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Thursday, May 24, 2012

FASHION

J. Crew's Secret Weapon: Marissa Webb, Head of Women's Design

marissa webbJ. Crew is retail’s juggernaut, guided by magic-making CEO Millard “Mickey” Drexler and style maven President and Creative Director Jenna Lyons. The third element of that winning formula is Marissa Webb, the Head of Women’s Design. If you’re wearing sequins in poppy colors this spring, thank Marissa Webb. (First Lady Michelle Obama, who has famously worn J. Crew on a number of high profile occasions, certainly should.) For it's Webb and the Crew that have turned what was once a basics-only kind of shop (remember the rollneck sweater and the barn jacket?) into a must-stop for stylish women who really, truly love fashion trends. Marissa Webb (Photo credit: Moon Kon)

Fashion designer Marissa Webb herself is a poster child for this new era of J. Crew. For starters, she doesn’t wear J. Crew head-to-toe, obviously, but rather cherry picks (generously) the key stylish pieces that fit her trendy look and then mixes them with higher- or lower-end wares. “I mix and match a lot,” she said. “It really depends on my mood and the place that I’m going. Sometimes I would call it very urban and at other moments I feel like dressing like a ‘lady.’ But it’s always mixed with something that’s a little ‘off.’” But that’s ‘off’ in an ‘on’ kind of way.

But it's not just her perfectly pitched signature style. Marissa Webb has great fashion design pedigree, too, having apprenticed for both the critically beloved but under-the-mass-radar (Daryl K) and wildly, globally successful (Polo Jeans). She stayed under the Polo umbrella of Ralph Lauren, then hopped over to Club Monaco “before I followed my boss [Lyons] over to J. Crew,” explained Marissa Webb. “That was 11 years ago.”

Fast forward a decade and change and fashion designer Marissa Webb is not only influencing the way women dress (we reiterate the power of Mrs. Obama in those J. Crew cardigans) but is also helping J. Crew incubate talent and shed light on great traditions. For instance, there is the company’s upcoming collaboration with  CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner Billy Reid and runners up Eddie Borgo and Prabal Gurung, as well as ongoing partnerships with heritage brands like Belstaff, Barbour and Ray-Ban.

There’s plenty more on the horizon for J. Crew and Webb, much of which Webb shared with the Inside Source.

The Inside Source: What are the biggest fashion trends for Spring 2011?

Marissa Webb: One of the big trends for spring is color. We love all the bright, vibrant colors like the ‘Modern Red,’ ‘Gallery Green,’ ‘Electric Orange,’ and all the shades of yellow. What also feels fresh is that some of these bright colors also come in our accessories…. Love a bright colored bag or shoe. Another trend that I think is very important is new silhouettes and proportions. I love that we have new lengths in both skirts and pants.

 

The Inside Source:  And which stylish outfits at J. Crew are you most excited for?

Marissa Webb: I have a lot of favorite items for Spring. A few of them...

Marissa Webb's Spring Favorites from J. Crew

  • "The "I Heart Chambray" Shirt"

  • "The Twill Betti Skirt in Modern Red"

  • "The Lurex Chiffon T-shirt"

  • "All the stripes in general, for example, the Sailor Sweater in Silk Linen or Maritime Stripe Blazer"

  • "The Lana Suede Lace Up Ballet Flats in the warm yellow color"

  • "The Carrie Sweater in Soft Dune"

  • "Our new women's Timex watch with all the bright bands"

 

I also love the Duchess Ruffle Short and the leather shirt from our collaboration with Jean Shop [a Manhattan store that offers custom denim treatments and finishes]. I've had mind for about six years now and it just gets better over time.

 

The Inside Source: Any hints on the latest fashion trends we can expect from J. Crew for Fall 2011?

Marissa Webb: I’m really looking forward to Fall. We have a lot of great textures and again, saturated color continues. I honestly want to wear pretty much every item on the line. I also love that we have a lot of great classics to layer with amazing fashion.

 

The Inside Source: Last year, J. Crew did a fun editorial with Katie Holmes and the cast of "The Romantics." Can we expect any fashion trends like that for the upcoming seasons?

Marissa Webb: We try and keep it fresh. We have some great things coming up. As a partner of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, we are thrilled to be working with this year’s CFDA Winner Billy Reid and the runners up Prabal Gurung and Eddie Borgo. We also have some amazing short films that are coming out on our website that I hope everyone will enjoy as much as we did making them. We traveled to Italy to highlight some of the incredible artisans and family mills that we work with. One is live now and the other two will launch for March and April. Each is directed by Douglas Keeves.

 

 

The Inside Source: J. Crew is known for some great fashion designer collaborations, like Barbour, Belstaff, Essie, Cosabella... What do you look for when collaborating with a designer brand? Any new designer brands you'll be working with for Spring 2011?

Marissa Webb: We look for collaborations that work well with our brand. If there is someone out there doing something that we love, we want to work with them and not try and be them. We look for brands that complement what we do—it works because it’s something that is completely different from anything we offer and adds that extra ‘texture,’ or it’s something that we don’t do at all, for example, cosmetics.

We have some amazing collaborations coming up for spring. One of them is with Jean Shop. Besides the fact the owner, Eric Goldstein, might be one of the nicest people I’ve met, what he does is unique. I’ve been a Jean Shop groupie for years.

 

The Inside Source: If a woman is going to buy five fashion trendy items for spring, what should they be? 

Marissa Webb: I can’t speak for all women, but these are the things on my list:  

A bag in an amazing color—I’ve been on the hunt.  

A simple but chic day dress. One that you don’t have to think too hard about how to wear. Just throw it on and out the door.  

A flight to an inspiring, relaxing destination to break out of the winter gloom and shake off the cold.   

A pair of great sunglasses that adds a bit of spice to whatever you have on.  

And of course a day at the spa to get those toes ready for your favorite new sandals and open-toe shoes.  

My last one is a great transitional trench. I’ve been into my olive trench coat for a while but right now, I’m looking for that perfect shade of khaki.

 

The Inside Source: Which top fashion designers influence you?

Marissa Webb: They can change per season, but I’m very loyal to Celine, Isabel Marant, Marni, Rag & Bone, Dries van Noten, Lanvin and Phillip Lim. They’re all inspiring for different reasons.

 

The Inside Source: Let’s talk eBay. Do you remember your first eBay online auction purchase?

Marissa Webb: My first eBay purchases were actually vintage books on knitting and different stitches. I was just learning about sweaters at the time.

 

The Inside Source: What are your favorite eBay search keywords?

Marissa Webb:

Roll over items for details
Vtg Black Leather Quilted Bag
(starting bid, $9.99)
1930'S Degue French Art Deco Chandelier
(buy it now price, $745)
VTG Harper's Bazaar April 1956
(current bid, $33.66)
J. Crew's Secret Weapon: Marissa Webb, Head of Women's Design

Vintage bags and purses: I found a great classic Chanel almost in perfect shape.

Chandeliers: I’ve been obsessed with finding the perfect one. But we are now completing gut renovations of our loft and I’m desperate to find that early 1900s French piece of my dreams.

Old fashion magazines: great images, very inspirational and some are just very amusing — especially the ones that teach women proper etiquette. Love that!

J. Crew's Secret Weapon: Marissa Webb, Head of Women's Design

Fiestaware: My mom collects it and I think has the largest collection I’ve ever seen! But she's very particular—she wants the originals that were produced in the 1930s.  

Antique mirrors: I find them so much more interesting then the modern ones out there now.  

Vintage tins and items that have old rusted out graphics: I love the look of them and we use them as inspiration at work as well.  

 

 

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