J. Crew vs. Lands’ End Canvas – Store Wars Rd. 2

STORE WARS: J. Crew vs. Lands’ End Canvas

Starting March 13th and running through April 2nd, Dappered.com is hosting a bracket based tournament with the purpose of eventually crowning the all around Affordable Men’s Style Retail Champ for 2012.  For a full introduction see this post.  The bracket on the right will be updated as the tournament progresses.  Click on it for the full size.  Make a case for your preferred competitor in the comments section, but don’t forget to vote at the bottom of each match up.  On with today’s showdown:
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Strengths:  Much like Banana Republic, J. Crew is a brand that if you wore nothing but their clothes 24/7, 365, you’d look much better than most.  From t-shirts to tuxes, they cover it.  Their Ludlow Fit suiting and blazers.  Outerwear of all types.  The “in good company” selections.  Their extra 30% off sale codes/events.  Students and Teachers get 15% off full priced items, in-store, with a valid school ID.

Weaknesses:  On average, they’re more expensive than their main competition, and they sometimes command an eyebrow-raisingly-high markup just by putting their weight behind an item.  Lapels on the Ludlow are a little trim for some.  Ties are rarely more than 2.5″ wide.  The in-house upgraded brand “Wallace and Barnes,” which has different stuff, which might be more durable(?), for a higher price.  Lots of “imported” and “made in China.”  They’re an industry leader with confidence, but some of their product descriptions can come across as borderline arrogant.  Their “free shipping at $150” promotions are priced laughably high.

How they got here:  Brushed off a vocal challenge by eBay in the first round.
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Strengths:  Last year’s champion.  Nice, upgraded casual basics for good prices, and those prices can get dirt cheap when on sale/clearance.  From blazers to shirts, shoes to pants, you could put together an entire outfit of just them.  Handwritten thank you notes to first time customers, which has played a part in developing what appears to be a solidly loyal customer base.  Despite some complaints, the ultra-cheap, Alden-Indy inspired Crosby Moc Toe.  Their waxed cotton trip bag.  Their guarantee.  Not only is one of their models an SI Swimsuit model, their swimsuits have appeared in the issue as well.

Weaknesses:  They seem to have lost a bit of their way, or perhaps they have some new strategy that reduces the number of items they produce and raises overall prices ($100 for a cardigan? $100 for… cargo pants?)  Blazers can fit a little big sometimes, and this season’s blazers look to be running real short in the tail.  Overall the brand is more fitted, certainly more so than Lands’ End, but not a true trim fit most of the time.  Used to run sales and codes often.  Now it’s more like a free-shipping-at-$50 code every once in awhile.

How they got here:  Casual crushed dressed up, with a trouncing of Brooks Brothers in round one.

Your votes determine who goes on to the next round.  Cast your ballot below.  Voting ends at midnight ET.
UPDATE:  And the champ moves on, guaranteeing there won’t be an all J. Crew final.
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