BOO is overpriced but i disagree that it's merely an overpriced j crew
first, if you're short & skinny, which i happen to be, the cut/fit is exceptional. nothing comes close - not gitman, not j crew extra-slim - nothing. generally, i envy those w/ bulkier body types who are fortunate to pick "M" off the rack, but for them, BOO isn't going to do anything special
second, some of the patterns/fabrics are pretty nice. their batiste and broadcloth are both very good. the oxford shirting isn't anything special. i have some special fabric shirts (eg, Corduroy) and they're very good. they specialize in kooky vintage prints and i like it. pattern-wise, they're on par w/ gitman, but obviously j crew isn't even close to approaching BOO, creatively. actually, j crew just copies other current designers as a matter of business, so they shouldn't even be discussed here. but this is about j crew after all, and ive had shirts of theirs in various fabrics, and it all feels like crumply paper, and the buttons are big, non-descript, cheapy plastic, and there aren't really any fun details to speak of. and when they do do 'fun' patterns, it's usually terrible, like an oversized gingham workshirt in mango/purple
that said, i do kind of like this j crew shirt from s/s 12 but the fit on the model looks absolutely terrible
and i think that's the only j crew shirt that's ever really drawn my interest
third, BOO has an intangible factor that makes it "cool". it's not particularly exclusive or anything - i mean, it can be found everywhere and on sale, but the brand is really well-established and marketed well. if you lean toward a 'vintage' look, then a lot of BOO pieces will fall easily into your wardrobe, and that's where i am. i think j crew is more "dad cool" or "mom cool" unfortunately, and they definitely err on the side of caution w/ their mens' marketing. i mean, i think they blatantly have stuff like "style tips" and "10 ways to dress up casual fridays" and stuff like that, and while we all like to pretend that we're above the mind-control of marketing, it just rubs me the wrong way w/ its hokey-pokey, "average joe" image that sort of seethes w/ this self-conscious uncool-ness
now j crew is what it is, and i don't want to discredit it too much - i mean, i have j crew pieces in my regular rotation as i'm sure most of us do. but i think it deserves a fair share of criticism, especially b/c it blatantly copies current designers and b/c of its annoying disingenuous marketing and business practices
Edited by aaaeeeiiiooouuu - 2/22/12 at 10:15pm
Epaulet pants, Alden boots, and soon to be WvG shirts, I think I'll be GTG.
