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Happy Tuesday, and welcome to J. Crew Week. The three sales (women's, men's and Madewell) are at three different spots, and we started off with the massive selection of women's clothing, shoes and accessories at 260 Fifth Avenue during last night's preview. You certainly won't be disappointed here—but the only struggle might be searching for sizes, since items are more often arranged by style. What you will find is a fairly even spread of sizes 00 to 10, or pants sized 25 to 31.
When you walk in, head to the lefthand wall to find scarves for $20 each, bins full of leather bags—smaller styles are $90, medium and large styles are $130—and fabric bags for $20—$45, belts for $20, and a grab bag of small accessories for $10 each.
We spotted a black Madewell (surprise!) leather bag a with brown strap for $130, a small leather J. Crew bag with a chain strap for $90, and lots of large leather shoulder bags for $130. The $10 "small accessories" bin proved great for mini wallets, passport holders, sunglass cases, and knickknacks like coasters. In this area was also a box with straw hats for $20 each (and a couple of felt ones, too), and a box of headbands and hair accessories for $5.
Now for the clothes! Tops dominate the merchandise selection, from $15 tees to $25 denim shirts and $40 embellished tanks. There were a good number of blazers for $120 each, and a few puffer vests for $60. Cashmere sweaters have a couple of racks to themselves for $90 (cashmere tees, tanks, and vests are $65).
The racks closest to the registers are all J. Crew Collection, and items are priced as marked. They're all one-off sizes and styles, but some are totally stunning, like a white top with beaded detail for $130, a white leather jacket for $250, a colorful sequin dress for $375, and a blue leather skirt for $250.
There aren't a huge number of regular J. Crew dresses, but for what we did find, there are great deals. Cotton and jersey dresses are $30, and office and cocktail styles are $60. Among the other racks are chinos and cords for $25 each, denim for $40 (including a favorable white pair, and wool and dress pants for $70.
Shoes are at the back of the sales floor on racks, and sizes range from 5.5 to 10. Heels and ankle boots are $100; flats, sandals and espadrilles are $65; sneakers are $25; and rubber flip-flops are $10. We saw plenty of great pumps and ankle boots in all sizes, as well as flats spread throughout. A rack nearby has sleepwear for $20, and near the stairs are two racks and three bins for swimwear. One-pieces are $40 each, and separates are $25 apiece.
Finally, cases near the register have plenty of jewelry. Embellished necklaces (in the glass cases) are $60, regular necklaces are $35, bracelets and earrings are $25, and rings are $20. There's also a section for kid's Crewcuts apparel that runs from $15 to $50.
The sale has lot to explore, but count on things being crowded as it begins—we'll be checking in on the lines every so often. Check out the Dealfeed below for the sale's dates and hours, and hold your breath for markdowns to come later on in the week.
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