J. Crew: If It Came Back Today, Would Heidi Klum Wear It?

Based on the popularity of my first post of this kind, I am definitely fueled up to do more! Thanks for the positive responses.

Today is a special "would Heidi Klum still wear it" edition.  Ha.  The current host of Project Runway known for her impeccable (if a bit show-offy) style--she loves showing off her legs, that's for sure--once upon a time was the ultimate catalog model, including for J. Crew.

I have an issue of the J. Crew catalog from Summer 1998 and she is all over the catalog wearing some very plain, boring, and muted pieces.  YAWN!  I remember this catalog from when it was actually issued (not just because I looked at it this morning)  and even had some of the pieces from it (which I am choosing to show off at another post, when I have a bit more time on my side)...but back then I just remember thinking, "hey, I just got out of college, I have no money, these pieces can be mixed and matched PERFECTLY for the most awesome capsule wardrobe ever."  LOL.  Oh, well.  At least I picked pieces that were cotton and linen instead of polyester, right?  :)

BTW, before we start, take a look at Heidi Klum in 2008 (ten years post this catalog), looking every inch of her fierce, fierce, fierce.  Das ist sehr gut, Heidi!  ;)

And now look at sweet, young, fresh-faced Heidi Klum in an outfit so boring, even the bared stomach looks kind of bland.  I kid, of course.  She looks great, DESPITE the outfit, and I look at her tummy with undisguised awe (note: do not look at trim, darling bellies of supermodels whilst 33 weeks pregnant).

IN GERMAN, everyone now: "Das ist sehr langweilig, Heidi."

Are you interested in wearing that outfit?  The prices are fairly decent...but good luck finding it in a color brighter than light kiwi green.

Oh, my, I have saved the "best" for last.  Now, don't get me wrong, cotton pique fabric is wonderful, it is perfection in hot and humid summers, but wow...she definitely looks like she escaped from a Miami senior living community here.  Seriously, her name could be Mildred and all the guys named Don and Albert are interested in taking her out for a rocking game of bridge.

Umm, before I go to far...I did have an outfit almost identical to this.  It was a definite style of the period, so if you were just a babe (or youngin') in 1998, J. Crew was putting out pieces that people wore, senior home look or not.  It is just hard to marry the company that created this look to the one you see on Ms. Klum above.

I do not currently own the pieces that I owned that resembled this outfit.  They were given to Goodwill, years ago.  I really hope that the person who bought the pieces split the items up and made the outfits a teeny bit more edgy than the "wholesome" look you see above.  Heck, even a nice graphic tee would help dress those pants up.

Now for the surprise.  The cover is really darling, and I daresay the outfit the girl is wearing is still in style.  Not fashion forward or special in any way, but cute for the beach or golfing or taking a walk in the park.  Her outfit is pure classic preppy.  The man's style is a bit dated, especially with the HUGE plaid shirt, but he still looks cute in it!

(And since Mr. Dina has only recently started wearing shirts that actually touch his torso, I have to give men everywhere a pass...many years of style passed with men wearing shirts far too large for them.)

Now I know Ms. Klum isn't coming anywhere near this blog, so I ask you instead..."if it came back today, would you wear any of these looks?"

J. Crew: If It Came Back Today, Would You Wear It?

I have been wanting to do this kind of post for a really long time! :)

Hope you all enjoy it...

I have so many ANCIENT J. Crew catalogs, including a handful from (gulp) the '90s, and whenever I have a few moments, I peruse the older ones as part of nostalgia for my youth.

(My severely misguided sartorial youth, but we will see evidence of that a bit later.)

One day it occurred to me..."would I wear the outfit I am seeing in this old catalog--as styled--if J. Crew (or x company) issued it again?" Often the answer is "yes," especially with any J. Crew from 2003-2008, but in the catalogs from before then the answer is "OMG, no, please dear God, leave it there with Roxette and this hairstyle that Hugh Grant made popular."

I sometimes (sometimes) can find a piece or two that is redeeming, but they are definitely far and few between.

All of this may well be because I wore the originals non-ironically (crazy twenty-something hipsters are wearing oh so ironically, yikes) but some of these older catalog images give me the skeevies. LOL.

So, I ask you..."if it came back today, would you wear it?"

Source: Summer 1994 J. Crew Catalog.  I am specifically looking at the LONG prairie dress at the right, but go ahead and have fun with the shorts/top/plaid shirt combo on the left.  (And those shoes.  The fisherman sandals.  I confess, I had a few pair...and may have worn them to my college graduation.  At least I was an Anthropology major.)

Source: Summer 1994 J. Crew Catalog.  Long, merlot, flowy, and not one accessory.  Minimalism 90s at its best!

Source: Summer 1994 J. Crew catalog cover.  Very appealing cover (really)!  These are all male items, fwiw.

I had a WINTER version of the merlot dress...and because I was super-challenged style wise, I actually wore this in 1997.  I was really behind the times, clearly.  :)

Wow.  That dress is LONG.  And very much placing me firmly in the sister wife category. 

(So you all know, at this point I was working with a boatload of LDS--aka Mormon--co-workers at the House of Representatives.  They always ALWAYS thought I was a fellow LDS until I would bring in a HUGE steaming cup of coffee into the office, usually because of a night of wine drinking the evening before made me a bit bleary-eyed.  I am not even kidding you.  BTW, my LDS co-workers were always way more stylish than I...I definitely was always the most covered-up and the most blah.  Yeah, I know, me "queen of the print" was a big fan of the solids, from head to freaking toe.)

Okay this one is from 1994, so more in time with the actual catalog.  This was a Pier One dress and because it was LONG and covered-up and the pattern was fairly simple, I was all over it.  (And clearly all over the really dark lipstick, yet another trend from the 90s that I really think should just stay there.)

So it should be fairly obvious that I will go nowhere near this trend, ever EVER again.

You all have a great night! 

P.S. If you really want a LONG red dress, here's a potential candidate.  ;)

Some Color (Okay, A LOT of Color) for Shopping on a Sunday!!!

So I am not going to even pretend like this Sunday (May 3, 2009) was okay. It sucked. Big Time. Rex was accused of doing something in his Bug Walks and Critter Talks class and we were not even told of the issue until 4 WEEKS later. Ugh. It is fairly obvious that the people running this class have no idea of how two-year olds operate. For one, all two-year olds are extremely EGOCENTRIC (mine, mine, mine, gimme, gimme, gimme). Two, all two-year olds, including the most meek two-year olds, tussle with one another. Three, you do NOT, I repeat, do NOT discipline a two-year old AFTER the fact, ESPECIALLY FOUR WEEKS LATER. It just will make NO sense to them. Sigh.

By the way, Rex pushed another kid. We get it. Mr. Dina saw it happen and talked to Rex and sternly warned him that it was "not okay." The other kid walloped Rex back. Both parents laughed about it. BUT...the way the teacher and the supervisor handled it is what has had me wrapped up in anguish these past three days. The teacher and supervisor made us feel like it was ONLY Rex causing problems and in an e-mail to me and Mr. Dina, the supervisor said that the teacher told her that "Rex punched the other kid in the face." EXCUSE ME? PUNCHED? What happened to Jack, Sawyer, and Juliet on Lost last night was a PUNCH IN THE FACE. What Rex did wasn't even close. SICK!!! I mean...my goodness...what is wrong with these people? I am actually frightened for families that take this class in the future...if what Rex did gets overblown to that level, what are they going to do if (God forbid) another kid bites or kicks or pushes to the point of causing an ACTUAL injury? Call the cops on the kid? I mean, really!

All right...thanks for letting me vent. I am just very sad and the process of grieving over what happened includes writing about it!!! So...I appreciate you, my captive audience. :)

Back to the clothes that I wore. I decided that I needed to wear color. Besides the Rex thing, it was raining miserably out there. Yuck. So Mr. Dina took me and the babies to the mall...it felt good. Visiting Macy's and J. Crew always makes me feel better. CW enjoyed herself, too!

Orange, Purple, and Green for a Rainy Shopping Day! by dinagideon featuring Calvin Klein jeans

Here it is, full-length, no sweater. The top is from the Merona Collection (Spring 2009--Target). The jeans are Calvin Klein from Costco. The shoes are ANCIENT...from back in the '90s. They may be Naturalizer?

I really like the top. It is very slim...so it emphasizes my smaller half. The boat-neck is really pretty, too. It is not a top for everyone, but you know I don't shy away from color. ;)


Here is the sweater. I think it is called the Candace sweater and it is J. Crew from Summer 2008? The bright orange is such a happy color. The color perfectly matched the orange in the Merona top.

You all have a great day...and remember...avoid the Bug Walks and Critter Talks Class...ESPECIALLY if your two-year old acts like a two-year old. SMILE!!!