Michelle Obama’s Effect on J.Crew

By Kat Ahn on April 6th, 2009

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First Lady Michelle Obama has caused waves across the world with her fashion choices that highlight American designers on this recent trip to Europe with her husband, President Obama. 

But what REALLY got the blogosphere abuzz is her mixture of expensive high-end clothing along with items from H&M and J.Crew.  She sported a  $90 J.Crew cardigan during an appearance on the Jay Leno Show during the election campaign.  And what was the result of that?

Well, J.Crew, a mid-priced retailer and a regular fixture in malls everywhere, focuses on classic and casual clothing.  It  reported a 464% increase in web traffic after her appearance on the show.  64% of the new Jcrew.com visitors made their way to the site via search engines.

And whoops, she did it again.  During her recent trip to England, Michelle Obama was seen wearing a champagne cardigan with a mint pencil skirt from, you guessed it, J.Crew.  She managed to keep her elegant style, perhaps a nod to the recent Economic woes of our current times.

No surprisingly, J.Crew Creative director Jenna Lyons was ecstatic about the First Lady’s fashion choices. She says,

“It’s an honor. Not only did she wear our clothes
and wear them beautifully, but she could go anywhere. And she actually
called it out.”