“A man who confidently strolled into class or an office in well-scuffed bucks didn’t have to worry he’d be held back by some bourgeois triviality. He knew where he stood. So did everyone else.” J. Crew chronicler Maggie Bullock, New Yorker
A fascinating explainer on J. Crew and the history of prep. New Yorker writer Hua Hsu reviews Bullock’s new book, deep-diving into the status signifiers of Brooks Bros, J Press and the rest, and their significance on society at large. (more…)
Let’s say it now, there’s not a lot of newness around at the mo. The world’s in flux, designers are scared for their jobs, no one’s taking risks and the big brands especially just wanna sell. Who can blame them? BOF’sAngelo Flaccavento was maybe a bit harsh with his ‘clothes to die from not for’ (lol) summing up of MFW SS23, but he had a point. It’s a commercial season, so let’s just get that out of the way. Honestly, I’m not sad about the black-everything revival, I can’t complain about the loafer love-fest and as a New Luddite, it’s great to see women’s watches in the spotlight. Read on for my round-up of what I’ll be wearing and doing this season… (more…)
The J.Crew menswear 3.0 look book is in. Is it any cop? You decide.
First impressions from Brendon Babenzien’sJ.Crew vision are… it looks promising. Not ground breaking but it aligns with the Drake’s, Aimé Leon Dore, Ralph-lite customer and will likely filter to the Uniqlo tribe looking to spend a little more. Price points look OK and there’s a welcome focus on quality and provenance. (more…)
Amazing really. There’s nothing fundamentally new about Aimé Leon Dore (chinos and varsity jackets – groundbreaking!), but the branding execution, styling, casting, collabs and community-building are masterful. It’s just had investment from LVMH and it seems to be the new preppy-revivalist playbook that everyone (read: Brooks Brothers, J Crew) is following closely.
