Jenna Lyons out at JCrew - YouLookFab Forum

deb

Interesting

Anonymous

woah -that's big, but given the huge losses they are taking , not surprising. It'll be interesting to see where she lands.

7 years ago

Anonymous

She had a pretty good run -- 26 years. That's impressive!

7 years ago

lpr200

Veteran

not surprised, hope she lands well

7 years ago

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Interesting!

7 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Wow. Well, it will be interesting to see what happens for her -- and J. Crew -- next! Since I have relied on them the past few years for half my wardrobe, I admit to a bit of nail biting.

7 years ago

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

I had a brief flirtation with J. Crew several years ago, even though long-time shoppers were already complaining about the quality. At the time, the store was a wonderful resource for colourful clothing in NATURAL fibers, one of a few that sold cashmere, linen, and silk at relatively good price points. I stopped shopping there because more often than not, clothing was a miss. The quality declined immensely and the clothes often looked cheap. When J. Crew introduced online reviews, it was shocking to see the number of negative reviews on so many of their garments. I'm not sure who's responsible for the cost-cutting measures, but I hope Jenna isn't the scapegoat.

7 years ago

viva

Veteran

GF, I agree that production quality has suffered of late, and loyal customers have been very vocal about this.

Jenna Lyons had a great run at JCrew and had an indelible stamp on the aesthetic of the brand for a long time. I just read in one article that she had "just the right amount of narcissism" to have a vision and drive a brand's look in the direction that she personally wanted it to go. That sounds about right to me. Good luck, Jenna!

I'm looking forward to the new design leadership and to seeing if JCrew can address its financial woes and bring consistent quality back. It would be a really good thing. (On a related note, our Factory Store has become a clearing house for damaged goods from Madewell and retail, and I think it's a really sad sign that JCrew is selling rather than scrapping or donating these things. It's turned the store into a madhouse of really sketchy items.)

7 years ago

Anonymous

I recently spotted a "J Crew Mercantile" store nearby. Does anyone have experience with this offshoot? Is it J Crew's version of Old Navy?

7 years ago

crst

Active Member

J Crew Mercantile is the same as J Crew Factory, except it isn't located in an outlet mall. You can even make online J Crew Factory returns/exchanges there.

7 years ago

minimalist

Veteran

Oh gosh, I thought this was going to be an article about her family status. JC's proportions never worked on me; the last item of theirs I tried on was the ubiquitous utility jacket, a few years ago. Had I taken a picture, it could have been an advertisement for Un-Fab Anonymous. The quality and sourcing ethics didn't exactly wow me at the time; but apparently it worked for them for a while.

Are Lyons' next plans already known?

7 years ago

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

I've been shopping at J Crew for about 30 years. I didn't realize she had been there for so long. Recently, I have been more impressed with Somsack Sikhounmuong, especially in his Madewell days. I hope he may now take his vision a bit farther.

7 years ago

Jeanie

Veteran

It seems a lot of us would like to see the quality of J Crew come back. I'm not sure they can make that happen and cure their financial woes which seem to be a result of the fast fashion competition. Still I am inspired by a lot of the design and details I find at J Crew. I hope they are able to keep up the inspiration with new leadership.

7 years ago

Jonesy

Veteran

I have been a J. Crew shopper since I was in college (so, late '80s!). I have a different perspective on the brand and its quality: I rely on them for most of my button downs (silk, cotton, cotton-silk blends [always hard to find], flannel--all in interesting prints and impeccable quality) and lots of my pants (cargo pants, wool flannels, cotton batik prints) and have found the brand to wear like iron; I also love their linen t-shirts that are collaborative efforts with artists and charities. Finally, I have a winter coat that I bought maybe 10 years ago and still looks current and in great shape. I have found that cotton J. Crew clothes do not shrink in the dryer, unlike similar items from other retailers. I have not seen any overall decline in quality over the several decades I have shopped there. I do think that they are currently trying to do too much and appeal to too many different types of shoppers, and their constant sales are nuts (and I'm not really into all of the ruffles they are pushing right now). But for me at least, their pros heavily outweigh their cons. In short, I am sad to see Jenna Lyons go and I am crossing my fingers that they can still deliver these high-quality, stylish, reasonably-priced items to me!

7 years ago

Anonymous

Hmmm. I am in the camp that felt there was a decline in quality.

I bought some cashmere tops/sweatpants last year and I had to check the label to see if I had inadvertently bought lambs wool by mistake. The label did say cashmere, but it was unlike any cashmere I have owned in the past.

I returned the items to the store and asked about the quality. The clerk shrugged with a mix of antipathy and boredom. I never stepped foot in a J Crew again. And it was the clerk's attitude that was the turnoff. If she didn't give a damn, why should I?

7 years ago

LaPed

Veteran

10-15 years ago (high school/college for me) I was a pretty devoted J Crew shopper. Quality was definitely better then than it is now. But I'd say the same goes for BR/Gap and other competitor brands. The fast-fashion market has put a lot of pressure on mid-range labels. I even feel like this is happening to some of the newer brands -- thinking of Everlane here. They have some great products, but a lot of misses, and I feel like they've reached a point where they're doing new releases just for the sake of having something new rather than something great.

7 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I'm a huge J.Crew fan. Their coats are AMAZING, and I can always rely on them to do colour (and be on sale). Bought fun stuff there for Spring (& Summer). See Finds. I have no quality concerns with J.Crew because I don't buy tees.

I'm looking forward to the next phase of their leadership, and wish Jenna well.

J.Crew

Popover shirt in Ratti striped floral

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17

J.Crew

Vintage floral scarf

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22

J.Crew

Silk top invintage floral

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14

J.Crew

Italian cashmere long-sleeve T-shirt

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7

J.Crew

Italian cashmere long-sleeve T-shirt

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12

7 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I like Madewell too - but often don't like the colours unless they are neutral. They're also VERY casual, whereas I skew dressy. I just bought this little darling though. And their jeans are fabulous.

Nordstrom

Madewell Cali Demi Boot Jeans (Fenton Wash)

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33

Madewell

Peekaboo Pom-Pom Top

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23

7 years ago

Greyscale

Veteran

La Ped, I noticed the same thing with evelane but I thought it was just me. When they were new they had tiny capsules and I thought of it as the store where I could buy one of each item and be set for a year. Not that I did that!

I was really impressed by how Jenna Lyons took J Crew from a somewhat staid brand to a really creative collection sold at Net-a-porter. But I don't think the fashiony things were ever driving their sales as much as their excellent essentials (nice wool etc) and I think they sort of turned off a lot of loyal customers. The quality issues seem ubiquitous at stores these days and I'm just not sure it's possible to sell the same materials at prices we can afford. But I really don't know.

7 years ago

kkards

Veteran

finally have time to comment...

i've been a jcrew shopper since they were catalogue only, although back in the day, they were an expensive, for me, brand. the over all ecstatic, classic with some preppie and some trendy, speaks to me. that being said, some seasons its more hits and others more misses. I'm impressed that Jenna Lyons lasted as long as she did....its hard to think of any other major retailer or clothing line that has had continuous design leadership that lasted that long. that being said, it is a very unsettling time in retail right now, the sands are shifting, and no one is quite certain, if and when the storm will be over.

7 years ago

LaPed

Veteran

Sterling -- I've had the same trouble with JCrew SAs being bored/rude/apathetic, or annoyed with me for returning online purchases in store. I'm glad it's not just me!

7 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

A year or so ago I ordered the utility jacket in a couple sizes. They were made for a different shape body than mine. I, too, looked very unfab. I returned them to the local store and found the SA to be very nice and helpful. Since then, the store has closed. The nearest JCrew is about 100 miles away.

7 years ago

Marilyn

Veteran

Must agree with Angie about their coats being "amazing". I have several because I need petites (hard to find) and the quality is great. I have two Regent Topcoats and every time I wear one I get compliments.

J Crew without Jenna will be weird. She's been the face of the brand for so long.

7 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

High five, Marilyn.

Have to say that I get good service from J. Crew. They never make me feel bad about returns. Staff in Seattle are fab.

7 years ago

Christina F.

Veteran

I like J. Crew. I never shopped there in the classic era, as I was a broke grad student then. Now I turn to them for coats and fun prints, and occasionally to Factory for some deals.

That said, they've had some curious design choices in recent years (anyone remember the embellished lama sweater?), and I can see how some of the more outre stuff, along with declining quality may have alienated their previous fanbase.

The problem is that, as other mention above, the declining quality issue is more widespread than J Crew and not going away any time soon. So if this was a move to fix their problems rather than a personal choice of JL's, it's probably not going to do much.JL was there during the more classic era, too. I will be glad if they stop styling the models to look like her, though! Not everyone can rock her style.

7 years ago

Karie

(website)

Veteran

I'm a huge fan of J Crew (I adore their blazers) and I'm sorry to hear that Jenna is leaving.
Viva, I hope my local J Crew Factory hasn't gone downhill like yours has. I was planning on going there in a few weeks, so we'll see...

7 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I'm hot and cold on JCrew, but this will be an interesting transition.

Big fan of their coats, but their sweaters in recent years have been a little disappointing quality-wise. Nothing else of theirs fits me -- it's all cut too straight.

7 years ago

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I've always had such good service and usually good items from jcrew, but I admit the past few years I've mostly purchased from their factory store or the Madewell "sister" company because my needs are so casual. I still have shorts from at least 8 years ago that I wear regularly from jcrew.

I do think they may need to expand their sizing options and stay focused on quality.

7 years ago

Anonymous

Angie -- I believe that in your professional role you would get great service anywhere. I don't think you are a true barometer.

7 years ago

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