So all this time, when J.Crew says in their little blurbs that they got the cashmere from this such-and-such mill, and it's the same mill where uber-designers also source their material, I've always been a little skeptical. No, I don't think I'm being lied to, but I don't totally buy into it, I tend to take it with a grain of salt and go, yup, got it! & move on.
Not so this time peeps. It hit too close to home. Above is the 2010 planner I received from J.Crew. Below is the 2009 planner I had last year. When the J.Crew one showed up, it looked eerily familiar.
Interiors: check! Same font, same style, everything down to the maps in the back is the same. 
Except for the interior. See, last year's planner interior cover looked like this:
Because it was Tiffany & Co.
But J.Crew sourced Graphic Image, Inc., who happens to make the same planner for Tiffany. Except my J.Crew was free. & the Tiffany was, well, as you can assume, just a teensy bit more. The only true differences I could spy between the two are that the Tiffany cover is leather and the J.Crew is pleather. Also, the year on the J.Crew planner appears to be printed, whereas the year on the cover of the Tiffany planner is embossed. So, OK. I'm a believer, J.Crew. Nicely played. As an individual who had purchased the Tiffany planner last year, I am really impressed with your offering, especially since it was a gift to me and I totally appreciate it.
Marisa: Graphic Image is such a nice company, I was looking at some of their options on-line, and all I have to say is "woo." This is said at the same time as me shaking my fingers in a way that hopefully shows that they need to be cooled off at how hot they are from such a fierce present from J. Crew. These planners, even in pleather and not embossed, are sure to have put J. Crew back a bit, big discount excluded.
ReplyDeleteI ALWAYS buy the tiny planner from J. Crew for my purse, and even on sale, those darn things put me out 15 dollars. Heavens knows what J. Crew would charge their customers (retail) for it...80, 100?
The Tiffany one is gorg, love the color.
Once again, J. Crew, thank you!
Wow, I guess J.Crew wasn't just talking wind when they said they sourced the same places as uber designers! It's awesome that you got that planner, too, though I am kind of a sucker for that Tiffany-blue color of your 2009 planner, hehehe...
ReplyDeleteI also received the planner and I was so excited to get a present the day before Christmas! I do love the color and I did think it was a nice quality. I was just so happy to get a gift, it could have been the mini one and I would have been thrilled!
ReplyDeleteI do love the Tiffany blue one, though!
Very cool - thanks for the eagle eye. Now if only I'd gotten one of those planners....
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comparison. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! I received this planner too, on Christmas Eve (nice touch J. Crew!), but haven't even had time to use it - it is sitting in the box in my room! But this was a great reminder to pull it out and get started using it! I always wondered about all that fuss about naming sources too. Thanks for the article!
ReplyDeleteOOO.. I want one! I have had a couple of nice planners but never got around to actually writing in them... : 0
ReplyDeleteGood to know that what they are saying is true!.. I am off to J crew to look for some warm winter clothes... hoping for some good sales! : )