J McLaughlin clothing is not only a favorite of mine, my mom and my sister are also wonderful and super cute brand ambassadors for the clothing line. We all share the love of the fabric, the classic prep/sophisticated designs and the fact that all of it is made in America. And thankfully for us, it is sold out of two very adorable shops in NYC – one on Lexington, the other on Madison Avenue – two of the finest and convenient locations for this Catalina loving customer & for the snow bird set, there are a few very cute shops very close to their Florida zip code.
Recently I was invited to tour their headquarters and factory in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It is out of this world fabulous – it should be used as the role model for office/work space. Designers and interior decorators around the world, I am certain would agree, that the space was done so well and keeps within the realm of their brand. Clean, sharp, pretty with a name that is usually ahead of the curve. The J. McLaughlin headquarters are sleek, modern, industrial, pretty, cozy, blue, white, exposed brick – all working together to create an atmosphere unlike any I had ever seen before (and I’ve been on a few sets in my life.) To be able to work in such a beautiful environment and then to be surrounded by all their beautiful designs and accessories, would make any young girl with a yearning to work as a retail therapist and fresh out of college, blush. The blonde set that were working vigorously at their Macs on the day I popped by – looked so cool, too! I’m out of school for a few days at this point, and I too, picked out an office or two where I could definitely hang my J McLaughlin fedora and place my Greene Door director’s chair (that aforementioned hat reference is a shout out for one of their pretty hats that I bought in the Spring and wore the heck out of – see previous post here.)
I walked for what seemed like hours through their amazing factory, elegant fabrics and furnishings, menswear, womenswear, a massive paradise for accessory addicts and then a preview of their new children’s line, so adorable! Sharlotte will have to do a drive by with me someday soon to fashion some of their stylish young additions.
Normally, I lunge for my wallet whenever I see anything unique to add to my JML collection, but I made do without buying anything that day. As I write this though, I am reflecting on a website purchase (a wide pink & orange belt that I saw whilst meandering) that I made later that very same day. Old habits die young.
The classic appeal of J McLaughlin for me and for those of us that follow this smart style of dress is that the brand stays true to their original concept which is always a model for success, a model that I am also trying to accomplish on this site. To keep stylish, classic, and chic, from top to bottom! They nailed their mission statement. I can only hope to nail mine. Living life wonderfully!
dresses | shoes | bangles | bags and fedora hat
photographs now by Viva Violeta Photography
