J Crew Spring/Summer Collection 2025
A Deeper Dive into Materials, Construction, and Styling
What was a brand that encapsulated the early 2000’s prep style, J Crew continues to be on style and in fashion year after year in the menswear space. Their brand definition of the modern prep look and the continuation of heritage is what brings them into the same realm as Ralph Lauren, J Press, and Brooks Brothers. While taking a larger dip in quality than their counterparts, J Crew still has the heart of a much more legacy brand than their materials appear. As I published in my last review, many J Crew products are still made with their legacy in mind and are well constructed with quality natural materials. The Spring/Summer Collection of 2025 shows the beginning of a turnaround for the brand that could fuel a return to their earlier reputation and image.
This year J Crew published a slim and proper lineup with a growth in their Wallace & Barnes line, which is the higher end luxury lineup from the brand. These products look well-made and use mostly all natural materials such as organic cotton, wool, and linen, although I have not owned anything from them yet so I cannot provide a definitive review. What made me excited about this collection is to see that J Crew had condensed their offerings and moved back to the staples. In previous years, the brand has offered some odd one-off pieces that sometimes included an unattractive mix of materials, although this year is a welcome change in that thinking. During my research writing this I decided to venture down the “Wayback Machine” timeline for some of their collections from years past to make sure I recalled what I was writing correctly. My memories were correct, the frequency of the word “stretch/tech” in their line has gone down considerably and their offerings of synthetic fibers have also decreased. The odd Hawaiian shirts and camouflage shorts are a thing of the past thankfully as the brand looks back to its heritage instead of trying to be a “catch all” brand for the teenage spirit. The slimmed collection may sound undesirable to some, but this back-to-basics mentality is another good thing for a brand who has acknowledged their past struggles and is ready to move forward.
From This Collection I will include a few pieces that have stayed on from previous years in my review so I can include a few more products into this review as well as provide my experience with durability over the longer term. The pieces I have bought this year included: a plush and comfortable sweater from their Heritage Cotton Ribbed Line which has been in their lineup for years, Linen shirts sourced from their Baird McNutt Irish Linen line which are perfect for summer, a pair of their Poplin Nightwear in a beautiful lavender color, a long sleeve Nautical striped long sleeve T Shirt which is perfect for warmer summer evenings, and a pair of Canvas trousers (also a bonus note about their “Crewcuts” kids line). Overall, these garments have been very impressive especially for the price I got them for on sale. My last overview and deeper dive when I went over their Fall/Winter collection was not as positive as this one will be, and I am overly impressed by this collection overall as will be shown in my tone for the review.
To start with the sweaters, as I write this, I am sitting on an Amtrak Regional Train speeding through Mystic, Connecticut (still waiting for the new Acela trains but I digress.) The gloomy view from the morning rain reminded me of cool spring mornings which gave me some inspiration to talk about sweaters for some reason; so here I am. I originally bought one of these sweaters in 2023 so when I saw it back on the rack in this year’s collection, I decided to buy another. The material throughout many washes feels incredibly similar to the brand new one. When I first put them side by side, I noticed the styling had also changed, the neckline stayed the same but was thicker and had much more cushion, and the fit widened. The original sweater was a slimmer fit than the new one which is a positive thing for me at least, who enjoys a baggier more relaxed style. I wore the sweater with and without a shirt underneath and it was comfortable in both fashions without too much scratching or itching from the cotton. I got this garment on sale for $42 from the store which made it well worth what I had paid for. The construction of the sweater was quite good with tight stitching throughout and there were no loose threads or excess material anywhere when I bought it and none that have come up since. Overall, this sweater was made well and if it stays on for the Fall Collection as a staple piece, I can wholeheartedly recommend it especially if you find it on sale.
The history of J Crew’s Baird McNutt line goes back a short while, but before then Brooks Brothers used the Baird McNutt Linen. The Brooks Brothers Linen shirts which I have been trying to get my hands on were made from the same material as these J Crew Shirts. As I can only speak to the quality of the shirts I have, I can say that they are made incredibly well and are definitely the staple of their summer collection, Every year these shirts are pushed by their clothiers and finding them at the end of the season on sale is an awesome way to find them for cheap. The shirts, just like the sweaters, have very tight stitching but lack a very structured collar. As is to be expected with linen, the button-down collar becomes exceptionally soft and plush, which is a double-edged sword. The shirt can theoretically look good with a light knit tie, but I have never worn it with one. The sleeves can be worn rolled up or down and look great both ways. They are of course prone to wrinkling but a light steam on a hanger while in the shower does enough on its own to relax the fibers again. The shirts run a bit shorter in length and look good both tucked and untucked although the short styling makes it difficult to find enough excess to make the perfect billow without slightly untucking the shirt or using a higher waisted pant. This garment is incredibly versatile and is perfect from dawn till dusk, layered over a tucked in white T-shirt, No Problem! Tucked in with a Navy Blazer; Of Course! Worn with a pair of shorts and a couple buttons undone on a sweltering day; 1000%, Heck, I have even worn it in the fall under a sweater, and no one ever noticed it was linen. This shirt really is the jack of all trades for summerwear, and I cannot recommend it enough. Other than my gripes about the collar, which is so difficult to do with linen, it really is the crown jewel of their lineup.
In My last J Crew deep dive I wrote about their cotton-jersey nightwear and was not totally impressed. My pair had a few loose threads, and it suffered from an odd design/material flaw with the buttonholes but while I disliked the choice of using rayon, the design was nice and it fit me well, so I decided to try out their poplin nightwear as well. The poplin knit was quite thick and substantial and sleeps quite comfortably although not as cool as I would have expected. The cotton had a bit of starchiness to it and held its shape surprisingly well without being a wrinkle magnet by morning. The odd problem with the button holes on my last pair was gone and the buttons held their place as well as not suffering from the same fate with the loose threads, it could have just been a bad run with my last Jersey pair, but these felt much better constructed. It fits slim and oddly there is an excess of material in the placket on the inside of the shirt which is not held in by anything so it is a slight annoyance although nothing I would worry about. It comes in two colors for men: a classic light “French Blue” and a not too feminine lavender color which I went for. The nightwear is handsome, not overly wrinkly, and quite comfortable; if you are in the market for something like this, it could be worth a look.
As part of this year's collection was a “Vintage Jersey” Cotton Long Sleeve T-Shirt in a nautical stripe pattern. This shirt is incredibly comfortable and looked the part as well. The construction is solid overall with it developing a more plush and soft feeling over time. The stitching around the collar is quite tight with a cover-stitch holding it together that has no loose areas and is flush with the surface. This is a good sign as it lowers the risk of a stitch getting caught in the washer or dryer. The sleeve stitching is a little bit more concerning as it does not seem as tightly wound as the collar and held a few loose threads that I had to singe. Although from the back of the collar down to the arm sleeves, the garment uses interface stitching to provide extra support and hides the seams. The garment is styled with a tight elastic around the cuff that creates a slightly billowy appearance to the arms which aims to mimic the classic workers look with the wide sleeves. It was noticeable with me in particular who is quite slim and does not have large arms. I do like the style of choice overall, and it adds a little bit of intent to a traditional and normally overlooked garment. I can recommend it to someone who is looking for a casual and lightweight shirt to wear on those cooler summer evenings or just simply a nautical looking base layer to complement a jacket. Overall, a remarkably simple shirt that is done well.
The last piece that I am going to review from this collection was the “Classic Trouser in Canvas” from the nautical inspired part of the spring collection. As I don’t own any of the original Trousers from J Crew, I can’t tell if the styling is the same, so I will review it as a standalone product. The “Classic Fit” mantra seems to be more like a relaxed fit, perfect for this type of garment. The large amount of space available by the ankle allows for a seamless rollup of the pants for a more casual look with low shoes such as loafers of boaters or a more formal look with a pair of boots. The pants have a higher rise and definitely run large around the waist and suffer from a slight scrunching around the belt loops although this seems to be an intentional design as seen in the photos on the website, the models all wear belts that slightly tug on the upper side of the belt loops showing that the waist runs a wider fit that traditional measurement. This is a precarious style choice and not necessarily one that I understand. My pair which was ordered in a 30 Waist measures closer to 31.5 at the bottom of the belt loop with a half inch taper at the beltline moving up towards the torso where it measures closer to 31 inches. This clearly signifies the intentional high-rise design of the trousers although it is odd that they offset the waist sizes by almost a full inch. Nonetheless the larger waist size adds a small amount of what the Italians would call “Sprezzatura Intenzionale" or intentional disorder. If I were to use one word to describe the look of these pants, it would definitely be Sprezzatura, the encapsulation of the elegant nonchalantness and carefree attitude breathe deep into the soul of the garment. It inspires the imagination of a day out on the water or an evening on the beach having a picnic, drinking some wine and wearing a rope belt (I will never not laugh whenever I think of the guy online who asked on a fashion forum about wearing an actual rope as a belt) and some boat shoes with a tucked in striped shirt and intentionally chaotically rolled up pants. The Canvas material is pure and rough although it gets softer with every wash. The small black spots remain from the natural and undyed fabric that feels comfortable yet structured. In conclusion these trousers are very elegant and probably the most interesting garment from the Spring Collection that reminds me of the J Crew designers of the past that weren’t afraid to take a risk. Whether or not these will be a one-off piece is a good question that I don't have the answer to, but it does remind me that there is still some imagination left in the J Crew brand. Although perhaps the designers ran a little too “Spretzattura” with this one.
When I placed the order for some of these items, I looked at the J Crew Crewcuts line which is their boy’s and girl's store. I currently have a 4-year-old relative and decided to buy one of their Cotton/Linen blend oxford shirts for him. I decided to look at it and take off the tags before giving it to them and I was surprised as to how well they made baby clothes. The stitching was nice and even the collar was spot on and structured well. The buttons were plastic and not MoP but that is to be expected. I am not sure I would pay full price for the shirt, but I thought it was nice that they mimicked the adult line with their kid's collection and duplicated many of their classic offerings. If you are interested in dressing up your little one for an occasion to match yourself, I thought it was a nice idea and it is definitely a moneymaker for the brand.
Overall, I seem to have come to a similar conclusion to my last review, J Crew is moving back to a heritage style, and I am all for it. The back-to-basics mentality and work towards natural fibers with environmental sustainability in mind is a win-win for the brand. So maybe when you are out looking for some deals this fall, you will venture over to the J Crew website and check out what they have to offer. (I know I will)