Are you ready to party like a sparkly lumberjack? J.Crew goes to high-low extremes in its Holiday 2010 catalog. Gayle Stannaus, lead women's stylist for the recently sold company, gave StyleList a behind-the-scenes look at the mailing, which arrives in homes Dec. 4.
StyleList also discovers the brand's best special-occasion clothes -- and who J.Crew President Jenna Lyons wishes would crash the company holiday party!
The key looks in the catalog pair sequined tanks, metallic shoes and crystal jewelry with plaid shirts, long sweaters and what Stannaus calls "tomboy, slouchy, around-the-fire wear." They're all in a bid for comfort, chic and originality.
As in years past, the December catalog sidesteps traditional holiday icons, using bright red as a visual detail throughout the pages.
Rather than Christmas stockings and candy canes, the creative team played with crimson industrial and athletic props, from a fan to a hockey stick.
"We just have fun, everybody throwing down on the table their ideas of red items and getting creative," Stannaus told StyleList. "We went all over the place with the red props."
Other red threads included scarlet lipstick, cashmere and plenty of buffalo plaid.
This oversized black-and-red check "is one of those things that always cues holiday in some way," Stannaus believes. "It feels cozy but then you layer on a sequined pant with thebuffalo-check shirt. It's got a lot of dimension. There's nothing wrong with a little black dress, but we want to give other ideas as well."
Among those ideas? "Sparkly femme lumberjacks!" cheers Stannaus.
"I love sportif," she adds. "I think everybody does and combined with the sparkling (items), it's what we love. It's the Saturday day mixed with the Saturday night."
Other women's pages focus on luxurious textures and softer colors. The section on sweaters mellows out with makeup-influenced tones and dusty pinks.
"There's an elevated but not exclusionary feel to it," notes Stannaus. "It's all about texture: leather, satin, fuzzy cashmere."
"The last and final story is the palate cleanser," she explains. "It's the nod to the classics, the camels, denim, olive, heather gray."
In those classics pages, you'll see the debut of J.Crew's latest partnership: Lulu Frostjewelry. Six vintage-inspired bracelets kick off the exclusive collaboration. Each shimmers with antiqued glass crystals and gold-plated chains.
A spread devoted to ballet flats highlights some new designs, too. Responding to customer feedback, J.Crew's designers added a cushioned insole as well as a slight interior wedge, so that you get a bit of a boost. A rubber sole and an elasticized top edge give better fit and durability.
Some of Stannaus' favorite dress-up clothes are in these pages as well. She points to anolive lace button-down shirt as a perfect piece to wear from work to a party.
Another go-to item is a floor-length washed-silk-crepe skirt. Stannaus loves it with a thick-knit marled sweater but she also sees it with a tank, a button-down or a fitted sweater. "It's transitional; you can wear it right into summer," she promises.
More new party contenders include a confetti-like sequined fringed miniskirt and platform heels with a sexy satin ankle tie.
Stannaus points to a special pair of shoes or booties as the way to pull an outfit together. "That, with a pair of jeans and the Ludlow blazer and a crisp blue shirt, is the most elegant way to dress day-to-night."
That's right; women now have their own version of the popular men's Ludlow blazer. For the holidays, it shows up as a satin-lapel tuxedo jacket.
Perhaps company president Lyons will rock this look at the company holiday party? If she gets her wish, Christina Ricci will make a surprise appearance.
