I've Never Been a J.Crew or Madewell Girl—These 33 Summer Finds Changed My Mind

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(Image credit: @katcollings; PICTURED: J.Crew Button-Front Shift Dress ($148))

Everyone has brands that they go to and have gone to for decades to furnish their wardrobe. Through dozens of style evolutions and new, exciting trends, those brands have remained, proving that loyalty reigns supreme, even in 2023. Forever intrigued by this phenomenon, I regularly ask people to name-drop their tried-and-true labels, and when I say that their responses almost always feature one of the following two brands, I'm not exaggerating one bit. If you guessed Madewell and J.Crew, you're on the money.

Classic, elevated, and timeless, both J.Crew and Madewell have built cult-like followings unlike any others. Until recently, though, I never fully understood the hype. Sure, I shopped at both over the years, picking up a sweater or a great pair of jeans. But when it comes to brands that I've frequented for much of my life, neither was ever one of them. The last few months have, however, seen a significant shift in my shopping behavior, resulting in me finding myself thinking about and buying items from both J.Crew and Madewell not only more than ever before but also more than any other retailer. Apparently, you can teach an old dog new tricks. All it takes is a shockingly pretty sundress and plenty of linen. 

Below, check out the 33 summer items that are continuing to change my mind about J.Crew and Madewell.

Next up: I Dedicated 6 Hours to Shopping at Nordstrom, and These Were My Chicest Finds

Senior Fashion Editor

Eliza Huber is a New York City–based fashion editor who specializes in trend reporting, brand discovery, and celebrity style. She joined Who What Wear in 2021 after almost four years on the fashion editorial team at Refinery29, the job she took after graduating with a marketing degree from the University of Iowa. She has since launched two monthly columns, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled the likes of Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, and Sabrina Carpenter for WWW's monthly cover features; and reported on everything from the relationship between Formula One and fashion to the top trends from fashion month, season after season. Eliza now lives on the Upper West Side and spends her free time researching F1 fashion imagery for her side Instagram accounts @thepinnacleoffashion and @f1paddockfits, running in Central Park, and scouring eBay for '90s Prada and '80s Yves Saint Laurent.