I don’t know about you guys, but I was happily surprised to hear that the new “JCP” facelift was going to involve price slashes and updated merchandise, but have been disappointed since then with the company’s failure to launch in the style department. Sure, they have same-sex couples in their Father’s Day ads and Ellen DeGeneres (always a fan) singing their praises every opportunity she gets, but were the clothes appealing to fashionistas like myself? Not… really.

But CEO Ron Johnson is a good listener, and his sputtering reboot of the company isn’t done yet. Now JCP has announced they’re bringing on the impeccable tastes of Nina Garcia — you might know her as a tough-but-fair judge on Project Runway as well as the renowned Fashion Director for Marie Claire — in order to breathe new life into the fashions at the department store chain. Could this be a leap forward for the company’s image?



Known for her discerning eye, Nina is a tremendous addition to our team. We look forward to leveraging her global fashion expertise as we provide our customers with attainable style advice and ideas,” said Liz Sweney, chief merchant of jcpenney.  “Nina’s creative involvement as a jcpenney style ambassador will help our customers look and live better every day.

I can imagine it’s nice to have someone on board who knows exactly where the pulse of the industry is coming from. I follow Nina on Twitter and she literally eats, sleeps, breathes fashion. And not just from an industry perspective either — she has a passion for individuals developing personal style and puts a lot of emphasis on inner confidence. Nina says of the co-lab:

I am thrilled to partner with jcpenney as their resident Style Voice during such an exciting time for the company. Fashion and personal style are always evolving, and I’m excited to collaborate on a variety of amazing projects with the incredible team at jcpenney.

Lovelies, I’m a little concerned about the lifespan of JCP in this critical remodel of their image, but “celebrity endorsement” aside, if anyone has the expertise to revive the blah merchandise, it could very well be Nina. [via ninagarcia.tumblr.com]

What do you think of her coming on board as their “Style Voice?” Is JCP just dead in the water?