J.Crew

Why r/BuyItForLife recommends J.Crew

36 mentions from real owners

• #1Dec 31, 2025

  stretchy, skintight, preferably natural fiber, long-sleeved women's "base layer"?

  They used to be called tissue tees, I think some brands still have them. Thin cotton shirts, like so thin it would be see through on its own but great for light layering for normal everyday wear. I have some from J Crew, banane republic, gap, madewell etc that have help up pretty well. Of course the thinner it is, the less longevity but I have some basic J Crew cotton long sleeve tees that I’ve had for 10+ years. 

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• #2Dec 30, 2025

  Reasonably priced natural fiber clothing

  J Crew runs a lot of sales and has nice natural fiber options! I got some basic tees for about 20-30$ on sale and they're super nice quality. Also Abercrombie's jeans have held up years for me and never show signs of wear. Just make sure you get the 99% cotton ones ( I think most of them are).

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• #3Dec 27, 2025

  Little luxuries or upgrades that you made this year that makes your everyday better?

  I never believed it until I hit up my recent thrift shop, but second hand. I’m a woman but I look in the men’s racks. I got a 100% Italian cashmere J Crew sweater for $25. I also love the brand Sézane. They’re French and the quality and craftsmanship is unmatched and pretty fairly priced. Free returns if you’re not sure on sizing. Massimo Duti is also another good option (made in Italy and solid quality) and the Zara website sells their stuff. Also, most Scandinavian brands are high quality. There’s a Swedish H&M outside the US called Weekday and some of their basics are solid. Got a 100% wool sweater for 50€ and it keeps me so warm. Downside is they don’t have stores in the US :/ . I also try to get reformation at sample sales. If the weather is super cold, I’ll wear a 32 Degrees (Costco) or Uniqlo base shirt. Typically $5-7 and add infinite heat! I’ve tried Quince but I found the quality lacking.

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• #4Dec 27, 2025

  Casual Women’s Clothing for 33 year Old

  Like others have said-fabric and construction. I’ve found pieces at for big brands: JCrew, Everlane, Banana Republic, Aritzia (though they’re going downhill now in quality), even Zara. I stick with natural fibers-mainly cotton and cashmere. Quince quality is awful. I recommend checking out @fond.losangelas who breaks this down and gives you what to look out for!

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• #5Dec 21, 2025

  Cashmere and merino from J.Crew and Banana Republic cause irritation. Should I try higher-end brands or look for alternatives?

  I collected cashmere sweaters from JC and BR from 2009 to about 2020 and I can say with certainty that quality diminished steadily. I am sensitive to all woolens, so I wore a collared shirt or tee with a high crewneck 99% of the time when I wanted to wear one of these sweaters. If I was in the market for new cashmere, I'd shop vintage or save up for better stuff (that comes from the UK or wool-producing countries).

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• #6Dec 21, 2025

  Cashmere and merino from J.Crew and Banana Republic cause irritation. Should I try higher-end brands or look for alternatives?

  I’ve never hated a piece of clothing as much as I hated that last merino sweater! 😭 even the thought of wearing it with a base layer makes me feel upset!  But I might get the J.Crew v-neck cashmere and wear something long sleeve under it. I don’t often see a high v-neck and I love the peridot green color.

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• #7Dec 6, 2025

  Sweaters for sensitive skin

  Look for sweaters made of cashmere, merino wool, and silk. Acrylic is a wool alternative that is less likely to irritate sensitive skin, but tends to get matted looking. Also highly recommend wearing a base layer under sweaters - Uniqlo heat tech is my go-to. Provides extra warmth and keeps the sweaters cleaner. The natural fibers actually don’t need to be laundered often. I also have sensitive skin and I can wear wool if I wear a base for protection. I have sweaters from over a decade ago from j crew, madewell, Victoria’s Secret, banana republic, and even H&M. They still look great. These brands are sadly using less natural fibers now. So I’d recommend shopping secondhand.

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• #8Dec 4, 2025

  Need new wardrobe. Do I go LL Bean, Filson, Patagonia, Huckleberry? Main goal is to last a long time.

  Patagonia pants and dresses do not fit me quite right, but I love their tops/sweaters/vests. J.Crew always fits me well, but you'll want to pick pieces that are classic and not too trendy so you can keep wearing them for years, and wash items according to the care tag - like the J.Crew grey cashmere sweater I wore yesterday that is already 7 years old, but still looks brand new!

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• #9Dec 4, 2025

  Need help looking for 2 types of coats; A down, and a wool

  Cold weather coats are mostly a minefield of marketing, so you have to look at the guts of the thing. For down, the big problems are weak fill and cheap fabric. A long coat that actually keeps you warm needs something in the 700 fill range or better so it insulates without turning you into a walking trash bag. Box baffle construction matters because sewn through seams leak heat once you're below about ten degrees. The outer fabric should be around 30 to 40 denier nylon so it does not tear the first time it meets a door frame. LL Bean's Ultralight 850 Long is one of the few options in your price range that gets most of this right. For wool, the only thing that really matters is density. You want something around 80 to 90 percent wool, and ideally melton or boiled wool so the wind does not cut straight through it. The lining should be Bemberg or a decent polyester satin. Acetate is the sticky stuff that feels fine in a changing room and awful in real use. Make sure the shoulders have taped seams so the coat does not sag after a season. J.Crew's Ludlow topcoat, when they put it on sale, usually meets those specs. The big trap is the so called wool blend coats that are closer to plastic than wool. Anything with more than forty percent polyester will feel warm under store lights and leave you freezing outside.

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• #10Dec 4, 2025

  Wool Overcoat Suggestions

  J.Crew Rivington Top Coat is 95% wool/5% cashmere. But you just missed the sale it was $300 USD but now back up to $600. Also, eBay or similar is your best bet. Case in point, I just received mine yesterday: 70% wool/30% cashmere and I paid $90 from eBay. There was so many options to choose from (peacoat vs. top coat vs. car coat) but once I saw the higher cashmere blend i had to get it.

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• #11Dec 2, 2025

  Nice looking men's boots that will work in an office, but stand up to Chicago winters

  Chippewa lace up with round toe. Had a Jcrew version in a cordovan color that I’d wear with a suit, chinos or jeans. Might be able to find those gently used on the resale market for just under $200. Great, versatile, weatherproof with vibram sole. Looks like they make their own version called Jcrew field boot now. And what I see on the Chippewa site now is slightly less officey than the old Jcrew ones I see, but still office appropriate. Thursday boot also looks solid, but I don’t have experience with them. Main things you want are good materials and well constructed. Get full grain leather, or rapello suede, Goodyear welt & rubber lug sole - like vibram. The lug sole won’t last as long as a leather bottom more dressy option, but it is what you need for your schlep, especially in the elements.

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• #12Nov 5, 2025

  Why is it so hard to find well-made clothes that aren't insanely priced?

  I have a thick wool sweater I bought from J Crew about 25 years ago when they still sold quality clothing. Now everything I buy from them has a hole or seam coming apart after a year. You might have better luck with a coat, though.

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• #13Oct 9, 2025

  Desperately looking for high quality trousers for TALL women

  for tall women it usually comes down to shopping where inseam length isnt an afterthought. american tall and alloy apparel actually build around 35-38 inch inseams so the proportions work right. banana republic and j crew do decent tall sizing in better fabrics that hold up way longer than the cheap asos topshop tall stuff. reiss and cos are good for minimalist cuts if you want to spend more. some madewell and citizens jeans run long too. amazon has some surprisingly decent options though if you know which store to look at. from the top of my head [jinkesi has](https://freebiesdealsandrewards.com/dp-B0CMWFVRRW) wide leg pants that are high waist and flowy.

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• #14Sep 2, 2025

  looking for natural fiber women’s dress pants

  Brooks brothers? Untucked has female too Equipment had some cotton button ups Again jcrew might have it Aritzia had some ok ones I don’t wear oxfords or polos at all so can’t be more helpful.

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• #15Sep 1, 2025

  Clothing and footwear brands that hold up over time

  Boots: red wing, bobbies, Thursday. Anything resolable will last forever. Clothes: J Crew especially on sale,Patagonia, madewell, Huckberry has some good men’s stuff too although can be a little pricy. I would generally stick to natural fibers with the exception of technical pieces like a ski jacket or workout shirt Care: the most important piece to lasting as long as possible. Re-oil your boots as needed as they’ll be susceptible to faster wear if they dry out. For clothes, learn when and how to wash different garments. Clean freakz on tik tok is a great source for all things laundry but in short, don’t actually wash your clothes until they need it due to smell or stains. Natural fibers especially tend to be more odor resistant than things like polyester. If you’re just doing a standard wash for stinky clothes, cold wash is probably all you need save those hot washes for when you really need to get stuff out. Also get a front load washer if you can it’s much easier on your clothes then a top loader. Finally lower heat on your dryer if you can adjust that it’s easier on your clothes. Heat and friction are what really kill the longevity of your clothes

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• #16Aug 4, 2025

  what winter coat are yall using?

  #PEACOAT I think it’s what you’re looking for. I got a classic one from j crew over a decade ago. That said, walking in that difficult area requires layers. That really is the way to go. I wear a light down jacket with a hard shell over that. Works in rain and snow and below zero. And when the weather changes, you can remove a layer.

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• #17Aug 1, 2025

  Bright bifl women's clothing?

  Try to look for vintage pieces very specific to the colors you want, in 100% natural fibers like silk, cotton, and wool. I have an orange Banana Republic zip up that I got secondhand that has to be 20 years old that is indestructible and still vibrant as new. Most clothes made before 2008 will have sturdier construction and better quality materials. I have two 100% silk tops from the 80s that are also vibrant as ever. Older items also won’t have buttons and strings hanging off and open seams if you know how to spot the well made ones, too. Find things online or irl thrift that are over 20 years old but in good brands like Land’s End, J Crew, Ralph Lauren, even Gucci, Dior, Armani but old enough to be priced well now. My closet is 60% thrift and BIFL and that Venn Diagram is a circle! The slightly older items last so much better I’ve found.

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• #18Aug 1, 2025

  Bright bifl women's clothing?

  I have like 5 patterned shirts made with Liberty Art Fabrics that are collaborations with J.Crew. Now J.Crew quality sucks, but their Liberty collaboration is fantastic. I bought 3 of them secondhand and they're in great condition. Anyway, look for places that make their clothes with Liberty fabric if you like patterns on good cotton.

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• #19Jul 7, 2025

  Looking for the best wallets for men that actually last

  I like this one a lot. I've had it since 2019 https://factory.jcrew.com/p/mens/categories/accessories/bags-and-wallets/wallets/leather-money-clip/AH600?srsltid=AfmBOopl00sMvL--9iH-whcnhwXEiqRIWaxGui1F4iG3XAG7bVfDX1J9

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• #20Jul 7, 2025

  Plain but quality mens clothing that isn't too showy

  Also - the J. Crew Relaxed Broken-in pocket t-shirt is a classic

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• #21Jul 3, 2025

  Plain but quality mens clothing that isn't too showy

  Pretty much all the really nice ones. Banana republic, though they’re hit or miss these days. I like j crew. Brooks Brothers.

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• #22Jul 3, 2025

  Plain but quality mens clothing that isn't too showy

  Uniqlo, j crew, banana

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• #23Jul 2, 2025

  Does anyone else feel like it's impossible to buy quality stuff anymore? Seems like every single thing I buy falls apart absurdly fast. I try to get quality stuff, but reviews are all fake, star ratings are bought... how do you avoid buying junk?

  Older person here. Before the internet, we relied on consistent quality from a brand as a predictor of current quality. That made brand loyalty so important. If I wanted a dress that was well constructed, cut to proportions that would fit me and used good quality cloth, I would stay with the same brand. I learned to look for quality construction- the way seams are finished, whether there are loose threads. Stuff you can see on many eBay or PoshMark pictures, btw. We looked for the brands that certain level retail stores carried and essentially let their buyers curate for quality. I could assume, subject to correction, that a brand sold by Macy's or Marshall Field would last longer than one sold at J C Penney. So I stick with the brands I know.A Coach bag is still good. J Crew makes decent quality clothes as does Talbot's. Forever 21 and H&M are cheap quality. Macy's is still better than WalMart. Some of this requires going to a brick and mortar store and touching the merchandise, then deciding if you want to order that top from, say, Lands End. Doing that circumvents all the reviewers.

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• #24May 9, 2025

  Fed up with crappy tshirts. Tried Sene as a last resort (brutally honest review)

  J crew vintage jersey for me are S-tier

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• #25May 3, 2025

  Best Men's Clothing Brands

  Uniqlo, Jcrew, Huckberry(although its really a curated shop for other brands) also had some luck with these but you have to really look at the stuff for build quality and polyester count: Jcrew factory, BR Factory, Gap, Gap factory

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• #26Apr 14, 2025

  What womens swimsuits are BIFLT (buy it for a long time)

  Jcrew, Andie, and Summersalt have all lasted me 5+ years. They’re high quality and fit so well, too.

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• #27Apr 14, 2025

  What womens swimsuits are BIFLT (buy it for a long time)

  Wearing a J Crew for like 8+ yrs.

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• #28Apr 14, 2025

  What womens swimsuits are BIFLT (buy it for a long time)

  I still have my J Crew one from 3 years ago and my last one lasted 4-5 years.

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• #29Apr 9, 2025

  High quality sweaters and hoodies - suggestions?

  American giant is my go to. Followed by J Crew heritage line

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• #30Apr 2, 2025

  Confession: I only buy clothes and most items made pre-2020

  I have had sweaters from Loft and J crew/Banana Republic for >10 years now still in great condition, recently looked at the labels they are all wool or cashmere /cotton blends. Nowadays almost everything is polyester blends at those stores. So sad.

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• #31Mar 1, 2025

  A note about clothing quality

  This is my particular workaround. READ THE CARE TAGS. I go to very high end consignment stores and try to find well made and high quality clothes and try them all on. I make a note of what everything I like is made from. Turns out really high quality wool isn’t itchy at all. And really high quality cashmere isn’t going to fall apart after two washes. eBay is great because people post photos of all of the labels, and you can really inspect what’s janky plastic and what are natural fibers. I set alerts for the certain brands that I know fit me that I would never be able to afford at retail, and then I can spend an hour every Saturday looking at what has popped up. My entire wardrobe is thrifted at this point with the exception of t-shirts, socks, and underwear. I have sweaters that have lasted me 15+ years and I only spent about $75-150 on any of them, but were easily 10x the price new. Not because of the logo, but because of the materials. Even lower end brands like J Crew make SOME quality items, but you have to pay attention so you can find the ones that were the small run of better made items. Especially ones that were made in Italy, USA, Japan, etc. Once you start paying really close attention to how they are labeled and to actually READ the entire care tag, you’ll start noticing what fabrics you like.

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• #32Feb 9, 2025

  High quality T-shirts, women

  I’m still wearing them in to see how long they last but I’ve been really impressed with these heavyweight cotton tees from J Crew. I wear it twice a week and hang to dry and have had them for a year and a half now and they’re good as new and have held their shape. https://www.jcrew.com/p/womens/categories/clothing/t-shirts-and-tank-tops/relaxed-premium-weight-cropped-t-shirt/CA839

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• #33Feb 2, 2025

  What Are The Differences Between a Cheaper And More Expensive Fleece Jacket?

  Wool. Get a wool sweater on eBay. I got an extra large J crew merino wool sweater, washed/dry and it shrunk perfectly. Weave is now denser and thus warmer.

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• #34Feb 1, 2025

  Flannel shirts that last

  I've found that jcrew and banana Republic shirts last a long time and are low polyester. Granted, you pay for what you get but it's worth it

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• #35Jan 8, 2025

  Best Heavyweight Cotton Hoodie

  The J crew heritage 14oz hoodie recommendation is seconded. Buy the pants too for a total amount under your budget as they have rotating sales.

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• #36Jan 3, 2025

  What clothing brands are your BIFL?

  My J Crew sweaters and suiting don't quit!

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