Boden: Fall 2015 is Here!

Good Monday morning!  I am still in California, and like happens every time I come here, I get super busy and never end up on my computer like I thought I would.  I have been having fun (as my Instagram feed proves, lol, oh happy hour), so at least I *sort of* have an excuse.  My aunt's funeral on Saturday was beautiful, fitting and celebratory of an amazing life led.  I clearly would love more time with her, but the way we were able to say goodbye was exactly the way she would have wanted it to be.

Okay, so Boden has rolled out the Fall items today.  On July 13!  Years ago, the fall rollout would occur in August, so this seems so early, just like it did last year when they did the same thing.

Having said that, the fresher look of the website is appealing.  I also have to say that seeing the clothing from the fall picks that I did in their proper catalog shots makes the clothing look more alluring, too.  When the Boden preview was live back in May, they left out the catalog shots, which for many of us is what draws us in first, and so many of us were left not really loving a ton of their new items. 

This is a catalog shot.  For Boden. Yeah.  For real.

The catalog does suffer a bit, though, and I think some of you will agree that the shots with the blanker backgrounds and more muted clothing suffer the most.  It does appear a bit drab, those.  The turn does make me feel like there is a bit of "J. Crew 2011" going on here, which was not a great thing for J. Crew and unlikely to be amazing for Boden, unless all of a sudden a bunch of women have suddenly turned towards blah backgrounds and transparent looking greys and greens as their favorites.  ;-)

My favorites are the outdoor shots, but I also love the ones of the models with all the mid-century furniture everywhere.  Above is the Abigail Tunic on the model (not the color I picked in preview, but a great little dress overall) sitting in a chair I would *nearly* give my eye teeth to own.  She looks beautiful, like a 2015 version of Audrey Hepburn (what they were probably going for here).  Who doesn't want to be her, you know?

Okay, so what are your thoughts?  Any new favorites after seeing them with the catalog shots in place?  Or are you still firm in what you felt back during the Preview time?

I know that there will be some kind of banner coming for this new fall line through my affiliate program, but I don't know when the management will drop it in our links, so I will keep my eyes open, and when it does appear, I will throw it here in this post and in the sidebar.  I really hope it has a coupon attached to it (cross fingers, you all).  ;-)

Talk with you soon!

Derecho Dina. Pleated. Blousoned. And Dressed.

A few of you wrote me (either here or through e-mail) wondering what was going on with my not updating the blog, considering I do tend to publish once a day. One or two of you even realized what likely was the issue, what I will from now on call "Derecho Dina."  (Oh, and I give you all who guessed what happened props for reading the national news...unless you are in this area, then you just knew what happened.)

(What is a derecho?  Here is your answer.)

The Washington Post is asking people name the crazy, awful, let's take down an entire region storm, and I recommend all of you name it Derecho Dina because...

1. It happened two days before my birthday on Friday.  My birthday, Sunday, also was the day we had planned for Angus to be baptized, which leads me to...

2. The whole house was full of relatives who really enjoy our company, but enjoy our company MOST when there is air conditioning (highs of 103 F recently, so you all know), real food in the fridge, lights on at night, and ways of staying cool when dressing in the morning.  When the storm hit us on Friday night, our house and a good majority of the houses from Baltimore to Richmond were in the dark, and in the heat.  Only some of those houses had "company."  ;)

3. I, being the Pollyanna that I am, tried REALLY really hard to be as positive and optimistic about the loss of electricity, after all if I was able to live through the snowstorm that turned me into an actual PACKMULE, then I could handle 6000 degrees (at night, on top of the bed, with no cloth touching my skin outside of my camisole and shorts) and no lights, right?

4. I did stay positive, but I did get a bit "frayed" (like the countless wires underneath the countless trees in our 'hood).  At one point, right before the baptism, when my dad and my hubby were both requesting something of me at the same. blessed. time, I actually said, out loud, "THREE, TWO, ONE, I AM GOING TO CALM DOWN RIGHT NOW."  And then I heard the sweet priest say, "excuse me, I think I need to pass by, if that's okay."  Sigh. 

5. It is now Monday, and they have an estimated date of FRIDAY or SATURDAY before they will get the power restored to us in our neighborhood.  I suppose when power line poles actually split in half, that is probably expected, eh?  ;)

6. I clearly am not in said house, thank goodness, and rather at a hotel in Arlington (I get to be a tourist in my hometown, holla!).  Soon I will shift to my dad's house (he had his power restored today).  And maybe, one day, my house will be back to normal, with a fridge full of non-rancid food (oh, what a joy that will be to clean), cool breezes enveloping my head (love you, ceiling fan!), and full access to things like the coffeemaker and telephone (welcome to 1981, everyone). 

So, that's my plan, let's get the derecho named after me. LOL. I am kidding, you all know that, right?
 

Instead of heading over there and naming the derecho that, I invite you in for a review.  ;)

I will show you a photo of what I managed to get on and wear on the Baptism/birthday day, even though it was so bleeping hot and humid in the house that my skin literally stuck to every household surface, like the walls. 

Sunglasses: Target.

Dress, Clutch, Shoes, and Belt: J. Crew.

This is the pleated blouson dress from J. Crew that was in the lookbook and was under a lot of scrutiny for being both at once really pretty and also really absurd for being constructed from polyester.  I agreed with most sentiments, but I still believe it is a lovely frock, utterly perfect for such occasions like birthdays, baptisms, and weddings. (All three of which will see this dress in action this summer!)  The polyester is resoundly ugh when putting it on in the 6000 degrees, but it does have something going for it...utter wrinkle resistance.  You see those amazing pleats all over?  Even through multiple hours of standing, sitting, kneeling, and praying, this dress came home and not a single pleat was out of place.  I have owned pleated skirts for years (yay Catholic school uniforms) and those always wrinkled out of position, but not this dress.  Plus it's pink.  And that's all that CW cares about.  Ha.

The dress is a size 6, which is fine for me, as it is loose through the hips and bodice.  Because of that I could use my waist measurement, which hovers around 28 most days (the waist on this is a 30, so it is comfortable).  I love the shape, I think the relaxed blouson and hips style really shows off the waist nicely, and a lot of women like to do that, which may be why this dress was hyped early on. 

(Other reviews: check it out on AJC here and on Notes from a Dressing Room here.)

The shoes are the Lena wedges, and like the model at Net-a-Porter, I wanted to try yellow with the dress.  When I wear the dress next time, I am going to wear a pair of strappy glittery gold sandals instead, which will likely look more chic, but since it was my birthday, I wanted to try something a little more out of my comfort zone (like the heat wave wasn't enough discomfort, chortle).

I took a whole lot more photos that day, but haven't had a chance to sift through and edit them all, but will likely publish them all in a birthday/baptism themed post.  The photos from the baptism are really sweet, Angus looks adorable in a bonnet. 

Obviously, I am not able to do as much as I can when I am at home in a normal situation.  But I will still try my best to be around and available, so if you do write or comment, and don't hear back, know that I am slowly working myself back to being able to do so.  Promise!

Night, night, all.  Stay cool.  If. you. can.  (Evil laugh.)

P.S. Boden ladies, no sale yet.  I can't believe it is taking this long.  Hmmm.  Maybe tomorrow?  ;)







Boden Autumn 2012 Preview Picks: Part One...There is a Whole Lot to Love!

Oh, my.  So I sat down this morning and decided to choose the items from Boden Fall 2012 that I just had to tell you about and by the time I was done, I had 42 images.  FORTY TWO.  Now granted, five or so of them are of the model wearing the item, but still, that is a ridiculous amount of love that I am showing Boden.  (Yes, yes, I know, I show them a lot of love, clearly, but even for me, I recognize how insane that is...)

Having said that, and having mentioned it in the first post I wrote on the Boden preview, the folks at Boden have really brought out the chic...the pretty...the classic...the colors.  In fact, most of these pieces do remind me of J. Crew circa 2005-2008, which is when most of the JCAs fell hardest for the brand.

So without much more blah blah from me, do enjoy my picks, and remember, after you have viewed mine (and had a chance to look at the Preview to find your picks), let all of us know what has suddenly jumped in your basket (mine is bulging--oh, if only I had the budget for it all).

And remember, if you click on the 20% off and free shipping/returns link on the Preview home page, all items in your basket will be 20% off.  If you can't get the code to work, it is PRV4 (put it in the code box on the shopping page).

Sixties Jumper.  This model picture is gorgeous.  Say hello to the 2012 version of Brigitte Bardot.

Sixties Jumper.  I am a huge fan of this yellow.  I have a few pencil skirts that would look great with this sweater. 

Snuggly Gilet.  This is a great shot, I have a feeling a lot of women are going to be suffering from wanderlust after viewing this catalog.  :)

Stitch Detail Dress.  I have this in a mustard gold cord from last fall and as soon as I saw it in the denim, I knew quite a few of you would be interested.  It takes the chambray trend a bit further than the ubiquitous button down.  I could see it with tights and boots and layered over a striped tee.  I would also add a brightly printed scarf.

Tights.  Okay, I had to have at least one really ridiculous item.  I know the tights are cute, practical, and keep the legs warm in winter, but OMG...Boden is charging $48 for two pairs.  Even with a 20% off code, that is still around 38 dollars.  Yowza.  No thanks, Boden.

Vanessa Dress.  Yes, that is Helena Christensen modeling for Boden.  She looks fierce.  And really really good.  ;)

Vanessa Dress.  I love the teal, might be tempted to pick it up closer to the holidays.  (Would be an unexpected color at that time of year.) 

I think this dress is from the Limited Edition line.  It's price, plus fabric composition, make me suspect this is not from the regular line.

Winter Warmer.  This is a really cool outfit, and I would love to try something like this in the fall.  I already own pieces that closely match these pieces, so I wouldn't have to buy any of these items to make this work.  This fur collar look has been really trendy for a few years, I wonder when the trend will become dated.

Alexa Dress.  Boden often has a merino dress in its fall collection, but this one is definitely more glamorous than those I have seen in the past.  I love the neckline (very retro) and the sleeves and skirt make this one very appropriate for church and/or work.

Audrey Dress.  Swoon.  I have this in green (in a different silhouette) from a few years ago, but I think I might just sell the green and order this one instead in vermillion.  Gah, the addition of the fitted waist has me in love.  This one is BOUND to sell out.  The other one did.  I am warning you all now.  ;)

Boiled Wool Coat.  What a beautiful image.  I literally want to be this woman.  I want her hair, her makeup, he outfit, her travels. 

Boiled Wool Coat.  The only problem with the beautiful image is that the photoshopping was so over the top that I can't really tell which color the gorgeous model is wearing.  I *think* it is this mid-grey color, but who knows?

Bootcut Moleskin Trousers.  I have read that a lot of ladies are getting frustrated with the capri length pants, especially in the fall and winter.  I don't wear Boden trousers, but I might be willing to give these a shot.  I really like the cut (very traditional) and the fabric (moleskin is a heavier soft fabric that is cozy).

Cable Knitted Dress.  I love a-line sweater dresses, and I happen to know they are kind of hard to find (most sweater dresses cling more to the curves).  This grey is a nice, silvery version, and will look lovely on multiple skin tones.

Cambridge Shirt.  There are many fans of J. Crew's gingham shirts, and this one is a dead ringer for versions I have seen made by them in the past.  This would look awesome with a fitted wool pencil skirt.  Yum.

Classic Boots.  These boots would be 100% at home here in Virginia's horse country.  They come in many different colorways, but at $268 (before the discount), I would need to be 100% sure that the color I chose would be the right one for all my "horseback riding" aspirations.

Contrast Mary Janes.  I just heard a collective "ooooooooh" from all the fans of J. Crew's 2008 fall season.  There were these amazing mary jane heels made during that season, and although these aren't exact duplicates, they are certainly in the same vein.  Beautiful.  (Oh, and all leather construction, btw.)  ;)

Crinkle Jersey Shirt.  I had to add something that still looks like classic Boden, and this jersey button down definitely looks like it came from the mind of Johnnie B.  For those of you that don't necessarily do the bold prints, this shirt also comes in a dotted pattern.

Crossover Wedges.  I actually laughed out loud when I saw these.  Definitely not Boden!  :)  But I will give them major props for going outside of their comfort zone.  I look forward to reading the reviews, I think this will either be a huge success or an even more huge failure.  Time will tell.

Emily Skirt.  I wasn't sure if I was going to add this, but I kept looking at this skirt, I really like how it adds a (literal) flippy touch to a more grounded outfit.  Very girly and a bit Anthro-esque.  It isn't for me, but I know one of you all could make this skirt sing.

Everyday Jumper.  This yellow/grey color is very preppy and will look wonderful atop a button down, with a pair of jeans, and a nice pair of flat boots.  Add a fitted blazer and you will likely feel ready for the yard at Harvard.  ;)

Funnel Neck Jacket.  I see a Bella Jacket here, even though it isn't exactly the same.  Worn the right way, it could frame the face and body the way the Bella did back in the fall of 2007.  I love this yellow, so bright and lovely (although will likely be a different shade IRL).

Okay, I have twenty more images, but I can't overwhelm this post with any more!  (Also I suspect I would crash multiple computers and mobile devices if I tried to add more...)

I look forward to seeing what you all love (and hate!)...

BTW, I should be back later this evening with the next Boden Weekly Review Roundup! 

Talk to you all later!

J. Crew Factory: Inspiring Me Now.

I recently, because I have decided to enter the year 2000, have discovered the "prt sc" button on my computer's keyboard.

And because polyvore won't "clip" images for me to use in my polyvore sets when J. Crew and all the others use Adobe Flash Player for their cool outfit looks they often publish on the front pages of their websites, I decided I needed to figure this junk out already.

And here's the thing...you all, the most savvy or at least semi-computer literate out there, have been doing this "print screen" thing for years...and the pin didn't drop for me until. three. weeks. ago. when I accidentally touched the "prt sc" button instead of the backspace button, and a little photo appeared at the bottom of my screen that said "screen shot saved."*  BING!  Aha!  So that's how all those bloggers got the awesome images of outfits and models and catalog shots that I couldn't save or clip to polyvore, etc.

*It saved an e-mail I was writing to Mr. Dina one day...the day I was REALLY mad at him.  Heehee...I now have physical, photographic proof that I am capable of sticking up for myself.  ;)

Those of you who have been doing this for years, my hat is off to you.

And yes...I was the girl who worked at both Babbages and Software, Etc. back in 1993 and 1994.  I fear my "hot computer girl" cred will go down the tubes by admitting I just discovered the "prt sc" button, but to be fair, back in 1993 and 1994 most computers were big hulking machines with a mouse running on its mouse wheel to keep the processor, you know, processing.  LOL.  ;)

Okay, so what is this HUGE aside about me being a computer not so nerd leading towards?

I really really love many of the clean, classic, and fun, colorful looks that my favorite retailers are coming out with, and since I love to have the images for my polyvore account so I can create outfit sets (inspiration, you all!), I figured I would just say "stuff it" to Adobe Flash Player and screen shot the heck out of my faves and publish them here on my blog.

So tonight is J. Crew Factory, but I have images from regular J. Crew, Boden, and Madewell that I will be publishing soon enough...

And as long as the companies keep coming up with adorable outfit ideas and pretty catalog images, I will continue to keep publishing posts like this!

#6--This was from April's rollout of Factory items.  I have this retail skirt (Paisley Pencil Skirt from Summer 2012) and (like many JCAs) a plethora of striped tees, so this will be a no brainer.  Now if I could do my hair and makeup like that, I will be one happy lady.

#7--Same rollout as #6 above.  Lots of folks have the Victoria cami from 2008, and it was nice to see them re-issue it in the factory nearly four years later (even if it was in poly).  I liked the idea of wearing it on its own with shorts and heels, very pretty and unexpected for the summer.

#11--April rollout, again.  The casbah print was wonderful from last year, and I love that they did this in a pencil skirt.  I own the silk top so I didn't get the pencil skirt, but I like the thought of a slight pink pattern with the casbah.  Lots of bloggers have this skirt, I would love to see one of them try this.

#8--April, again.  Simple, clean lines, and chic.  Looks like blonde Audrey Hepburn 2012.

#4--Last one from April.  This look can be easily replicated with my silk casbah top, would likely have done it anyhow, but I like the reminder.  :)

#8--This is a look from the current rollout (May).  I think Angela looks beautiful here in this simple pairing of perfect accessories and colors for the bold paisley printed pants.

(Angela, like Edda, is one of my most favorite J. Crew/Boden models, so I love seeing her modeling again.  J. Crew is smart to pick up on the love many of us have for the old school J. Crew models.  Now if only they would bring back Vanessa.)

#11--This is also May 2012.  Now I would normally have never put this look together myself, but I love the idea of a tunic with a shorter skirt, if it comes out looking like this.  We'll see if I can try and do this with any of the pieces in my wardrobe.  I love those wedges, too (the Maryanne Leather Wedges).

This is what the outfits look like all together on the main page of the factory site (after you click "women" from the front page).  The one above is all the April 2012 outfits.

What have you been inspired by from J. Crew factory lately?

J. Crew: If It Came Back Today, Would You Wear It? (Mother's Day Edition.)

Hi, everyone! Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone is having a lovely one, whether you are a mom, a daughter, a sister, a husband, a son, a brother, etc. :) Since I didn't grow up with a mom (she was alive, just not in my life until well into my adulthood), I have many people I celebrate on Mother's Day...including my dad. So there you go. Just putting that PSA out there...think outside the box when it comes to celebrating the generosity of people who choose to raise other people.

Okay, so it has been forever since I did a "Would You Wear It if It J. Crew Made It Today" post. I figured you all would understand my inability to get my act together and get one of these out there within the past two month, lol.  (Oh, and on that note, happy seven weeks, Angus!)

So I decided to go through my collection of J. Crew catalogs to find "mother/child" images, and amazingly they were kind of hard to find. There are a few out there, but I must be thinking of crewcuts catalogs when I think of child-centered images. (BTW, crewcuts catalogs don't have the parents, I thought they did, but I was mistaken.)

There are more than the two that I found, but I didn't have the energy to sort through all the catalogs. :) I think it will be fine, though.

Neither of the images I found are super old, but they are both from enough long ago that I figure they can be under the microscope of "would I ever wear that again?"

This image shows what I assume is the "mom" figure model, and the cutie pie "daughter" figure model (she has aged out of crewcuts, btw, haven't seen her in a while) posing on a deserted road in Iceland.  Now, since I had been in Iceland in 1998, I was all into this catalog.  I loved seeing the barren, treeless landscapes and the clever ways they chose to shoot the natural scenery (the cover is the best--its image is next).

*BTW, it is hard for me to suspend disbelief in these sort of images...the model is super young and the girl is at least 8, making me think, "yeah, that's supposed to be her mom, but all I can see is a much older sister."  Anyone else think that too?

Here's the thing...would I wear the outfits portrayed in the pages today (in the winter, clearly, not literally today)?  For the most part the answer is a resounding yes.  This catalog is from the Holiday 2008 catalog and J. Crew really was putting out some fab pieces, including Borge Gaveri handbags, gorgeous, well made coats, and some beyond adorable heels (Alessias, yum) which means I easily understood why a whole community would have grown out of this brand.

This outfit the model wears is a bit layered, but not messy.  The only thing I personally would do differently is tuck in my tee-shirt and not wear that skull cap (I would probably try to find a wool cloche).

I actually own the coat, and love it.  It is really pretty and classic.  The fabric has a slight peppery look to it (looks like a pepper shaker was shaken over the fabric) that reminds me a lot of fabrics they use on mid-century modern furniture.

I really would love for CW to have the jacket pictured on the daughter, but maybe I will luck out and find it one day on ebay (unless one of you all have one laying around).

 And there it is, the amazing photo of the already stunning Icelandic landscape.  I want to be there.

Okay, since Mother's Day is in summer for most of us, I thought it more appropriate to choose an image with summer clothing. 

This model "mom" is the same model from Iceland, but they let her natural hair fly and aren't covering her up as much (she goes really bare on the cover, oh, my, check it out next).  I don't know if the model "daughter" is the same as the one above, but I don't think so, she looks enough different that I think not.  I do know this model is named Bella and used to be all over the crewcuts catalog, along with her brother Roman (they did a spread on their Christmas wish list in one of the holiday catalogs from last year which is how I know their names).  Bella is like the model daughter above in that she is no longer in the catalogs (she is probably old enough to really "model" now).

So would I wear this outfit?  This one is eh, maybe not, but not because of the styling.  I personally dislike linen pants because they wrinkle so terribly, and I don't really like that necklace, but I know many JCAs who love it.  The stripe popover is cute, but again, not really my thing. 

However, if those were cotton pants, a Liberty print shirt, and another necklace, I would likely say yes...no real over the top craziness on Jenna Lyon's part here, just simple, easy, preppy styling.  (And considering this is from the summer of 2009, right before really crazy styling started, it seems it was a last Nantucket themed, seersucker loving, prep gasp on J. Crew's part, too.)

Oh, yeah, Momma (chortle, "Momma"), you bare it all.  She may have a bandeau bikini top on...but maybe Momma had some mimosas and said, "screw it, we're going skinny dipping."

Okay, that's all.  I ask of you now...would you wear it?  Extra points if you "bare" whether or not you would wear the one featured on the July 2009 cover.  ;)

J. Crew: April 2012 Catalog/Style Guide Images.

Hi, everyone, good evening!  Somehow I found time to get to Fair Oaks mall in Fairfax, VA, after my doctor's appointment this morning (read: my dad went to get the kids to be nice to me, ahh!) and I bee-lined it for J. Crew.  I haven't been to a real store since early January and it felt good.  For those of you in Northern Virginia, they now have crewcuts at the store, which I was stoked about, obviously.  They had adorable things for the kids, but especially for CW, who I know will want to own the merino cardigan in the pretty apple/orchard print that is everywhere at J. Crew now.  (See Gigi's post on it for more info.)

I also happened upon the new catalog/style guide.  From what I gather they just put them out this morning, and while a good bit of it is recycled pieces from prior rollouts, the styling was really pretty and very colorful.  I wanted to show off the bits of the catalog that have not already been shared with us (see Slastena's post for more on that) and also caught my eye.  I would have loved to photograph the entire catalog, but I have a bit on my plate and would prefer that "Photographing ENTIRE J. Crew Catalog" is not one of my "nesting" feats. 

So here you go! 

Cover.  The pants are not made with the weird color staining.  My camera's flash must have done that.  I do really like the bright flame color with the mint shoes.  Very pretty.

Image is not anything that caught my eye, but the prices for the shorts are on this page...

for this image, which include the orchard print on a pair of 3 inch inseam shorts (dagnabit...Jenna, throw those of us with taller frames a bone, maybe 5 inches next time?).

BTW, the shorts come in a dizzying array of neon shades, including a citron color that looked so good with this space-dyed cardigan that I picked up on sale today.  I will probably indulge in those shorts once they go on sale and I get back to my "fighting" weight.

This is a larger version of the apple print, which as much as I love it, may be too juvenile for me.  Very cute, though, and I could see a lot of you all looking adorable in it.  I do have to say the striped dolman tee is darling, but you better believe that one will make it to sale.

This is an interesting idea, taking the same print, in differing sizes and pairing them together.  I do like the way it looks, especially with the belt.  I have the skirt (bought with the 20% promo) and it is beautiful.  Many bloggers have done reviews of these pieces.  If you have, would you mind dropping the links into the comments???

This must be the yellow dress with back zip many folks have mentioned at JCA.  I think I saw it in the store, but I have two yellow dresses already (a back-button deco dot version and a pique knit version), so I definitely have zero need for another...but this is really pretty and seems perfection for casual Fridays in the heat of the American summer.

This was in the swim section, but I could for sure see folks wearing this out and about.  Very cute dress and it looks like the stripes could even work on the pear shaped amongst us.  :)

Do you have any picks from these images?  Any passes?

You all have a great night!

J. Crew: If It Came Back Today, Would You Wear It? (Holiday 2002 Edition.)

Whoosh.  Whoosh.  Whoosh.

That is the sound of me walking down the hall at the school I was teaching at during the winter of 2002.  I blame J. Crew. 

Check out these lovely outfits.

Woah.  Those jeans are low slung on the hips and super long AND bell bottomed.  Hoo boy.  And of course she isn't wearing high heels or anything to help her legs.  Nope.  Just a pair of cute socks.

Overall, the outfit just borders on boring, but I couldn't let this outfit go at just boring. 

Do you all remember the jeans that were so long and yet every single woman wore them with flip-flops and/or flat shoes of some sort?  And then the hems (especially in the back) got so ragged and unkempt and dirty?  And yet somehow, someway, this was considered kind of cool?

I admit to doing that.  I know, ugh.  That whoosh, whoosh, whoosh sound lasted for far too long...probably from 1997 till 2005.  Eep.

(Having said all that, this model is beyond adorable!  Love her cute look, wish they would bring her back!)

Oh, look, the same basic outfit!  How inventive!  No wait!  They added a scarf and some kind of pair of loafers! 

You just know that those pants hems are so gross, right?  Even the walk from the model trailer to the location spot probably gathered some awful dust and germs. 

(And her crotch.  Why did they do that to her?  Mean.)

Yeah, the shoe selection in the early 2000s was kind of horrible.  My aging hippy momma wears these with pride today.  But since she is an aging hippy momma, she would never spend more than $10 for a pair of clogs, mules, or loafers from the local Goodwill.  These would be far too rich for her blood.

I admit to having mules, clogs, and loafers!  In many shades of brown!  They were probably all from J. Crew.  Just kidding.  I couldn't even go there.  Back then Parade of Shoes existed and they satisfied all my boring shoes needs.  Living large was Aerosoles.

To make it worse, I wouldn't wear the mules or clogs with the jeans because the back of the hem always got caught in the heel of the clogs and mules, so I settled on wearing the longer jeans with tennis shoes or loafers.  My ragged hems were horrid.  (I need to drag out a pair of jeans I kept from this era specifically for doing chores in...and photograph the evidence.  Yikes.)

Quick memory that I am reminded of from this shot: Back in the mid-90s I was on a softball team at work and I was flirting with one of the other guys on the team and he totally flirted back and somehow, at the end of the flirting, he picked me up just like this model (Marisa something?) is being picked up.  I was floored.  Not that I was all huge or anything, but I am not exactly tiny, either.  I still kind of think of that guy like he is superman. 

BTW, the most color in this catalog is on Marisa in this shot.  That pink sweater is about it.  LOL.

So tell me...did you enjoy this look?  Would you still wear it today if J. Crew reissued it???

Talk soon!