When did JCrew become so expensive yet cheaply made?

[Anonymous]

I stopped buying anything there over 5 years ago. Like another poster said, when everything became thin, cheap, see-through, ugly slub cotton with rhinestones and frayed rosettes all over it. It's totally overpriced. And their cashmere has been garbage for several years now. I used to buy it all the time back when it was thick and soft (late 90s), but now it's so thin and itchy I don't even believe it's cashmere. Do they think people don't notice? No one I know shops there anymore.

[Anonymous]

I am the OP of this thread, and you'll note that my biggest issue is the lack of quality with increased price points. JCrew used to have really subtle classics that had preppy bones, but not staid like Brooks Brothers. Now, they still have great pieces, but they a) are not as well made and b) and more expensive. I tried on a pair of shorts earlier in the summer, and they were what I would expect from Old Navy in terms of fit and cut. The cotton material was crap. I recently found an old pair of shorts from the 90s at my parents and they were made with much better material and fit so much better.

Completely true, OP. I still have some things I bought there ages ago and the cotton was way smoother and softer. The fabrics are awful and the prices are higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I stopped buying anything there over 5 years ago. Like another poster said, when everything became thin, cheap, see-through, ugly slub cotton with rhinestones and frayed rosettes all over it. It's totally overpriced. And their cashmere has been garbage for several years now. I used to buy it all the time back when it was thick and soft (late 90s), but now it's so thin and itchy I don't even believe it's cashmere. Do they think people don't notice? No one I know shops there anymore.

You nailed it with your description of the tshirts.

[Anonymous]

This is so funny b/c just this weekend my friend and I were in JC lamenting the quality, and frankly the style.

It's not preppy, it's a parody of preppy now.

We are both pretty stylish but what is up with the crazy colors, and does everything have to be striped?

JC used to be a place to get great cotton pullovers etc. Now I go to Nordstroms and Bloomingdales and hunt around.

We were both remembering (and missing) that ubiquitous roll-neck turtleneck sweater that everyone used to have.

I would love to buy a cotton one and a wool one, instead I have the option to buy a shrunken thin cardigan with electric blue and kelly green stripes. No thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so funny b/c just this weekend my friend and I were in JC lamenting the quality, and frankly the style.

It's not preppy, it's a parody of preppy now.

We are both pretty stylish but what is up with the crazy colors, and does everything have to be striped?

JC used to be a place to get great cotton pullovers etc. Now I go to Nordstroms and Bloomingdales and hunt around.

We were both remembering (and missing) that ubiquitous roll-neck turtleneck sweater that everyone used to have.

I would love to buy a cotton one and a wool one, instead I have the option to buy a shrunken thin cardigan with electric blue and kelly green stripes. No thanks.

Trends change, and stores change with them. That you can't find the same sweater at JCrew today that they sold 15 years ago says more about your expectations and style than it does about JCrew.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, whaaaa? You want a roll neck turtleneck -- like a mocknevk?! and you're mad you can't get one? In august???? Get a personal shopper and start reading some style blogs. That's just wrong.

I'm a professional and I work at a firm where everyone went to good schools for every stage of their education -- many a wasp. The women wear j crew. All of them. That is why I do not. So, I suggest, op, that you look into maybe brooks brothers for women or Ben silver women or the pink palm. Or just stick to neimans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I can't understand is why Michelle Obama gave it so much publicity.

She was probably compensated to do so. Seeing her wearing their clothes, might encourage others (not me, however) to purchase their clothing thus, boosting their sales.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so funny b/c just this weekend my friend and I were in JC lamenting the quality, and frankly the style.

It's not preppy, it's a parody of preppy now.

We are both pretty stylish but what is up with the crazy colors, and does everything have to be striped?

JC used to be a place to get great cotton pullovers etc. Now I go to Nordstroms and Bloomingdales and hunt around.

We were both remembering (and missing) that ubiquitous roll-neck turtleneck sweater that everyone used to have.

I would love to buy a cotton one and a wool one, instead I have the option to buy a shrunken thin cardigan with electric blue and kelly green stripes. No thanks.

I'm not a particular J Crew fan, but you should be aware that the widespread resurgence of 1980s preppy *is* actually in parody, in keeping with the hipster-influenced "ironic" aesthetic that has gone very mainstream.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Believe it or not, try Talbots. I used to avoid the place like the plague, for its Barbara Bush styles, but it must have gotten a new designer or something, because they have some quite nice pieces now that don't look like your mom would wear them and the quality is good.

+1. Also brooks brothers. They've stepped in to fill the void we all see.

[Anonymous]

I love j crew....the clothes are cute and not too costly. There's always a 25% off code or coupon.

No interest in spending a small fortune on something like tahari, who can't even manage to do a sleeve cap on a jacket correctly so the sleeve hangs right. Ridiculous for the price.

[Anonymous]

I used to love their clothes when I was in my 20's, nice sweaters, jeans, shirts- i used to receive a lot of compliments on how nicely I looked in their stuff. Now a dad at 38- everything is too tight - and I'm still the same size i was in my 20's, 6 ft 178lbs. Its also way too expensive and looks like I should be wearing a pear of thick dark-rimmed glasses. It sucks, I've moved on shopping the sales at department stores.

[Anonymous]

Sweetie, if you are 38, you aren't going to look good in what looked good when you were 20. It's simple fact, even if you weigh the same.....

[Anonymous]

I sew, or at least I used to sew, and I'm a sucker for nice fabrics. Occasionally J Crew will have a skirt of pants made in Italian wool, and although it will be overpriced, I just might buy it.

But when JCrew pushes those cheap, flimsy cotton tshirts as "tissue tshirts," like this is some hot new fashion trend or something? Ugh.

I had a fling with Boden for a year or two. But honestly, their designers don't know anything about cut. Jackets with weird armscyes, A-line skirts that make even thin women like me look like boxes... I mean really, it's not that hard to do a flattering cut.

[Anonymous]

I thought J Crew was expensive in the 80s and 90s. Shopped there a bit in early 200o. Have of set foot in one since 2004. Love Tahari suits and fine nice a Theory pieces in 'Marshalls so don't miss it.

[Anonymous]

I like their cardigans. They sometimes pill, they sometimes rip, but they don't seem to be worse than any other mid-price clothes.