[Previous entry: "Last Stop on the Oslo Road?"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Bodyguard Tells of Life on the Run"]

07/25/2003 Archived Entry: "J. Crew"

WHAT STARTED MY ADDICTION: Milk is the gateway drug to everything and for me, it led to clothes. I'll freely admit that I'm a clotheshorse. It's embarassing for a 32-year old man to admit but I have to.

It all started with J. Crew in university. You have to remember that in high school I had the clothing style of a homeless man. Early on when my mother was buying I looked like a dork and later on I did a complete 180 and started dressing in Ocean Pacific T-shirts. I went from chess club president to slightly dorky Jeff Spicoli wannabe in four years. During the final year of high school my sister told me about a company called J. Crew which sold preppy style clothing at fairly reasonable prices.

I still remember the first jacket I bought from J. Crew...their famed barn jacket. That was followed up by a multi-colored rugby shirt (which I still have) and then a light blue chambry Oxford button-down (which I lamentably no longer have). Soon my credit card was being roughed up like a guy who owes Tony Soprano money. Within the year my entire wardrobe was J. Crew and I strutted around Laurentian University dressed like someone who looked like he should be playing touch football with members of the Kennedy clan at Hyannisport. I bought so much that I still have a number of shirts, two pairs of chinos and a jacket. I still replace each worn barn jacket with a new one -- I believe I'm on number four now.

As Queen once sang, nothing lasts forever. The grunge era in music made it's impact in the clothing world and J. Crew was no different. Preppy offerings gave way to "distressed" clothes and plaids. Eventually I stopped buying from them and armed with a job that could pay for my addiction I moved on to local stores that carried designer clothes. I kept receiving the catalogues out of hope that one day things would change.

And it would appear that they finally have. The latest J. Crew catalogue, which I have been receiving for nearly a decade now, arrived this morning and features an orange curdoroy jacket over a green sweater and pink shirt -- not my look but different from what J. Crew has been pushing recently. Opening it up I see clothes in there that I haven't seen in years (the white cableknit is back!). They're once again pushing a preppy look!

I'm not the only one that noticed. The New York Times ran a piece (free registration or use account: esrmusings, pass: cookie) this week about J. Crew and other clothiers trying to "reimagine" themselves in the face of falling sales.

To win its share of such money, J. Crew — now under the guidance of Millard Drexler, the former Gap chief executive — says it is returning to a tradition of preppy, quality goods that in recent years has been diluted. It is adding pleats to the backs of its shirts and having them made in Italy instead of China. Shoes are being made in Italy, too. Trousers will fit better.

Finally. There was a noticable decline in quality in recent years. Unfortunately their prices are going up. The legendary barn jacket, which I never paid more than $99 for, is up to $148.

I won't buy from J. Crew again, I've moved on to other things now. But I like to hope that some dorky kid in some town in North America called the company on a larf and is now sitting with the catalogue. He's imaging new possibilities for himself. He's wondering if J. Crew carries a JFK-style windbreaker...just be careful kid...it can be expensive.