A Fashion Gap

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

My perfect casual outfit . . . with a scarf, of course.
I tend to shy away from trendiness, instead opting for classic, casual, and timeless. Though I did buy a couple neon tees this summer. I'm a product of the 80s.  I had to.

In the near future I'll be dressing up more as a career woman, but I'll always favor classic styles. That's why I gravitate toward the easy-breezy designs of Gap and J. Crew. Aside from Target staples like plain tees, I get most of my clothes from these two brands.

I feel it is important to note that I almost never pay full price. There are too many good coupons and sales. J. Crew, especially, can get pricey, and I'm a patient person when it comes to clothing. If it sells out before it's affordable, it wasn't meant to be. I'll eventually stop thinking about it.

But the last couple years I have struggled to relate to my go-to brands. Instead of chic neutrals that I could dress up or down, I was seeing a lot of figure-unflattering styles and prints that should never cover my rather voluptuous rump. All I could think as I perused their catalogs/websites was, "I would be SO uncomfortable!"

Case in point:

Gap

Gap


If the size 0 model looks like she's pregnant, what are the odds that it will look flattering on me?

They definitely lost touch with their customer base. Not that everything they sold screamed homelessness or streetwalker. But I walked into a Gap store on several occasions and couldn't find a plain V-neck tee. What.

No, thank you.
And if you keep up with these sorts of things, you'll know that Gap nearly collapsed under the weight of their ultra-skinny, ultra-low rise Native American print harem pants. They closed tons of stores and posted huge losses quarter after quarter. An American institution forgot who their customer base was and suffered an identity crisis as a result. Neutral-lovers like me were left wondering where to shop. I've never walked out of a Gap without buying anything as much as I did in 2011.

Recently, things have started to shift. They woke up to what was happening and decided to press the reset button. Classic, flattering jean styles, white button down shirts, and neutral colors started to reemerge. They hired industry experts to redesign the brand. They could have saved their money and just listened to their consumers. I'm sure a lot of other people felt the same way I did.

I am happy to report that I'm excited to shop again!  J. Crew released their fall catalog recently, and I'm overjoyed. I can look cute and wear timeless pieces! They no longer expect me to adorn my lumps in large flower prints! Yes!

Here's a peek at what has renewed my faith in fashion:


Gap
Gap
J. Crew
J. Crew
J. Crew
J. Crew

As you can see, I'm not a print-fearing human. I just happen to like prints that will last beyond one season. And don't make me look like the Michelin Man lost in the artificial flower department at Michael's. What I love is that if someone told me these outfits were from their Fall 2000 collection, I would believe them. They would have looked as put-together and stylish back then. Kudos to them for considering their entire customer base...not just women who can afford and want to buy flowered sateen capris. I just don't happen to be one of them.

1 comment :

  1. I love all of these outfits! When it comes to clothes I am very simple, classy and comfortable. These are perfect examples of that.

    ReplyDelete

Comments make my heart go pitter-patter. Make sure you are not a no-reply blogger!

Instagram