In search of "old J Crew"

[Anonymous]

EverLand is so sad, though. Where are the fun colors?

[Anonymous]

I don’t get the love for Everlane!! I try and try based on all the hype but it is all so boxy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Llbean… is not the old J Crew.

Are you joking? What do you think the old j crew consisted of?

Not only is LL bean poor quality but it has zero style for anyone under 50

+ LL Bean is for nerdy naturalists. I have a lot of respect for nerdy naturalists, so don’t come after me, but I don’t want to DRESS like one .

Omg, that description made me laugh out loud. I love LL Bean. I'm an engineer during the week and spend most of my weekends hiking, camping, or volunteering at the local parks. Nerdy Naturalist is 100% me.

And, yes, I do drive a Subaru, as a matter of fact!

(Have to disagree about poor quality, though. You can dislike the style all you want - I happen to love the functionality, but I get it's not everyone's taste. But half my wardrobe is LL Bean and every piece has lasted for years, quality is objectively good).

[Anonymous]

OP what are you looking for? There are recs for t-shirts, button downs, pants, etc but they are all different places. Give a list and we will try to help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Llbean… is not the old J Crew.

Are you joking? What do you think the old j crew consisted of?

Not only is LL bean poor quality but it has zero style for anyone under 50

+ LL Bean is for nerdy naturalists. I have a lot of respect for nerdy naturalists, so don’t come after me, but I don’t want to DRESS like one .

Omg, that description made me laugh out loud. I love LL Bean. I'm an engineer during the week and spend most of my weekends hiking, camping, or volunteering at the local parks. Nerdy Naturalist is 100% me.

And, yes, I do drive a Subaru, as a matter of fact!

(Have to disagree about poor quality, though. You can dislike the style all you want - I happen to love the functionality, but I get it's not everyone's taste. But half my wardrobe is LL Bean and every piece has lasted for years, quality is objectively good).

LL bean is not poor quality, not at all. I’ve been wearing their pieces for decades. I have boots, coats, and out wear that are literally 10 plus years old and perform beautifully. But I’d rather be out hiking, biking, or skiing on the weekends than doing most anything else.

[Anonymous]

OP here - glad to hear I'm not alone! Thank you all for your suggestions. I'm slowly going through your list and bookmarking some brands/stores you mentioned. As for what I am looking for...the pandemic drastically changed my needs. I no longer need office attire as I have no where to go. My needs have been reduced to pants, jeans, tops, sweaters, dresses...but I'd like them to fit and have some semblance of quality! What do I mean by that...pant/skirt fabrics that are not so thin they show the outlines of inner pockets (and my underwear), garments that don't loose structural integrity after one wash. Sweaters that don't pill before the season is over. Some natural fabrics or at least blends, not 100% polyester. Oh and T-shirts! that neither fit like second skin nor are too boxy (yes, I'm back to my old J-Crew. Have two irreplaceable t-shirts left that fit my needs). Sorry if this reads like a rant

[Anonymous]

OP again - not sure if I'd describe my style as agressively preppy, but I am not a fan of LL Bean. I mostly steer clear of trends (example - cut out dresses), but I like color every now and then.

[Anonymous]

Brooks Brothers, Tommy Hilfiger, Fat Face, White Stuff. These are my go-to. Occasionally, I'll get something for work at Macy's when I'm buying the kids' underpants and park near the dress section.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brooks Brothers, Tommy Hilfiger, Fat Face, White Stuff. These are my go-to. Occasionally, I'll get something for work at Macy's when I'm buying the kids' underpants and park near the dress section.

Oh and I recently fell in love with Barbour cotton dresses for the hot summer!

[Anonymous]

Ok, you don't like my ll bean for basics, then my other clothes are from brooks brothers and barbour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get the love for Everlane!! I try and try based on all the hype but it is all so boxy.

Me too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone tried Faherty? Wondering about their quality.
Saw marine layer mentioned above - that was another I like the look of, but wasn’t sure. Thanks!

Both Faherty and Marine Layer are a level above brands like Banana Republic and Madewell in terms of quality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get the love for Everlane!! I try and try based on all the hype but it is all so boxy.

Me too!

And it’s shockingly poor quality. The shoes, tops, bags especially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Llbean… is not the old J Crew.

Are you joking? What do you think the old j crew consisted of?

Not only is LL bean poor quality but it has zero style for anyone under 50

+ LL Bean is for nerdy naturalists. I have a lot of respect for nerdy naturalists, so don’t come after me, but I don’t want to DRESS like one .

Omg, that description made me laugh out loud. I love LL Bean. I'm an engineer during the week and spend most of my weekends hiking, camping, or volunteering at the local parks. Nerdy Naturalist is 100% me.

And, yes, I do drive a Subaru, as a matter of fact!

(Have to disagree about poor quality, though. You can dislike the style all you want - I happen to love the functionality, but I get it's not everyone's taste. But half my wardrobe is LL Bean and every piece has lasted for years, quality is objectively good).

LL bean is not poor quality, not at all. I’ve been wearing their pieces for decades. I have boots, coats, and out wear that are literally 10 plus years old and perform beautifully. But I’d rather be out hiking, biking, or skiing on the weekends than doing most anything else.

I like my cotton cashmere turtleneck. It's not short and boxy and was super affordable on sale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - glad to hear I'm not alone! Thank you all for your suggestions. I'm slowly going through your list and bookmarking some brands/stores you mentioned. As for what I am looking for...the pandemic drastically changed my needs. I no longer need office attire as I have no where to go. My needs have been reduced to pants, jeans, tops, sweaters, dresses...but I'd like them to fit and have some semblance of quality! What do I mean by that...pant/skirt fabrics that are not so thin they show the outlines of inner pockets (and my underwear), garments that don't loose structural integrity after one wash. Sweaters that don't pill before the season is over. Some natural fabrics or at least blends, not 100% polyester. Oh and T-shirts! that neither fit like second skin nor are too boxy (yes, I'm back to my old J-Crew. Have two irreplaceable t-shirts left that fit my needs). Sorry if this reads like a rant

I think we're reasonably similar, style- and size-wise (I'm a 4 or 6 with a long torso), so here's where I find things:

- Pants: my most recent dress pants are Theory (can find at Nordstrom Rack sometimes). Old Navy for khakis/chinos (which was a surprise to me, as their jeans don't work for me AT ALL). The more modern cuts aren't as tight, so even less-expensive brands shouldn't be showing VPL.
- Jeans: Madewell, Agolde (South Moon Under/Nordstrom), Mother (Nordstrom), Gap
- T-shirts: my go-to is the Modern tee from Gap in size Tall. My very hip sister recently texted me all excited about Old Navy's latest t-shirt offerings, so you may find something there.
- Sweaters: Eddie Bauer, LL Bean, cashmere from TJ Maxx/Marshalls, Nordstrom house brands
- Tops: I have the Vince Camuto drapey V-neck blouse in 6 colors and 2 prints. Button-downs from Madewell.