In the best shopping news to ever kick off a weekend, J. Crew is officially getting more affordable. It's no longer going to just be a place to hit up when you need a slightly nicer t-shirt to trick your new boss into thinking you're fancy — you might actually be able to shop there on the regular.
The Wall Street Journal reported today that J. Crew is developing a new format called J. Crew Mercantile that will feature clothes and prices similar to what you can find now at their factory stores — AKA mostly under 100 bucks. Since J. Crew factory is considered an outlet, they tend to be a located a few miles away from malls so they don't detract from full-priced sales, but these new shops could be nestled right in next to your Macy's and H&M.
J. Crew has done this before, in a sense, with the slightly-more-affordable Madewell, but even the younger, lower-priced brand still sells plain tank tops for over $30 and jeans at around the $150-$200 mark. That's no match for stores like Gap, Zara, and Forever 21 (who, amazingly, also announced they'll be lowering their prices this week) that deal in the fast fashion game.
No official details have been announced as to when these stores will be opening, but a source told WSJ that the retailer is already out scouting for locations.
UPDATE: Mickey Drexler crushes my hopes and dreams by announcing that a lower-priced J Crew might not ever actually happen.
