Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Paisley, Patterns, and Perception

I try to mix it up when it comes to what I wear, but there are sometimes when it just happens that everything I have on is J. Crew. Today would be one of these days. There seems to be a stigma attached to buying your clothes from just one store or wearing too much of the same brand all at once, but sometimes that's just the way the cookie crumbles, so to speak. Certainly, a lot of what's in my closet is from J. Crew, so if you play the odds, there is a good chance that I'll have multiple items on from the brand, usually from different seasons

However, my patterns and perceptions of J. Crew have been changing over time and apparently I am not alone.  I recently read an article about how J. Crew's sales are waning and how its head stylist, Jenna Lyons, is taking a lot of the heat for this. There were quite a few aspects of the article that I sympathized with. For example, many of J. Crew's pieces don't appeal to me anymore, mainly due to the brand's changing aesthetics, and this was one of the reasons cited for the decline of the J. Crew empire. It seems like, in it's heyday, J. Crew focused on finding ways to meld classic, preppy silhouettes with more cutting edge prints, patterns, and colors, giving consumers the best of both worlds. Now, many of their pieces just seem either odd, bland, lacking in imaginative prints, or not practical for everyday. Sure, I still shop there, but not as frequently. The silver lining? It gives my wallet a breather!










Shirt: J. Crew Factory here
Skirt: J. Crew no. 2 striped pencil skirt  similar here
Shoes: J. Crew Lillian Wedges in Mirror similar here
Bag: Prada Saffiano Lux Tote in Papaya 
Bracelet: Lulu Frost for J. Crew 
Sunglasses: Prada

Linking Up With: Trend SpinSydney Fashion Hunter

6 comments:

  1. Love the paisley with the stripes, Katie. Such an understated but elegant chic look :)

    xo,
    Abby of Life in the Fash Lane

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  2. Obsessed with this pattern mixing! Great bag, too!
    www.amemoryofus.com

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    1. Thanks Darcy! I love pattern mixing with stripes!

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  3. Love the look! I didn't know that J.Crew was changing; I guess now that I think of it I have been finding less things that I like there...but I still adore J.Crew, they are one of the only places you can consistently find quality dresses that don't show your boobs...

    Gina
    Pink Wings

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I didn't think about it too much either until I thought about my shopping habits. I am shopping at a lot of other stores like LOFT and Boden instead of J. Crew now.

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