Jcrew Cashmere...Should I re-think my love?

LVLover

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Jan 18, 2006
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I love Jcrew, love it. I am a brand loyal person, meaning I buy everything from the same brand (it an OCD thing for me). For example, all of my make up is chanel, all my handbags and small leather goods are hermes, all my ballet flats are lanvin and all my clothing with the exception of jeans are Jcrew pieces. I swear I getting to my point! I have amassed a large collection of Jcrew cashmere. In the recent seasons I have tired of Jcrew's ruffled, 20 layer, multiple pieces of chunky jewelry,paired with socks and heels look. It's old already. Thus I been reading a lot on blogs about Jcrew and have come across a lot of negative reviews of the cashmere. Being the brand loyalist that I am I've never even looked to purchase other brands of cashmere, I have however looked to determine the pricing of other brands. All this talk of thin and pilling never was a thought in my head until I read reviews. So I pose the question am I wasting my money? I am "paying for the name" so to speak? Here's a list of why I like the cashmere. Please tell me there are others out there that love it for the same reasons I do and feel there is value in crew cashmere. Or is there another brand that can provide the attributes that I love for a similar price. TIA

Why I continue to purchase Jcrew cashmere:
1. the colors: love them enough said
2. styles: love the cardigan/twinset, the henley, and hoody, and the long sleeve tee
3. fit: cuts are good and not boxy, I have broad shoulders and boxy sweaters make me look huge!
4. price: if I tire of a color, spill/stain a sweater (cuz I wear them like everyday in the winter) I don't feel bad, I can buy multiples.

Why I not sure I should continue to buy Jcrew cashmere
1. thickness: reviews say the sweaters are thin, never noticed. I like to wear a shirt underneath so maybe thats why. What should the proper thickness be?
2. quality: It's kinda like abercrombie, their clothes fell apart after a few wears yet cost a fortune-I want to avoid this and I'm just checking to make sure I'm not being closed minded with Jcrew. I've never had a sweater fall apart or get a hole in it. Pilling is only a problem in areas that are rubbed (i.e. carrying something, seatbelts, etc..), my sweaters do get fuzzy but is this the same as pilling? Reviews say the Jcrew cashmere is poor quality for thinness and pilling. I don't have any other cashmere to compare to so I've never noticed.

Thanks for reading my long post!
 
the quality of j.crew has gone down in the past few years. i have older sweaters in pristine condition and newer sweaters that have pilled terribly and feel very lightweight (in a bad way...it isn't the featherweight cashmere either). the latter i have because there are no j.crew stores around me, so i order online and am not the type to bother with returns.

i wear sweaters throughout the winter because i live in a very cold climate, so my sweaters get used. i have a few tse sweaters (far more costly than j.crew though i'd hardly call j.crew cheap) and they are almost the same. it seems all low to mid end cashmere are always the same quality (seriously, the latest j.crew sweaters are as scratchy as old navy's "cashmere"). i would say tory burch is on par with j.crew's older cashmere, but overall the difference in these sweaters, which range from $70 (old navy) to $400 (tse) isn't huge. all cashmere will eventually pill imho.

as far as warmth and softness, this depends on the ply and how fine the fabric is woven. i think this only exists in high end cashmere like loro piana, though j.crew claims they use loro piana cashmere, it's just not woven in italy like the namesake brand. perhaps LP's quality has gone down as well, i have no idea. i am only familiar with their pillows.
 
I love J Crew also. I too have bought almost all of my cashmere there, it just FITS me and I love all the colors and style choices.
BUT, I have to admit, my pieces from a few years ago ARE much better in quality than the ones I have purchased in the last two years for sure.
Makes me sad but I still buy them but NEVER at retail anymore, I always wait for 20-30% off sales.
 
I have been disappointed in my J Crew cashmere too. Lots of pilling - which I understand one can't completely avoid - but overall questionable quality, such as seams coming apart at wrists after less than half a dozen wears. This is really unacceptable for the price, IMO.
 
if you love them still it's worth it! but i agree, i don't care for j.crew's cashmere even though i love the brand. i have found that it pills really quickly, like on the first wear. i haven't really found a solution to different cashmere that is as cute. although, i have a few items that are cashmere blend (like with linen or something) from banana which are nice!
 
I have a Jcrew t-neck and a TSe t-neck sitting together in my closet. I wish I have bought the TSe before getting the JCrew. i know they trumpet all over about their Italian yarn and all. My TSE / Malo stuff is just of so much better quality. It is not just the pilling. It is the density of the knit itself. So springy and non-transparent, it feels like velour. JCrew, feels quite a bit cheaper / flimsier. I can get higher-end stuff at Yoox where it often costs as much as JCrew full price, so I have kind of being migrating to the high-end brands for some time now. I mean, I still get JCrew stuff, but only on clearance and with 20 - 30% off extra.

Also, don't get me started on their t-shirts.

p-WA
 
JCrew's quality has been terrible lately- I don't think they are really worth their full retail prices anymore. I just wait for clearance sales to pick up cashmere from higher end labels.
 
I'm disappointed in their cashmere too. Aside from pilling, I have noticed all of my J crew cashmere sweaters have holes in them :wtf: I thought maybe I had warms. But then my cashmere sweaters from Ann Taylor or Saks do not have holes. So I'm pretty sure it's a quality issue.
 
I thought the quality of their cashmere went down as well, but I was told by a SA that fall's 2009 line was supposed to be better. I haven't worn my fall 2009 sweaters much, so I can't say first hand how they are wearing. I will say though (not to hijack your thread) that Bloomingdales Sutton cashmere have really hit rock bottom in quality, with major pilling within hours of wearing. Bloomies are not worth buying even on sale (which they seem to always be on). I hope J Crew goes back to their original quality in the cashmere department as I love their styles and amazing array of colors.
 
I read a report somewhere where they compared all the mid range cashmere (including J crew) and the report found that Ann Taylor had the highest quality cashmere in this price range.
 
I guess I'm confused because you say you never saw any problems until you read reviews. If YOU'VE never had problems why wouldn't you continue purchasing what you love? Of course there's better quality out there, but my $300 Vince cashmere sweater pilled the first time I wore it ... so buy what you like!
 
i don't think it's worth the money at all. i buy a few sweaters from them, but ONLY on sale, and only because i can't find the color elsewhere.

for good quality cashmere, i like Theory best, and Vince- both are more pricey than jcrew, but i've had sweaters from them for many years that still look brand new, and they're so soft and warm, and i like the fit more than jcrew.

if you can get to a Uniqlo store, that's a great place to find similar stock of colors for less money and better quality.
 
I was just thinking about this too! I'm glad there's a thread about this.

Jcrew is one of my favorite brands too, but I am very very displeased with their cashmere. I purchased two cardigans on sale last week. I do like the colors and how thin an light thye are, but already, after one to two wears, the area under the arms is pilling like I've been wearing them for months, and this does bother me. This shouldn't be happening to a Jcrew cashmere, what they argue that they are "known for."
My BR cashmere cardigan that I got half a year ago, BTW, looks brand new, even after dry cleaning.
 
I really love J Crew, but think their cashmere is junk. Now their merino and holds up really well for me.

I find that Ann Taylor and Banana Republic hold up really well for that price range.

If it works for you, enjoy, but I think you might be surprised by how much you are missing out by only buying J Crew's sweaters.