#13. Store Wars 2014: J. Crew Factory unseats J. Crew

[yoyorobbo]

How can you tell the two apart on eBay? I haven't been to an actual JC store, so I've only seen the tags on the JCF. They don't say "factory" anywhere on there, that I noticed.

They have little dots or diamonds (or something - can't recall exactly) directly under the J.Crew name on the tag. Same thing with BR factory. Seems like BRF has three dots/diamonds, and JCF has one (maybe two?).

[reggieandtfe]

Outside of the secret wash shirts and the occasional interesting sweaters, I feel like I can get the equivalent items for much cheaper at Target.

J Crew still wins for me, especially when they're running sales. Just this year, I've gotten 2 blazers, a pair of Aldens and the Wallace and Barnes bomber to go along with some shirts and chinos.

[NakedTruth]

Good discussion here, guys.

Regarding wares from the JCrew Factory, their items are nicer than Target, IMO. Two examples:
* When on sale, $100 nets you a well-fitting 90%-wool sport coat.
* Yesterday, I spied a wool-blend black 38R topcoat in clearance for $80. My non-wool "Medium" Merona topcoat was $50.

Are their products better than those of JCrew? No, but they offer an excellent value for the money, especially to those who are building a wardrobe on a budget or want an odd jacket. That said, I have never found JCrew's online sales to offer much of interest to me; the sales usually exclude suiting. I have no interest in their shirting.

It's not an outlet store, it's a different line entirely, you won't see JCrew closeouts in Jcrew factory.

Actually, I saw that very thing and purchased a Ludlow jacket in Super 120s wool. It does have a Factory rather than JCrew sales tag attached to it, which I thought odd. Perhaps the Factory re-tagged what it got from its sister store? If the jacket was made specifically for the Factory, then perhaps I deserve the sucker-of-the-year award. Anybody know for sure? Either way, it fits like a dream!

[Starbreaker]

Good discussion here, guys.

Regarding wares from the JCrew Factory, their items are nicer than Target, IMO. Two examples:
* When on sale, $100 nets you a well-fitting 90%-wool sport coat.
* Yesterday, I spied a wool-blend black 38R topcoat in clearance for $80. My non-wool "Medium" Merona topcoat was $50.

Are their products better than those of JCrew? No, but they offer an excellent value for the money, especially to those who are building a wardrobe on a budget or want an odd jacket. That said, I have never found JCrew's online sales to offer much of interest to me; the sales usually exclude suiting. I have no interest in their shirting.

Actually, I saw that very thing and purchased a Ludlow jacket in Super 120s wool. It does have a Factory rather than JCrew sales tag attached to it, which I thought odd. Perhaps the Factory re-tagged what it got from its sister store? If the jacket was made specifically for the Factory, then perhaps I deserve the sucker-of-the-year award. Anybody know for sure? Either way, it fits like a dream!

I've definitely gotten regular J.Crew items at the Factory stores...it's not often, but occasionally you will see items from the regular stores there. You can tell what is straight up Factory because it will have two little diamonds/dots on the label under the JCrew name. Having said that, I totally agree that it's a GREAT place to stock up on basics on a budget, especially when they have their 50% off the store sales. The one big annoyance I have with the Factory selection is their pants are always HUGE, even if they say "slim."

[BB]

How do you go about buying stuff like that on eBay? Never tried

You just search on eBay for "ludlow" and your size, or simply J Crew and your size. Look for stuff that was obviously worn by a real person (don't get the ones that look professionally listed; you'll see there are a few people who buy a lot of seconds and then jack up the price for a living.) Check in every few days for a month and you'll find something. It depends a bit on your size. I'm a 44L so it's a bit easier for me to find stuff cheaply, but I think you'll get a good deal if you simply are patient.

[BB]

The J Crew sales always include blazers and odd jackets, though. If you like sportcoats there are good deals.

[Vicious49]

You just search on eBay for "ludlow" and your size, or simply J Crew and your size. Look for stuff that was obviously worn by a real person (don't get the ones that look professionally listed; you'll see there are a few people who buy a lot of seconds and then jack up the price for a living.) Check in every few days for a month and you'll find something. It depends a bit on your size. I'm a 44L so it's a bit easier for me to find stuff cheaply, but I think you'll get a good deal if you simply are patient.

I've picked up 2 Ludlow blazers that way. 1 was really cheap (around $50) and the other was closer to $150 but was still about 1/3 of what J Crew sells it for. Both were barely worn. Just kept doing a search for Ludlow and 38. Had to sift through the pants that were size 38 and 38 short jackets but eventually found something.

[andrewlcraft]

Recently got a JCF slim merino V and then a couple weeks later a mainline slim cotton/cashmere V. I can't tell a real difference in fit or the quality of construction. They both fit perfect and construction, seams etc. seem identical.

For staples like chinos and the washed shirts, JCF beats Target hands down in fit and quality. Especially fit. I don't see myself paying mainline prices for these items, however. The price/quality ratio is almost unbeatable for these items.

JCF OCBD's are not worth buying. After trying a few, Thompson dress shirts are not worth buying.

For the (sale) prices, JCF suiting/sport coats are hard to beat, but upgrade to Ludlow if you can, differences there are definitely noticeable.

JCF Gramercy shorts beat the quality of the JCP ones I picked up last spring by a mile.

Denim quality is just as good as any regular pair of Levis, cords are solid too.

For casual staples, JCF is hard to beat. I don't buy much of that at Target anymore.

For higher end items, go mainline J.Crew.

My .02, everyone here has made good points along the way.

[Brent k]

I agree JCP shorts were horrible quality lower than h&m. The pilled a ton.

[bjmcgeever]

I agree JCP shorts were horrible quality lower than h&m. The pilled a ton.

Really? Which ones did you get? I have two pairs of their oxford shorts and I wore the heck out of them this summer - at least twice a week for each pair and they still look great.

[Vicious49]

I've had 2 pairs of their shorts for 2 summers now with no issues. They look like the Gramercy shorts on their site so I'm guessing that's what I have.

[fauxshow]

I don't really do JCF anymore unless they have one of their 50% off plus an additional percent deals. I find that I can consistently find stuff on sale at the mainline store of about the same price, and sometimes even less than JCF.

Over the past several months I've ordered a few things from JCF and all but a couple of items have been returned.

[Jamie]

I don't really do JCF anymore unless they have one of their 50% off plus an additional percent deals. I find that I can consistently find stuff on sale at the mainline store of about the same price, and sometimes even less than JCF.

Over the past several months I've ordered a few things from JCF and all but a couple of items have been returned.

My experience exactly! The only things I've kept from JCF in the past year were a slim merino (it's decent enough) and a pair of socks that kinda suck! But I've returned plenty. I was already starting to move away from JCF, but this past yer was the nail in the coffin.