J.Crew Goes Luxe

Sep 25, 2008 @ 12:21pm

jcrew does gucci.jpg At first, we thought the ad at left was for Gucci.

Awkward pose, check. Sexy hair, check. Nude lips, check. Tan skin, check. Very skinny girl, check.

But then, when we noticed she's wearing a blue oxford shirt and her bag lacks a certain amount of gold hardware, we read the fine print and realized, whoa, J.Crew.

We'll take this as a sign that the retailer's hard at work trying to squeeze into that luxury market they've wanted a part of for so long. This ad's evolved from signature Louis/Gucci/ and maybe even Valentino campaigns.

But J.Crew, just because you shoot your girl looking like she's wearing a $900 bag, doesn't mean you can sell your bags for that much.

posted by fauvism3

Sep 25, 2008 12:25PM

You should read the Fortune Magazine "Style Issue" that came out during NY Fashion week. The cover was Mickey Drexler and it was really interesting to hear him talk about their business model and how they hope to get a lot of customers who want nice clothing and can pay 200-300 per piece but can no longer afford all designer pricepoints.

posted by guest

Sep 25, 2008 12:50PM

Thank you! I've been thinking this for the past year! I love J.Crew for their classic look - they make dressing for a conservative finance job easy with a hint of style. However, I've wondered what's been going on with them and this move toward becoming a "Luxe" brand. Last fall they had flats for $400 - for that I may as well spend the extra $100 and go for Lanvin.

posted by guest

Sep 25, 2008 1:32PM

This is funny. A Natasha Poly wannabe in a Gucci-esque pose... JCrew is what it is. It's a nice brand, I love it - but I am not spending $400 for their shoes. I totally agree with guest@12:50 - I'd rather pay more for Chanel or Lanvin. I know I'll get my money's worth.

posted by guest

Sep 25, 2008 1:37PM

I'm personally somewhat put off by J.Crew's move toward luxe. Don't get me wrong -- I appreciate that they've generally always been about quality and style -- they already stand out for that. But whereas before I was happy paying their already somewhat higher prices, feeling the quality warranted it, now I feel they're just leaving me behind as a customer. I don't have hundreds to drop on a single piece. I just want to be able to buy a high-quality affordable piece. Their apparel feels like it's slipping out of my reach because I'm no longer their target customer.

Disappointing.

posted by bastylefilegirl

Sep 25, 2008 1:42PM

Isn't J Crew the Preppy Semi Luxe brand anyway. There stuff is far too massed market to even pay 100 dollars for a pair of shoes there. Overpriced much?

posted by guest

Sep 25, 2008 1:58PM

I agree with you bastylefilegirl! J Crew items are just too "dime a dozen" to be shelling out that kind of cash for!!

posted by my fall collection

Sep 25, 2008 2:27PM

I love finding surprisingly great pieces at mass market retailers, and I also like investing in not-surprisingly great pieces from the world's best designers. J Crew is neither here nor there; I haven't bought anything from them since 2004.

posted by guest

Sep 25, 2008 2:43PM

I looked through a J. Crew catalogue last night and saw a purse for $495. Not even a tote-bag (which would still be ridiculous at almost $500 from J. Crew), but a tiny lipstick, cell phone and keys evening purse.

I couldn't believe it was the same store that provided my prep school staples (remember when I $120 linen dress was a "splurge"?)

$500 for a mall store bag? Not going to happen.

posted by guest

Sep 25, 2008 2:44PM

I had this conversation with a friend a few years ago when J. Crew started this move. She was saying that she wouldn't pay designer prices for J. Crew goods. That made me think, because really, isn't there a good chance that J. Crew is better made, with better materials (and therefore, more truly "luxe") since you are not paying the markup for the name? So instead of getting $200 dollars worth of purse, and paying $700 for the name, you are actually getting a purse worth $900 (taking into account that all of these things are hideously overpriced compared to cost of goods and labor, of course) ? I am just asking, I'm not involved in production at all, so I really don't know...

posted by guest

Sep 25, 2008 3:42PM

Whats the fuss for-Who buys Jcrew full price anyway?!?! I for one do NOT. The only thing they make of any sort of fashion value are your basics..the favorite tank and a sweater here or there. Other than that..not worth the money b/c the style is just boring.

posted by Kdanv42

Sep 25, 2008 3:53PM

@ Guest @ 2:44.

IMO, you're exactly right. J.Crew's core principal is providing excellently crafted clothing. Sure, the actual style of the brand is about preppy/casual clothing, not trend-setting, but of the niche that the brand has developed, you have to admit that it's better than anything you can get at Banana Republic, GAP, etc. And also, since J.Crew isn't a 'Label', and therefore cannot inflate their prices based on name, you can be sure the amount you are paying is fair based on how it's made.

As far as a move towards luxe, so long as they apply the same dedication towards making their clothes expertly-crafted, I'd say that they'll do just fine. Anyone that goes into a J.Crew store and actually takes a look at the apparel, can plainly see that it's made exceptionally well. Sure, they may not feel that it's worth $400 right now, but give it time.

And in full disclosure, I worked in the design department of J.Crew for a few years. (but I didn't have anything to do with the move towards 'luxe', so don't shoot the messenger.)

posted by guest

Sep 25, 2008 11:55PM

wow. you guys seem to have a real chip on your shoulder when it comes to j.crew. i suppose the only bag you'd be willing to drop money in has some sort of a logo on it.

posted by guest

Sep 26, 2008 12:33PM

If you read the J.Crew catalogue, you will find that they use the same exact mills as the biggest designers, which I believe is their way of justifying the price point. But having said that, I'd still rather pay $200 for a cashmere sweater from J.Crew than $900 from somewhere else.

posted by guest

Sep 27, 2008 1:23PM

Most if not all of J.Crew's clothing is made in China even the cashmere sweaters which are labeled Italian yarn (Very Big) made in China (very small) even the ones that are $400. I'm sorry but China will never be the image of luxe to me and it's insulting that they would try to charge those prices for mass produced cheap clothing. J. Crew is and must be embarrassed by this because even in their own catalogues and on their website, they mark the garment as imported when they have no european country to hang their hat on. Funny, they aren't ashamed of the asking price just the country in which it was made.