Madewell vs. J Crew?

ironkurtin

Madewell leaves me cold. Fabrics and cuts just do not work for me, and I find their prices scary for what they are. I do much better at J Crew. Am I just too old for Madewell?

13 years ago

Shopping

8 replies

Latest reply was from Jonesy

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I love Madewell for others! It's too casual for my own style, but the looks are good I think. A little pricey, though :(. You are not at all too old for Madewell. It's just not your store.

I prefer J. Crew (minus the current cropped pants epidemic). The colours and dressier fabrications are more my look.

I love Club Monaco. But I have to be in a neutral mood because they don't do colour.

13 years ago

rae

(website)

Veteran

I really appreciated the service at Madewell vs. J Crew. Two SAs helped, one with the trench and one with jeans. Both went above and beyond (checking on sizes and water resistance status) and were knowledgeable about all the stores products, how they wear, the fabric contents, etc. Whenever I've gone to Gap, they've known nothing. J Crew was helpful, but just average IMO.

As far as quality, I fell in love with a few different items while I was at Madewell. A citron top and a citron prism sweater. They both seemed like items I could easily find at J. Crew (though the prices would also be found at J. Crew). It is definitely a more casual store - but for many things this was a good thing. More items seemed to resist wrinkles at Madewell, at least, like the dresses I touched and the wideleg, linen-like jeans I tried on.

13 years ago

Anonymous

I've never heard of Madewell until Rae posted yesterday. About J Crew, I seem to have a love/hate relationship with them. I used to be a loyal customer and bought many items, especially sweaters. Over time, I realized that the quality was at par with other stores charging a bit less ( for instance I used to buy their cashmere but realized that Lord and Taylor had better quality and better prices, IMO), so I drifted away. I no longer buy cashmere, as my taste just changed. So J Crew faded along with my cashmere obsession.

Since Angie posted the "popo" outfit, J Crew came back to mind. I was there sometime last week and the customer service was really great. The SA was super honest. They also seem to have a concierge service that helps you locate out of stock or sale items. I could have bought the entire store by the way.

13 years ago

cciele

Veteran

I don't know much about Madewell -- is it supposed to be a less pricey sister brand of J Crew? Is it a Banana Republic vs GAP kind of relationship?

13 years ago

Dashrashi

Veteran

Madewell is more the younger sister rather than the less pricey sister of J. Crew. It's much more difficult to find business-formal-appropriate pieces at Madewell than at J. Crew. I'd say the relationship is more roughly akin to the relationship between Free People and Anthropologie: similar aesthetic, similar pricing, but the former is more casual and skews "younger" than the latter.

13 years ago

JennyAnne

(website)

Veteran

I've never been in a Madewell, but now I'm intrigued. I really enjoy shopping at J Crew. I find there sizing very consisten, and most things fit me well. I love having a store that I can order "my size" online and pretty well know that it will fit. Whether I'll like the style on me is another issue.

13 years ago

christieanne

Veteran

I was checking out accessories and shoes (they have a rainbow of pretty pointy flats) at Madewell website this week. I thought they looked more like jcrew USED to look. More basics, a little less fashion-y if that makes sense.
I didn't realize they were sister companies.

13 years ago

Jonesy

Veteran

To me, Madewell is a teeny bit trendier (e.g., the collaboration with Alexa Chung), more casual, and younger, whereas J. Crew is slightly more "old money preppy" if that makes any sense.

13 years ago

Category