J.Crew After Hours
1000+ new J.Crew pieces and a new catalogue to fall in love with. Before I start typing away ferociously about NYFW, here's a late night send. It's past midnight in Paris.
In my early 20’s I dropped $98 I didn’t have on a Japanese cotton short-sleeve shirt for the summer. I still don’t regret it. And perhaps I never will. I lived in an outlet crisp white Mercantile button-down with a front pocket that I would wear on every flight. Desert boots and loafers were my weekend go-to’s. And I never gave up on 3-button polos, or 3-button jackets. So it’s safe to say I was (and in some ways still am) a J.Crew fan.
But enough about me, enough about wearing sequins to the office, and enough about the brand’s golden age that came crashing down in the years leading up to covid (the company filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and is now betting on New York’s street style).
Things changed (after all, sequins are never forever), the fashion industry changed, online shopping started to boom, so J.Crew had to change, too. And now, a decade later, it seems that the brand, as it does happen in fashion, has again found its luster.
Or so it seems. The Wall Street Journal reported the company is on track to reach $3 billion in sales this year. As benchmark, Hedi Slimane’s Celine, who takes every advertising opportunity possible (corner of Houston and Lafayette, anyone?) surpassed the $2 billion mark in 2022. And Miu Miu is on track to reach the $2 billion golden arches this year.
But it didn’t take a lot of snooping around for something new, to get to the new era of J.Crew clothing. It’s still preppy, of course. It’s New York-y, references September in the Hamptons, waxes poetic about cashmere, barn jackets, and can be trusted with sharp tailoring and textured men’s suits at prices fit for wedding attire. It’s more out there than The Row. And Demi Moore is on the cover of the new catalogue looking bohemian.
The aesthetic is vintage Americana, but new. Specifically, roll neck sweaters, chinos, and barn jackets intermixed with pleated mini-skirts à la Prada. Or Italian tweed lady jackets and leopard prints à la Celine. Almost everything from the collection looks great with jeans. And the brand seems to know which accessories to push. After all, J.Crew never took itself too seriously as a leather goods brand. They dabble in costume jewelry and leather belts. More notably, the group has developed partnerships with trusted shoe makers like New Balance and Asics. Their focus has always been in the clothes.
The new J.Crew catalogue is not quite as splashy as say, a 90’s Bruce Weber campaign for Abercrombie & Fitch, but it’s sexy, lived-in, and clean. I clicked through all 723 women’s fall garments and all 339 men’s wear get-ups for a taste of what the WSJ described as “momentum fueled by nostalgia”.
So what was the vehicle that got J.Crew from point A to point Relevant? Was it nostalgia? Or was it the catalogue?
New York State Of Mind
Maybe it was the cool kids and the editors that notice them who hang out at The Odeon in Tribeca. Or 10 a.m. calls for a reservation at the Polo Bar that pushed preppy overboard into sultry waters.
Pinstripes, black and white dressing, or black and denim dressing, and jackets are at the heart of the collection. Cozy sweaters were cut and scalloped as lady jackets, pocketed to give them a utilitarian perspective on office dressing, and the brushed cashmere treated as a revival of relaxed staples. The sweaters paired with lace slips, redefine evening and daytime dressing. There is a burgeoning line of vintage leather jackets that are on sale, and look as good as new.
After all, New York is a perennial city where what’s old becomes new, and what’s new, is simply old-school.
The women’s collection had another addition that feels fitting for fall that reverberated across the men’s line: cords. The pant, which looks great when styled with a tee, a fitted shirt, and a good coat, is like the cozy windbreaker of pants. It helps that the fabric is not stiff, and that the hems can be rolled up. Or tucked. J.Crew, after all, is the place where rolling up the sleeves is as heritage as a pair of field boots.
Men’s pajamas, boxers, and the ties which are all handmade in Long Island City, are always a handsome buy at J.Crew.
But the heart and soul of the J.Crew aesthetic is still anchored on jackets, shirting and fitted pants. Sometimes even the classic-fit pants can run a little vacuum-sealed, but it’s the bet they’re willing to take to channel sex-appeal with street style flare.
If it works, and hopefully it does, perhaps expect a leather jacket on the cover of future catalogues. It’d make for a hell of a preppy New Yorker.
Support my work by subscribing. If you have a tip or are curious about a story, email me at fashionarticlespace@gmail.com.
Follow me on Instagram: @kevin925r