I am coming out of the closet.
I am anti-J. Crew.
Wedding attire specifically. Vehemently so. I am sick and tired of almost every wedding blog, TV show, and magazine pimping J. Crew that I am on the J. Crew hate train.
J. Crew is a brand like any other that has done a truly excellent job positioning itself as a lifestyle in ready-to-wear, and now its sights are set on bridal. This is not because their gowns are unique, lovely, affordable, and have perfect fit, or because their bridesmaid dresses are cuter, cheaper, and fit better than anyone else's. It's because they are J. Crew, a brand that has successfully marketed its "lifestyle." Nothing more, nothing less.
In fact, every time I get their catalog and see their wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses, all I see are essentially designer-inspired frocks. Dresses that look suspiciously like last season's bridesmaid dresses or couture wedding gowns.
It incenses me that the prevailing notion is that J. Crew bridesmaid dresses are somehow more affordable, versatile, or cuter than anything found in a bridal boutique. In fact, many bridesmaid dresses found in boutiques are just as cute and wearable, are made with better materials, have higher quality construction, and are often even less expensive than what is found at J. Crew. I can pretty much guarantee the fit will be better.
Check out these from Anne Elyse:
Designers like Jenny Yoo, Coren Moore, Lynn Lugo, and Anne Elyse (just to name a few) all make stylish, affordable, non-bridesmaid-y dresses in which each girl can choose her style from an array of colors. Most designers even offer a discount for orders of three or more dresses (regardless of color or style), which helps with the cost even more. Additionally, the customer support you receive from a reputable, well run shop far exceeds anything you will experience on the phone with J. Crew or even in the bridal boutique shop-in-shops they are rolling out soon.
J. Crew bridal gowns retail anywhere from $400 to upwards of $3,000. These gowns are mass-produced and made outside of the country with lower quality textiles than many designers you will find in a boutique. The construction is nowhere near what you would find in a well made bridal gown. There is no custom anything going on here anywhere. I realize, sadly, that this is the bridal industry's fault. By taking the custom-made aspect out of it (hello, David's) and treating it like ready-to-wear, the customer now no longer has the expectation of a handmade, custom gown. Or a handmade, custom experience for that matter. In fact, the customer is now suspicious of ordering lead times and prices. Places like David's and Target have made it seem reasonable to get a bridal gown off the rack for cheap, and some customers now believe the same pricing should apply to gowns that are handmade-to-order in whichever country the designer's studio is based.
The ultimate result is that the experience of going to a bridal boutique, ordering your gown, having it made for you, and then going through the fitting process is being affected. As J. Crew picks up more market share, small boutiques that carry independent designers of the same price point are slowly being put out of business. Small designers cannot compete with the sheer marketing power and production dollars J. Crew wields, and small boutiques can't compete, either.
Designers like Lea Ann Belter, Caroline DeVillo, L'ezu Atelier, Claire Pettibone, Cymbeline, Modern Trousseau, Jenny Yoo, Coren Moore, Judd Waddel, Amy Kuschel, Adele Wechsler, Sassi Holford, Sarah Arnett and many, many more offer gowns anywhere from $500 - $3,000 retail, and the qualities you should expect in a bridal gown (design, fit, fabric, fabrication, etc.) are all there. Plus, by purchasing from a boutique, you are helping small business and not some multinational corporation.
I love the bridal industry - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Like the fashion industry, it is a kooky world, but the creativity and being a part of something special and beautiful never gets old. It makes me sad to think that J. Crew has somehow brainwashed everyone into thinking it is the only place to go for simple, affordable, beautiful gowns.
Sometimes a girl finds a dress and falls in love. If that happens with a J. Crew gown, I resonate with that. I have witnessed over and over a woman finding The Dress, the one she can see getting married in with her whole heart and mind. No matter what garment that is, a woman needs to feel her most beautiful on her wedding day. I am not saying J. Crew should not have bridal gowns at all, or that the people who wear them are crazy. I am saying that magazines, blogs, TV shows, The Knot...everyone...needs to stop drinking the Kool-Aid. There is more out there than J. Crew. With all this focus on buying handmade and local, why not extend it to bridal?
For brides-to-be, I implore you to research the designer you choose. Discover where a gown is made and choose a dress that matters to you. Buy it from a salon that will take care of you and with whom you feel good spending your money. It is easy to get caught up in the idea that everything in the wedding industry is overpriced, and it may feel safer to just go someplace like J. Crew. In some cases, you are right. There are unethical practices out there, just like in any industry. Research and choose the right vendor or boutique, and you can be sure the pricing will be fair and your treatment will be unsurpassed.
0 comments:
Post a Comment