Johnny Was

I LOVE this store! I used to think this store was way too expensive and not worth the price point! After I started to go in on my breaks and just look at the beautiful scarves they hang, I started to become hooked. One of the girls who works there, Hillary, is so amazing! She has such knowledge of the product and I feel like she could talk to a customer for hours about Johnny Was like a friend and not like a sales girl. I never felt pressured to purchase anything that I wasn’t comfortable with spending that amount of money on. Truly excels at customer service! This store wouldn’t be the same without her!
I have been to a couple of the other locations, like Santa Monica, but have never felt such energy like this before. I will only go there if I know that she is working, even just to say hi!
She changed my perspective of the store! I love the scarves as they make amazing gifts for family and close friends. You should definitely pop in the store and see what they have going on! Such a fun store and great vibe!

I entered the Fashion Island location and was warmly greeted by a young woman. She was wearing one of the flowy tops I saw as I first walked in and had a silk scarf draped around her neck. I was asked how I was doing and if I’d ever shopped the Johnny Was brand before, to which I shared with her my experience with some of their items sold at Anthropologie. She was extremely knowledgeable about the brand and its design history, sharing how the company originated as a wholesaler but had been around for 30 years. My eyes fixated immediately on the silk scarves hung like Tibetan flags over the dressing room area. As I reached for some of the tags, I noticed the price point of the item which was much higher than I was able to pay. As soon as I established that I would not be able to afford anything in the store unless it was on sale, I looked for the sale section which was located towards the back of the store. These items were not individually marked down, but had a 30% off sign on top of the racks. I found 2 items to try on and had them in my hand for no more than 3 minutes when the same sales associate came over asking if I would like a fitting room. The fit of the slip I found was very intuitive to a woman’s body, draping perfectly. The pants were really comfortable + flattering. They came to the ankle and were a black/​white batik print. I wanted to purchase the slip or 1 of the scarves and asked about a student discount or other form of promotion. Hillary shared that the store did not offer a student discount, but asked if I’d like to be on their email list for future promotions. I agreed and gave Hillary my information. She did not seem disappointed that I was unable to purchase anything, and still remained friendly and connected with me, which was really impressive. She inquired about the rest of my weekend, encouraged me to visit the company’s website, and offered to help out if I had any questions. The store, it’s atmosphere, the employees, and merchandise were each reflective of the other eclectic, fashionable, breezy, and welcoming. Hillary was obviously very passionate about the brand and expressed a desire to grow. I asked her if she was management and she said no, which surprised me. I felt her personality and knowledge of the product were both very deserving of a management role. I was so impressed with this location and the environment created, I would definitely return even if it was only to window-​shop!

I have been a loyal customer of Johhny Was and have spent THOUSANDs of dollars! Not hard to do when the average price of a blouse is $ 200! I shop at the Newport Beach store and at the The Grove Los Angeles.
Last night I brought a few items to the Newport Beach store to coordinate with possible new pieces and to take advantage of their 4^th of July sale, and my experience with the sales girls at this store was so humiliating and unwelcoming that I will never return.
There were two young ladies at the store last night who’s names I will not mention but instead of taking advantage of an opportunity to sell me more pieces, they both greeted me as if I was an inconvenience or maybe even a possible thief.
One of the girls who clearly was in charge for the evening before even greeting me quickly asked me if I was returning clothes. I explained to her that I wanted a price adjustment for one of the blouses that I purchased at full price and went on sale, and that I wanted to find other pieces to match what I had just bought a few days ago. It was my intention last night to add to my growing collection of Johnny Was pieces and take advantage of their 4^th of July sale!
Without a smile the girl in charge offered to take my bag of clothes from me as if not giving to her was not an option. And instead of offering to assist me with possible new purchases she began inspecting the bag of clothes and laid them out at the sales counter. I wasn’t sure if she thought I was going to be stealing from the store or why it was her mission to make sure she knew what was in my bag. Whatever her intentions she made it clear she did not want to sell any clothes to me.
Regardless of the uneasiness I felt I decided I was going to ignore the negative unwelcoming vibes and began shopping. I headed for the dressing room and I needed different sizes so I asked the other sales girl for help. She told me that the other girl would help me when she gets off the phone. So I waited for the girl in charge to come out of the back office and instead of helping me with the new pieces I was interested in she made it her big deal priority to tell me that they would not be able to do my price adjustment because I purchased it over «10 days ago», and that I could not return because it had been «worn». So now I am feeling very SMALL by now but still continued to shop to try to move past the unpleasant encounters I was having with these girls.
Long story short, I did end with a price a adjustment but not with having a few an unpleasant exchange with the sales staff. I walked out of the store feeling very unimportant, unsure, and baffled why two sales girls did not take the opportunity to win over an already LOYAL customer and opted to lose one.

Great store. The girls here are really cool and nice. I needed a different size in a long coat that I am going back to get. Waiting for it to be shipped to the store, the manager called me as soon as she got it in. Very friendly with no pressure to buy. Store has a Bohemian Vibe, cute items. Some things are way too big, but if you like that look, you will find what you want.

Cute designs and easy to travel with, but the quality isn’t there. I purchased a simple top at over $ 220 (ouch!) from this store and the seam came apart within one month (hand washed, no dryer). Other items I have from them are ok but not worth the money – I regret having bought them. Plus their return policy, even on full price items, is pretty non-​existent compared with other retailers. BEWARE and be informed! Their online store, however, will take returns – so that’s an option if you simply cannot pass up one of their über-​expensive items.

This place is great! Cute clothing, and the girls here a super helpful, willing to do anything and everything to make a customer happy. They also make great stylists, they’ll work with you and won’t tell you something looks cute just to make the sale ;)