excited about. Slim fitting prep basics that are otherwise fairly run of the mill. Might buy it if it dropped to desperation pricing.

Originally Posted by Flame

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Jcrew with 2 times the retail

Quoted for the absolute truth. Actually, J.Crew is a lot more creative than this. They should have thought to hire a menswear designer.

Originally Posted by Epaulet

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Quoted for the absolute truth. Actually, J.Crew is a lot more creative than this. They should have thought to hire a menswear designer.

To the best of my knowledge, the menswear designer for Jack Spade is Cuan Hanly, who worked at Paul Smith for a long time. Did he only do womens stuff there?

i get 40% off anything in this store through hookups, too bad i used to get it for free... woulda kopped @ free if they had this stuff 1-2 yyears ago

Originally Posted by Epaulet

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Quoted for the absolute truth. Actually, J.Crew is a lot more creative than this. They should have thought to hire a menswear designer.

For those who dislike it (other than purely the way it appears in photos), how do you make that determination? I would think people would have to have actual experience with it (see it in person, feel the material, pay close attention to how it is sewn, etc.) before making a genuine evaluation of it. The same goes for thinking that it might be the greatest thing. Just curious.

Originally Posted by Fortysomething

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For those who dislike it (other than purely the way it appears in photos), how do you make that determination? I would think people would have to have actual experience with it (see it in person, feel the material, pay close attention to how it is sewn, etc.) before making a genuine evaluation of it. The same goes for thinking that it might be the greatest thing. Just curious.

Admittedly, I know nothing about this line other than what I've seen in the photos. However, from what I've seen in the photos, it looks a lot like Jack Spade, which is to say that it is serviceable and boring. There is not a single piece in that collection that jumps out at me. If the fit is good, and the materials and prices decent, and I needed something for an interview, I might take a look. Otherwise, I would probably feel the same way that I do about the bags, which is that for around the same price, there are better options (waxed cotton? Get Krane. Leather? Get a Ralph Lauren bag.)

Originally Posted by Flame

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Jcrew with 2 times the retail

Was at the Pop Up Shop at Apartment #9 today in L.A.

I ended up buying a blue stripe oxford which I think has a better, more slim fit than J.Crew. But truth be told, the shirt really isn't much better than a $60 J.Crew Oxford, though the Jack Spade one cost $145. Oh well, I like it.

Had some real nice wool trousers and amazing cashmere sweaters too.

Well, I hate when people take staples and ruin them with baubles and stuff, so I think Jack Spade did a good job staying true to their brand. With that being said, I personally like the collection (which means I'm not comparing it to other brands).

They just opened up a new shop on Abbot Kinney here in Venice. Friday was a big launch party where they were handing out 20% off coupons. They're apparently also having a ping-pong tournament.

I looked at the clothes. They all looked decent; stuff I would wear, styles I liked. I then looked at the price tags and thought, "Gee, this all must be fairly good."

But it isn't.

Upon further inspection, everything is made in China. As a result, in the entire shop -- which was admittedly small -- I couldn't find a single item of clothing that made sense for the prices they were asking. I honestly cannot work out what is going on in there.

I like J. Crew, and I like Jack Spade. But if you're going to buy mass-market goods made in China, then J. Crew's prices make sense.

Jack Spade's don't.