Okay readers, I have a few questions for you today!
1. J'Crewlets.......worth it or not? I have a J Crew Factory store about an hour away that *gasp* I have never been to. Should I drag the toddlers there, will I find good stuff? Are the prices less or the same? I am on the hunt for pencil skirts and knits.....my mom lives a few minutes from a crewlet up North and she said there was nada but we don't have similar taste at all!
2. While we are on the topic of J Crew, do you have any pop back pointers? Do you have to bookmark your page or will it just show up on the site?
3. Polyvore.....how do you write on it? Really, I have no idea......
4. How cute is this face that our "little character" Chase is making? Love this guy BIG time
Okay, thank you guys! I really needed to get these questions off my chest!!
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21 comments:
Sorry I can't answer any Jcrew or Polyvore questions, but your son is adorable! He looks like you!
I've had the same questions, so I'm looking forward to reading the replies to your post ;)
Your son is one handsome little man!
Kimberly
what a cute little guy!
for polyvore - click on "new tab", then click on "text"... lots of choices of fonts will come up. Choose one and "add to set". I think the text comes up as "I love polyvore". Change that to whatever you want. You can resize - stretch out etc just like clothing items. hth! :)
Thanks Sweet Tea!
Crewlets are hit or miss. I drive about 45 minutes to mine and don't mind, but I don't have toddlers to bring a long. I try to go during the week or first thing in the morning on weekends otherwise it's too crowded to move. The regular prices are usually slightly lower, but not much less than the regular store, but a lot of times you can find good sales...especially around holidays..even minor holidays. They usually do have pencil skirts and it seems like they usually have stuff similar to what was in the regular store at this time last year as far as prints and stuff goes. I haven't been in about a month and that was just after a huge spring sale so it was pretty cleaned out. I did read somewhere that someone said their store was expecting a new shipment this past Wednesday so now may be a good time to check. I guess you could always call and see if they've gotten a new shipment recently.
Thanks for asking about the polyvore question - I have been wondering the same thing forever. Now I know!
Yay! Now I know how to write on Polyvore too, happy day! I've been to the outlet a few times, the prices never seem that much better to me??? I need to time my next visit near a holiday, it sounds like...
Your son? He could model for Crewcuts - what a CUTE, CUTE boy!
Hmm, time to visit your mom, no? Could your mom possibly babysit your toddlers while you check out the crewlet since she's minutes away? Pick up sometihng for her in the mall that she would like or an outlet mall gift card as a thank you for watching the kids. You would then have time to thoroughly check things out with patience. Once you get a feel for the quality and workmanship you'll understand what the others mean. Our crewlet is 1 hr away. I agree with many others who say it's hit/miss. I think most of their knockoffs from retail aren't anywhere nearly as good in quality. If I'm patient I can purchase jackets for less than the price offered by the outlet for a knockoff outlet version. On the upside, I loved the crewlet reproduction Victoria silk blouses in prints that had been used in other pieces at retail (i.e., abstract, watercolor garden, etc) as well as the outlet version of the Talitha maxi dress. They rarely have retail items anymore which is what I prefer. I'd rather check out my local store or watch for popbacks online.
For the same reasons, I no longer bother with Coach factory stores. Most of it is now stacked deep with bags specifically made for the factory stores. I can tell the difference in workmanship and quality of leather.
What a handsome son you have. I can't believe how quickly my kids are growing. The sleeves of the zip up sweat jacket my son wore today are already 3/4 sleeve on him. Egads, those growth spurts!
I think you should visit the outlet at least once. What the hay?
Hi Debye, your son is adorable!! What a cutie!
I was just at the outlet on Friday and they had tons of good stuff. I definately have more luck at the outlet than I do at an actual JCrew store. They have really cute jewlery too. I would check it out for sure. It's hit or miss true but they just added a ton of stuff on Friday... and they even have their own Jackie cardie which I may prefer to the regular one. I'm tall like you and the length may be a bit better. I just picked up one on Friday so we will see how it wears. It was $40 I believe? soo.. more reasonable.
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Not sure about polyvore. i have never used it. Maybe I will try now though haha! Also, I am not a popback expert. I just check tons of times.. which is annoying actually. Why in the world does Jcrew have so many popbacks vs. other stores? Just a marketing ploy?
Take care Debye!
Kathleen
Not sure about polyvore.... the whole thing confuses me, because I can never figure out how to grab images on some of the websites (like Lands End). Everytime I've tried to make an outfit on there, I either can't find one of the pieces I'm wearing or I can't grab an item. Ugh.... I wish I knew the tricks to it!
As for the Jcrew Outlet.... I say yes! Though, you might want to get a sitter if possible for the little ones. The one close to my house has so much stuff and the store is so crowded with racks that navigating it with a stroller is tough. I found some awesome stuff at mine a few weeks ago... including:
-a pair of the buttery twill Saturday chinos in a grass/kelly green color (love!)
-a pair of the cafe capris in a light chartreuse and pale grey floral print (love, but haven't found the right top yet)
-the white broadcloth tank from last summer with the scalloped silk detail on the v-neck mandarin style collar (already have it in sweet papaya, but it needs to be altered as i got it post-partum).
I probably could have spent way more money in there, but was scoring other deals in other outlets. I am kicking myself though because there was a GORGE white embellished tee that I couldn't think of paying $60 for at the time, but after I was already home, forgot that I used my teacher discount and could have gotten it.... It had coral and pink beaded flower (chyrsanthemum perhaps?). Ugh, I might need to go back and get it!
All in all, I feel like if you are looking for colorful pieces, the Jcrew Outlet has way more choices than the actual store. I was desperate for color for my spring wardrobe and the outlet definitely delivered!
I have no clue about Polyvore either, and I rarely deal with popbacks, but I do have some pointers on the Crewlet. I have one only about 10 minutes away and rarely visit it, if that gives you any indication. I will only go when I'm bored and really feel like seeing some clothes in person (we don't have a mall or any good clothing stores nearby except the outlets). The clothing is maybe *slightly* cheaper (in price) but still expensive to me. And it is definitely way cheaper in quality. I usually end up leaving there mad because the prices are high and quality low. Now--I HAVE gotten lucky a couple times and found actual retail items at the outlet. You just have to look at the label and find labels without the tell-tale 2 diamonds under "jcrew." If you are looking for a particular print from past seasons, you can sometimes find them there. But again...quality is low and the fit is sometimes wonky. You're better off to just shop regular retail sales for good prices and better quality. Hope this helps!
I am not a big fan of the J-Crew outlets. I have found a few 'treasures' in the past, but honestly if you did not want it the first time around...
Your guy is so handsome! Great picture!
As far as the Crewlets go, I'm not a huge fan. The one closest to me is near my parents' house and about a 45 minute drive from home. That being said, I probably go once a year even though I visit my parents twice a month. I've never found great deals and the quality just isn't as good. I've found much better deals at the regular J Crew stores around me. No way would I attempt going there with my 2 toddlers.
That being said, I do like the jewelry at the outlets and I think the prices are great for those items.
You've already gotten lots of great replies and I guess I would echo them. An SA at my Crewlet said their prices are 20 to 30% less than reg. JC retail. I've only been a couple of times and they had lots of cute stuff, but like others have said, the quality is somewhat less. Although some things seemed to be decent quality (I tried shorts on that seemed to be good quality and fit). And the last time I was there, they had some good sale prices. I'd say check it out at least once for yourself. :)
You already got your answer about Polyvore, but I wanted to add for Tiffany--Polyvore has a really good tutorial on how to use their "Clip to Polyvore" tool. You actually need to download the tool to your toolbar. Once you do that, it's super easy to go to a website, find the item you want to clip, click the "Clip to Polyvore" button and then click on the image. A little window pops up where you can Save the image. The image gets saved in your "My Items" on PV. PV also has a tutorial on how to create sets which makes it very easy to understand. It's alot of fun! I've gotten so much inspiration from looking at people's sets! Good luck if you decide to try it! :)
I LOVE my J Crew outlet...no Crewcuts at our outlet, but the women's clothing selection is great! I got matchstick jeans for about $40...same quality as in retail in my opinion! Love it!
Awww, Chase is a cutie! He looks like he's eyeing something really apprehensively, haha!
As for J.Crew outlets, I honestly don't think they're worth the hour-long drive. The prices are cheaper, but not THAT MUCH cheaper than regular J.Crew prices. Shirts can be about $30-40, and skirts can be about $40-50, depending on the style, of course. The materials and construction aren't too hot, either. The only thing I really love about J.Crew outlets is the chance to score similar styles of items you may have missed out on, like the garland cami. They also have a pretty good jewelry section for cheaper, and unlike the clothing, the jewelry is still good quality in my opinion. But an hour drive? I vote not worth it!
Exactly what everyone else already said except I add, CALL first. Ask them about sales, the kinds of items you seek and the prints that are in (if you are seeking past prints.) Leave the kids somewhere, anywhere else but with you;) as sometimes it's even too hard to handle without 'em! The prices are high, imo and the quality is often lower BUT they will have decent graphic tees, a some fabrics that are plenty nice or equal to the retail stores (ie. Victoria camis.) Good luck!
Hi! Ditto - Adorable son! Didn't see where anyone above addressed popbacks. (I skimmed quickly.) IF you can book mark the site, and just click on it each morning, that can work. You can also do a random search each morning such as "Jacket" or "dress" or the name "Alice".
Or, if i know there is a cami i want, I just go to sale, click on the category, click on my size, and then scroll quickly to see if it's there.
If it IS, order it fast! I have lost plenty of items in a second. If you are lucky enough to order it, don't get your hopes up until you get the shipping notice. Sometimes you get the dreaded "We're sorry..." email. Good luck!
There is a J Crew outlet about 30 minutes from where I live and every few months I stop by the outlets and think the same thing. "If this was the only store here, I'd be pissed!" If you have the patience for EBAY, final sales, or go on any of the buy-sell-trade websites then it may not be worth it. I went in earlier this month and they are carrying the Victoria Ruffle Cami from a year or so ago for 69.99. Since that was carried there has been at least two other versions of that, including the Frances Cami, that has been marked way below that on sale or can be purchased from any of the above mentioned sites for about half that price. The outlets may be worthwhile though if you've continually missed an item, maybe you'd get lucky and they have it. So essentially ... the prices are not what you'd expect in an outlet, generally they only carry things you've moved on from, and for some reason my store has never been fully stocked on any of my trips.
your question about the jcrew outlet got me thinking if there was one near me, and theres an outlet mall about an hour away with an ann taylor outlet, jcrew outlet, AND banana republic outlet!! I never new they were all at the same outlet. I'll definitely have to give the jcrew one a try since there's three stores to check out.
P.S. I was at the LOFT shopping their friends and family sale, and the employee ringing me up was wearing all black! And it wasnt even cute black but frumpy and shapless black. She didnt belong working there in my opinion.
My Crewlet is having a private shopping event for new summer arrivals tomorrow morning from 8-10am., so definitely call your local store!
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