Fall 2013 – J. Crew Factory’s First Release
Fall? A little early for fall, isn’t it? It hit triple digits at the Dappered home offices yesterday. And the (stupidly planned) afternoon run felt like trotting on hot coals. Pretty sure I was accosted by Ceberus himself (themselves?), instead of the usual pit-mix + westie (of all things) that patrol the fence of a yard so cluttered it’d rival Sanford & Son.
We’re talking clothes, right?
Compared to last season, prices seem to have gone up. Quite a bit. So, might take some patience to wait for these things to come down. Some, but not all, of these new arrivals for fall are 40% off during their “sneak peak” event. But again… just some of them. Not all. All of the new arrivals can be seen here.
Navy Wool Blend Thompson Suit Jacket + Pant in Glenn Plaid – $356 ($426)
How much? And, “retail price” is what now? That’s almost suitsupply level. Fully understand that no one pays retail at J. Crew Factory, but even at 50% off you’re looking at $213. Say goodbye to the < $199 Thompson? Description says it’s a wool/poly blend as well. That’s pretty steep for a Thompson, but this is just out of the gates. Hm.
Tartan Washed Shirt in Slim or Regular Fit – $35.50 ($59.50)
A great late summer – fall transitional shirt. Not that you can’t wear it year round of course… but it’s the saturation of the madras/summer like colors on a tartan/plaid that makes it a nice blend. Slim fit or regular fit available. Gonna look pretty good with a lighter grey or chambray blazer, jeans and boots the first time the high temps don’t crack 70.
All Cotton Slub Jersey Henley – $29.50 ($39.50)
Not that henelys have ever fallen out of favor, but expect to see a lot of retailers pushing these things this year. Slub texture here instead of a waffle or smooth fabric. Also available in red, pictured at the top of the page.
Cotton/Poly Heathered Henley – $25.50 ($42.50)
… And expect retailers to be pushing multiple versions of henleys this year. Apparently. Cotton/poly blend on this one will give it a heathered look that’s hopefully a bit softer than an all cotton version. Available in that orangeish-salmon “dried persimmon”, the blue, and a black that now looks charcoal thanks to the marling.
Dress Shirts in Tattersall – $44.50 ($59.50) or Windowpane Check – $54.50 ($69.50)
Hey look… #4 and #7 from yesterday. Prices seem a bit steep to start, being that they’re not neck + sleeve sizing.
Long Sleeve Sailing Stripe Tee – $23.50 ($39.50)
A good example of being dressed down but not out. Bold stripes. Nice looking collar as well. Lots of these nautical long sleeves come with a razor thin collar. Not here. Wish they’d make it in a slim fit though.
Slim Cord – $38.50, Slim-Straight Cord – $38.50, Straight Cord – $38.50 ($64.50)
Got all that? Three fits. There’s slim, “Vintage” slim-straight, and “Vintage” Straight. No word on why “slim” didn’t get the “vintage” moniker. 5-pocket styling and a decent selection of colors. Hey… remember cords?
Colorblock Cotton Cashmere Sweater – $35.50 ($59.50)
“Colorblock” might be the buzz word of the moment, but that’s just a baseball-style setup on a decent looking crewneck. Full length sleeves instead of the 3/4 baseball though… which is nice. Don’t be afraid to layer it over a white or light blue OCBD for a slightly more dressed up look. Plenty fine on its own though over a t-shirt.
Homestead Jacket – $98.00 ($138)
Also pictured at the top of the post. Basic barn looking jacket. Corduroy collar and cuffs.
Thoughts on this opening autumn salvo by Factory? What about the price jumps? Are you expecting the Thompson suit separates to now lean back towards the wool/poly combo of years past? Leave it all below…
Will buying some of these pieces make fall happen sooner? NYC is intolerable right now.
That’s ridiculous. I hope they don’t turn into the new Land’s End Canvas, with the mentality “oh we make decent clothes affordable and lots of people buy it, maybe we should hike up the price. Those people will still love us, right? RIGHT?!?!?”
LEC is dead to me.
glad i got my Thompson when i did. sheesh…
There is also a fab new canvas weekender bag. Looks just like the Abington line from J Crew Classic, only it is $98 regular and I got 50% off that!
Even at 50% off, a poly/wool blend Thompson over $200? That’s absurd considering the 100% wool Thompson was regularly trading around the $200 price range.
With this out and JC Penney’s fashionable line on its way out, I wonder what the next cheap-yet-good wool suit will be.
I have 4 Thompson suits (Navy, Light Charcoal, Dark Charcoal wool/poly blend, and one of the cottons), and I really like the look and fit. THAT SAID, I bought all of them on sale (around $190 or so), and I would never consider paying over $400 for one. They are perfectly serviceable suits, but they are nowhere near the quality of other $400-$500 suits on the market.
If I was going to drop that kind of coin on a suit, I would go with Suitsupply without hesitation.
Move to San Francisco.. 64 high today. 67 high for the week.
Am I crazy, or does that jacket at the end really read like it’s made for a woman?
I think LEC will soon be dead to everyone – they really don’t seem to be doing much with the brand lately…
Agreed. Connecticut is even worse.
“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”- Mark Twain (until Snopes told me he never said it. Now I don’t know what to think.)
Dear JCrew, thanks so much for your continued commitment to never make clothing for the larger sized gent. Don’t worry, it’s no big deal, we don’t want to look nice or give you any of our money. Yours sarcastically, -S&C
Even if I could get over the fact that it’s a wool/poly blend and is retailing for way too much, JCF still isn’t offering a 40L on jackets. I don’t get it.
I looked at it and my first thought was that the shape was really feminine.
J Crew (and maybe Factory as well) seem to be trending to the Banana Republic-style “high price, frequent sales” philosophy.
My mom had a jacket just like it. Even the collar and cuffs were similar.
It’s all about how it all adds up: the length, trim fit, collar and cuff contrast to the rest of the coat, and most importantly, the large contrasting buttons. It doesn’t look as bad on the guy at the top of the page, but the bottom picture just screams ‘lady coat.’
Full disclosure, but I thought it looked a little momish to me at first glance.
I am in the exact same boat as you my friend. Do you find that the summer suit fits differently then the wools?
pfffft… East Coasters…
Try South Florida.
Sucks about the price hike in the Thompson Suit. But man is it nice to see it available in a 38s finally!
Try the Philippines.
Ayo
Want that glen plaid thompson!! Id pay $300 for it.
Still a great quote
Want me to measure a size for you?
J. Crew Factory doesn’t make ANY fringe sizes. The largest pant size is 38 and the smallest is 30. They make nothing for tall people or petite women either, those sizes are only carried at retail stores.
Factory is never not on sale. It’s always been that way.
Just be glad you don’t live here in the south
As a Bay Area native, I believe there’s some pretty good evidence Twain said something similar, except it was “…July in San Francisco.”
Which technically makes the famous quote wrong. But not really.
Sorry for the delayed response. YES! I actually don’t like the way the summer suit fits. The jacket fits just slightly different, and the pants are tighter in some spots, and looser in others.
Furthermore, the lining on the suit (it’s the oxford cloth one: http://factory.jcrew.com/mens-clothing/suiting/PRDOVR~34398/34398.jsp) is so substantial that the suit is no cooler than any of my wool ones. I have considered getting portions of the lining removed – especially in the sleeves.
Has the Thompson always been a poly blend? If not that’s a pretty bold (and not in a good way) move – introduce polyester and raise the price!
It’s super annoying, I would buy a tong of their stuff.
Underwhelming to say the least…Especially the barn coat…ugh
that jacket, ummm i dont know
It was getting into the triple digits there earlier this summer. They’re not entirely immune to hot weather.
I think the shape of that barn jacket is probably OK – it’s just the way it’s pinned/clipped in the back for that gives it a feminine shape. That said, I don’t need another barn jacket.