Travel report interrupted for another inane sales pitch

This morning's inbox brought an irritated chuckle. I'm downright dangerous since I learned how to take screen shots on the iPhone. I got this message 3 times, how many times did you get it? Naturally if the sender was that eager to tell me something, I read it. Three times. Uh-oh.
I started going to formals (as they were then known) in the Bronze Age. Getting dressed up and dancing was supposed to have a "civilizing influence" on "young people." Well, I'm not sure how well that worked, but I did learn how a boy is supposed to look in a tuxedo, and that is NOT WRINKLED. At least not until after the band has taken its first break.

Thus. when I read the breathless
copy that accompanied the picture of a soft shirt

I thought:

• these shirts do not hold a press

• you would have to use a whole can of spray starch to give the shirt even half a chance at looking like something Marlene Dietrich would have worn

• even in a relaxed pose, Dietrich tucked her shirt in. She did her own ironing, too.
Perhaps next time the Copywriter from Space will do a little homework. Or at least try the shirt on.
Posted by
at

8 comments:

  1. kitsmommyMay 6, 2012 at 9:47 PM

    I'm not a fan of the tuxedo shirts. I ordered two and both were thin, limp and poorly made with multiple loose threads and serged seams. And all for $150 a pop.

    I do have one of the striped ones (the blue one pictured in the catalog and online with the red eyelet skirt) and three of the gingham ones. They are currently my favorite shirts as they are silky, but have some body and they wash up nicely. The tuxedo shirts warranted a email to J Crew to complain about the quality.

    ReplyDelete
  2. wellfedfredMay 6, 2012 at 10:31 PM

    Hi, kitsmommy, what a disappointment! I hope you received an appropriate response. I know that Thomas Mason has a wide variety of fabrics in different weights and qualities, and when I saw the gauzy pleated tuxedo shirts in the store, I was appalled at the choice the "designers" made. A crisp broadcloth tuxedo shirt is delightful. A dishrag, not so much. That's why that email bothered me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. kitsmommyMay 7, 2012 at 8:24 AM

    I thought the choice of fabrics for the tuxedo shirts was odd. The gauzy fabric is beautiful but only suited to a soft blouse. It doesn't come close to being adequate for a shirt that has a collar that needs to stand up. I was really blown away by the fact that they didn't use French seams on a sheer, delicate fabric and that that overall cut and level of finish was so poor.

    The ginghams especially come out of the dryer (I give them a quick toss and hang them up damp) almost wearable and after a quick press look crisp all day. Additionally, they are really well made. The shirts, fabric issues aside, look like they are from completely different stores.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wellfedfredMay 8, 2012 at 5:54 PM

      I wonder why they keep pushing the shirts when the mistakes are so obvious, instead of just writing them off and moving on. Beats me.

      Delete
  4. Closet CrisisMay 8, 2012 at 12:03 AM

    I saw these Thomas Mason shirts on the site a couple years back and I thought, eventually I'd treat myself to one (say, when I get a big raise or promotion). Glad to read others' reviews. Save me the trouble of wasting my hard-earned $$$s.

    I really wonder about JC's design/production process. Do the designers just take a 2"x 2" swatch, apply it to a pattern then the shirt goes straight into production without at least a sample or 2? Didn't anyone look at one of those shirts and said, meh?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wellfedfredMay 8, 2012 at 5:56 PM

      I've concluded the design/production process is pure dumb luck when it works, and the Peter Principle when it doesn't. As far as quality control at a great distance, they must be putting messages into designer water bottles and tossing them into the Atlantic at low tide for all the effect it seems to have.

      Delete
  5. tiffany roseMay 8, 2012 at 3:58 AM

    Ah ... the key word being "rumpled" in the breathless copy! Guess JC was going for sultry. I have some Thomas Mason shirts that I love, the fabrics are beautiful and hold a press. They are from the boys' Crewcuts line. But! Even the boys' Thomas Mason tuxedo shirts were ... ummm ... sultry. So disappointing.

    WFF - I talked about you in my latest post, exactly about our muse the copywriter. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. wellfedfredMay 8, 2012 at 5:57 PM

    hi, tiffany rose, thanks for the mention! the inconsistencies of JC's operation simply have me flummoxed.

    ReplyDelete

As Alice Roosevelt Longworth said, if you've got anything bad to say, sit next to me! No, really, please remember to be kind, and don't say anything fred's mother would not approve of (Diner's mom didn't approve of anything. Including fred.)
Wellfedfred and the Whining Diner reserve the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to this blog without notice if we find:
1. Comments deemed to be spam or questionable spam
2. Comments including profanity or objectionable language
3. Comments containing concepts that could be deemed offensive
4. Comments that attack a person individually
and since there's been a flood of spam lately, we're trying the Robot thing to see if we can block some spam...

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)