The Canary in J. Crew’s coal mine might have a cough

Miners used to take canaries with them when they descended deep below the earth’s surface. The birds were an early warning sign if toxic gasses were slowly becoming present. If the bird dropped dead, disaster was possibly afoot.

Remember when J. Crew rose to the top of the reasonably-affordable, accessible style market, only to then suffer an immense fall because, in part, they got way too weird and fashion-y?

J. Crew Men’s Heavyweight safari shirt in Portuguese cotton – $298

Starting to feel more Icarus, and less Daedalus.

But wait. This doesn’t appear to be from new menswear designer Brendon Babenzien, since his first collection designed for J. Crew isn’t set to be released until the 2nd half of 2022? Is that still the case?

Big thanks to our man Brandon D. for the tip on whatever this is.

(very top photo credit: Kaikara Dharma)