For die-hard J.Crew fans, Wallace & Barnes has been something of an open secret for well over a decade. Since the vintage-inflected sub-label was introduced, its hardy, workwear-adjacent gear has hidden in plain sight on J.Crew’s, well, site, nestled among the mainline staples its parent brand is beloved for. If you’ve scoured J.Crew’s webstore before, you’ve likely come across it, a little more frontier than it is full-tenure. In recent seasons, though, the collection had dwindled a bit in anticipation of a broader brand revival. As of this week, that revival is here: Wallace & Barnes is back, and it is absolutely ripping.
The new iteration of the line narrows the scope of reference slightly, focusing on the stylistic hallmarks of ’50s-era New York City—think weathered mil-spec classics mixed with leather moto jackets and chunky seafaring knits. The revamped W&B is a super-focused, eminently-wearable assortment of the heirloom-grade pieces you might’ve encountered in a dusty vintage store close to a decade ago when nobody was looking for them—minus any of the issues that tend to plague, say, a pair of chinos made in the 1940s. (There are many, for those wondering.)
Because this is still J.Crew we’re talking about, the revamped collection is refined enough for the office, durable enough to last until retirement, and as blissfully immune to trends as the source material was. Is looking like Kerouac circa 1953 as simple as picking a palatable shipping option? Probably not, but there are few better ways to facilitate that goal than the new-and-improved Wallace & Barnes. Check out what we’re feeling below, or head over to J.Crew to see it all for yourself.
