I added a glossary of J.Crew colors to the blog. You will find it on the right, under the Fit glossary. Of course, each person views color differently but I’ve done my best to describe each shade I have on hand. I tried to do this without using words that require further description themselves, which is more diffucult than it sounds lol.
The glossary list each color alphabetically. First after the shade is a description of it’s depth or intensity. Deep means a saturated or darker color but don’t think of this as blackened. Light is a pale shade, i.e. a color with more white. Mid-toned is in the middle of Deep and Light. Occasionally, I will list a color as mid-deep. This means it is on the cusp or mid-toned and deep. The saturation may vary with the fabric.
Next, I’ve listed the Undertone the hue has. The undertone describes what color can be seen through the primary shade. For example: J.Crew’s Plum is a mid-deep pinked purple. This means a purple that has a pink cast. Keep in mind though that this does not mean the color reads as it’s undertone, it is merely a tinge.
Lastly, I have listed what the color may also be known or described as. For example, Regal Purple is a blue with a slight purple undertone also known as Royal blue.
In case you are curious, I used the Online Auction color chart to help me classify the depth and undertone of each shade. If you have never seen one, you can find the chart HERE
I hope you find the Color glossary somewhat useful. I will continue to update as I add new shades to my closet.
That is awesome! I love JCrew’s color names, but sometimes they’re too creative and I don’t know what exactly they mean (cerise? persimmon?). Thanks, Shannon!
This is FANTASTIC Shannon! Thanks for all your hard work keeping us informed about J.Crew merchandise…you rock!
Great idea–I know that clothing and cosmetics companies traditionally use a lot of artistic license in their color names, but some of these recent choices seem creative to the point of being . . . uninformed. (Kind of like calling the sheath dresses "shifts" or referring to a non-bloused sleeve as a "blouson sleeve.") For example, the dictionary definition of "cerise" (cherry) is "moderate to deep red," which is what one thinks of as a cherry red. But J.Crew's Cerise is a bright reddish orange. ???
One point of potential confusion, though, is describing the Plum as "violet"–I assume this is based on the book? I mention this because J.Crew offered both Plum and Violet this fall, and they're very different colors.
IMO J.Crew's Plum has a lot more red and pink than the Violet, which in the cashmere was a bright royal purple with a lot of blue (but still a true purple). In the sweaters, I think the difference in the names accurately captured the difference in the colors.
(Of course, in the case of the Fleur shoes I sent back, the "Violet" was actually royal blue, even more blue than the Regal Purple.)
I think the color glossary is a great idea, and thanks for doing this. If only there had been a glossary entry for "Chestnut" before I purchased my "monkey $#@&" suit . . .
Thanks Hex, I will edit that! I had the hardest time describing Plum and the difference between it and Peony. I’ve been trying to think of a better description.
I initially thought of plum as a pinked purple but then I compared it to Peony and that changed my mind or confused it lol.
Also the plum matched up with the blue based page on my chart. Hmm, what about a “pinked blue based bright purple” Does that sound more accurate?
Gah, I just got my sherbet crackle metallic Mary Janes, and rather than being a silvery pink they are a coppery peach! I wish I’d had your glossary!
Totally different than the picture. They were from a reputable eBay seller so it *theoretically* is possible that they were a sample of a color that was ultimately not produced, but given that I’ve recently had to return two pairs of Crew shoes for color not being as depicted it seems to be par for the course.
Ok, I think I have it sorted now. I updated the Plum to Mid to Deep pinked purple and the Peony to deep reddened purple.
If anyone notices any other mistakes or confusions, let me know
Peach, wth!? They look clearly pink. What a bummer, I’m sorry
Shannon, what a splendid idea! Thank you so much for posting the color guide, it is an indespensible tool as clearly color differs from catalogue to on-line to real life!
This is great.
Would love to have you decode the whole range of beiges: the puttys, almonds, etc.
I prefer grayed or pinky beiges by my face, but most of the colors this year have tended toward the camel and yellow shades.
Hi Mary, I will keep an eye out for the beiges. I added stone, champagne, and snow for now
Thanks, Shannon. Big help, and will probably be even more important in the spring when they always bring out lots of beiges.
Hex-
These shoes are definitely copper/pink-they look great with slate grey, off white, licorice tee in pink (salmon), heather wheat shades etc. but just FYI-you got the real deal. Also–this shoe is the same color as Metallic Guava Thompson Tote (which I happen to LOVE!)HTH! Awesome this Spring to!
Shannon-meant to tell you the color coding is wonderful! Much appreciated–keep up the great work:)