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03/14
we asked our superstylist and in-house culture maven, Gayle,
to tell us a few of her favorite things. and no, she didn’t sing them to us
Sound of Music–style (we tried, we promise).
1. Ritter Sport chocolate
“My sustenance—I would live on this if I could.”
2. Glass cylinders
“Glassblowing was my absolute passion—I did it every weekend for eight years.”
3. 92nd Street Y
“My home away from home. I’ve seen everyone here, from philosopher and civil rights activist
Cornel West to famous economist Alan Greenspan.”
4. Colorful masking tape
“My anything and everything. I use it to add some whimsy to some of my more old-school pastimes: handmade birthday cards, wrapping paper and letters to friends.”
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02/15
we spoke to our superstylist, Gayle
(who got up at 3am to prep for the show!), about her
beautiful beauty inspiration for fall 2012…
“This season we wanted to let the models be the canvas for our colorful fall collection, so we kept their faces clean and polished. We started with dewy skin and bare eyes and finished with a lip color by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics that’s almost like berries on steroids—an ever-so-slight dab gives off a wonderfully intense pigment.”
A few tools of the trade:
–Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Queen
–NARS Shadow Pencils in Goddess and Skorpios
–RMS Beauty Living Luminizer
“Hair was kept sleek and smooth, with a deep side part and a low ponytail. It’s something that anyone can pull off and do themselves.”
“The bottom line? Don’t overthink it this season—or better yet, don’t let them think you did.” -
11/30
some of the creative minds behind our catalog
share their favorite moments from over the years…
Sheilini, Catalog Art Director:
March 2008
“This is the front cover image of the catalog—we shot at Richard Neutra’s iconic 1946 Kaufmann House in Palm Springs. The house in the background was the perfect backdrop for the model sitting at the edge of the pool—it set the tone for things to come. And it was shot at night! How cool is that?”
Jack, Men’s Stylist:
June 2008
“This was shot in Morocco with British model and amateur boxer Will Chalker. We had a tight color palette of khaki, olive, white and orange, which worked perfectly in the desert. It was also one of our last catalogs shot with film, so the photos have a very ’60s cinematic feel.”
Gayle, Women’s Stylist:
Fall 2003
“My all-time favorite was the Ireland catalog. It truly marked J.Crew’s new beginning with Mickey and Jenna at the helm!” -
09/16
our beauty experts share their tricks of the trade
We wanted the girls to appear almost like
soldiers—a uniform of perfect, flawless skin with
slicked-back hair and a pop of color on the lips…
—Gayle, our stylist
Inspired by Vanessa Beecroft installations and the color of New Zealand peonies, we wanted the girls to appear almost like soldiers—a uniform of perfect, flawless skin with slicked-back hair and a pop of color on the lips. The look created a blank canvas for the clothes, letting them speak for themselves.
Fun fact: While each model’s lip color appeared to be the same shade, each color was custom-mixed for each girl to compliment her exact skin tone.
Getting the look:
FACE: Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer and a bit of luminizer on the cheekbones and on the bow of the lips give a flawless, mannequin-like complexion.
CHEEKS: A very light touch of Stila cream cheek color in Gerbera.
EYES: Leave completely bare; curly eyelashes (thanks to a curler) are all that are needed.
LIPS: Mix Kryolan aqua-color pigment in fluorescent pink and orange.
Tip: To keep the color creamy, moisturize lips first. We used Dr. Kiss lip moisturizer.
HAIR: A sleek, tight ponytail: Gather hair into a taut ponytail, then wrap a section of the hair (enough to cover the band) and fasten with a bobby pin. A touch of Elnett hair spray and pomade helps smooth the hair and keep the ponytail sleek. -
08/30
we’re playing favorites with this look
(concocted by our superstylist Gayle, of course…)
1. The cashmere boyfriend cardigan
2. The sash skirt
3. Our Biella patent loafers
(The best extras? A smattering of peekaboo stripes and a cross-body saddle bag.) -
07/22
our ultimate transitional frock paired
with our latest lipstick obsession
I love the tonal quality of the floral
dress palette against the dusty lilac lip.
–Gayle, our superstylist
Along with our go-to Maisie dress, we spied a new lipstick shade on the pages of the August catalog—so we asked our superstylist and lipstick aficionada, Gayle, to divulge her usually best-kept secret. The perfect shade for late summer that will transition into fall? Illamasqua’s Liv. If you prefer a bolder look try our new Poppy King for J.Crew lipstick that plays just as nice with this dress. -
06/27
We asked a few of our insiders who their
style icons are, plus how they’re channeling
them with our warm-weather items
1. Frank, our in-the-know head of men’s design
“Alain Delon in Purple Noon…hands down!”
—A long-sleeve indigo-stripe crewneck
2. Jenna, our always-chic creative director
Slim Keith
—J.Crew gladiator sandals and a café capri in bright red with a crisp shirt
3. Gayle, our superstylist extraordinaire
Lauren Hutton
—A crisp white J.Crew perfect shirt with oversize vintage Levi’s®
4. Jack, our do-it-all men’s stylist
David Byrne
—“White on white on white!”
5. Jenny, our head crewcuts design whiz
“Audrey Hepburn in her polka-dot bikini”
—J.Crew’s high-waisted polka-dot bikini with matching halter top and a men’s blue oxford shirt
(image credits: 1, 2, 4, 5) -
05/13
1. Our photographer snaps one of the five looks Lauren Hutton and Mirabelle chose to represent their respective weekend styles.
2. A selection of shoes that were handpicked by Lauren and Mirabelle.
3. The hair and makeup station—where beauties come to get beautified.
4. Our camera-shy stylist, Gayle, looking chic as ever in a look we like to call urban hunter/gatherer.
5. Lauren poses on set while the crew carefully manages the atmosphere.
6. A final shot that made it into the feature.
7. Mirabelle’s amazing collection of jewelry, including pieces picked up on trips to India and Greece.
8. Images used as inspiration for the lighting, look and feel of the shoot.(post by Ashley Sargent Price and Alison Griffin)
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05/05
1. The black blousanna top
2. Our khaki café trouser
3. Classic white Tretorns®
(A poppy lip and cool shades are the just-right punctuation to any neutral-hued ensemble.) -
04/01
Our resident beauty and style gurus reveal how to get the look from our J.Crew fall ’11 press presentation.
“We wanted the girls to look fresh, clean and dewy…The skin was left almost bare with just a slick of polish on the cheekbones, the bow of the lip and the eyelids. For a soft flush of color; the lips were matted out with foundation first and then with a pop of pink or melon just at the center parting of the lips. The brow’s were filled in and brushed up for a totally natural look with the eyelids left almost totally clean…a warm shadow for definition and just a curl of the eyelashes with one coat of mascara.”
Give hair a fluffy dry texture with a slight bump at the crown, then gather hair into a ponytail keeping hair loose over ears for a pretty profile. The finishing touch on each girl’s ponytail was a J.Crew tortoise barrette!
Face: Laura Mercier Primer & MAC Strobe Cream.
Cheeks: Stila Convertible Color in Gerbera & Petunia for cheeks.
Eyes: Laura Mercier Rose Gold Metallic Creme and a slick of Vaseline with Mabelline Great Lash Mascara.
Lips: MAC Lip Erase, MAC PRO OJ & Genuine Orange lip pencil or Make-up Forever 18C lip pencil.
(post by Sarah Belhumeur and Gayle)
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