I paid $250 for the JCrew cardigan I ordered today. It is 100% cashmere. I decided it was the only one that was sleek enough to wear in a business attire setting. In terms of justifying the cost, this non-chunky cardigan can be worn at the office, out socially, in bed, or while watching a movie at home. B/c of the versatility of this particular article, I can justify $250. As far as it being "junk", I find my experiences do not match those of SF regulars. They talk of exploding shoes after 2 wears and such. They say Banana Republic is "total crap", etc.
In fact, my last cardigan was from BR. I paid $100 for 85% cotton & 15% cashmere. This was in 2007. It was more than I typically spent on clothes at that age. I have worn the living shit out of this garment, and it's still going strong. I've worn it on dates, to work, at home, in bed, and even at the gym. The sleeves stretched after 4 years, but I slimmed them down myself. Took a few minutes, and good as new. I could not be more thrilled with this product. Meanwhile, most here would immediately dismiss it as "crap". If JCrew quality can even come close to BR, I will be more than a happy customer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dieworkwear 
Good cashmere from a non-fashion brand already runs about $350. Add all the marketing and retail hype that J Crew invests in, and you'd be looking at a bit more. J Crew can't justify selling at that price point, so it sells something for half that price and cuts a lot of corners, assuming that the consumer won't know any better anyway.
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I wonder if they make the same margins on all products. Don't overlook the possibility that certain items may be loss leaders or low margin items. Once you've got free shipping, you order other stuff. I also ordered a shirt and jeans in the same order. 2 things that are guaranteed high margin items. I will report back if this $250 cardigan is unsatisfactory to a "regular guy" (vs. an SF type)
