xmas shopping at j crew

the truth is..i just cannot stay away from j crew.

so when it is time to think xmas for the whole family..i wonder if i

should resist the temptation?

 doesn't it all just say..'come and get me'?

even all the stuff for the little people is really great (though i do think it says 'mommy dressed me' a wee bit)

i think the looks for spring are looking delish.. lovedore-ing all these wonderfully happy color combos.

as well as the kooky pattern collages..it is all certainly food for thought..

as it is time to design our new spring collection here at the studio..so stay tuned.

swackets

last week inspired by j crew's cute hacking jacket with the edging in a contrast color..

my daughter and i (in search of the perfect speech competition look) found a great sweater jacket at banana republic that my mother instantly smitten dubbed "the swacket"

i must to say, that i do love a structured chanel-ish jacket. but the rub is that a wool jacket is stiff and not very comfy.

one is constantly tempted to push up the sleeves, but to no avail. the thick fabric is quite unforgiving.

so i say, why not opt for this smart alternative. now to find one in a fabby color!

funny story friday

so the other day my kids and i headed to the men's j crew store (love) in copley to buy some cute new shirts for dad's bday.

(ok this was a while back) but it was at the height of bruins mania during the lead up to the historic stanley cup win for our local boys, and..

all the sales guys had huge beards at the shop. so dopey me asks.."hey are you guys all growing your beards as a y'know..bruins good luck charm?" (fyi. local fans (women too?) will grow their beards all during the playoff season in solidarity with the team who also put the kibosh on shaving for good luck)

wouldn't you know..they had nooooo idea what i was talking about. the beards were simply their fashion statement..(de riguer at je crew). i believe they might not have even realized that the bruins were in the finals..or what the stanley cup might in fact be, and what beards really have to do with it in the first place.

you just gotta love that jill r knows more about local SPORTS than the dudes over at j crew!

guys in gingham

many years ago my dear friend erica (of the e list) infamously sold me a gingham suit. to say the least my 5 foot 1 and a half inch frame looked beyond ridiculous amassed in nothing but navy gingham. ( i will add that the jacket also boasted an extremely unflatttering peplum style)
so to be honest i was surprised that upon noticing a slew of gingham and checks this spring at how in love i was with the look. i realize that this here is no gingham suit with the peplum..but i was pretty sure i could never look at it again without being sad.
in fact i ran right out and bought 2 shirts in the fabric for the hubs for daddy's day. he has yet to put them on!
i am even thinking i might need one.
will i be able to rock the look?
i am worried!

crush: mickey drexler

mickey drexler has been my business girl crush for many years. he is the reason why the gap got cool. period. and now that he has turned j crew into the house of coolness that it is these days, i will forever be under his spell. he is a merchant prince, and there really aren't that many of them around. i love mickey for oh so many reasons, but a big one is that he cares so deeply and passionately about the brands he works for, and he is always striving to do better, and learn more. he spends a lot of time with his customers, asking them what they do and don't like about the offerings, but he also spends time asking his employees what they think would be good to add.
it seems that one of his latest passions is adding existing brands to the j crew lineup that he feels are a good fit with the company's philosophy and aesthetic. this seems to be working for j crew and the companys they are co branding with as well..like red wing boots( above), fenton fallon jewelry (below), timex, and sea bags to name a few.
the new yorker recently ran a delicious story about mickey that described him taking the team to maine so that they could get the feel and vibe of the quoddy moccasin company. he knows that you need to live it if you want to understand it. and these days, i think this is what it takes to get customers excited about your offerings. (angela adams sea bag below)
i know mickey will be inspiring us all for a long time to come, and will continue to teach all us merchants how it is done. i heart you mickey! (quoddy mocc below)
classic timex

great skirt!

spotted in NYC loved this..JCrew spring 2009..they really know what they are doing over there. i wonder who is responsible? anyone?