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Jcrew musings

shiny

Veteran

I got my jcrew catalog in the mail and was flipping through it yesterday. I always lust over their clothes, but somehow end up having a love/hate, hit or miss relationship with them!

For a long time I thought it was my body type: the catalog models are all rail thin and rectangular and tall, and i'm not.

Then I thought it was their wacky, inconsistent fit (at least, that has been my experience with them).

Flipping through the catalog yesterday, it suddenly occurred to me what the issue is:

It's the colors!!!

They are so much better suited for a "Spring" palette like Ana, then for someone like me. I do find an odd thing or two at Jcrew that works - but most of what I have from Jcrew is in a neutral color. (With exception of cable knit T-necks - which they offered a few years back in a wide array of colors suiting any color "season" - and I snapped up several.

This plays into the other thread on color. Just curious if anyone else has noticed that some clothing brands stick to certain color families to flatter certain people?

I have much better luck with BR color palette. AT, for years and years, was more of a spring palette but in the past 5 or so years I've seen them evolve and branch out from that.

Or is it just me?

Shopping

14 replies

Latest reply was from

Laura

(website)

Veteran

Shiny - interesting! I've noticed that JCrew is big into yellows and oranges this season. But that's not the Spring palette, or is it? They are also really focused on brights. My guess would be that brights are summer.

Between this thread, the other color thread and my inability to pair olive green with anything other than black, I really, really need some sort of color wheel ...

Ana

(website)

Veteran

This is very true, Shiny. Tanya has actually complained about the very same thing with J. Crew in regards to the colors not working well for her.

I have several pieces in "different" colors and different years/seasons from J. Crew, but side by side comparison shows that they are essentially the same colors with only slight variations. This is why I have a lot of luck with them--every season there is at least one color that works for me (but usually there are more). On the flip side, I have less luck with places like BR and AT. BR LOVES its greys and pastels, which are fantastic on you and Tanya, but make me look dead and/or ill. AT usually only offers 2 or 3 main colors per season, so it really depends on what they are offering. Earlier this year, they had a really pretty navy blue/teal/lime green thing going on, and I was able to pick up a teal top from there during that time.

This season at J. Crew, I think the bright blue, bright palm, or *possibly* the cantaloupe (which is lighter and more pinky in person) might work for you. I'd LOVE to see you in the bright palm!

http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Brows...../99166.jsp

Key Lime might be fabulous on you as well. I've tried this color on, and it's just "okay" on me, but a bit too light:

http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Brows...../96975.jsp

Tanya

Veteran

Shiny, I completely agree with you!!! I also have troubles with J Crew colors, they are too warm for me! They are definitely for people with Spring or Autumn colors. The brights are usually not Summer colors. I am a typical summer, and I look best in cool, muted hues: blues, berries, purples etc. So sometimes they have something in aqua or bright pink, but that's about it.

I have some luck with BR/AT/ATL. They usually have new collections every months, and I find that some months are cool and some warm, so when a good month comes, I buy a few things, but then can go for a while without getting anything. This is more true for AT/ATL, BR tends to have more variety. The brand that suits me the best colorwise is BCBG, they seem to be opposite from J Crew, usually cool in black/grey and muted blues and purples most of the time.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

I've noticed that about BCBG Tanya! I still stop in because I can get neutral things there, but I've never bought anything that wasn't a neutral. When I walk in all I can think is, "This would be perfect for Tanya."

Tanya

Veteran

Well, that's exactly how i feel about J Crew Ana! I can not not think of when I'm in that store. I love BCBG, too bad their prices are significantly above BR/ J Crew, so I can only get a few things from there.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

I know. Boo about the prices. Sometimes they have good sales though.

Dani

Veteran

I, too, can pretty much wear anything at J Crew (and I tend toward spring coloring but I can wear some summer colors too). I have a little trouble at BR sometimes and I haven't really shopped at AT/ATL long enough to notice. I do have some things from BCBG but they are in the cool colors that I can wear. It is interesting how some companies tend to stick with color families. I'd thought about that earlier when flipping through some catalogs also.

Very interesting observation, Shiny.

shiny

Veteran

So it's not my imagination!

Ana - the palm color - I think that this could only work on me in small doses, like a purse or shoes. But, I never say never... because cobalt was a color I thought I couldn't wear, and now I'm loving my new cobalt BR sweater. Then again it could be that the BR shade is muted. As for the second sweater you posted, I have and can wear that shade - in the summer if I have some color. (Which I don't aim for these days: I'm proud to say I made it through this entire summer with only one sunburn - and that was in April so technically not summer!)

Tanya - I think you and I wear similar color palettes. I also adore BCBG colors. But unfortunately fit is hit-or-miss for me; the XS is great vertically, but is built for someone with a tinier waist like yours!

Re: AT - you may be right, and they rotate colors. I was in there this weekend, and they had (on clearance rack) this perfectly fitting red jacket that I nearly bought... but passed on because it was more of an orangey than a blueish red.

Re: ATL - I have always had really great luck there until this year. Now, all their colors just seem too tailored for a warmer palette!!

Thoughts on Sweet Pea? I'm thinking this brand goes more towards muted colors - whether warm or cool. Agree/disagree?

marianne

Shiny, you put in words my problem with J Crew. I rarely get things there that are not neutral. For example, last summer they had a cobalt blue color that worked well for me, but this season most colors make me look sick. It seems that they go through phases though - a few years back they were all pastels. And BR was all black and tan. In general, I think now BR offers more variety in cool/warm aspect, even though I still buy a lot of neutrals there.

I haven't bought anything at AT or ATL in years. I always admire stuff you get there, but when I go in and try things on, I just don't like them on myself.

I think SP tends toward darker muted colors, and that's why I also never found anything that works for me.

Amanda

I do notice when a particular season seems to have color trends that just don't work for me. Like now -- ATL and BR have lots of cute things but every color seems to make me look horrible. It seems that most reds out now are orange-red and not blue-red. I'm only just not returning (or perhaps starting!) the world of style and consistent shopping so I don't know yet if there are particular stores that work for me.

Basia

Girls, you are so lucky in a way with your favorite store, known from quality and selection deliver things home! Most of the times when you mention the American store brands they are absolutely new to me and I am tempted to find out more.....Unfortunately almost none of them delivers to Europe:-((
If you can recommend one that does- please have me in mind!

Laura

(website)

Veteran

aj, you make a good point about particular seasons and color palettes. A while back, Tanya posted the spring color palette that Pantone distributed. I remember fuschia being dominant (I hope! that's one I can wear) but forget the others. I hope there are plenty of cool options (cool as in color tone, not ... oh well, you know!)

Alecia

Veteran

What an interesting discussion! I had never thought about that. I don't really understand the seasons as they relate to color and I especially don't know how to make them work for me. But this does make sense in that I think of different palates when I think of different stores.

Anonymous

Shiny, I agree that most of the Sweet Pea tops I've seen are muted colors. Maybe that's why they work well for me, since brights and pastels are not flattering. I have found a few that tend to be more saturated toward brights like cobalt blue and kelly green.