JCPenney rolls out holiday boutique 'Jacques Penné' with curated collection by Nicole Richie
Let’s be real — as exciting and fulfilling as holiday shopping can be, the so-called "joy of giving" is quickly diminished by the anxiety that accompanies checking off everyone’s list.
At the top of that shopping stress list? Managing to get it all done before the department store plays “Feliz Navidad” for the second time that day and you realize your entire budget is already blown.
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But, fear not — JCPenney is making everything way easier (and totally affordable) this holiday season for both Santas and Scrooges alike!
This year, the retailer created Jacques Penné, a specially-curated holiday boutique that consists of nine different shoppable collections: Shine, Tech, On-The-Go, Cozy, Toys, Festive Fashions, Holiday and Holiday Challenge.
The Holiday Challenge collection was curated by Nicole Richie, who took on the JCPenney Holiday Challenge (which challenges consumers to beat their holiday budgets) and put together her own collection of (may we say, gorgeous AND practical) must-have items for the boutique — all under $150!
Jacque Penné kicked off its launch with a pop-up store in NYC’s SoHo neighborhood on December 7th, where attendees could shop the nine collections in real-time.
Richie was in attendance to see her collection come to life:
“JCPenney created this pop-up shop, Jacques Penné, dedicated to holiday shopping and I’m one of the curators. So, I picked a list of things that I would love and I decided to partner with them because, first of all, JCPenney has had an imprint in my life since I can remember — I’m from America, obviously, I know what JCPenney is! Also, I know how it feels to just need to go in and just get holiday gifts for people. This store is dedicated specifically just to holiday shopping, so you technically could get everything here for everybody just like that, boom.”
Richie attends the Jacques Penné popup in NYC's SoHo neighborhood on December 7, 2017. (Credit: Mark Von Holden/Invision for JCPenney/AP Images)
One-stop, affordable holiday shopping for gifts that people will actually want and enjoy? Call it a Christmas miracle!
Richie shared her top three tips with us when it comes to holiday shopping on a budget — or as we like to call it, “Jingle-Ballin’ on a budget” (okay, that was a stretch!)
It might be one of the oldest pieces of advice in the book, but a meaningful gift beats an expensive one any day.
“I find that people really love meaningful gifts. I take a lot of photos, so I tend to print photos — people love that, people love a memory, people want to know that you’re thinking about them.
Truly, I don’t think I’ve gotten a gift that I haven’t appreciated! I’m also very vocal about what I would like — I’ve learned that from friends of mine. Some of my friends would just get great gifts all the time and I’m like 'How do I do that? Oh, you have to be vocal about what you want and what you’re passionate about!' and then people get excited to get you things.”
Buy big-ticket items throughout the year as you need them — don’t feel compelled to splurge on something major just because the holiday season calls for it.
“My husband and I don’t gift each other things on holidays (not even our anniversary) ... We just get each other things when it happens, throughout the year, because it’s honestly just too much pressure. And we both understand that — we’ve been together eleven years — we have so many people that we have to think about, this is the time to spend it on them.”
Know which items to splurge on and which to save on, especially when it comes to the gift-giving season.
A novelty coat is something you should splurge on, you will use it all the time. They’re my go-to’s, especially if you’re just wanting to wear jeans and a T-Shirt and you want to throw on an amazing coat, something that you would wear all the time, I think it’s worth the money.
I know that people love to get the new electronics but I never do. I like to wait. First of all, the first round of everything are always lemons … don’t be a 'despy', keep your phone and then get it about six months later.”
So if you’re still slacking on those last-minute gifts or just truly haven’t found the perfect pieces for everyone on your list, take a page out of Richie’s book (call it a cheat-sheet) and shop her collection:
“Everything that I’ve curated is under $150 … listen, it sucks, spending that kind of money. But you gotta do it, so we’ll do it here!”
All proceeds from the Jacques Penné pop-up — which will also run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday December 8 and Saturday December 9 — will go to the The JCPenney Foundation, which aids underserved youth by providing clothing, youth opportunities, and career readiness programs.
For those not in the NYC area, the Jacques Penné boutique can be shopped online by visiting here.
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