This J.Crew and Catbird Collaboration Will Take Over Your Summer Jewelry Stack

The charm-filled collection is headed straight for your daily lineup.

a still life image of the J.Crew Catbird Collection on a plain backdrop
(Image credit: J.Crew)

What do you get when you mix an all-American label's preppy East Coast heritage with a jeweler's delicate design sensibility? A limited-edition lineup of modern heirlooms with a sun-soaked feel—one you may end up wearing all season.

Just in time for summer, J.Crew has teamed up with Brooklyn-based jewelry band Catbird for a collection attuned to warm-weather wear. This new drop sticks to the classics. Bow-shaped stud earrings are refreshed with oblong pearls dangling off the bottom. Delicate gold chokers can be turned into charm necklaces with an array of sweet pendants. One piece is an anchor inspired by the charm that Olympia Gayot, J.Crew's Creative Director of Women and Kids, used to wear. Another heart-shaped option makes the perfect Mother's Day gift, thanks to the word "mom" delicately engraved across the front.

Catbird's Creative Director, Leigh Plessner, exclusively tells Marie Claire that typically coastal elements—the references for which were pulled from J.Crew's iconic '90s catalogs—were refreshed with aspects from the bustling city. Catbird’s office in the industrial Brooklyn Navy Yard was one such jumping-off point, as were the iconic sailboats in Manhattan’s Central Park. “We played with hearts and anchors and bows in twisted rope finishes—all made with 100 percent recycled 14k gold," she says.

J.Crew x Catbird still life image of a woman holding up jewelry

J.Crew's collaboration with Catbird features delicate chains and nautical charms.

(Image credit: J.Crew)

These pieces are meant to fit into a summer jewelry uniform of sorts. "We think of our jewelry as put it on, never take it off pieces that become a part of you," Plessner says. They're designed to blend into their wearer's life over time, not unlike the thin, welded bracelets that Catbird has become famous for. J.Crew understands this concept all too well: The brand's linen pants and button-down shirts are fundamental building blocks in the modern summer wardrobe.

The collaboration also furthers both brands' penchant for giving vintage pieces a new twist. Many of J.Crew's most recent collections include reworked versions of archival designs, like its heritage denim or roll-neck sweaters. Naturally, J.Crew would link with Catbird, a brand known for pieces that look at home both in a vintage store and in the brand's Williamsburg studio. (Catbird's engagement rings, for instance, have become popular for this very reason.)

Devotees of either brand also know that this isn't their first collaboration. J.Crew first linked up with Catbird in 2014, with a set of delicate stackable rings and barely-there chain necklaces.

Their latest partnership picks up where the last one left off: what's old is new, and what's classic should stay that way. Shop editors' favorite pieces from the lineup below.

Julia Marzovilla
Fashion E-Commerce Editor

Julia Marzovilla is the Fashion E-Commerce Editor at Marie Claire, where she reviews the latest launches from fashion and beauty brands, finds the best on-sale items around the internet, and interviews experts to find the best products in any category to share with her readers. She also creates shopping guides that span every vertical on the site as an expert in everything from the best laptop bags to the best laser hair removal devices.

In her near decade of experience, Julia has both written for several top outlets in the E-Commerce space and worked at major fashion labels. Prior to joining the Marie Claire team, she contributed similar shopping stories to sites such as Bustle, InStyle, The Zoe Report, Who What Wear, and worked as the Trending Fashion and News Writer STYLECASTER. You can find her across the internet at @JuliaMarzovilla. In real life, you can find her creating shopping guides for her friends, cooking or baking in her too-small kitchen, or buying tickets for the next time Harry Styles is in town.

Julia has a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Journalism from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. She lives in New York City, her hometown.