J.Crew Spring 2012 RTW

I dont recall J.Crew ever being front and center like this. . . I had to share, here is the review. . .

Walking into the J.Crew presentation, someone coming out said, "Best show of New York fashion week." A few years ago, the very idea that the catalog company would occupy an official time slot would've been hard to believe. But tens of thousands of nicely priced stripey shirts, chambray button-downs, and neon tees later, you can't really argue that J.Crew doesn't belong at fashion week. In fact, we spotted a very influential French editor wearing an army green Henley tee from the brand in the front row at the shows yesterday. We knew it was J.Crew because we considered buying one ourselves.

Jenna Lyons and the head of women's design, Marissa Webb, have a formula, and there was no rejiggering of it under the bright lights of Lincoln Center. Color and classic tailoring are still the big stories; "it's the proportions that make them new," said Webb. The cashmere sweaters, for example, are looser, more slouchy for Spring, while the pencil skirts are narrower and graze the shins. Another skirt in multicolored sequin stripes was even longer—"it's almost a dorky, nerdy length," Webb said, "but it feels sexier than a mini now." The skirt was paired with a dark denim shirt, a look that Lyons and co. patented. There weren't necessarily any big new ideas like that in this collection, but that doesn't mean it didn't connect with the crowd. We'll still be seeing these clothes in multiples next season.