With moving to San Francisco, I have no clothes to wear. The weather has baffled me here. One minute I am sweating up hills and the next, I practically need a winter jacket. It's really not a big deal yet I know every woman has said that she has no clothes to wear. This struggle has caused me to think about making my own clothes, but we'll talk about that later.
When I cleaned out my closet in New York, the KonMari method was forced upon me by my friend :) It was difficult but felt good not to look at the clothes I no longer fit into. I haven't really had casual clothes since before I started working. I wore dresses, skirts, high heels and on the weekend I had a pair jeans, a few tee shirt and my converse. I find it ironic that I can style clothes for other people but I can't dress myself. I am sure this has to do with that stubborn 10 to 20 lbs that I can never get rid of. So today when I received the Madewell catalogue, I saw a few things I thought would help me in my transition to the west coast.
It is not that I don't like the clothes, I do, and I will disclose that I have freelanced for J.Crew in the past. I think they are a great company. I am a big fan of Jenna Lyons and her uncompromising style. I just don't know why Madewell is so expensive? If J.Crew Collection prices are competing with designer clothing and J.Crew is going back to sharp basics. What is going on with Madewell?
When it first started it was J.Crew's younger sister and priced that way. Through time it turned into the creative-cool younger sister and their prices have risen. It's frustrating because really they are just tomboyish closet staples. I have seen companies which are looking at retail in a new way, Everlane.com is an example. If you don't know them, they are great for basics (no, I haven't been paid by them for saying so). I love that their motto is "We believe customers have the right to know what their products cost to make. At Everlane we reveal our true costs, and then we show you our markup." That is integrity and is what America needs. Enough with paying astronomical amounts for department store tee shirts.
Yet, I am a sucker too. I am not above paying the price if it looks good....Below are some of the things I am coveting from Madewell and Everlane.
