May 2013
9 posts
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Gatsby Fever
we admit, for months we’d been counting
down the days leading up to the release of Baz Luhrmmann’s The Great Gatsby. in honor of the movie’s debut and our soon-to-be-released CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund capsule collections, we’re taking a look back at last fall’s Fashion Fund competition—a finalist challenge sponsored by Tiffany & Co. that fittingly asked the designers for their own take on Gatsby...
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To Market, To Market
a weddings & parties shoot warrants flowers—lots of them. we tagged along with our set designer Tracy on a recent trip to New York City’s flower district (the inspiration for this month’s shoot) to learn just why you shouldn’t arrive at the market later than 7am and why Tracy never travels without her pink gardening clippers…
IN FULL BLOOM “I’ve been coming to Dutch Flower and G. Page for...
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Star Wars All-Stars
to celebrate our latest crewcuts tee collaboration with Lucasfilm, we spent a Sunday morning with Star Wars™ fanatics (and fans-to-be) in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood. here’s a look at some of the action on set…
Have you ever been part of a photo shoot before? “I don’t do this normally, no.” I heard you had blue hair yesterday. “Yes, it was striped, but my mom made me wash it out, though.” ...
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Punk’s Cool
known to some as one of the biggest parties on the calendar, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute Gala this year included a sneak peek of the exhibition PUNK: Chaos to Couture (it runs through August 14th so make sure to take a look yourself if you’re local). prep started early in our office with a custom J.Crew outfit (and jewels) that Jenna designed herself. the...
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Bottled Genius
a few spritzes of Lavett&Chin® Original sea/salt texturizing mist, and suddenly these ladies in our office have Greek goddess-y, beachy waves—without a shoreline in sight.
The Backstory Hairdresser-turned-stylist Brent Lavett is one half of Lavett&Chin (the other half is his partner, Nan Chin), and he knows great hair when he sees it. He grew up in Southern California and began...
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To Mom, With Love
thirst for adventure? check. a simple, understated style? check, check. Farrah Fawcett–inspired locks? well, maybe not nowadays, but that doesn’t make these women (the beautiful mothers of some of our very own colleagues) any less inspiring. here, a tribute in pictures…
Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 12th. Explore our Mother’s Day Shop here.
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A Moment with…Nellystella®
once we discovered Nellystella, a line of charming children’s wear (imagine the kind of fanciful creations little girls might design for themselves), we just couldn’t keep it to ourselves. we caught up with Taipei-based designer Nelly Chen on her recent visit to New York to meet the newest member of the crewcuts family…
Designer Nelly Chen is wearing our flower lattice necklace and was...
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Test Drive: Tanner Goods™ Camera Bag
we had fashion photographer Hans Neumann try out our new Tanner Goods camera bag during a scouting trip in upstate New York. we wanted to see how this heavy-duty canvas bag from our In Good Company partner really looks (and fares) out in the field…
About Hans: Hans hails from the south—way south—as in Lima, Peru, where he studied law before embarking on a career as a photographer. In...
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Sneak Peek: Show and Tell
as we get ready to launch our capsule collections with this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner and runners-up, we’re giving you a glimpse into their own creative spaces and what inspires them most. (psst, there’s more to come in the weeks ahead…)
Photography by Bryan Derballa Check back here as we count down to our capsule launches on May 22nd for details on how to...
April 2013
9 posts
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Put Your Best Foot Forward
a trip to NYC, a J.Crew shopping spree and a tour of the Vogue offices? yes please…
Pin your shoe story here for a chance to win. Follow us on Pinterest.
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Studio Tour: Chris Benz
in the six years since designer Chris Benz left J.Crew to launch his own clothing line, he has quickly made a name for himself in the fashion world, dressing everyone from girl-about-town Lola Schnabel to Sasha Obama (who wore a Chris Benz hand-me-down from her sister). this spring, he partnered with London bag maker The Cambridge Satchel Company® to design his own range...
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Origin of the Species: J.Crew Collection Mercado...
a look at the inspiration behind our most special and unique designs…(we like to think of it as natural style selection.)
The Inspiration Our women’s stylist, Gayle, spotted this intricate handwoven jacket (it’s traditionally worn as part of laborers’ uniforms) at the famous Casa de Artes market in La Antigua, Guatemala, while shooting our June ’10 Style Guide. “The colors and the sense of...
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Walk This Way
oftentimes, our In Good Company partnerships stem from a love affair we’ve had with a brand well before we started working with it. case in point: Stubbs & Wootton®. more than a few of us have been known to stockpile multiple pairs of its slippers in our closets. here, a look at our personal favorites (you’ll even spot a cheeky pair that Stubbs created especially for us).
Photographs by...
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Smells like…J.Crew
some of our favorite scents come straight from lovely husband-and-wife duo David and Kavi Moltz in Brooklyn: D.S. & Durga, a brand that we’ve carried in select stores as part of our In Good Company collection for the past few years. the next natural step in the relationship? designing a custom scent exclusive to J.Crew.
MEET DAVID David Moltz of D.S. & Durga moves fast. Within 10...
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A Moment with…Nick Brown of Soludos®
we checked in with one of the biggest heat-seeking ambassadors we know, Nick Brown of Soludos, as he gets ready to head west for Coachella. we caught up with him to see what he’s packing in his bag (chambray shirts and white denim), how he’s keeping his footwear game in check (denim stripe espadrilles) and what’s on his playlist for the weekend…
How did the idea for Soludos come about? I grew...
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Prop Master
for our latest J.Crew Collection lookbook, our ace set designer Tracy, was inspired by the clothing’s laser-cut edges, hot-pink lace and embroidered details to create modern backdrops that like the clothes themselves, feel like works of art.
Shop our tightly edited selection of Collection pieces here.
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Lunch Break
we took two of our men’s merchants and one blond (and delightfully English) copywriter out of the office on one of the sunniest days we’ve seen so far this spring and asked them to give the classic Ebbets Field Flannels® ball cap their own spin…
Photography by Shawn Brackbill. Shop our entire assortment of Ebbets Field for J.Crew ball caps here.
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Jenna’s Pick: the Linen V-neck Pocket Tee
our linen tee was adored by many of us, but especially Jenna, for its easy, drapey fit. after a brief hiatus, we’ve brought it back just in time for warmer weather…
Our V-neck pocket tee is made of 100% pure linen and offered in everything from classic white (Jenna’s favorite) to neon kiwi. It’s available online here.
March 2013
13 posts
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In the Kitchen with…Sarah Hoover
last year, Jenna went over to her friends Tom and Sarah’s place. it turns out that Sarah, in addition to being stunningly beautiful and talented (she works at Gagosian Gallery), is a rather good cook. she served up an icebox cake that blew Jenna’s mind—so much so, Sarah made one for us and was kind enough to share the recipe…
Your signature dessert… I love making icebox cakes! They are the...
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A Moment with…Eviana Hartman
we’ve known writer Eviana Hartman since her days as a fashion writer at Vogue magazine and followed her as she went on to design an eco-friendly line called Bodkin. for the time being, the New Yorker calls LA home and is at work on a stylish eco blog that we know will be, like her, totally inspired and charming…
Tell us about where you live in Los Angeles. In a secret pocket of Echo Park, near...
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Meet Nature Baby®
we met with Georgia and Jacob, the parents behind the New Zealand–based line of adorable organic baby clothes, to talk inspiration, natural materials and their obsession with stripes (which, of course, we happen to share)…
Tell us why you decided to start Nature Baby. When we had our first child, we fell in love with the idea that we could make beautiful and pure products for our baby—and that...
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Discover(ed): The Absinthe Necklace by Lulu Frost
for her spring/summer 2013 collection “Let’s Bring Back,” our friend and jewelry designer Lisa Salzer looked to strong female muses like Marchesa Casati, Nancy Cunard and Elsa Schiaparelli to create vintage-inspired pieces like this extra-special Absinthe necklace. (only 18 pieces are available.) we sat down and asked her for the backstory on the line’s inception…
Each piece of...
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Travel Notes: Escape to St. Barths
for our April Style Guide, our team and photographer Cass Bird hopped on a plane down to St. Barths, where they chartered a private yacht, swam in the Caribbean Sea and, in short, had the kind of enviable time that has us dreaming about warm summer days…
The crew set up base camp at the Grand Cul de Sac, a dreamy stretch of white-sand shoreline that has the prettiest light. For more...
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A Moment with…Araks Yeramyan
her lingerie has a cult following (she counts Sofia Coppola and Michelle Williams among her fans), so it’s only natural that she’d branch out into swimwear. (you’ll see that the retro-tinged styles she designed for us are reminiscent of her line’s underpinnings.) here, we check in with the Armenian designer at her downtown New York studio to talk shedding layers and...
On Our Radar: Cue the CONFETTISYSTEM
in honor of CONFETTISYSTEM’s current installation at MoMA PS1 (hello, shiny floral paradise!), we’re taking a look back at a few of our favorite props that the New York–based design duo has created for us over the years…
From blossom boughs to metallic fringe to something resembling a pineapple piñata, CONFETTISYSTEM’s MoMA PS1 exhibition, 100 Arrangements, is a wonderland of arts-and-crafts...
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Child’s Play
for the film crewcuts quiz, we asked a handful of irresistibly dressed little friends—some of whose moms and dads work here at J.Crew—to have some fun pronouncing and guessing the inspiration behind some of our newest spring colors.
Photographs by Bryan Derballa Shop our entire collection of crewcuts here. Follow our adventures with #jcrewonfilm on Instagram and Twitter.
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Suit Up: Ten Mills to Know
our signature Ludlow suit, which is meticulously crafted by skilled artisans (the process takes over 200 steps from start to finish) is available in everything from Italian oxford to Japanese chambray. here’s a quick snapshot of the mills that should be on your radar…
Explore our Ludlow Suit shop here. Follow our adventures with #jcrewonfilm on Instagram and Twitter.
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Meet Etta: A Love Story
we love shoes—and so does Jenna (she has about 289 pairs…). she takes us to Pisa, Italy, where we’ve been making our shoes for 22 years, and shows us around her very own collection…
Photographs by Bryan Derballa Shop our Italian shoe collection here. Follow our adventures with #jcrewonfilm on Instagram and Twitter.
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Locals Only
while we were in L.A. we met up with four local creative guys, gave them each a pair of our new Vans® shoes and asked them to show us around some of their favorite spots…
Mike wears a Deus Ex Machina button-down, a Splendid Mills baseball T-shirt, an Acne jean and Vans for J.Crew washed canvas sneakers in electric blue. He rides around on an Arbor skateboard (“especially after a night at the...
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A Moment with... Apolis
since 2004, Shea and Raan Parton have been designing globally conscious, stylish goods under the moniker Apolis. in addition to collaborating with them on a pair of chambray swim trunks, we recently tracked down the always-on-the-go bros for coffee in Southern California.
You recently opened a new retail and common space in LA’s Arts District. Tell us about that. “Creating a venue that brings...
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On Our Radar: After Visiting Friends
topping our weekend reading list? GQ deputy editor Michael Hainey’s new memoir, in which the author revisits the mysterious death of his father, which happened when Hainey was only six years old…
Michael Hainey, the oft suited, always stylish deputy editor of GQ magazine, makes it his business to seek out the best pieces of journalism available. But Hainey is a superb storyteller in his own...
February 2013
26 posts
In the Field: Made-in-the-U.S. Steele Canvas...
we’ve teamed up with Massachusetts-based Steele Canvas Basket Co., the latest addition to our growing roster of In Good Company partners. brothers Paul and John Lordan gave us a tour of their Chelsea factory and explained a bit more about how they’ve produced some of the sturdiest canvas products around since 1921.
BAND OF BROTHERS The family-run Steele Canvas Basket Corporation was founded in...
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Getting (Oscar) Ready
this past weekend Jenna headed to Hollywood to attend the annual Vanity Fair Oscar Party at the Sunset Tower Hotel. so what does one wear to one of the year’s hottest tickets? a custom dress of her own (J.Crew) design, of course.
Here, five of her favorite star-studded moments of the night… 1. “Having Amy Poehler introduce herself to me—and say she knew who I was—and that she was...
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A Closer Look: Our Favorite D.I.Y. Denim Moments
our women’s stylists gave some of our classic denim (included a few styles borrowed from the boys) a little makeover. the results were utterly enviable, so much so, that they ended up as part of our “Dear Denim” story. here’s a look at how they made them happen. (an added bonus: we’ve included an old standby—a D.I.Y. heart patch we first created last year.)
Give your tried-and-true denim shirt a...
Highlight Reel: Tamu McPherson
for our final look at New York Fashion Week, we caught up with Milan-based street-style photographer and Grazia.it editor, Tamu McPherson, as she turned her lens on some of the city’s prettiest subjects before heading back to Milan for the next round of shows…
Explore more of our coverage of our New York Fashion Week presentation here.
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Up/Down: This month’s J.Crew Collection
we took some of our extra-special J.Crew Collection pieces, dressed them up and then dressed them down, totally transforming the vibe. (you’ll recognize some of the prints, which we loved so much that we applied them to multiple silhouettes.) here, a few tricks from our fashion director, Gayle.
Explore our entire selection of Collection pieces here.
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Travel Notes: Beach Bliss
for our February Style Guide, we headed to the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia,
where the island’s mossy Pitons and blue waters served as a dreamy backdrop for
our weddings & parties shoot. here, a look at some of the fun on set.
To shop our entire weddings & parties collection, click here. Find out more about the Viceroy Sugar Beach hotel.
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Highlight Reel: Men’s Writer Sean Hotchkiss
days during Fashion Week are long, and running around town is standard fare. Sean started the morning off at our own fall presentation at Lincoln Center, took in next season’s collection from friend Ernest Alexander in Soho, and capped the evening off at the Michael Bastian runway show. here is how Tuesday looked through his lens.
Explore more of our...
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Highlight Reel: Jenna Lyons
in between putting the finishing touches on our own fall presentation, Jenna made the time to show her support for the likes of CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists SUNO and Wes Gordon, as well as dear friends Maria Cornejo and Joseph Altuzarra, by attending their shows. here, a closer look at her last few action-packed (and snow-dusted) days.
Photography by Bryan...
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The Close-up: Beauty Notes
the cherry on top of our fall 2013 presentation looks? the models’ head-turning hair and makeup (that lip!). here’s how to get the complete look…
The Face: Fresh and Flawless 1. Prime skin with Laura Mercier Radiance Primer mixed with moisturizer to create a clean, flawless look. 2. Dab lots of RMS Living Luminizer along the cheekbones for added definition and a...
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Spotted: New York Fashion Week Fall 2013
none other than street style photographer Tommy Ton captured a few of the stylish ladies from our women’s design team mid-laugh outside of Lincoln Center after our presentation…
Photograph by Tommy Ton for Style.com. Explore more behind-the-scenes action from New York Fashion Week here.
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Front of House
some of our favorite moments from the presentation…
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Back of House
a closer look at all the action backstage in the hours leading up to our fall 2013 presentation…
Tech Mates
as Valentine’s Day draws near, we asked some familiar faces in the crowd of our fall/winter 2013 presentation to confess—between Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram—who their favorite person to follow is. a few of our favorite answers (and Polaroids) below…
“I’m horrible at following people, but on Instagram I do love Miroslava Duma and Taylor Tomasi-Hill. Jenna Lyons is my personal style...
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The (Last-minute) Romantics
if you’re anything like us, you may have nearly forgotten that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. here, a few tips for our fellow procrastinators from some of our office lovebirds. P.S. most J.Crew stores are open until 8pm (hint, hint…).
BEST NEIGHBORHOOD BODEGA FOR FLOWERS Union Square Greenmarket, which is open until 6pm on Wednesday. BEST PLACE TO ORDER FLOWERS IF YOU’RE FEELING FLUSH Belle Fleur....
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First Look: New York Fashion Week
an exclusive look at our fall 2013 presentation. (there’s more to come…)
Winners Circle: New York Fashion Week 2013
for the latest in our CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund series, Jenna chicly braved the blizzard (in Nike® Dunks, might we add) to check out the fall collections presented by this year’s Fund winners Greg Chait of The Elder Statesman, Tabitha Simmons, and Jennifer Meyer. here, few of our favorite moments from the evening…
The ladies and gentlemen of The Elder Statesman.
Jenna gives a giant teddy bear...
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Women’s Fittings
we’re putting the finishing touches on our women’s collection in anticipation of our presentation at Lincoln Center tomorrow. here’s a look at some of the last-minute details and a glimpse of what’s to come…
Photography by Bryan Derballa.
Check back with us tomorrow as we post live first looks from our presentation at New York Fashion...
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Men’s Fittings
guys, take note, there’s no shortage of layered up fair isle coming down the pipeline for fall. follow our photo diary in the days leading up to our presentation for a sneak peek at what’s to come…
Photography by Bryan Derballa. Check back daily for behind-the-scenes glimpses of the action as we get ready for our fall 2013 presentation during New York Fashion Week on...
Venue Go-See
we’re so excited to be back at Lincoln Center for our fourth season. our team
headed uptown to scout out our newly configured space, which will host close to
100 designers over the course of the next week. here, we captured a few
quiet moments between the hustle and bustle of it all…
Photography by Bryan Derballa. Check back daily for behind-the-scenes glimpses of the action as...
