I was browsing my mammoth bead catalog this week when I came across a silver starfish bead. A little more flipping and I found some turquoise rounds and coral pieces. Suddenly I realized my life was empty without a sea life necklace. I’m not sure what has come over me, this type of jewelry is usually not my style. I think I have finally caved to J.Crew’s critter craze.
I am not normally into critter items. Despite how cute they are on other bloggers, I am not remotely tempted by the latest zebra or crawfish tees. There is one critter item that I think back on wistfully.. The grey dog cardigan shown below. I remember seeing it pop up on final sale late last year and I secretly wanting it. I wasn’t quite prepared though to show my spectacularly preppy side, so I let it go. If you see one pop up online, let me know!
So, what do you think of J.Crew’s critter compulsion. Perfectly preppy or passé?
While many of the critter items are a complete miss for me (this year’s sequin bug t-shirt for example). Some of the critter items, such as last year’s seahorse bangle and the current seahorse t-shirt, I completely love. For me, I would have to say ‘almost perfectly preppy’. I would have voted ‘perfectly preppy if they would have produced a sequin seahorse t-shirt instead of the bug
i am not crazy on critters on tees or sweaters, but i love, love jewelry with it.
shannon, i love your blog!
ina
It’s hit or miss for me. I have the heather gray t-shirt with the beaded dogs on it, this one right here and I love it- I get so many compliments when I wear it.
But some of the cutesy stuff with lobsters? Eh, it doesn’t really do anything for me.
Is that a Shrimp tee? haw haw haw
I TRY to love the critter stuff. I just can’t wear anything alive on my chest. It looks too young on me as I am a petite one. It all looks great on the page and on others, just not for me. I even gave up on wearing my beaded crest tee anywhere but around the house because of the horse on the top.
I really love the colors of the beetle tee, alas it will not be mine.
Critter items are a complete miss for me. I think that they are so cute on others…including others in the blog community. They are just not cute on me. Now I would possibly consider some of the jewelry. But a tshirt with a sequin zebra, shrimp, or beetle on my chest, no thanks.
I am head over heels over everything critter. If I could, I’d own every piece. Don’t know why.:))
I like some of the critter items. I too have the beaded dog t-shirt and I have a sweater with a scottie dog on it (several years old). Those items I love, but these new ones with shrimp! Who thought of those? Not for me!
I am slightly envious of the smart people who purchased the storybook charm bracelet and deconstructed it for necklaces (what a great idea). Those “critters” are cute!
Critters are cute!
I especially love the dalmatians on my wellies:)
I liked the elephant shirt from last year. It’s super cute.
I have the seahorse tee and I love it, it doesn’t stand out like the beaded ones do.
As you said Shannon it is not just J Crew who has critters I have seen them at ON, and at other places, and in cataloqs.
I’ll buy critters! Jewelry, tees etc. For me they seem more summery and East Coast. It depends on where I’m going and my mood but I do like them. They’ve been around awhile and probably will keep coming back in one form or another. With the Miss Trish line coming to Target, I think we may see more at places like ON, F21 etc. Fun post – love your blog
I saw the dog/argyle cardigan on final sale either yesterday or this morning! I think only a szM was available…
I’m not too into critters, but I do have a weird interest in lobsters. It’s a growing up on south shore of MA / vegetarian thing, I guess? I have a (non-jcrew) screenprinted tee of a lobster playing with a ball of yarn.
I did not buy the (in)famous jcrew lobster ruffle skirt b/c the length was all wrong for me, but I kind of regret it… I probably could have shortened it and used the remnants to make a belt or headband. Alas…
-Heather
i love critters and starfish are my favorite. i can’t wait to see what you create with these beads! keep us posted!
Been a critter fan for over 8 1/2 years. I don’t like the ones this year’s ones at all (I don’t count the zebra tee that is just annoying and ugly and not a cute critter) but I have many critter items I wear from years past. I absolutely adore them:)
Did I miss the seahorse tee??
Ina- thank you!
Jeff- Please call it by it’s posh name, crawfish. Lmao
Purples- Me too! I hope to come across a storybook bracelet someday. That was a brilliant idea by Slastena
Starla- I think most who see these beads will think I am crazy. I admit, it’s going to take a little finesse to keep it from looking like a necklace from the aquarium gift shop lol! I think I am going to do a long double-strand in turquoise with a cluster of coral just on one side
Anon-poor zebra lol
I am hot and cold with the idea of “critters” and clothing. I LOVE the critter jewelry, but am a little leary of khakis with critters on them. I think it all depends!
Critters sewn on clothes is a total no-no for me. Kind of goes against the feeling on anonymity I like to have about where I purchase my clothes. While the critter tee’s are cute and cute on others, I feel uncomfortable wearing them. I’m kind of passed the embellished tee thing altogether right now.
I am a critter fan, especially the martini glasses!
Shannon, on a related note, I made a pearl bracelet that combined the look of the pearl cluster and pearl garden bracelets. My assistant said it looked like an “undersea garden,” so I am trying a variation in cooler blues, greens, and crystal, along with a little dangling Swarovski blue crystal starfish.
That sounds gorgeous Hex! I got swarovski pearls today to make a cluster necklace. I also ordered everything for an onyx bubble necklace but the darn discs that hold the cabochons are too small. I guess that project will have to wait until next week
(
I love the beaded tees & jewlery but don't really go for the embroidered khakis.
I saw that Critter dog cardigan on final sale last year and bought it, despite thinking I would never wear it. Well I LOVE it and wear it all the time. Definitely get it if you see it on ebay.
Shannon: Alright, crawfish . . . haha
I can't really wrap my head around any of these designs btw. I mean, a crawfish? a duck? What would we see in the near future? A snail, a platypus, a gorilla? Oh, how about a fruit?
Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing someone with a sequined gorilla face on their shirts. Bring on the sequined apples, oranges, rocks & gorilla faces.
Anon-I saw one on Ebay, for $150! Crazy!
Jeff-Lmao @ sequin rocks. I can see JC pulling that one.