I do not have much experience with the fit of J.Crew’s cotton pants either. I usually pass them by in the store because in the past, I have had a real hard time finding a good waist and hip fit in their capris and cords. I definitely need some lightweight pants for spring though. The Chinos and bistro pants look promising.
I have bought or tried on several of J.Crew’s pencil skirts. The wool herringbone, double-serge, silk, cotton suiting to name a few and I’ve found that most of them are true to size and very flattering. In fact I love them all. Once dd starts kindergarten I may look for a job outside the home just so I have a reason to buy up all the pencil skirts.
But back to the post topic..
What are your favorite wear to work pieces from J.Crew?
Which J.Crew colors do you find most versatile for a work wardrobe?
If you can include brief info on the sizing of your favorites, that would be wonderful!
Here are some of my favorite J.Crew pieces for work –
http://christinasfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2009/01/favorite-thing-106-victoria-ruffle.html
http://christinasfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2008/12/favorite-thing-96-jcrew-merino.html
http://christinasfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2008/02/favorite-thing-16-jcrews-jackie.html
I get almost all of my suits from JCrew and work in place where i have to wear suits to work most days. They fit TTS for me – that is to say, I get tops in XS (blouses and shirts, especially, like the Victoria Ruffle blouse), therefore, the suit jackets I get in XS as well. In the bottoms, i usually get a 2, which is the same size i take in pants/skirts in JCrew. I’m 5’7″ and most of the time, i have to have the pants hemmed at least a bit, otherwise, I can’t wear them with flats or low heels. Of all the JCrew suiting, Super 120 is my favorite. It’s light (especially good for humid summers) and doesn’t wrinkle as much. I am not as big a fan of wool gabardine, which I think wrinkles quite a lot. Everything else is fine too.
I love my black wool crepe suit. The matte texture is really unique and drapes rather well. However, since it is an open weave, it does have the tendency to collect lint. I’m probably in the minority here, but am not a big fan of the super 120s blazer.. the stitching on the lapel looks unfinished and cheap IMHO. Love the 120s suiting dresses though.
I have the stretch wool suiting, wool crepe, flannel, and super 120s. I like them all and find their sizing very consistent with other pieces from J. Crew. I think I have a total of 6 or 7 suits from J. Crew.
I’m an 8 in pants and this is true for suiting as well. All of the pants I have are city fit. I’ve found that the favorite fit doesn’t fit me as well. It just doesn’t lay right around the zipper and pockets. I’ve tried different size pants and it didn’t help at all so city fit it is for me.
I’m usually a 10 or 12 in blazers/jackets due to my broad shoulders. My suit jackets are all 10s and fit beautifully.
Hope this helps someone!!
Trilby & boxers, the essentials.
I’ve never seen the 120′s fabric in person. How does it compare to Theory’s “tailor” fabric? I find “tailor” doesn’t wrinkle very easily at all, and lint just doesn’t stick to it. It’s great.
I have a number of J.Crew suits, and I particularly like the suiting dresses. I prefer the 120s fabric, though I also have a couple of suits in the wool crepe. As Jill noted, the crepe does seem to collect lint (why I EVER allowed a white cat in the house I’ll never know!).
I find the suiting runs TTS . . .I should say TTS for J.Crew. I have a small waist so I have to get tailored pants and skirts taken in at the waist anyway, but compared to other brands I think J.Crew suiting runs extra-large in the waist and a little skimpy in the thighs and fanny. Also, I think the shoulders in the suiting jackets run smaller than other J.Crew jackets. IMO J.Crew is cut more for a rectangle than an hourglass, but a few alterations take care of any fit issues.
I’ve found the suiting dress fit to be inconsistent lately. For several years I was reliably a 6P but lately I’ve had to try several sizes to find the size that works and I seem to be taking a 4 R. At certain times of year I work horrible hours–yet have to be dressed professionally–and I like the simplicity of wearing a suiting dress to work.
J.Crew suiting is hit or miss for me. It all fits will in terms of waist and hip fit in the pants and skirts and shoulder and waist fit in the jackets. However, I sometiems question their quality. I was wearing a wool crepe suit for a job interview at a large law firm, and I went into the bathroom before my interview. Before I walked out I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed that the hem of my skirt was hanging down. I had only worn the skirt a few times before, so I was very disappointed. When I took the skirt to the tailor to get it hemmed, they informed me that the skirt had been hemmed with seaming tape and that it didn’t actually have a sewn seam. To me, that was unacceptable, given the price and the representations J.Crew makes about its quality. So, with that said, the J.Crew suiting feels good on and looks professional, but I have some serioius reservations about the quality of the garments.
This is my favorite topic:
Things from JCrew great for work:
1) suits: they fit well and they last forever
2) cashmere sweaters: easy to wear and in the darker colors look very professional
3) jackie cardigan: get the thicker cotton or cashmere/cotton blend. You can easily throw this on over a matching shell (twinsets may be old school, but look professional), or a button down shirt.
4) fun silk shell: J crew comes up with a thousand sleeveless silk tops that look great under suits
Not so great for work that you would think would be great:
) and don’t wrinkle.
1) dream sweater material: the blend in it makes you carry around a permanent lint roller
2) Kelly shirt: Honestly, I prefer Brooks Brothers non-wrinkle. The ones from BB don’t gap, have extra material so you can pin to prevent gaping (if you’re extra busty like me
I am fortunate in having some freedom in what I can wear to work, and in any case J.Crew suiting is too large for me. I will say that ever since I started buying J.Crew cashmere there have been winters where I have worn it EVERY day in some form. I think it is a great investment as it is warm, lightweight and comes in so many colors and styles. I also wear some of the pretty Liberty shirts and have also been able to wear some of the non-suiting skirts eg silk dupioni and similar as separates. Cashmere dresses have also been useful pieces that can be made work appropriate with tights, boots and a nice coat and lightweight scarf (I am a surgeon – all these pieces are under a white coat). Hope this helps!
stretch wool charcoal grey (“heather carbon”) pencil skirt, or the stretch donegal tweed pencil = essential.
I also find jackie cardigans/twinsets to be great for work. I often break them up by doing a turtleneck or tee under the shell, or a button down or tee with the cardi.
-Heather
Great topic, Shannon! I work in a very traditional office where business attire is expected. I am a huge fan of J. Crew’s wool crepe suiting pieces. The material drapes so well, and I have not noticed a problem with wrinkling. In fact, I’d say the wool crepe is rather maintenance free. I own two pencil skirts and two jackets (one one-button jacket and one two-button jacket) in light almond (or, maybe it’s called putty…can’t recall) and black. I wear the skirts with cardigans, Jackie cardigan twin sets, blouses, pullovers, etc. I love the tailoring of the jackets. I wear a size 6 in the jackets and a 4 in the skirts. I don’t like the jackets to feel too tight around the shoulders and back. I wear a 4 in most other J.Crew items. I’d like to try the wool crepe pants sometime, too. I also have a lovely herringbone J. Crew jacket that I like to wear with other separates.
I love J.Crew suiting and will be buying the superfine cotton separates with the 20% promo.
Although I have to wear suits I’ve managed to work the double-serge skirts into my wardrobe with a little finesse on more casual days when I am not meeting clients or people whose titles begin with the letter “C”.
As far as cotton pants go, my favorite from jcrew are the madison stretch chinos. They are not nearly as fitted on me as they are on the model, making them perfect for both casual and business attire.
Forgot to mention that I wear Madison stretch chinos to work, as well. In the darker colors, they are great for work. Mine have all held up well in the wash.
I have had the same fit problem with the city fit pants. My solution is to fit them to my hips and then take them to the tailor to have the gap in the waist (at the back) taken in. It is a $26 fix in my area (Mill Valley, CA)
I’ve been wearing jcrew suits for a long time. I also find that the sizing is inconsistent. I’m a little bit taller than 5 ft 3 and the petites are hit or miss. Some fit wonderfully, and others make me look like I’m wearing a little boys jacket. The pants usually fit true to (jcrew) size. I love how the wool crepe feels but it collects a lot of lint. My favorite is the super 120s. i wear a number of jcrew sweaters under my jackets, esp. the jackie and the lea. i’ve never been a fan of jcrew button downs and prefer brooks brothers non wrinkle fitted shirts.
I love all the JCrew suits..especially the cotton ones during the summer and the 120′s. Although recently their jackets are getting a little “cropped” for my taste. I swear by their pencil skirts. Whenever I have meetings where I can wear business casual, my uniform is always a JCrew Pencil skirt/trousers, cardigan, and belt. I always get compliments and I love how all of their items go together so well.