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202 reviews for:
The Kingdom of Prep: The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew
Maggie Bullock
4.0 AVERAGE
202 reviews for:
The Kingdom of Prep: The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew
Maggie Bullock
4.0 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
reflective
informative
medium-paced
Super interesting but a bit too long. I loved all of the connections between brands and historical events.
Faux vintage sweaters
A slew of WASP wannabes
I too bought the hype
A slew of WASP wannabes
I too bought the hype
informative
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
First of all, let me say that this was very in-depth, the author used a ton of research and interviews, and I learned a lot about the people in charge of J. Crew. I liked the beginning, but as it went on, I liked it less and less. Let me explain:
One thing was that there didn't seem to be any one likeable character - Bullock made sure that you saw all of their pitfalls and how each ultimately ended up being the wrong person for the job. Not that you can control who your characters are when writing a *nonfiction* book, but I would have enjoyed having one protagonist of the company, per se.
Also, I'm not a huge fan of Jenna Lyons, and I felt like for a while, the author really hailed her as the queen of fashion etc etc. She said that people even dressed up as her for Halloween (news flash, I was trick or treating during that time and I had never even HEARD this of woman).
Lastly, especially towards the very very end of the book, she made it clear that she was very liberal. Of course, everyone has the freedom to hold their own political views, but a fashion book is not the time and place to state your political beliefs.
Overall, I think that the book was both a little too sharp and a little too long. And the CONCLUSION was soooo bad. It really was. She used one short chapter to basically say "so here's what happened in the last 10 years and I have no idea about what will happen in the future at J. Crew". I don't even remember Bullock stating who the current CEO is, although she may have. It just didn't wrap up well in my book.
*one last note: the book includes very strong language, which is not a deal breaker for me, but I thought I should mention it*
One thing was that there didn't seem to be any one likeable character - Bullock made sure that you saw all of their pitfalls and how each ultimately ended up being the wrong person for the job. Not that you can control who your characters are when writing a *nonfiction* book, but I would have enjoyed having one protagonist of the company, per se.
Also, I'm not a huge fan of Jenna Lyons, and I felt like for a while, the author really hailed her as the queen of fashion etc etc. She said that people even dressed up as her for Halloween (news flash, I was trick or treating during that time and I had never even HEARD this of woman).
Lastly, especially towards the very very end of the book, she made it clear that she was very liberal. Of course, everyone has the freedom to hold their own political views, but a fashion book is not the time and place to state your political beliefs.
Overall, I think that the book was both a little too sharp and a little too long. And the CONCLUSION was soooo bad. It really was. She used one short chapter to basically say "so here's what happened in the last 10 years and I have no idea about what will happen in the future at J. Crew". I don't even remember Bullock stating who the current CEO is, although she may have. It just didn't wrap up well in my book.
*one last note: the book includes very strong language, which is not a deal breaker for me, but I thought I should mention it*
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25/5 - This was so much more interesting than I anticipated. The beginning and middle were both strong in terms or writing and theme, but I thought the last few chapters as it neared present day (2022/2023) really faltered. It’s hard to draw conclusions about a time period while one is experiencing it, but it felt disjointed from the remainder of the book and light in its commentary on Jcrew itself.