Winter and Holiday Try-On From J.Crew
My local J.Crew closed a few years ago, and I’ve been really missing it. Last week, I was able to shop at a small store in Corte Madera for a try-on of some winter and holiday pieces. J.Crew is a size-inclusive brand that carries reg, petite, and tall inseams in sizes 0-24.
A try-on is when I go into a store and style their latest collection so readers can see what’s new and get some ideas for how they could wear it. I’m not shopping for myself and seldom buy clothes because I prefer to shop online. My hair gets pretty trashed, and I’m often barefoot. For size reference, I’m 5’4″, which puts me on the cusp of petite. I have wide shoulders and straight hips with no obvious curves. You can see my other recent try-ons here.
I have these faux leather pants from a few years ago in a bone color, and I love them! The slim/straight shape is very flattering, and this year, they’ve added some “perfecting pockets,” which seem to smooth things out a bit. They have a totally classic shape, which will be in style for years. The inseam is 28″ in classic, 24″ in petite, and 31″ in tall. They also come in chocolate and a tan color.
I’m wearing them with this fitted crewneck sweater with subtle sequin embellishment around the neck. It’s a fine merino wool that feels like an elevated tee so you can layer it under lots of things. It comes in 9 colors up to size 3X. The fit is snug, so I sized it up to a large.
Here are the same faux leather pants in a size 8, which fits me better. There is less bulk in the thigh area, which is how they’re meant to fit. These ones came home with me because I love a pair of great faux leather pants this time of year. I’m wearing them with this soft cotton tee that has several rows of “flowers” across the chest made from color-coordinated paillettes. This would be easy to toss on with jeans to add a festive feel to a super casual look. The color is light khaki.
1996 STRAIGHT JEANS
size 29 / RED WIDE-LEG SAILER TROUSER size 29
Here’s another 100% cotton tee decorated with several rows of smaller paillettes. This fabric is a bit more substantial, and the embellishments extend across the sleeves. On the left is the 1996 high-rise straight-leg jeans. They’re labeled semi-stretch, which differs from their super stretch. These are more like old-fashioned jeans that feel nicely broken in. This reg has a 29″ inseam, the petite has a 27″ inseam (which I need), and the talls have a 32″ inseam.
On the right are the red wide-leg velvet sailor trousers. I’m wearing vivid burgundy and they also come in ivory, navy, or black. I really wish the store had stocked the petite because they probably would have come home with me in ivory. These are available in sizes 23-37.
Because this location did not carry petite, it was a frustrating shopping experience. These were the only jeans that were the right length for me in the store. They’re the cropped kick out jeans in black. They come in 3 other washes in reg, petite, and tall inseams. These are ultra-stretchy denim, so they feel amazingly comfortable.
I’m styling them with this ribbed cashmere sweater with a cropped length. The new cropped sweaters are great if you hate to tuck things in but want some waist definition. This comes in 5 colors and feels incredibly soft.
The rhinestones down the front of this shirt are substantial and stunning. You couldn’t tuck them into anything, so I think this would look great over a pair of velvet leggings or skinny pants. It has a teeny trim of tulle along the cuffs and collar that adds to its festive look. This is one of those classic-with-a-twist pieces you have in your wardrobe for years.
Here’s a new twist on a slip skirt..they’ve added pleats. The shape is narrower than most pleated skirts and roomier than most slip skirts. It has a wide elastic waistband, which I easily folded over to make it a better length for me. It’s a machine-washable fabric that is fully lined. This comes in 5 colors, including a stunning burgundy that would be so fun for the holidays. I can see dressing this down with flat boots and a denim jacket or up for the Nutcracker with a fuzzy sweater and sparkly accessories.
I’m styling it with their classic crewneck cashmere sweater in camel. It’s super soft and comes in 17 colors. Considering how soft this is, I think the price is great at $128. They also have this in kid sizes here if you’re planning a family photo with matching looks.
These sweater pants are pretty amazing! They’re a pull-on style in a substantial knit that really holds its shape. I think the term ‘sweater pants’ is misleading because I would call these a very dense, Ponte-type knit with a slightly flared leg. This regular length has a 26″ inseam, and they also come in petite with a 24″ inseam and tall with a 29″ inseam.
I’m wearing charcoal, and they also come in red, burgundy, navy, and black. The reviews are very positive on these pants, which I can attest to. These feel and look fabulous. The pintuck seam down the front is also very slimming and helps elongate your look. At 5’4″, I would likely order the tall to get an inseam long enough to wear with low booties.
MORE HOLIDAY J.CREW FINDS
Have you shopped J.Crew lately? I love their take on modern classic style with a slight edge.
Love the leather and sweater kick out pants! Actually I love every single item you shared! Love J Crew
I do love J. Crew!
How are your Eileen Fisher Purl booties holding up? I am on the fence—worried that the wrapped heel will rip.
They’re fabulous. I wear them a lot and have had no issue at all.
Oh, I love this try on…..as I love J Crew!! We’re lucky to have one in our local mall and crossing my fingers they won’t leave….as so many stores in the mall have closed. So many of your try ons I’m very interested in. I have a couple of Madewell’s crop kick out jeans that fit so well. I’ve been eyeing the black ones, so I will try on J Crew’s version. They look great on you…but I have a different body shape. Thank you for picking J Crew this time!
Hi Jennifer,
I love your daily emails, so many helpful ideas for new pieces of clothing to shopping in my closet.
I have question, I am excruciatingly short 4′ 9″. I am almost exclusively a J Jill girl and 99% percent of the time I wear their petite medium occassionally a petite large in some of their leggings. I would love to wear a pleated skirt as you have on in one of the above pictures. What do you recommend as to the length of a skirt for my height? I may be to hippy to wear pleats and I do not wear heals of any height, I mostly wear ballet flats. Any information would be greatly appreciated, thank you, Mary Ann
Proportion is so important for you. Make friends with a local seamstress so she can help alter things to fit you perfectly. Have the skirts end at a place where your leg naturally indents like below the knee, below the calf, or just above your ankle bone.
Jennifer, my emailed blog today came through with pictures! Thank you for answering my email and helping to get you great blog via email. I loved your outfits today especially the grey sweater pants and the velvet pants in red. However, I don’t wear red. I’m a cool palette girl. On day 3 of our major snowstorm here in Colorado! We have about 10 inches and expect another 8! It looks like a snow globe outside. Everything is shutdown including the interstates and all major highways going in or out. The sun will be back tomorrow and temperatures will be in the mid 50s. So then everything will start up again.
Yay! I’m so glad it worked. Stay warm
I’m also a huge fan of Jcrew. They usually have a few really excellent pieces each season in 100% natural fabrics that I end up using for years. I think their sister brand Madewell is more for trendier pieces while Jcrew is a great place to find elegant classic pieces with a twist. As with most stores, it’s always very helpful to read the reviews! Their loyalty program might offer perks like free returns (I return to store so I’m not sure) but it does offer a lot of discounts. In general, they run a lot of sales throughout the year.
I do love this brand. I wish I could visit a store more often
I love all of that you tried on. I have never been to a JCrew store but wish I could. So great that they have petites!
I love the looks on you! And I agree as to the stylishness vs other retailers you’ve mentioned. I will always try Talbots first because at 5’1” I am a true petite…….but their styling sometimes makes me say “what were they thinking?”
I especially love the white shirt with the rhinestone embellished front. Terrific with narrow jeans or velvet pants/leggings. And last year I bought the faux leather pants, I think because I saw them on your blog.
My one beef with J Crew is that the sizing isn’t consistent.
Thanks for doing a J Crew try-on—I love them too & the one in my city also closed a few years ago. I was so sad about that! Yesterday, I was in a city with a store so stopped in to try on some things myself. At 5’4” as well, I was hoping to find some petite sizes for jeans but no such luck. Being charged for returns now makes me hesitant to place on-line orders. One thing I’d forgotten about J Crew is how incredibly hot their dressing rooms are. I actually had to give up on trying things on due to that.
Jennifer, I am not seeing many of your pictures today in this post. Not sure if it’s on your end or mine so mentioning it, just in case.
Thanks for letting me know. I was able to fix the pictures. I have a bug in my template that keeps doing that. The dressing room I was in wasn’t hot so I feel lucky 🙂
J Crew is my favorite and fits my style more than some of the other retailers you cover. (Those faux leather pants are supposed to arrive today!) I don’t care for the embellished stuff for me but I love a lot if other things! I do have a few pairs of those kick out crop jeans that are similar to Paige Claudine. I find the cuts more modern than Talbots and Chicos, the colors can be amazing, the quality is usually good, you can find everything from cocktail to business to business casual to beach, and they have petites. My business suits and bathing suits are J Crew. While I’ve worn the brand since the 80s, the current designer has really knocked it out of the park. Too bad it isn’t more accessible to you for try ons. Petite or short torso ladies I recommend the cropped button ups and cropped sweaters. They are great with high waisted bottoms and give that 2/3-1/3 proportion Jennifer has discussed.
I find the cuts more modern than many Talbots, Chico’s and J.Jill peices too. Those brands can be tricky to get right. You will love those leather pants!!