I just had to include one more article from the Pipeline (click here). :)Crew Cut: J.Crew Houses Women's Collection on UES
By Max Berlinger
October 15, 2008
The masterminds over at J.Crew have opened the sister store to Tribeca's Men's Collection on the Upper East Side. The store, which features only womenswear, is the brand's attempt to provide designer looks and quality at a more affordable price, and let's be real, who couldn't benefit from that? Jenna Lyons, the Creative Director at J.Crew realizes that time has come to "attract a more educated and savvy customer."
The shop has a discreet storefront and a homey, lived-in feel with wooden herringbone patterned floors, vintage lighting fixtures from France and an entire room dedicated to accessories (including an offering of Rolex watches, vintage gold lockets and silk Obi belts from Japan). The collection pairs higher end items such as calfskin jackets, hand-painted fabric blouses, python bags and cashmere cardigans with J.Crew classics such as denim, chinos and corduroys. The store also offers special services like personal shopping, a discount for college students and delivery to your home or hotel room (if you're that lazy.)Lyons mentioned that "because of blogs and the internet, people know what's out there; they're looking for something special." This opening is paired with the announcement that J.Crew will be opening a second Men's Collection in Soho, neighboring the highly anticipated (will you open already?!) Topshop. The collection is also available for purchase online, and from the look of it, and from the success the men's store, this high-concept no-nonsense spin-off store should be the toast of the town this winter.
First, I love the additional images of the store. It is great to see what the layout looks like with all the available merchandise too! Second, when reading the quote (the first highlighted blue line), I was unsure where she was going with it. But after reading the other quote (the second highlighted blue line), I understood what Jenna was trying to overall say. She was talking about consumers who really value luxury tailoring, materials, and the like- also understand that the cost for such items and quality can be better aligned. Third, that sign is very discreet! I am pretty sure I would walk by the store and not know it was J.Crew. ;)
What do you make of the quotes? Did I get that interpretation properly or maybe I overlooked something? Also, what do you think of the store's sign (do you like or dislike how discreet it is)?
Do you think Jenna was referring to this blog? ;)
ReplyDeleteI am not against The Collection or that Jcrew is trying to offer unique limited item pieces or that they're trying to be more fashion toward BUT there has definately been a decline on the quality of their pieces collection and otherwise!!!
ReplyDeletesorry I obviously meant fashion forward but my phone thinks it knows what I mean better than I do
ReplyDeleteHonestly, the store "scares" me a little...I don't like the feel of it from the pictures...looks a bit cold and unwelcoming...don't get me wrong I would go in but that is just my first impression:)
ReplyDeleteSo because I don't want to invest in a $3,000 sequined jacket, I am less educated and savvy that rich New York housewives? Hmm...
ReplyDeletethan, sorry
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of J.Crew's Collection efforts and really look forward to the roll out of new Collection styles. I haven't loved every piece, but I appreciate what they are trying to do.
ReplyDeleteI think its great that, at least for now, the Collection store is showing J. Crew's more fashion-forward pieces with its standard fare. I love low-brow/high-brow styling--it makes for interesting fashion.
I have not noticed the decline in quality that is frequently mentioned by posters. Manufacturing defects happen and may not be caught until a product is widely dispersed. I would never keep a defective item no matter how much I loved it. Returning defective items makes the extent of the problem evident to J.Crew and will cause them to demand better quality or take their business elsewhere.
That said, I have received a small number of FS items that were defective--a dirt smudge or mislabeled size. But that's bound to happen when merchandise has been hanging around for along time, and possibly being moved between stores or purchased and returned. In those cases I have had no problem taking the item back and receiving a credit.
There's definitely some tude going on with J Crew--it's a very haute attitude I am hearing in all these articles. Maybe they ultimately want to get away from their core customer--it's rather disturbing.
ReplyDeleteI am actually VERY surprised at the cold environment they created for this store. I have not been in it first hand so maybe it is different IRL. But it looks so stark and white and bright. I get showcasing the clothing and not taking away due to something too crazy on the walls but this...not so sure. How about a very subtle shade of cream something to soften it up. I would definitely visit and I would have no idea where I was heading into by the sign alone--but the store would intrigue me nonetheless. I do think it would be intimidating to the average person as it looks expensive and I am sure that's just what they would like to be presenting so you aren't in sticker shock when you jaunt in:)
*Designer looks and quality at an affordable price*...hmmm...REALLY?
ReplyDeleteIt's their regular marketing strategy, right? We're special, you're special.
ReplyDeleteI think JCrew is trying to make the Collection store's look different from (or better than) the regular stores. I like the look but this is marketing to enhance the 'perception' of the quality of the merchandise.
As far as the blue lines:
-I think the first comment was another 'perception' statement to attract shoppers in and above the Collection price point. The statement is making a point in time, "..JCrew realizes that time has come...". It's kind of separating existing JCrew from JCrew Collection.
-The Collection stores are "special", and maybe not reachable to most of the internet shoppers. I feel it's another attempt to impose JCrew's marketing "you're special, our Collection items are luxurious and affordable". (This is confusing though because who and what can hide from the internet these days?)
I like the sign; the fancy font with the backdrop of the store. I would overlook it too.
I'm a fan and have been sucked in by their marketing techniques. I usually love the looks of their marketing materials. Also, I don't purchase high priced collection items so I cannot say their products equal the elegant look of their store. Only time will tell.
"Jenna Lyons, the Creative Director at J.Crew realizes that time has come to "attract a more educated and savvy customer."
ReplyDeleteWhat a quote! I hope she didn't actually say that. Perhaps they want to get away from wardrobing college students, but many those college freshmen eventually turn into professionals that need clothing worthy of the boardroom.
As the daughter of a dressmaker, I look at every seam in a garment. I know from being taught to construct clothing and knit sweaters since shortly after starting kindergarten how a garment should be made. And many of their regular and collection pieces aren't meeting my standards.
As a MBA holding professional with a public company I also know how to turn myself out decently for my job as well as high profile social events.
I am not sure who this more educated and savvy customer is, but it is not me evidently. And the pretty little trophy wives around here aren't shopping at J Crew.
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ReplyDeleteJenna Lyons, the Creative Director at J.Crew realizes that time has come to "attract a more educated and savvy customer."
ReplyDeleteOkay, J.Crew now you've really insulted the customer WHO HAVE MADE YOU WHO YOU ARE!!! Sorry for the yelling, but really Jenna, what does that mean??? I guess the fact that many of us "regular" JC customers have advanced educations (Masters, PhD's, Law degrees, MD's) and are VERY savvy shoppers are not good enough. I don't think spending $3000 on a sequined jacket that is not couture is being a "savvy" shopper. Give me a break. They better get off their high horse and get back to business....
Sorry for the rant, just a little tweaked!! LOL!
In the spirit of love and J.Crew-Aficionada devotion, it's "discreet," not "discrete."
ReplyDelete(As always, bravo on a wonderful blog!)
The new store even provides "delivery to your home or hotel room"
ReplyDeleteThat perk reminds me of the Rachel Zoe show on Bravo, every time she (Rachel) goes on a shopping spree, spending upwards of 5,000USD she has the store manager send her purchase over to the hotel... she doesn't want to be hampered down by actually carrying her items. I mean, it only makes sense since she's paying that much, why not send her things over, it's the least it could do.
I'm assuming that she's the kind of person they're trying to attract... except gaudier. Rachel Zoe pays 3,000USD for vintage Givenchy, J.Crew wants me to pay...for "a jacket covered in hand-painted French sequins to look like tortoiseshell..." - just plain old Gaudy.
Anon at 1:37 PM: Good catch!!! (and thank you too!) :)
ReplyDeleteI thought the new items were supposed to be on the website today---was a wrong?
ReplyDeleteBTW, I am also annoyed by Jenna's comment. :/
saavy and educated shoppers get good deals--quality at a good price. saavy shoppers do not spend $1800 for a patent leather jacket. that is the purchase of an irrational impulse shopper.
ReplyDeleteunless, of course, jenna is trying to say that $1800 is a good deal for the patent leather jacket. in which case, someone needs to bring her back down to earth.
"A more educated and savvy customer"? What a patronizing load of marketing BS. I hope that was a misquote. That is insulting in ANY context. No thanks, Jenna. I'll take my educated butt elsewhere. Also, how much is the "college student discount"? Is it 80%? Seriously, what college student would even go in there?
ReplyDeleteSorry to be so negative. I love JCrew as much as anybody else here, but I won't visit this store.
I think Jenna meant more educated about high fashion, designers, designer pricing....etc, and was not referring to general education. Contexually, that makes more sense to me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I look at the picture of the new store I get the feeling that I am not welcomed there, it is a place where you get greeted by a snooty sales rep if you represent a certain income level.
ReplyDeleteLike others said the ones who can afford it will not buy it because it is JC who is associated with being a mall/catalog merchant.
Like I said, it's insulting in ANY context. A truly educated customer knows what constitutes quality, and a high price tag is not it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know exactly how to phrase my thoughts on this, but I love the idea of the Collection Store and the Collection line, and I am also a law school student who does not enjoy the high prices of the items. However, clearly they are not marketing the Collection pieces to appeal to any and all shoppers, J Crew knows there is a market for those higher price point items. (I know, many of you are thinking, I would never spend $3000 on a jacket like that, but everyone has one of those friends, who asks your opinion on a hideous new item that they paid a lot for and you would not even wear it if they gave it to you ... meaning, that there are people out there who will and do overpay for that "unique" "special" piece (or feeling).
ReplyDeleteAnd though some readers have mentioned it is unfair of J Crew to sell speciality items (flowers) at the store in NYC, I too can understand that (and no, not because it is close to me, I am probably 20 hours away). Almost all retailers have their a flagship store, speciality store, etc. in NYC -- the market allows for it.
Though some feel betrayed by the Collection line, I feel that even though I am not purchasing the items, the overall design and style behind many of J Crew's pieces has evolved dramatically in the past few seasons and I think that correlates with the development for the Collection and pursuit for lust worthy stlye... and if you cannot recall to seasons past catalogs -- go to the great google catalog site that allows you look at them!! You'd have to agree that some of those dress shapes and styles have come a long way!-- Personally, I feel like the women's line has taken on much more of a "style" with blouses, skirts, dresses etc building on the staple chinos, tees, cableknit sweaters.
And as for Jenna's statement, I too read it along the same lines as Alexis -- an acknowledgment that many consumers today are looking for the quality in a piece. I think it is clear J Crew is trying to separate themselves from the other "mall" stores who offer large quantities of items lacking a style factor or attention to detail in a garment (Gap, Ann Taylor, Limited).
Actually, I bet another reason for the limited signage is to try to "trick" the high-end customer into coming in...let them think is it a cute little boutique rather than a chain store.
ReplyDeleteI soooo agree about the cashmere sweaters pilling after two wears. Over the past few years I have accumulated many JCrew cashmere sweaters(almost all in FS) and they are now my wear to work and on week-ends sweaters. I love the colors but they pill to much to be my really dress up, always feel great in sweaters. I don't have to dress up much for work - chinos and a sweater is all. I look elsewhere for sweaters that will last for years and think of J Crew as my everyday stuff.
ReplyDeleteI'll be in NYC this winter for a conference and will definitely hit the collection store. The quality will need to 5x more if I'm going to pay 5x the price. I'd rather head to Barney's if I'm going to look at high priced stuff.
I think if you feel insulted you are not their market. In fact, making you feel insulted is probably the goal. This store is not for you. They don't want you.
ReplyDeleteTheir market for this concept is an elitist woman who can easily swing 2000.00 for a cashmere shrug or 3000.00 for one of her many winter coats. The store small for a reason, and there's only one store for a reason. You are a mass market shopper, and this is not a mass market concept.
The more piqued and insulted you feel, the better. This store is designer for women with huge clothing budgets, not womaen who hang out on a blog discussing ways to get those 79.00 cords for 39.99.
I am not one of those rich women, and I can clearly see that this concept is not for me. That doesn't make me feel bad at all. It's just a store.
^You are definitely right- but I don't think that the person you're describing is the only educated and savvy consumer! ;)
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting that multiple pages in the November catalog mentioned price, things like "It only looks expensive", etc., etc. They're trying to convince us that the high prices are a "deal" for what you get, and trying to convince potential Collection shoppers that the exclusivity/design of the pieces is a "deal" compared to the exhorbitant designer prices that they're used to. Thing is, we savvy Aficionadas know that full price for some of these items is not a deal, especially when things end up in the sale section, slashed, even in the same month that they were released. FFM has said this several times, there will always be something new around the corner. This is fascinating to me to watch it play out. Madewell's certainly not getting this kind of buzz here, and from what I've heard the prices are comparable to non-Collection JC.
ReplyDeleteanon @ 2:16: Exactly! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with tigs. I don't think that the collection line will be featured with the regualr J.Crew line. It will be more of the VW/Audi or Honda/Acura model. Both lins produced by the same company, but sold to different customers and for different reasons.
ReplyDeleteI think it's smart of J.Crew's part. The more upscale nature of the collection line will benifit J.Crew. Look at how the Gap created Banana. And it's certainly worked for them.
While the collection line is quite different from Banana; the idea remains the same; take a great product and move it up. So many high end designers have bridge lines, why can't J.Crew do the reverse?
Only time will tell how successful they are, but with their background and resources I bet it works.
IMO, Jenna's words are carefully calculated to convey an elitist mindset, that will appeal to elitist women, lure them in by feeding their egos. These are women that don't and would never shop at J Crew....it is beneath them. They want to lure these women....change their minds. The original "collection' concept was probably floundering, and promoting it as separate from the masses, better than the masses, is their way of exploring the 'collection' concept.
ReplyDeleteFor some people, 'elitist' is a negative word. For others it's a positive word. It means the masses/riffraff won't be wearing the same thing you are.
I completely understand where Micky is going with this, the analysis behind it, and the business reasons behind it. It fascinates me. He is a visionary. Visionaries see things that other people can't see until the vision is fully realized.
Micky is a maverick who is not afraid to fail. He takes big risks for potential big payoffs. I think this concept can succeed, but I think there are also lots of holes. I personally think Jenna's view and tastes are too dominant and can come off as too inbred. I think they should pull in one or two designers on par with Jenna, to elasticize the design perspective, otherwise, she should just go off and start her own line. Or rename the store Jenna Crew.
^Hmmm....interesting perspective..makes a lot of sense.
ReplyDeleteHi all -- sorry, off topic question. I got my jcrew card a few months ago, and am just wondering when the rewards cards come out? Thanks!
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ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see if any of their collection pieces will be featured in fashion magazines as "it" items of the season (or get reviewed by fashion-educated clientele).
ReplyDelete"Savvy"-interesting choice of words (I'm thinking Nordstrom department though...)
"Collection items" to me mean something "recognizable" along the lines- Hermes: scarves and Birkin, LV: speedy 30 and other bags, Burberry: trench coats etc.
I wonder if JCrew has what it takes to do this? Can they design pieces at designer prices that will get accepted by their target clientele? Just wondering, I am not going to speculate ! :) They design clothes, handbags, shoes, accessories, yoga equipment, kids' clothes....can they also handle a collection store with "non-inflated prices" and appeal to people who shop at Prada? I can't wait to see what happens :)
Like I've said I'm not against having a Collection line where the prices are expensive to match the fact that there are only a few (and no i can't afford the 2 or 3 thousand price tag) I just think it's ridiculous what they are charging for these pieces as they aren't well made or even cute! if i had a million dollars i would pay for that 3 thousand jacket/sweater because it is ugly! so i don't care if they do a collection, i just don't think what they're making and the price they are charging match. and i bet we will see pieces like this in the sale section much like last year. i know last year there were some 500 dollar dresses that ended up in deep discount, and they only supposedly make a "special few"
ReplyDeleteI can't see much in the picture but it looks like my kind of store. Certainly a lot better than those messy piles of jeans and chinos I had the opportunity to see in S.Jose and San Francisco.
ReplyDeleteThis thing about creating a homey feel also reminds me of the Daslu shopping experience. I hope that instead of cupcakes they offer a choice of freshly brewed espresso or a flute of champagne to their shoppers, as we do in upscale stores here in my neck of the woods.
Now I totally agree that Jenna's remark was snotty and completely insincere. I'm sure that deep pockets and not education is the issue here.
Ok All - I think that Ms Lyons was not refering to traditional schooling in her education comment, but fashion education. As in, handpainted sequins are special because...
ReplyDeleteThis exotic handbag compares to my Nancy Gonzalez how? That is why she paired the word educated with savvy. It was referring to people who know fashion. I have said many times on this blog that having Collection allows them to create more "editorial" looks. Things that might be featured in higher end fashion magazines. Isn't this store all about attracting that client? Or, the aspirational equivalent?
Why dissect Jenna's words? Clothes are clothes. Everyone has a price point. Just because they're trying something new and different doesn't mean we should shun it. They've obviously done their market research and have the ability to make it work through tough times like these...
ReplyDeleteGood for Jenna and Mickey to open another great store for everyone to enjoy! :)
I wish people will lighten up. This blog title is 'J Crew Aficionada'. No offense, but if you don't like J Crew I don't know why you would want to waste time reading and commenting in this blog.
ReplyDeleteI thought she's referring to customers who are educated in knowing that there's a difference in quality fabric, and difference in workmanship, and the corresponding higher prices. Remember that there are plenty of people who don't care that much about quality, only rock bottonm prices. Otherwise Walmart won't be selling clothing.
Personally I like the look of the store. It seems like having smaller sections creates a very intimate feel, unlike the very open retail store. It's more a 'boutique' feel than a retail store feel.
I would total go and check out the Collection Store if there's one locally. If I can try out many styles of J Crew shoes without having to go online and guess my size it's totally worth it.
Lastly, I didn't notice decrease in quality. I didn't find their cashmere to pill more than others, and when they are on final sale they are an absolute steal.
When there are quality defects, they stand behind their products 100%. I don't know if other retailers or department stores stand behind their products in a similar way. I had an umbrella that malfunctioned, an ornament that fell out of a pair of shoes, and J Crew took them all back and gave me 100% refund (even though I've used these products a few times).
Thank you Anon @ October 16, 2008 2:16 PM
ReplyDeleteIt's just that hard to get the point across to some people.