E!: It sounds like quality was a focal point for you while working on this collection. Tell us more about that.
JM: Quality and not having to spend a whole paycheck to get it. People think to get good quality you need to pay an expensive price tag and that’s not true. If you find designers who spend time making garments that they too would want to wear themselves, that they would put on their kids, that they would put on their moms, that’s where you find quality. And that’s what I’ve tried to do in this collection.
E!: Working within the limits of making something affordable, was it difficult to create that same quality?
JM: A little bit, yes, to be honest. In order to satisfy that price point, especially for the Macy’s customer because I’m the Macy’s customer. I always shopped Macys. I go there because I know I’ll have enough money to buy several pieces, not just one. So when it comes to things like my boucle jacket. Boucle fabric can be really expensive. It looks luxe but there’s a hefty price to manufacture it. We were able to work within the factories to find a boucle that was beautifully refined that has that same weighted, elegant look to it and didn’t break your bank. So it just took a lot more research and honestly, I can’t tell you how many times I sent something back saying, ‘This isn’t it, this isn’t it.’ They were like, ‘Jeannie, we’re scouring everything, what could it be?’ And they actually worked with me to find the one that made me happy and that’s the entire collection you see today.
