If you have not heard of J.Press Blue yet I will fill you in. Blue is Press’s second shot at courting the younger market with “updated classics.” Here is how Press describes the line,
J.Press Blue is our newest collection in the J. Press brand. J. Press Blue represents a modern evolution of the long established J. Press heritage. The collection is more modern, with an updated, youthful flair. The new line is a direct descendant of J. Press heritage, inheriting the appreciation for fine tailoring and quality fabrics. It has slimmer fit with an adventurous use of fabric and prefect details.
J. Press Blue is the embodiment of the J.Press man, who experiments with and tests the boundaries of his more traditional fashion sense.
I checked out the collection online and was impressed with their Spring/Summer sport coat collection. The three jackets that stood out to me were the cord jacket ($495), the navy gingham sport coat ($625), and the poplin blazer ($480). All three jackets are 3/2 sack with patch pockets and hook vents. They are moderately priced ranging from $480-$625.
I thought this was a nice mix of warm weather offerings. I am partial to the poplin jacket, because of how much use I get out of my old Brooks Brothers Wash ‘n’ Wear jacket (Wash ‘n’ Wear post). The navy Gingham jacket is very seasonal, but the small scale of the gingham a little more versatile. To round out the options a cord jacket is offered instead of the more common seersucker.
In general these “updated classics” lines don’t turn out so great. York Street left a lot to be desired and Brooks Brother’s Red Fleece fails to incorporate the Trad/Ivy details into their clothing. Ralph Lauren Rugby had its hit and misses, but it taught me a lesson. A sweater that I purchased from Rugby and wear often reminds me to not only take the good with the bad, but to appreciate that good.
J.Press Blue has potential. It has the potential to provide 3/2 sack sport coats with all the details at price point that doesn’t deter all, but the die hard. This is a space that I would love to see served as limited availability of Trad/Ivy and the high prices it commands set high barriers to entrance.
We will see were the Blue line goes. Will it do any better than York Street? Will it be around longer than Rugby? Will it fit me? All of these questions will be answered in time. Even if Blue does not live up to my very low expectations I hope that I remember to take advantage of the good items that they have to offer instead of focusing on what’s wrong with overall collection.
Jerrod,
These are very nice looking pieces. I hope J. Press does well. I took a look at the entire selection and I like the look of several things. Also, I think you are on target that the prices on such pieces as these sport coats are not out of line with the market. However, did see a few wild notions. A dungaree shirt priced at $220.00 and a quilted jacket (plantation style) for $350.00. However, I probably would not look to J. Press for those items anyway. Wrangler makes the most durable dungaree shirt I have ever seen for $23.00 and you could have a Plantation quilted jacket custom made at Staffords for $130.00.
I am sure the two pieces I am referring to are more fashion to J. Press than functional pieces.
I recently wanted to take advantage of the sale J. Press was having on dress shirts. I had to back away because though the shirts were American made J. Press customer service would not say where the cotton was grown. I personally have had a lot of problems with cotton shirts developing random holes after just a few cleanings. The problem I believe is foreign short staple cotton instead of the long staple cotton grown here in the states.
These do look very nice. And the price is reasonable. That top jacket — the cordlane with the elbow patches — caught my eye. I was thinking of making a special trip down to New Haven to check it out. When I looked closer on-line, though, I see it is designed for Yalies. It’s the school colors of blue and white and has a large “Y” on each of the buttons. The label also refers to Yale.
Aside from the limited market of this offering, I do hope the JPress Blue line becomes permanent. Many of the other items I see there look promising.
On a side note, Jerrod, I want to say “Thank you” for your website and it’s terrific content. I am very glad you don’t have the craziness of what I see this weekend on Ivy-Style. That degrades that site, in my judgement, and I don’t post comments there — way too much politics. I always get good ideas from your posts and from some of the comments of others. I’ve learned a lot here and appreciate it. The only other site that did this was Billax’s, but that’s now gone. So, just like the JPress Blue Line, I hope you continue on. Your content gets better and better with each new post.
” A sweater that I purchased from Rugby and wear often reminds me to not only take the good with the bad, but to appreciate that good.”
“I hope that I remember to take advantage of what they have to offer instead of focusing on what’s wrong with it.”
In short: Appreciate and take advantage of the good, rather than focusing on the bad.
Good advice.