J. Crew Women's Review [Summer 2024]

Joshua Miller
Jul 16, 2024
3 min read

Outline

Introduction

Creative Direction

In or Out: Linen, Poplin, Tropical Florals, and Crochet

Favorite Pieces

Final Thoughts

Introduction

Summer 2024 is here (or has been here) and while I'm sad to let the assouline red go I'm excited for this season and the happiness it brings.

At large, it seems like optimism is in.

The colors are brighter, the fabrics are lighter, and everything seems ... happy.

So today I'd like to go through the highs and lows of J. Crew's Summer 2024 collection and share my thoughts on the creative direction, core trends, and best pieces,

Creative Direction

Those of you who know me personally (the one of you) know that I love Olympia Marie.

Having been named the EVP of Women's Design at J. Crew in New York City in 2020 she has, in my opinion, revitalized J. Crew into being a timeless, fashion-forward, quality design house that represents American leisure and prosperity.

I'm obsessed with how she leads her team of designers in NYC and how she highlights their strengths on the path to artistic success.

I'm an avid follower of her Instagram and highly encourage anyone interested in American fashion and creative direction to follow her.

She's very good at dictating the creative direction for each season and I believe she's very good at sitting in the pocket of what her target customer wants.

Likewise, this season she led her team toward a leisurely aesthetic that draws inspiration from the Canary Islands, sunlight, and mountain forestry.

Physically, this manifested itself into a collection featuring linen, embroidery, and crochet as its main motifs.

Linen = In

Mirroring menswear, linen is in this summer.

Long gone are the days craving the indoors and the solitude of the familiar.

It's time to equip ourselves with a trusted fabric to hold us as we embrace the sun.

Together, I love the way that J. Crew used linen throughout the collection.

J. Crew reimagined classic blazers, vests, jumpsuits, and dresses to have relaxed silhouettes that function as casual beach pieces and formal diner items.

All in all, linen is in and I'm impressed.

Embroidery = Out

While I admire the multicultural inspiration I don't think that embroidery has a strong place in this collection.

J. Crew is loved for being timeless and I can't imagine a world where anyone wants to wear this three months from now.

Design directions like this remind me of The Devil Wears Prada's famous "it's Cerulean" monologue because of how quickly a trend like this could die for the average American customer.

I can see how this trend could flourish in the collection of other designers, but not this brand.

Crochet = Out

Like embroidery, my question is who is this for?

I appreciate the creativity of this design theme, but I don't think that crochet is going to stick around for a while.

So if you're thinking about buying into this trend, my advice, right now, is to play it safe and save your money.

I think pieces that have tiny elements of crochet embedded in them have a lot of value BUT again I don't think that this was a needed element in this collection and I'd be shocked if it's a best seller if any J. Crew weekly sales-recap meetings.