J.CREW

Full review
I used to work for J. Crew many years ago as a part time sales associate in my early twenties, so I am partially biased as to their fashion. I have always loved their classic styling, and their website is extremely easy to navigate, however, I have always had a bit of a problem with the quality of their clothing. The higher end items that are made in Italy (especially their shoes) are great, and can handle a lot of wear, however, a majority of the items that they have tend to fall apart on me. They simply don't wash and wear well. The prices seem to be on par with Banana Republic, Nordstroms, Lord and Taylor and Bloomingdales, which is not necessarily cheap, but lately, I've found that the designers at Lord and Taylor, the prices and the quality of the clothing seems to far surpass those of the other above mentioned stores. What I like about the Lord and Taylor department store right now is that they are bringing in new designers like Sweet Pea, Seven, Diesel, Cynthia Steffe, Trina Turk, BCBG Max Azaria . . . it simplifies my shopping experience when I just want to go to one store. J. Crew is definitely good for the standard shorts, tee shirts, (flip flops in the summer), and I am still loyal to their boots in the winter, but I've noticed a trend now that I am seeking other places to shop, especially when I want quality clothing. I would recommend shopping around, and just like J. Crew, Lord and Taylor always has promotions going on (you can look at their website to sign up), and L&T offers a 15% off discount when opening a store account, compared to the 10% at J. Crew. Although J. Crew's website is easy to follow, just remember, when you are spending a good deal of money on clothing, you generally want it to last more than a season or two.