Despite being critical of the J. Crew trench cape in a previous post, a well-timed price drop (and no resistance to my request for a price adjustment from J. Crew’s online support team) convinced me that it’s now something worth investing additional energy into transforming.
I decided I liked the cape’s color, could overlook the easily wrinkled fabric, and was most bothered by the length (~33 inches in overall length), which, frankly speaking, is a minor fit issue. I was quoted $40 by a local tailor to shorten and slim the cape, which I found reasonable.
It’s not a project that I would’ve undertaken normally, but my mostly fruitless trench cape search has left me questioning the probability that I’ll find something off the shelf.
 |
| J. Crew Trench Cape | J. Crew Striped Crewneck Sweater with Side Snaps | Michael Kors Runway Watch | Chanel Jumbo Flap | H&M Faux Leather Pants | Salvatore Ferragamo Vara Heels |
To segue into a rant, for a retailer who has struggled as much with fit issues
in recent years as J. Crew, I am curious what steps it is taking to
correct this problem. The 5-star rating system on product pages make
transparent that fit issues are felt close to universally on most
lowly-rated styles.
Even the well-reviewed fringy tweed jacket which I covet has an awkward jewel neckline which I anticipate being a challenge to style.
Mickey Drexler recently mass emailed J. Crew email subscribers looking for feedback so I took him up on his offer. Will share the response (assuming there is one).
