Old vs. New

I have noticed that several of the Holiday 2011/Spring 2012 items at J.Crew are strikingly similar to their counterparts from Spring and Summer of 2008. Here are some fun comparisons:

2008 Collection Fleur Suede Flats

2012 Viv flower flats (Just received in one of those cardholder e-mails)

 The 2008 ones were all leather. The 2012 ones are only leather uppers. They sure are pretty though! They are $198. I found the 2008 ones at TJ Maxx back in Feb '09, that was a lucky score! Check out the heeled versions:

2008 Fleur Suede Peep toes

2012 Fleurette Peeps

They even come in the same colors: this pretty violet, and a marigold color. The 2008 ones also came in a gorgeous bright blue.

Let's move onto clothing, shall we?

2008 Joelle Cami

2012 Lana Cami

These are actually the same cami. I have both versions and they are the same cut, fabric, everything. A truly lovely top in both versions and the Lana can be had for $39.99 right now, minus the 30% discount.

2008 Polynesian Print Sweater Dress

2012 Jules Dress in fanfare

This one is more of a stretch but I do see the similarity. Frankly I prefer the 2008 print, which also came in a pretty khaki color on a cardigan.

2008 Harlow Blouse

2012 Silk pintuck blouse

The 2012 definitely seems inspired by 2008's Harlow. Both are gorgeous and classic pieces.

2008 Super 120s dress (a very un-J.Crew name)

2008 Super 120s Blair Dress

2012 Memo Dress in Super 120s

Here we have both a design and a color being repeated. The memo is strikingly similar in style to the Blair (which made me look like a retro flight attendant) and borrows its color from the also similar Super 120s dress. The v-neck on the Memo is very flattering and balances the sleeves nicely!

So far, the 2012 copies that I have detailed here are nice. None of them seem to suffer from quality issues and they are nice, versatile pieces. (The Jules dress, maybe not...). So now let's move onto some not so wonderful, horribly cheap imitations of beloved 2008 necklaces.

2008 Double Strand Frog Necklace

2012 Double Strand resin link frog necklace

At least they kept the same pretty color scheme? I guess that's good?

The next one is even worse.

2008 Double strand giraffe necklace

2012 double strand resin link giraffe necklace

The only resemblance here is the clasp, but they even cheaped out on that. It is smaller and does not have the pretty turquoise eyes that make the 2008 version pop. The copy editor from space (Thanks, wellfedfred!) even has the nerve to refer to this necklace as "back from the archives and made modern with amber-colored, oval-shaped resin links and hand assembled barrel beads".

Ummm, no.What it should say is this: "We have seen how much the 2008 double strand glass beaded animal necklaces sell for on eBay, so we hope you'll pay almost as much for this knock off that we made out of plastic necklaces we found in the clearance bin at Forever 21 and leftover Perler beads from our kid's latest craft project."

Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't buy either of the new cheap imitations, because I would, so I could remove the clasp and attach it to my own handmade strands of glass beads. But for $138? Are they out of their minds!?

Are there any other item's you've seen that remind you of items past? What do you think of J.Crew copying themselves?