Wednesday, March 23, 2011

A new J.Crew skirt, and an alarming 90% decrease in profits for J.Crew

Alright, so perhaps I'm being overly eager with this summery outfit, considering this is the weather forecast where I live:

Depressing!
But, my new J.Crew Factory skirt came in the mail today, and I wanted to share it with you:

(why yes, that is the shirt/earring combo in my header image!)
Shirt: H&M, XS
Belt: Vera Wang Simply Vera, S
Skirt: J.Crew Factory, sz 0 (here)

I got this "cinnabar" skirt for a great price- about $30 during this past weekend's sale, which I paid for with  leftovers on a J.Crew gift card. The 18" length is short enough to be flattering on a petite, but long enough to wear without worries of exposing the unexposable. I styled it in a classic/vintage-inspired outfit with a retro thick black waist belt, and a boatneck striped tee. The skirt's quality is decent, but not as good as would be expected from the regular J.Crew store: it is extremely wrinkle-prone and relatively simple in structure. I like its simplicity, however, and the texture is nice and smooth. The elastic waist fits perfectly- definitely petite friendly, which isn't that common for J.Crew!
 
 (I wore these shoes from Clarks on the bottom, but for some reason the stripes on my shirt were oddly distorted unless I cropped the image.)
*   *   *

While browsing my blog feed this afternoon, I came across this alarming post from blogger Alexis at J.Crew Aficionada. In it, she quotes an article discussing the 90% decrease in J.Crew's income during their last quarter. The question surrounding this decrease is why? Personally, I think it's because the brand is alienating their loyal customers that admire the brand for its classic style, by introducing funky styles that go beyond updating into re-inventing. A perfect example is these...pants?...from my older post about J.Crew:

Hmmm. I'm not against the brand updating its look, but pieces like these are too far for a brand that prides (prided?) itself on classic American style. I feel like this re-invention may be what led to the crazy drop in profits.

Why do you think J.Crew's profits decreased by 90%?

*ShortBlonde*

6 comments:

kSm said...

You hit the nail over the head! I miss the classic J.Crew.

C said...

The skirt looks lovely on you. I don't think I've come across it online, but will have to keep it in mind.

I've heard a lot of people lament about J.Crew's glory years (circa 2005-2007, I believe). That was before I got into J.Crew, but if their catalogs are any indication, they should definitely bring back those pieces!

Carley said...

You are too adorable!! I LOVE that skirt and the old crew!! I miss critter shorts!

Hillary said...

i love that skirt! the color is beautiful. as for j.crew, alot of their new funky stuff is crazy expensive too. makes you wonder what market they're targeting.

Simple Subtle Style said...

Cute skirt!

I think J.Crew is priced too high. It seems like they're trying to move towards a more luxury brand. Have you noticed that too?

Anonymous said...

you've been mentioned in my latest post!☺