Against All Odds, J. Crew's Wallace & Barnes Is Still Great

Too long we have been bracing ourselves for J. Crew's final death knell, mourning the death of the brand that dressed America before it was ever in the ground, penning eulogies as it struggled to find its footing amongst looming debt, slumping sales, and the general feeling that men and women had left the brand behind in search of the next "thing." The recent news that J. Crew was planning on rebranding, "no longer projecting our style to our customers; but, creating a reflection of their own individual style – becoming a truly customer centric brand” was likely welcome to some, but hard to imagine well-received to men that actually love clothes, and certainly not to those that had come to appreciate the brand's vision under Frank Muytjens - especially the heavily vintage and workwear-inspired Wallace and Barnes line. Inclusiveness sounds great theoretically, but with it is suggests a move towards garments that consequently say next to nothing, perhaps in line with the minimalist ethos of current day.

For the better part of a decade, Wallace and Barnes was somewhat of an oddball in the mainstream marketplace, a capsule collection in a large mall store that stuck its neck out and was more forward and confident about what it wanted to present in a sea of generic flat front chinos and slim oxford button downs. Muytjens called it a passion product, and the line often bucked the convention of the day in favor of looser straight fits and workwear detailing. With all the recent fanfare that J. Crew would be moving towards all-inclusive styles and cheaper price points, it seemed likely that Wallace and Barnes would be an obvious target for the chopping block.

W&B and Vintage (below)

So it was with a feeling of welcome surprise and relief that I walked into J. Crew the other day and came across a wall of Wallace and Barnes items for this season that, honestly, look great. While the rest of the store has been busy rebranding as J. Crew Jeans and phasing into mainline stores budget Mercantile items, Wallace and Barnes is still pulling no punches. Take for example, the Canoeist Smock, modeled after a jacket worn by the British Special Boat Service, constructed in ripstop cotton complete with a wide assortment of zany pockets and vintage detailing. It's not versatile and is not a "plug and play" type of garment - I'm not even sure I could fit it easily into my own wardrobe, but I love it. Logically, it shouldn't be a part of the new J. Crew, and yet here it is. Similarly, it's hard to imagine cargo pants made up in premium fabric Ventile an "essential" by any means, but it's here just the same.

You'll also find the expected workwear staples that perennially punch above their price point at Wallace and Barnes, including a selection of flannels, camp pants, work shirts, and chunky shawl sweaters. My personal favorites are the two-pocket workshirt in olive, which is very good in person - surprisingly heavy and impressive, and this nice-looking chore jacket in indigo moleskin that really flew off the shelves. It's often hard to tell color and texture from online product shots, but what I saw in store passed the eyeball and hand test up close.

It's probably a little too early to say that Wallace and Barnes is safe until we get in a few seasons under the new direction, but thus far, despite all fears and expectations, for the moment Wallace and Barnes has managed to keep its teeth.

Wallace and Barnes