Hi ladies, I hope you don’t mind a little quick market research 
This is just for my own reference. I want to make sure I am on the same page as you when it comes to future post topics and give away prizes you would be interested in.
Please post and let me know: what are your favorite stores and shopping websites?
It does not have to be strictly women’s clothing. I’d love to hear about any stores or sites you frequently shop with.
Thanks!
In my family, you better show up to Thanksgiving dinner with your Christmas list in hand! If you try and pull any of this… “I don’t need anything”, let’s just buy for the kids”, “I just want good will towards man” you’re likely to get beaned in the forehead with a cranberry.
To make life easier on my family this year, all I want are books. I am very much a bookworm although I hate that saying! I usually read non-fiction because it’s so hard to find good fiction. I like a funny stories about people’s lives but it seems impossible to find books that are not boringly predictable and simple. Plus I can pretty much tear through a fiction book in a day. It feels like a waste of money. At least with non-fiction I’ll learn something!
Fashion (Taschen 25th Anniversary) by The Kyoto Costume Institute
“Fashion History is a fascinating excursion through the last three centuries of clothing trends. The KCI believes that “clothing is an essential manifestation of our very being” and their passion and dedication positively radiate from every page of this book. This special 25th anniversary edition has a chic new format: two volumes packaged in a slipcase.”
I’m hoping for 720 pages of fashion bliss!
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J.Crew released their Q3 earrings report this last week and showed a big increase in earnings. I love seeing one of my favorite brands doing so well but this success also made me wonder…what does this mean for consumers? Are inventory levels really low? Will we see any great holiday sales? Will the current Jenna Lyons style reign on?
I combed through the J.Crew investor’s conference call to find out what we can expect…
Quick note: The info here from J.Crew is NOT word for word. If you have ever heard Mickey answer questions on the fly, you know he may come out with 10 answers all jumbled up in one sentence. I edited to get straight to the point and give you an easier read LOL.
INVENTORY:
Merchandise margin performance was significantly better than anticipated resulting from a substantial increase in full price sell-through.
Inventories at the end of the third quarter were $224 million representing a 10% decrease versus the last year and were down 17% on a per square foot basis.
Right now we are thinking about flat invetory levels and then increases would be for Q3 of next year.
PROMOS
On promotional events, our mission in our dream, is no promotions. As you can see we are in a relatively good inventory condition, we have 17% less per square foot than we did a year ago We have always had friendly priced items throughout the year particularly in men’s, because men’s get much more value fourth quarter when buy a gift quickly get out and don’t spend too much money. So we have done that.
But unlike the promotions of the century last year, we have no over arching promotions that are meaningful and for us the environment is about so being focused on the right assortments, the right pricing upfront. I hope this doesn’t change in two or three weeks. We are also everyday looking at what the consumer is seeing out there
In terms of Cyber Monday, it’s an opportunity for us this year because last year we had a lot of difficulty. We were down for about six hours on Cyber Monday last year, so we see, obviously, an opportunity this year
I have 4 quick J.Crew reviews for you. This is the last of the items I tried on last weekend but I do have reviews to come from my online order. For those wondering, the Gathered tie front top did fit pretty well in the XXS. It definitely would have been too big in the XS. I am debating about keeping it though.. I’m not sure if it is flattering. I’ll get pics soon, so you can help me decide!
I tried this on in an XS. I really like Fair Isle patterns but didn’t find this cardigan flattering. It flattens the chest and added bulk to the waist. I also was not fond of the buttons on each side of stomach . They seem completely out of place. The cardigan has shortened sleeves and it hits higher on the waist than most JC sweaters. It hits right at the spot that makes me look disproportional and hippy. I don’t recall the fabric being itchy. It is a thick and warm knit.
I didn’t get a very good pic of this one but I wanted to share anyway so you could see the scale of the rose. The embellishment is large, awkward, and feels like it is growing out of my chest. It does not even look like a flower, just a mash of fabric in my opinion. This is a size 0 which is too big. No surprise though because I can never wear JC camis. This top is particularly wide across the waist on me. The fabric is very gold and has a pretty metallic sparkle.
This is such a pretty skirt. My 6 year old plucked it off the rack and insisted I try it on. Even though the store only had a size 4 and I knew it would be too big, I indulged her and myself lol. For a size 4, the fit was not too huge. It was big but I could probably take a 2 if I wanted to wear it low on the waist. I think I’d stick with a 0 though because I like pencil skirts to sit on the natural waist. I am holding the skirt up behind my back to give an idea of fit here. The fabric is quite light weight and covered completely in small sequins. It sparkles beautifully without being obnoxious. I’m not in love with the elastic waist band. It doesn’t seem to match up with the workmanship in the rest of the skirt.
One day I will find a tiered top that looks cute on me, but today is not that day. This is a size 0. The top is okay on the bottom but the top half is too large. The third ruffles falls in the worse spot making my chest look like it is hanging over my waist. The tie exasperates the problems. J.Crew says the ribbon is removable but I thought is was tacked to the shirt. I remember I couldn’t move the tie up and cinch down that ruffle.. On the bright side, the floral embroidery and silk fabric are lovely.
Have you tried on any of these pieces? What do you think of them?
Also! Hooray for an extra 20% off J.Crew sale! Are you buying anything?? I haven’t taken a peek online yet….trying to avoid it lol