Primer to J.Crew Factory?

[mr. mr.]

Could somebody explain the major differences (if there are any) between J.Crew and J.Crew Factory? Are there things to keep in mind with sizing, quality, etc.?

Right now there's a 30% off sale and a lot of good prices for shirts/sweaters, so I'm looking for reasons to not buy, or alternatively, buy.

[bruschetta]

mr. mr., I have owned a few items from both. From my experience the quality of J. Crew Factory is lower than J. Crew, and the fits are boxier and less form-fitting. That being said, it does carry a few gems. I found the V-neck merino sweaters to be a good value when they were on sale for $20 or less. Several members have also had great experiences with the factory Thompson (sp?) suits.

[jputman08]

Fit is going to be relative to your size. I'm 6'2'' 210 and their slim shirts fit me pretty well in size Large (see How Does This Fit? thread). Smaller guys might have some trouble with the fits there. I find their shirts to be a little short for me in the tail. Their non-slim shirts are pretty boxy.

[SDot]

Everything is going to be different. Quality will not be as good, shirts/pants will fit slightly different...yet prices lower! However, even tho the quality is not AS good as regular J. Crew, it is still nice threads compared to other brands.

Things I would buy would be the Thompson suit, button-down shirts, and undershirts. Maybe a belt or socks here and there depending on the sale.

[llie19]

a side question, are their factory items sold at their outlet stores, or only online? thanks.

[jputman08]

a side question, are their factory items sold at their outlet stores, or only online? thanks.

factory=outlet in this case. I purchased online and returned/exchanged at the outlet in MD.

[SDot]

If you're interested in giving them a try...now's a good time. 30% off & free shipping sitewide. Code: SCOREMORE.

Personally, there are some good finds with J.Crew Factory. Especially when they're doing sales like they are at the moment.

[llie19]

Thanks. and the factory items can't be returned to regular jcrew stores? outlets are far away.

factory=outlet in this case. I purchased online and returned/exchanged at the outlet in MD.

[SDot]

Thanks. and the factory items can't be returned to regular jcrew stores? outlets are far away.

Correct...factory can only be returned to factory outlets or returned through mail.

[Longshanks]

I worked at a J. Crew Factory over the summer (and probably will again over winter break) and the differences are basically as SDot and bruschetta described. The "goal" of J. Crew Factory is to provide similar styles to mainline J. Crew but at a lower price point. Though this theoretically didn't result in a reduction of quality, I think just about anyone is inclined to think that when you greatly reduce the cost of manufacture of a garment by greatly altering the material from which it was made, you probably lost some quality at some point.

Generally, I haven't heard about people having quality issues with the Factory line, though I remember reading somewhere that people were running into issues with the jersey slub polo that was rather popular this summer. Personally, nothing that I picked up while I worked there has fallen apart on me but I didn't buy anything that I wear on an overly regular basis.

In terms of popular men's items, the wash shirts, chinos, Haberdashery shirts, and (during the summer) the shorts were all things that I found myself frequently asked about and searching for in the stock room, though it should be noted that the popularity of these items in the eyes of the consumer doesn't mean that they were the best things available for the cost.

[llie19]

this has been talked about before, but how does the thompson fit compare to the ludlow? ludlow is very fitted, and from what i have heard thompson is also very fit, probably a tad roomier than ludlow.

[MattRicketts]

I have another question re: the fit of JC Factory shirts, specifically their washed casual shirts. I'm looking at getting one more plaid for my closet and like their patterns better than the ones at Land's End Canvas. How does the fit compare between JCF and LEC? I have a large LEC chambray workshirt and although it fits well in the chest and waist the shoulder seams are a tad too low and the sleeves are definitely too long (I'm a 35 sleeve so their size chart is bogus). Should I go ahead and try a J. Crew Factory shirt or will I likely be disappointed given that LEC shirts are too big? As many of you know, I have a helluva time finding shirts that fit my narrow shoulders while also accommodating my midsection.

[LittleNelly]

I've tried numerous things at J-crew Factory and been disappointed for most part. Things I would steer clear of are their button down shirts ( do not fit me, see my profile for measurements ) and the fabric is nothing special. The Thompson suit is good on sale ($200) for the price if you are the type of person that needs a suit maybe 3-4 times a year which is the category I fall in. I have no need for a $500 suit as I wouldn't get value of out it.

[VespaMatt]

For the most part, Factory seems to just use cheaper fabric than mainline. When I started wearing J. Crew is was impressed with the way it feels to the touch, almost suede like? The Factory stuff just feels like same ol' same ol' fabric. I find the cut is fairly consistently the same. I like J. Crew's classic cut, sized down to XS and the factory shirts fit pretty much the same in this size as the mainline stuff I have. Sleeves are STILL a little too long though, and I have my tailor take them up an inch or inch and a half if I plan to wear them with a sport coat.

If you can make it to a physical store, they have some sick discounts sometimes on leftover stuff. I snagged a flannel shirt in August for $2.60. Seriously.

[Longshanks]

If you can make it to a physical store, they have some sick discounts sometimes on leftover stuff. I snagged a flannel shirt in August for $2.60. Seriously.

This is VERY true. Our end of summer clearance sales were positively obscene at my store. 80% off already marked down items? Shirts for 7 dollars (I never saw anything go as low as $2.60 but it doesn't surprise me). It was a sight to see. Go into work one day, good range of sizes, go into work three days later; nothing left.

Though it did suffer from the usual problem of there being oddly large sizes in unflattering patterns (navy blue and white horizontal stripe polos in size XXL anyone?) left over when everything else was gone.