I swear my life doesn’t revolve around James Perse, although it may seem like it. Or maybe it does. I LIVE my LIFE in James Perse, and I obviously have a passion for the brand. Over the years (I’ve been buying James Perse since 2005) I’ve been consistently pleased with the quality and style of every piece I’ve owned, and when I’ve been disappointed, I’ve also been vocal about it.
But, on to the skirt. I bought this skirt in black in 2008 I think (?) and wore it TO DEATH. Literally. I just got rid of it a few weeks ago because it was too big for me to wear anymore, and quite faded. It was still in good shape, honestly, and if I’d still been at the weight I was when I bought it, I probably would have continued to wear it.
If this skirt is the same as the one I had before – it looks identical, although I can’t tell what the fabric is like – it was always my favorite James Perse skirt. This skirt is very straight, and sometimes difficult to walk in, but I honestly never had a problem with it. The fleece was thicker, and more “sturdy” so it felt “tight” on me, but not too tight – just tight enough to hold everything in. The waist was always slightly large for me, and I lost the drawstring early on, so I wore it lower on my hips, which worked well. It’s different than most JP skirts in that it’s more straight instead of flared, and while I like a lot of the flared maxi skirts (I have two), I like the option of having a straight one also, and now I can again.
I had a size 4 when I owned it before, and this time I’ll probably get a 2. I wish I’d seen it yesterday when they were having the free shipping code, I would have ordered it!!
Seen on me : here, here, here, here, here and here.
What’s your FAVORITE James Perse piece? How old is it?
Grechen, I love your fashion so much. I still have my first James Perse dress, from 2008. It’s a simple black dress with short sleeves and has held up incredibly, despite numerous washings. It was actually purchased at the last minute online, when I was in a panic over what to wear to a holiday work event. It’s probably my favorite item in my closet. It’s been through a lot with me!
thank you kathleen!! that’s the thing i’ve found about james perse is that most pieces hold up incredibly well, through lots of washing and drying. now, i don’t dry everything as often as i used to, but even things i have, are still in great shape. my oldest piece is my cami dress -i think i got it in 2004, but maybe 2005? i still wear it every summer, and you would never be able to tell it’s that many years old.
I’ve got to get that skirt, stat! That’s a tough question to answer, because I love all of my JP pieces. I’d say that my first top is my fave. It’s an espresso long-sleeved tee, with a twisted, contrasting color neckband. I’d never heard of him before, and I liked the softness and quality. I became immediately obsessed, and now I wear JP all of the time. But Grechen, you hold the official, internet title for “Biggest Fan.”
I have that skirt in black, too! I got it years ago, and because I’m not a major maxi wearer, it looks like new. I think the first piece I ever bought (Hmm….probably 5 years ago or so???) was a navy casual tee, short sleeved. It still looks AMAZING! (and yes, I have you to thank for that purchase because I wanted to try the brand so much and I’m glad I did!)
my casual tees still look like new (except the white ones!) also. they hold up well – but my most recent one got a hole pretty quickly, so i contacted CS to replace it; easy-peasy!
haha. well, i registered a domain name for a new site, now i just have to decide what to do with it!
That’s really great to know about their customer service. I had a craptastic experience with Neiman Marcus today. I ordered a Le Metier de Beaute lipstick and they won’t let me exchange it. No more ordering my cosmetics from them! When I worked at Macy’s, they returned ANYTHING!!! And they knew it was sent back to the vendor and used as a write-off.
I was at a James Perse sample sale this weekend and I totally thought of you! How you would have loved those racks filled with staples upon staples at quite a steal even though they have increased their prices over the years I’ve been going… The sample sale always lacks some sizes, but there is A LOT of stuff so you can always find something.. and this year they had free booze, a taco truck and some snacks circulating while you shopped. I guess there’s a reason there’s a line outside the door starting from the moment they open even in the “freezing” LA winter weather… it rained on Saturday morning so I think that made it worse and Angelenos cannot handle rain or cold! One of these days, you should plan a trip to LA and just have it coincidentally fall around the dates of the sample sale… always in December ^^
Love this skirt, but I don’t find myself wearing it much. I think I’m more of a jeans or knee length skirt kinda gal… But I LOVE all JP long sleeves and have quite a few… many white ones, like you, I am perpetually in search for the “perfect” white shirt. I find that JP also has great staples for men and they hold up really really well. My husband’s entire “basic” wardrobe is from various JP sample sales and it is so worth it… well made and they fit great. Hope you make it out one day!
SO JEALOUS!!! i could do some damage at a sample sale, i will definitely try to make it out there for one sometime. i do have an outlet an hour away, but i don’t make it there very often, and even when i do, i’ve not found a whole lot of things that i *need*. and honestly, the prices don’t seem to be THAT good. i imagine sample sale prices are much better…
my husband has had a few james perse tees, but i can’t convince him to spend $ on basics. as hard as i try…he tends to live in his ralph lauren polo shirts as opposed to tees though 😉