The J.Crew Summer Sale is Bonkers Good. Skip It At Your Own Peril.
Here are 15 pieces I just bought or own, and yes like 4 of them involve stripes. What can I say? I have a fever, and the only thing that can cure it is more stripes?
Right now, my brain is hyperfixated on five things:
@suzandfood’s Ice Cream Cupcakes,
TikTok coverage of the Karen Read trial in Boston,
Bynx’s Birds of a Feather (Billie Eilish) x I Remember (Deadmau5 + Kaskade) Remix,
Miranda July’s All Fours, which all my cultured, smarty (read: former print editor) friends are raving about, including me,
and, of course,
And not in that order. (I’ll send a selection of five of my favorite summer books to one person who can put them in the correct HK-preference order. Leave a comment to enter this incredibly random giveaway I just made up while typing this sentence. Ha.)
But we are not here to talk about making cupcakes that look like ice cream cones—though I am for sure doing this with my kids this summer—we are here to talk about the great stuff J.Crew has in stock now. While J.Crew is never far from my mind, I felt like I was given permission anew to write about it thanks to Lauren Sherman of The Line Sheet fame.
Lauren recently interviewed Derek Guy, who is known by his handle @dieworkwear on Twitter. (Yes, I know that’s not what the platform is called; no, I will not be calling it by its new name.) He was discussing the quality of clothing, and while he was specifically referencing menswear, I enjoyed his J.Crew name drop.
And that’s part of why I always like writing about J.Crew. As someone who owns a lot of it—which I buy online with my hard-earned money—I appreciate the quality for the price, especially right now. I tend to focus on the 100% cotton, linen, or cashmere pieces, plus you know I’m a longtime fan of the brand’s swim, and honestly I’m quite happy with how long things last. Some of my J.Crew stuff is practically vintage at this point, and that makes me feel good about these recommendations. Also: All recs come from the heart and from actual IRL experience, so do what you want with that!
Moving on! I’m working on some of my summer book recommendations for next week’s newsletter, and am trying a special beauty experiment too, plus I have some work travel coming up in July, and looking forward to turning that into a packing story.
As always, if you have any questions for me regarding this story, or anything, really, please don’t hesitate to drop me a comment below, and I will answer you! (And why am I prompting you to comment? Because while I love DMs and always try to answer you there, my inbox is messy, and comments here are much easier for me to find and use as source material as I’m working on new things. Also, I love comments; they make me feel seen.)
A Line Midi Dress in Striped Cotton Poplin ($84.50 now, normally $168)
A breezy, beautiful, family friendly cotton poplin dress that’s available in sizes 00 to 24? Sign me up. I also might have purchased the (still full price) lemon-print version, which is giving Dolce without any of the issues.
Short-Brim Boater Hat with Ribbon Ties ($52.50 now, normally $79.50)
My giant noggin is too large for almost all J.Crew hats, but on the off chance you have a melon of normal proportions, I beg you to buy this hat. It’s so old school Bardot, and just timeless and cool. (If your cranium looks like an orange on a toothpick too, try Janessa Leone. Her size large fits my head delightfully, and the hats are insanely high quality.)
Seamed Linen Dress with Removable Belt ($189.50 now, normally $248)
It’s a rare day that I ever gravitate towards something brown, but this chocolate linen dress is so delicious, I’m making an exception. The silhouette is acceptable for my office, and I like the button-front design, which means you can style it in a more relaxed way on the weekend. I could do without the belt—which is removable—and would style it with my favorite investment accessory (Toteme’s double-wrap belt) or something simple and woven, like this one from Banana Republic (!).
Cotton Voile Beach Shirt ($71.99 now, normally $79.50)
This dot-print sheer cotton shirt was my go-to piece for spring break, and I’ve already gotten a ton of wear out of it this summer. I love that it’s dark because it doesn’t show sweat or sunscreen marks, or stains from tiny hands holding popsicles. Ahem.
Cotton Voile Beach Short ($29.50 now, normally $49.50)
I hate shorts, but this style is actually pretty great. I like them because they have a relatively relaxed cut, so my thighs aren’t slowly getting strangled.
Long-Sleeve Rash Guard ($44.50 now, normally $89.50) in Stripe
I’m a sucker for a striped shirt, so naturally I also like a striped rash guard. These run a smidge small (I have this one, and the basic black), but they last for years and are worth every penny. Perfect for days when I don’t want to put on sunscreen, need another layer of sun protection, or just don’t feel like having my body perceived.
Embroidered Tank Top in Linen ($69.50 now, normally $89.50)
If you don’t RUN to buy this charming (but not sweet sweet!) embroidered white linen tank for summer, I’m not sure I get you? She’s so vintage and PERFECT I could scream. AHHHHH!
Scoopneck Tank Top in Textured Satin ($39.50 now, normally $69.50)
When I was a younger person attending bar and bat mitzvahs, I would often wear what my mother called a “silk shell” paired with a skirt and sometimes a blazer, if my hazy memory serves. Not exactly sure why I was serving corporate girly at that tender age, but the ‘90s were weird. I haven’t thought about that wardrobe staple in ages, until this week, when I bought this tank. I weirdly will probably wear it with essentially the same pieces I styled it with at the age of 13, but hopefully my bangs are better now. I bought black, but the weird metallic army color is good too, and reminds me of the old Chanel nail polish Peridot. Wait, I've convinced myself and am buying that color now too.
Gwyneth Pleated Slip Skirt ($64.50 now, normally $128)
I own this skirt in black (both small and medium) and navy (small) and I wear it more than just about anything else in my wardrobe. I am shocked by this price and HIGHLY recommend it.
Cropped Fine Rib Scoopneck Tank Top in Stripe ($24.50 now, normally $49.50)
Yes, another striped shirt for your shopping pleasure! You know what you get with me; sorry not sorry. I love this one for tucking into slouchy linen trousers, and I think you will too.
Vintage Rib Shelf-Bra Tank Top ($34.99 now, normally $39.50)
Obviously I just bought the utility green version and I don’t care that it’s final sale because I own three of these tanks already and they’re perfect. (I take a small.) There are a bunch on sale right now, with some colorways ringing in at $19.99. Honestly I don’t know why shelf-bra tanks ever went away, but I’m sure glad this one is available now. She’s a staple! Don’t sleep!
Classic-Fit Embroidered Strawberry T-Shirt in Stripe ($19.50 now, normally $39.50)
I HAVE A PROBLEM I KNOW, BUT THAT’S NOT STOPPING ME FROM BUYING THIS.
Cropped Boatneck T-Shirt ($45.99 now, normally $59.50)
Do I own this in red-and-white stripes? Yes. Black-and-white stripes? Yes. Is it excellent? Yes. Boxy, but not too oversized, and cropped, but not too short. It’s perfect for any high-waisted casual pants or skirts you have in your closet. Trust.
Knot Headband in Strawberry Print ($22.50 now, $29.50 normally)
I’m not this girl at all, have never been into a hair accessory, but this headband—!!! She’s perfect! So perfect I accidentally bought the black polka dot version too for $13. Lordy.
PS: This incredible fringe-trim dress is not on sale, but I just pre-ordered it.
Okay friends, that’s it for now. If you want to follow me on @hillarykerr, I’d love it. And if you have anything to say or ask (preferably nothing terribly mean), please drop me a note either via DM or in the comments below.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’m truly so glad you’re here. If you like what you’re reading, please consider sharing this newsletter. (And if you have the time to like it, that would mean a lot to me!) All products mentioned are independently chosen, and some may be affiliate links. Your support is appreciated.
Just a quick note…thank you for acknowledging the issues with Dolce that are generally ignored. 😉
The shell reference runs deep. Great post.