Fashion? Maybe.

I have never claimed to be a fashionista although I will admit to attempting to keep tabs on what the latest styles are and what's trending. You'll never find me clamouring to go to fashion week but I appreciate shows like "Project Runway". I enjoy a nice-looking outfit and make decent efforts to stay current while also comfortable. I like style and quality, including brand names, but I have my limits as to what I'm willing to pay. I pay more for things that I know need to hold up to daily use. And I'm always on the lookout for a bargain.

Jake is even less fashionably inclined and rarely buys any clothes for himself. He's been that way since we met back in the day but I can honestly say I've never thought he dressed poorly. His style has always, in my mind, been classic and comfortable. And now he has me to pick out new clothes for him and I think I do a pretty good job. Recently I ordered him a simple pair of slip-on leather Rockports. I wasn't sure if he'd really love them or just wear them periodically. I was pleased when I noticed that those were the shoes that were left out most often after his running shoes. Guess I made a good choice.

I've been enamored with J. Crew for quite some time now. I attribute about 10-15% of the credit card debt I used to carry in my 20's to J. Crew purchases and I still have some of those clothes. I pick and choose more carefully from them now as their prices have increased and I try to be more budget-minded. I feel like, for the most part with them, that I'm getting a quality product for the price. I'm slowly seeing a shift in the trends they are marketing though and I'm wondering why. Their simple style and timeless quality is what has drawn in their customers for years. Is their clientele beginning to change? All I know is that items like this (images from www.jcrew.com):

and this:

are not things I would ever imagine spending my money on! I'm so confused. (Yes that is a leather t-shirt.) As a 30-something woman am I supposed to understand that this is what a younger generation of J. Crew shoppers would wear? Does the fact that I don't get it mean I am just getting old?

I also began to lose my affinity for Coach, although their new spring line brings back some hope in me for their simple classic styles. At least with Coach though I know that the introduction of the Poppy line and more "bling-ish" items is an attempt to appeal to the younger generations who want to carry that name.

Someone please explain to me what is happening with my beloved J. Crew. They are beginning to really push me back in the direction of Gap and Banana Republic who are much more generous with their coupon codes anyway. Of course with my current shopping embargo in place I can't say I'm doing much shopping anywhere these days but still, it's nice to know that there are options for things that I don't find completely ridiculous available to me. (purse image from here)