Worthington

Shop Worthington

One of the exclusive brands manufactured for sale at JCPenney stores, Worthington strives to give women stylish options for every occasion. American entrepreneur James Cash Penney entered the retail business in Colorado in 1898. After creating a name for himself managing Golden Rule stores, Penney struck out on his own in 1902. The first JCPenney stores were established soon thereafter, and the new company's headquarters were relocated to New York City. By the 1920s, JCPenney had expanded to more than 1,000 locations across the country. It continued to grow and thrive for decades to come--especially as it opened its first "full-line" department stores (those that sold goods like appliances and sporting goods in addition to having restaurants, portrait studios, and even salons within the store).

JCPenney reached its peak success in 1973, when it had more than 2,000 stores in operation. The company was hit hard by the recession that started in 1974, however, and it never fully recovered. After struggling to find a niche toward the end of the 20th century, JCPenney upped its e-commerce presence, discontinued its catalog business, and sought to rebrand its stores to better compete with other major retailers. Today, the company has about 1,000 stores in urban and suburban markets across the U.S. About half of the company's sales come from its exclusive brands like Worthington.

Women's Merchandise

Products

The Worthington brand is advertised as offering head-to-toe fashion solutions for women, and it features apparel in a very wide range of categories. Tops include blouses, button-down shirts, tanks, camis, v-necks, scoopnecks, cowlnecks, peplum tops, mesh tops, and more. Many of these options include intricate detailing like embroidery, pleats, or beads, as well as unique prints. Sweaters, cardigans, crewnecks, and turtlenecks are also available for a little extra warmth. Dresses are mostly designed in relatively formal styles, including sheaths, shift dresses, fit-and-flare dresses, wrap dresses, shirtdresses, knit dresses, and sweater dresses. Since the brand wants to guarantee that women are fashionably dressed for work as well as play, it features blazers and jackets that can easily be worn as fashionable business apparel.

In bottoms, Worthington offers slacks, trousers, and ankle pants in a number of different cuts and colors. You can choose among modern, slim, and curvy options that sit differently and accentuate your figure in unique ways. Skirts are mostly mid-length, and you'll find a several different types of pencil skirts that feature interesting colors and prints. Shorts, cropped pants, and capris make excellent choices for warmer weather. For women who struggle to put together complete outfits, the brand sells sets that combine two or more garments for one low price.

Swap.com's Rating of Worthington

Designing clothes will fit into business settings without looking out of place in a more casual atmosphere is no easy feat, but Worthington does so by offering distinctly feminine apparel with a fashion-forward flair. Many of the brand's clothes are designed for layering--so you can combine one of its tops with a sweater or blazer, for example--but the pieces often look like two completely different outfits when worn separately. This versatility allows for easy mixing and matching and simply increases Worthington's wearability. The brand offers a mix between relatively muted, solid-colored apparel and fun patterns, so it's easy to find clothes that appeal to your own sensibilities. We give Worthington 4.5 stars out of 5.