Is J Crew acceptable??

Originally Posted by mafoofan

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What, precisely, does it mean to look 'Rubinacci'?

shaped chest, wide arms, scorn for lesser brands

j crew makes great clothes and unless you are buying muted red chinos nobody will be able to distinguish your clothing from many other similar brands

Originally Posted by Teger

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shaped chest, wide arms, scorn for lesser brands

j crew makes great clothes and unless you are buying muted red chinos nobody will be able to distinguish your clothing from many other similar brands
I never realized I screamed anything.

Originally Posted by Teger

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shaped chest, wide arms, scorn for lesser brands

j crew makes great clothes and unless you are buying muted red chinos nobody will be able to distinguish your clothing from many other similar brands

WTF does it mean to look like you are 'scorning lesser brands'? And why would you want an un-shaped chest?

I didn't say J. Crew didn't make decent clothes. For the price, you can do much worse quality-wise at retail. But there is certainly a J. Crew look. They've been fostering it for a couple of decades now.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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I never realized I screamed anything.

your clothing actually looks good but you can tell that it's bespoke.

Originally Posted by mafoofan

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WTF does it mean to look like you are 'scorning lesser brands'? And why would you want an un-shaped chest?

I didn't say J. Crew didn't make decent clothes. For the price, you can do much worse quality-wise at retail. But there is certainly a J. Crew look. They've been fostering it for a couple of decades now.

really, what would this signature j crew look be?

and I don't know if you've stopped in a j crew in the last two years, but the brand, its products and its image have completely changed

Originally Posted by Teger

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really, what would this signature j crew look be?

and I don't know if you've stopped in a j crew in the last two years, but the brand, its products and its image have completely changed

I used to wear a lot of J. Crew in high school and college (mid 90's through 2004). My wife still shops there a lot. The stuff hasn't changed that much. Granted, it's not the same time warp experience as walking into an Abercrombie & Fitch, which hasn't changed since 1996. But the 'look' is more or less the same; the main difference I've noticed is that they are doing much brighter, bolder colors for women now, with more prints and finer materials.

The 'look' for men in a nut shell: 'vintage' t-shirts, untucked 'worn' dress shirts intended to be left a little rumpled, khakis and corduroys, distressed denim with fading and whiskering, lots of zip-up hoodies (sometimes in luxury materials like merino wool or cashmere), lots of sweaters in general, distressed leather belts, argyle socks, etc. It's what 80% of all guys wear in college on the east coast. Conceptually, they crib a lot from traditional American clothing (J. Press . . . J. 'Crew' . . . coincidence?), and update with slimmer cuts, distressing, and a small touch of irony.

Originally Posted by mafoofan

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I used to wear a lot of J. Crew in high school and college (mid 90's through 2004). My wife still shops there a lot. The stuff hasn't changed that much. Granted, it's not the same time warp experience as walking into an Abercrombie & Fitch, which hasn't changed since 1996. But the 'look' is more or less the same; the main difference I've noticed is that they are doing much brighter, bolder colors for women now, with more prints and finer materials.

The 'look' for men in a nut shell: 'vintage' t-shirts, untucked worn-looking dress shirts, khakis and corduroys, distressed denim with fading and whiskering, lots of zip-up hoodies (sometimes in luxury materials like merino wool or cashmere), lots of sweaters in general, distressed leather belts, argyle socks, etc. It's what 80% of all guys wear in college on the east coast. Conceptually, they crib a lot from traditional American clothing (J. Press . . . J. 'Crew' . . . coincidence?), and update with slimmer cuts, distressing, and a small touch of irony.

so basically it is similar to every other prep/new england style brand out there?

also, if you think j crew hasn't changed you are absolutely nuts. they have totally redone all of their fits in the last 3 seasons, and are channeling an engineered garments/workwear vibe that only exists in brands at a much higher price point (EG, WWM, etc).

there's a reason the brand is doing collaborations with mister freedom and alden.

I like the chinos, cardigans & ties... I wish we had J Crew in England.

I can't count the number of times someone has asked me if a piece I'm wearing is from wings + horns/EG/WWM/other high end brand, only to be shocked when I let them know it's j crew

Originally Posted by mafoofan

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It's what 80% of all guys wear in college on the east coast. Conceptually, they crib a lot from traditional American clothing (J. Press . . . J. 'Crew' . . . coincidence?), and update with slimmer cuts, distressing, and a small touch of irony.

It's pretty different from that these days --- take a look at their catalog or website. It's much closer to the haute workwear trend than preppy, though you could probably put together that kind of outfit still. I always thought the models, especially the women, had a certain look.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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I never realized I screamed anything.

The drape screams. It's very distinctive in real life.

--Andre

I like J Crew for basics (oxfords, chinos, ribbon belts); but Foo is absolutely right, they do have a pretty distinct "look."

My personal assessment:

Get shirts, pants, socks, jeans, sweaters, etc. etc. etc. on sale from J.Crew (as many have said).

But do not buy their suits or sport coats. They fit... weirdly. And are extremely overpriced for the quality.

I find that the cheaper suits/sport coats from BR actually fit better and are of comparable quality.

There may be a "J Crew" look, but it's a good look anyway. I'm always impressed when I browse their catalog.

Originally Posted by bluemagic

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This assessment is incorrect.

I don't rely on J.Crew for "dress-up" clothes, except for my trench. Did they have anything worth noting as of late?

i wish had a bigger mens section at the jcrew in SCP. its very surprising that they don't since SCP is such a shoppers mecca. they reduced the size of the mens section from half the store to just one tiny corner several yrs back. they don't carry any of the higher end workwear - mostly just the kind of stuff mafoo is talking about. frumpy dress shirts in the muted colors with rolled-up sleeves, basic sweaters, chinos, maybe some casual blazers in cotton or tweed. certainly none of the $135 thomas mason dress shirts or jackets in worsted wool.

if they don't carry the "good" stuff at SCP, i'm assuming its not very ubiquitious. many probably haven't seen firsthand their better quality offerings. possibly a contributing factor to the diff of opinion about the jcrew look.