J Crew Fall/Winter 2010 Discussion

I got the 25 percent card. Must be because I dropped a bundle in the Georgetown store. I was staying in a hotel in Dupont Circle so it was a short walk and I didn't have to hassle with driving, parking, etc.

Already used the card twice this week--yesterday to pick up some t-shirts, including the long-sleeved striped, and today I went back for the Bowery Messenger Bag.

I would say the store was very well stocked. Still didn't see a few things I've seen in the catalogs, but overall I saw more there than in other stores I've been to.

Here comes a rant:
I'm a big fan of the Crew and often sing its praises here. Thought I'd relay the other side of the coin, concerning their shoes.

As I've said before, J Crew used to sell shoes Made in Italy 5 years or so back for a reasonable price...$100 or so. Then I noticed the wing tips being made in Romania around 2006. And the price jumped up to over $160.

Then this year the Gifford collection was introduced, touting the Made In Italy tag. This time, the shoes retailed at $285. Ouch. I inquired on this forum what people thought of the shoe and I was told in quite plain terms, don't waste your money.

Just last month I noticed the Gifford Wing Tips were re-marked to $225. I had a 20% off coupon so I decided to give them a shot. Out of the box, they looked great. Loved the shape. Leather seemed good quality. Very comfortable from day 1.

But, after just 5 wears, the damn sole started to come unglued from the welt on the instep of the shoe. Majorly disappointed. Took those suckers back right away.

This is the third pair of J Crew shoes that have given me problems in recent memory. First, my Macallister boots leather lining totally came undone after a handful of wears. Then, the classic loafers sole came unglued. And now these.

All of these defects came with little wear on the shoes ! Granted, J. Crew took these shoes back no questions asked, but still...

I have to say, the quality on these shoes is poor from my experience. I was warned, but I had to learn the lesson on my own. I think I'm done with J Crew branded shoes for good.

Hope this helps someone out there who is on the fence about buying J Crew Shoes.

In case anyone else was waiting for the tweed suit pictured in the first post in this thread to be released, it doesn't look like it's going to happen. I contacted j.crew asking when I could purchase it, and got shunted to a personal shopper who looked into it. According to him, sometimes certain sample pieces that they use to put together their seasonal previews never make it into full production, and this is one example of that phenomenon. There may be a brown tweed suit coming out, but not a grey one.

Originally Posted by zerostyle

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Heads up:

I just got a 20% off coupon for any order amount in my email. (subject line is "We Miss You")

Can you use it multiple times? Send it over then if you can and also for online.

Originally Posted by sazon

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Here comes a rant:
I'm a big fan of the Crew and often sing its praises here. Thought I'd relay the other side of the coin, concerning their shoes.

As I've said before, J Crew used to sell shoes Made in Italy 5 years or so back for a reasonable price...$100 or so. Then I noticed the wing tips being made in Romania around 2006. And the price jumped up to over $160.

Then this year the Gifford collection was introduced, touting the Made In Italy tag. This time, the shoes retailed at $285. Ouch. I inquired on this forum what people thought of the shoe and I was told in quite plain terms, don't waste your money.

Just last month I noticed the Gifford Wing Tips were re-marked to $225. I had a 20% off coupon so I decided to give them a shot. Out of the box, they looked great. Loved the shape. Leather seemed good quality. Very comfortable from day 1.

But, after just 5 wears, the damn sole started to come unglued from the welt on the instep of the shoe. Majorly disappointed. Took those suckers back right away.

This is the third pair of J Crew shoes that have given me problems in recent memory. First, my Macallister boots leather lining totally came undone after a handful of wears. Then, the classic loafers sole came unglued. And now these.

All of these defects came with little wear on the shoes ! Granted, J. Crew took these shoes back no questions asked, but still...

I have to say, the quality on these shoes is poor from my experience. I was warned, but I had to learn the lesson on my own. I think I'm done with J Crew branded shoes for good.

Hope this helps someone out there who is on the fence about buying J Crew Shoes.

J. Crew dress shoes do seem to lack quality. I think they are too clunky for my tastes but beside that I don't think the quality is good at all. The Macallisters you picked up must have been a fluke. I've worn mine a solid 2 years now and they are holding up nicely although the only thing I think they look good with is jeans. Some people say chinos but I don't like the suede on chino look.

Originally Posted by clarksdb

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Well I did my measurements now:

shoulders straight across - 17"
neck - 14.5"
sleeve - 32"
chest - 36"

All of those fit into "small" under their size chart. I'll just go with small in the slim fit and small in the regular fit chambray. I've never worn XS in anything and I dont want to risk it because I'm in Canada and returning will be a hassle. I can always get it tailored if it's a little too big.

Let me know what you find. I know for a fact Small fits me perfectly in their slim line, and XS fits me perfectly in their regular line. A small Chambray would be way big on me.

I wouldn't steer away from ordering XS just because you have never worm anything XS before. In my opinion J.Crew runs big compared to most contemporary SF-approved Men's streetwear & Denim.

For instance, a Small Gitman Vintage for me would equal an XS J.Crew or a Small J.Crew Slim fit.

Either way, I hope they fit for you as you hope they do. That Chambray is definitely going to be about a size bigger than the Slim fit if you ordered them the same size.

Originally Posted by MSSneaker

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Let me know what you find. I know for a fact Small fits me perfectly in their slim line, and XS fits me perfectly in their regular line. A small Chambray would be way big on me. I wouldn't steer away from ordering XS just because you have never worm anything XS before. In my opinion J.Crew runs big compared to most contemporary SF-approved Men's streetwear & Denim. For instance, a Small Gitman Vintage for me would equal an XS J.Crew or a Small J.Crew Slim fit. Either way, I hope they fit for you as you hope they do. That Chambray is definitely going to be about a size bigger than the Slim fit if you ordered them the same size.
How does J Crew run in size compared to Banana Republic? I'm a small there... EDIT: Damn I just called them WTF...the small is like 16" neck, 42"??? chest, 34" sleeve. And I cant change the damn size. Do they target people who eat McDonalds everyday or what? Will just have to get it tailored then.

Originally Posted by sazon

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This is the third pair of J Crew shoes that have given me problems in recent memory. First, my Macallister boots leather lining totally came undone after a handful of wears. Then, the classic loafers sole came unglued. And now these.

Not a dig at you, but I've always been curious why, when for ~$35 less you can get Clarks that are almost certainly of better overall quality, anyone would buy the J.Crew desert boot?

Originally Posted by clarksdb

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How does J Crew run in size compared to Banana Republic? I'm a small there...

EDIT:

Damn I just called them WTF...the small is like 16" neck, 42"??? chest, 34" sleeve. And I cant change the damn size. Do they target people who eat McDonalds everyday or what? Will just have to get it tailored then.

Can't you return it?

/Yes, I think they do target fat America. I tried to warn you.

Originally Posted by oboy_oboy

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Not a dig at you, but I've always been curious why, when for ~$35 less you can get Clarks that are almost certainly of better overall quality, anyone would buy the J.Crew desert boot?

Well I cant speak for them. But as for myself, I wanted a pair of leather desert boots and I didnt like the beeswax leather that clarks offered. You can get the Jcrew ones on ebay for around 80$, so its the same price anyway.

The j. crew ones do look a bit better than clarks IMO. lil sleeker perhaps?

Do their slim button up shirts fit good?

Originally Posted by MSSneaker

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Can't you return it?

/Yes, I think they do target fat America. I tried to warn you.

Yeah, I emailed them and they are saying the best they can do is for me to ship it back to them (I'm from Canada, not sure how much that will cost) and they'll give free shipping on an XS i'll order.

Or should I just wait for the small to arrive and then if it doesnt fit ship it for an exchange. But then they'll charge shipping for an exchange?

Thanks for your help,

Originally Posted by TyCooN

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Do their slim button up shirts fit good?

Yes from what I've heard. They fixed up their fit..."slim fit" is how their normal fit should have been.

Originally Posted by clarksdb

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Yeah, I emailed them and they are saying the best they can do is for me to ship it back to them (I'm from Canada, not sure how much that will cost) and they'll give free shipping on an XS i'll order.

Or should I just wait for the small to arrive and then if it doesnt fit ship it for an exchange. But then they'll charge shipping for an exchange?

Thanks for your help,

It's up to you. I can't tell you certainly that the Small won't fit, but I can tell you certainly that the Small is going to fit about a size larger than the slim-fit Small you ordered. So you will most likely be unhappy with at least one of the fits. Chambrays tend to run loose to begin with, so I'd say you are probably better off with that XS.