J Peterman-yay or nay?

[Mrs Cleaver]

Hello Ladies,i did a search on the forum but really only found men's comments on this company.So i was wondering if i could get some opinions from the female perspective please.
Are the clothes as good as they sound?Do the garments fall short of the illustrations,value for money etc.
I will have some money to spend in a few weeks (not a massive amount but enough for a splurge) & some of their items sound & look lovely so i need to know is it worth handing over the cash for them?
Any info would be appreciated & feel free to make suggestions for other companies if you wish.
I'm basically looking to get some nice classic pieces ie:a good pair of vintage repro or actual vintage pants , jeans,dress,blouses,skirt,jacket/blazer etc
Thankyou for your time

 

[Miss Peach]

Thanks for posting this, I just discovered the site this week and was wondering the same thing. I love the designs and the idea of illustrations as in an old catalogue but it's hard to order nowadays (when sizes are so subjective) from illustrations. Can't wait to hear the input.

 

[Mrs Cleaver]

No problem,i love the illustrations too & i really enjoyed reading the descriptions,that sort of thing really appeals to me.

 

[Mrs Cleaver]

'bumping'

 

[Lady Jessica]

I feel shy admitting this but I do own two J. Peterman dresses. If you would like for me to post pictures of me in them for you guys to get a general idea of how they look on an actual person I would be happy to oblige.

I like the dresses and I love the length. I'm not sure what good quality for dresses is anymore but they seem to hold up better than dresses I've bought elsewhere. I don't wear them all the time because I don't dress vintage (or inspired or repro) everyday just yet. I do think they're pretty and I get lots of compliments on them and in them.

As I said I'd be happy to post which dresses they are and pictures if you'd want to see how they look on an actual woman, just let me know.

 

[Mrs Cleaver]

Thanks Lady Jessica That would be great if you could.I looked around on the net & ebay & saw one or two but they were hanging or laid out so seeing them on an actual person would be helpful,thanks

 

[Lady Jessica]

Alright let me just get into them and take some pictures. I won't have my hair styled or any make-up on, hope you don't mind.

I am wearing the... oh let me look up names... I am wearing one in my avatar though.

Edit: I can't find the thing I use to upload my photos right now and it's 2 in the morning. I will post tomorrow evening (I took the photos already, so I'm all ready to post!) sorry for the inconvenience!

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

Though I want to give a thumbs-up to J. Peterman, my experiences have left me undecided at this point. Yes, the catalog is charming and enticing, but the illustrations can be rather idealized, not to mention the frustration with lack of info in the descriptions. That being said, I do still purchase now and then (only on very good sale, of course), with mixed results.

Last year the two pair of wide-legged, 'elegant' trousers I bought were not as elegant as I had expected. One I've kept, while I just sent the other off to a friend whose fashion skills my allow her to make them work.
This year I bought the "Sabrina" coat on very good clearance, but the detailing is not nearly as apparent in real life as in the catalog drawing. To be fair, though, they only had it in a size too large for me, which I realized while ordering. If I can have it tailored down to fit better for the autumn I'll probably be happy with it.
I don't appreciate that cleaning requirements aren't listed, and I would really like a better visual impression of hem length.


Only this week I made another order of sale merchandise; two items for me and one for my husband. The WWII army drawers for him were of a fabric not nearly as substantial as the illustration suggests, and with a gaping fly that doesn't fasten, they certainly will not be suitable to wear out in public as shorts, which had been suggested in at least one of the catalog write-ups.
My ladies' items, though, have been a pleasant suprise (after my other imperfect experiences). The green French skirt is lovely & garnered several compliments when I wore it out Friday night.
The only photo I can currently offer is one I just took of the black velvet party pants (reduced to $30 from $100+). They are fun and lovely and lined, and have made me very glad that not only is today overcast, but that my daughter keeps sneaking her hands onto the thermostat causing the a/c to kick in. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd not have been able to bear wearing them until late September at the earliest.
As for the somewhat wonky pose - the legs are so full it's the only way I could give evidence that I'm not really wearing a skirt.

eta: The company makes a point of saying they'll happily accept returns if you're unsatisfied for any reason, but I've never sent something back, so I can't say how smooth their system is.

 

[Mrs Cleaver]

Thankyou very much ladies,your info & pics are very much appreciated.
The pants look great on you Thesflishthngs & your kitty is so sweet, & Lady Jessica i don't mind if you dont have your hair done or makeup on, you should see me right now lol not a pretty sight i assure you-no make up, hair thrown up in a pony tail .Although i do have an old pair of levis highwaisted jeans & a vintage cardigan on so that's something

 

[shebagrl]

I have a silk printed JP dress and my DH has a great khaki button-up jacket. The jacket fits him perfectly, but my dress was beyond long for my very short 5'1" frame. I had a seamstress take it up by about 8" and now it's grand. The quality of both items is very high, though I can't imagine paying full price unless I completely adore it, especially since JP has a great sales section

I'll see about taking a photo and post it if I can, just in case you want to see it.

Speaking of sales...if you use the code 'CHIEN' at the checkout, you can get an additional 23% off the sale price of the 'dog days' sale items. I just got the email today saying so. I have my eye on quite a few things myself!

 

[Mrs Cleaver]

Thanks Shebagrl

 

[BombshellBella]

Believe it or not, I just found out about them a couple minutes ago and had to come to the lounge to get some opinions... cool, that must be the law of attraction working!!

Anyway, would love to see some more photos of their clothes, but I am seriously considering ordering some things...