Dive Brief:

• Freelance New York magazine blogger Jenni Avins wrote an eloquent post lamenting the discontinuation of a J. Crew scoop-back swimsuit, comparing it favorably to several others she tried.

• J. Crew creative director Jenna Lyons worked with her team to bring back the suit and took out a full-page ad announcing it, with a handwritten note saying, “"Dear Ms. Avins," she wrote, "your wish is my command ... within reason. XO Jenna.”

• In a letter to Avins before the suit was returned, Lyons said she “could never have described that swimsuit better and it is a great reminder to us all that we still have some relics from our past collections that are worth revisiting,” noting that she too had once owned the suit.

Dive Insight:

Here is a retailer, with a creative director credited with turning its brand around with popular designs, who responded to an impassioned plea from a customer to actually resurrect a discontinued item. Sure, the customer was a popular fashion blogger, but it’s a great example of a company listening to its shoppers. Finding a swimsuit is one of the most brutal apparel challenges for women; maybe that’s why this one struck a cord. In any case, here is a wonderful example of a retailer living the retail adage “Give the lady what she wants.”