**EXHIBIT 31.1**

 

**CERTIFICATIONPURSUANT TO SECTION 302**

**OFTHE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002**

 

I, Millard S. Drexler, certify that:

 

1.                        I havereviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of J.Crew Group, Inc. andJ.Crew Operating Corp.;

 

2.                        Basedon my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of amaterial fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statementsmade, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, notmisleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3.                        Based onmy knowledge, the financial statements and other financial information includedin this report fairly present in all material respects the financial condition,results of operations and cash flows of each registrant as of, and for, theperiods presented in this report;

 

4.                        Eachregistrant’s other certifying officers and I are responsible for establishingand maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and15d-15(e)) for such registrant and have:

 

a)                        Designedsuch disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls andprocedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that materialinformation relating to such registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries,is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during theperiod in which this report is being prepared;

 

b)                       Evaluatedthe effectiveness of such registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures andpresented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of thedisclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by thisreport based on such evaluation; and

 

c)                        Disclosedin this report any change in such registrant’s internal control over financialreporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (theregistrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that hasmaterially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, suchregistrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5.                        Eachregistrant’s other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our mostrecent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to suchregistrant’s auditors and the audit committee of such registrant’s board ofdirectors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

a)                        Allsignificant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation ofinternal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely toadversely affect such registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize andreport financial information; and

 

b)                       Any fraud,whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have asignificant role in such registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 
| Dated: June 14, 2005                                              |
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|                                                                   |
| /s/ Millard S. Drexler                                                 |   |
| Millard S. Drexler  Chairman of the Board and  Chief Executive Officer |

 

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