Jun 23, 2015

*SAMPLE SALE* Crewcial Details

J.Crew is going through a bit of a slump these days. The American brand, a cornerstone in malls all across the country, is currently seeing a big tumble in sales. With that disappointing news comes the elimination of 175 jobs and some unwanted negative press. I don't know how you all currently feel about the brand, which was once the envy of the retail industry, but for those who are still in love with Jenna Lyons' preppy American looks, their summer sample sale is here this week for NYC bargain shoppers to attend. After checking out the Madewell sample sale in SoHo, I headed straight to the J.Crew preview and took a gander at the offerings. For those planning on attending today's opening, here are a few crewcial details.

With sister brand Madewell finally getting their own sale space, the venue at 260 Fifth Ave was fully dedicated to all things J.Crew. The aisles are now set wider and therefore feel less claustrophobic which is definitely a good thing when the crowds start to show up in earnest.

In the women's apparel section, merchandise was organized by category and there were racks upon racks of dresses, tops, tees, jackets, pants, skirts, and shorts. In my initial quick once-over, there were so many styles to look through that I felt overwhelmed. However, after a few deep breaths, I collected myself and started digging through the goods. The first thing I noticed was that quite a few of the items were stragglers from past sample sales. Second, I found that prices didn't change at all from their last sale in December. Dresses were still $30 & $60, jackets were $120, jeans were $40, skirts were $25 & $40, pants were $25~$70, tops were $15~$40, and sweaters were $35~$90. Sizes were available from XS to XL and 00 to 12.

Per usual, items from the J.Crew Collection were priced as marked. While browsing, I saw a shimmer tweed jacket priced $150 (originally $425 & 9th photo below), a leather moto jacket priced $485 (originally $895 & 10th photo below), a leopard print calf hair skirt priced $475 (originally $1,895), a light gray lace pencil skirt priced $160 (originally $298 & 16th photo below), and a laser-cut white midi skirt priced $125 (originally $250 & 18th photo below).

Women's shoes were situated in the back and sizes were available from 5 to 10. I spotted mixed leather strappy sandals, suede d'Orsay flats, Kiki ballet flats, Stella suede pumps, Rio leather sandals, Harper scalloped suede flats, Seville espadrilles, metallic slip-on sneakers, Harper calf hair flats, and mirror metallic sandals. It's also worth noting that there were shoes from J.Crew Factory and Madewell mixed in these racks so be aware when you shop.

J.Crew's glam costume jewelry also made a return with prices ranging from $5~$60. There were statement necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, bangles, and hair accessories placed inside vitrines and on wire displays.

The accessories were set up on the left side wall of the venue and included handbags, belts, hats, SLGs, and more. There were twelve plastic bins of bags that were priced $20~$130. In addition, there was one box of hats, one box of belts, and three boxes of small accessories. Everything in these boxes were $10 or $20.

If you're looking for children's clothes, Crewcuts were available for boys and girls with prices ranging from $15 to $50 (34th photo below). There were five double-tier racks and the selection included polo shirts, button-down shirts, t-shirts, blazers, pants, and dresses. There were also five boxes of adorably tiny footwear (32nd photo below), one box of swimwear, and two boxes of Baby Crewcuts.

The men's offerings is now located at a new venue in SoHo (35th through 39th photos below). I stopped by briefly and the inventory was comprised of eleven bins of jeans & chinos (size 29~36), four racks of coats & parkas, five racks of suiting, and eight racks of casual shirts & tees. There were also neckties, belts, and shoes (penny loafers, suede lace-ups, Dr. Martin ankle boots, and boat shoes). Outerwear was priced $60~$150, pants were $25~$70, sweaters were $35~$90, shirts & tees were $15~$40, and shoes were $25~$100.

Finally, despite having more space this time, there was no changing area or mirrors available. Therefore, make sure to dress accordingly if you plan on trying things on. The sale opens to the public at 10am today and hopefully these crewcial details and the Madewell review will help you decide where you want to head first.

Price list:
Accessories
Medium/Large leather bags $130
Small leather bags $90
Medium/Large fabric bags $45
Small fabric bags $20
Belts/Ties/Pocket squares/Hats $20
Socks/Tights/Small accessories $10

Jewelry
Embellished necklaces $60
Necklaces $35
Bracelets/Earrings $25
Rings $20
Bangles $15
Pins $10
Hair accessories $5

Shoes
Mid calf/Tall boots $130
Heels/Ankle boots $100
Flats/Sandals/Espadrilles $65
Weather/Seasonal/Sneakers $25
Rubber flip-flops $10
Men's dress shoes $100

Apparel
Party/Wear to work dresses $60
Cotton/Jersey dresses $30
Wool outerwear $150
Suiting jackets/Blazers $120
Long puffer/Trenches $90
Casual/Puffer jackets $60
Wool/Dress pants $70
Denim pants $40
Chino/Cord pants $25
Wool/Silk/Cashmere skirts & shorts $40
Chino/Cord/Denim skirts & shorts $25
Cashmere sweaters $90
Cashmere tee/Tank/Vest sweaters $65
Cotton/Wool sweaters $35
Women's one piece swimsuits $40
Women's separates/Men's swimsuits $25
Tops $15~$40
Weekend/Sleepwear $20
Crewcuts $15~$50

12 comments:

  1. Do you know if there were any men's tall sizes at JCrew?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the "crewcial" details. Convinced me to stop by after work. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Michael,

      As always, thank you for reading! Hope you find something nice at the sale.

      Delete
  3. Hi Miz!
    Great report as usual! The 14th picture is a rack full of Collection skirts. On the right side of the picture, there is floral print bottom next to a white sequin skirt. Do you happen to know what size was the floral print bottom? And how much? And were there more? And was it the skirt or the shorts? Been dying to buy it since last season, but haven't had a chance to run down there.
    Thank you! =)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Anonymous, I can tell you, most of the collection pieces were going for $175.00 and up. Also alot of the sizing from the collections were most size 8 and some size 12. That skirt in particular I believe was around that price range, because I purchased a pair of pants from the collection and it cost me that much. This sample sale is a hit or miss and this was my first time going on the first day of the sale. Not exciting, but I intend to go back maybe Friday and see if the prices will drop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for helping out and sharing your insight!

      Delete
    2. Thank you so much Anonymous for the details! I shall definitely hold out til the end and try my luck for collection pieces.
      Thanks! =)

      Delete
  5. If you are a size 00 skip or go on the last day. If you are looking for kids clothes for a older child you can skip or go on the last day.

    ReplyDelete
  6. With all of the great sample sales the city has to offer, it boggles my mind that this draws such a huge crowd. The prices aren't great, the style is so pedestrian, and from the pics, I've seen the same things over and over. Plus, the fact that they throw the factory stuff into the mix - no thank you. I'd rather support smaller, independent labels. Thank you for all of the details, Miz! I'll be sure to skip.

    ReplyDelete
  7. SALE UPDATE (6/27): Price reductions have taken effect. All merchandise is now an extra 30% off.

    ReplyDelete
  8. SALE UPDATE (6/28): For the final day, everything is now an extra 50% off.

    ReplyDelete

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