In the world of Save. Spend. Splurge.
ONE.
Belle really gives it to J. Crew in this articulate, perfectly written post.
What do I think about all of that? I’ve never been a fan of J. Crew in recent years, but I’ve also never known J. Crew in its good days, so I don’t have anything to compare their clothing to.
I see J. Crew as a Banana Republic, no matter how hard Drexler is trying to position it as a luxury brand on par with the likes of Chanel, for instance.
Stop dreaming, it’ll never happen.
How do I know this? I can’t even give away J. Crew pieces sometimes.
J. Crew pieces have little to NOÂ resale value on the secondhand market.
In contrast, true luxury brands resell very well on the consignment market.
TWO.
Why doesn’t China just chain up all of their citizens and avoid letting them lead any true independent lives except as working robots?
Read this and you’ll see why I’m frustrated.
The more you ban, the more illicit and cool you make it. Haven’t you learned that yet, China?
THREE.
It’s so minimalist, but I love this outfit Ashley Olsen has on.
FOUR.
Be still, my shopaholic + minimalism + organizational heart!
I LOVE closet inventory posts.
FIVE.
Like to travel? Read this. It’s pretty gross what you can find in hotels.
SIX.
How much does it cost to live the American Dream? Fig shows us the numbers.
SEVEN.
There is no way I’d ever be able to dance like this.. much less in those stiletto heels, so kudos to the boys for making it weeerrrrrk!
EIGHT.
Breastfeeding isn’t gross to me, especially as a mother.
The only reason why I couldn’t do it directly was because Baby Bun was being obstinate, but if I could breastfeed directly, I would which is the reason why this poster ad Nurture Calls really made me quite annoyed at those who think it’s sickening.
It isn’t a disgusting thing but I do acknowledge that I wouldn’t just whip out my breast in front of everyone to feed my kid. It’s still my body and it’s a private thing, in my opinion.
I’d at least get a cover or a blanket, but I wouldn’t want to (and will NEVER) ever feel ashamed of feeding my child naturally.
NINE.
I like Amazon in general, but in regards to their ebooks and pricing, Amazon should lay the f*ck off publishers and authors.
I don’t want authors to stop producing great works for us to read just because of some company trying to make books too cheap for everyone (even e-books!). Publishers, editors, authors.. they all have to work together to create something great. Without someone to edit and help correct the flow of a book with a discerning eye, the greatest author may not be able to bring their ideas across as clearly as they do.
I have a great amount of respect for editors and publishers. I like what Amazon is trying to do in trying to lower the prices, but seriously?? I’d rather pay for a higher quality, well-written book than some mish-mash of words.
TEN.
Where women make more money than men in the U.S.:
ELEVEN.
A great list of stuff made in America from Kim.
I… totally want everything on this list.
TWELVE.
I wish there were restaurants or places where I could try authentic Native American food.
THIRTEEN.
WHAT. THE. EFF…
FOURTEEN.
I feel so under accomplished compared to these kids who are only in 8th grade.
I like heavy metal, and they’re pretty good too..!
FIFTEEN.
This is kind of creepy. Men ARE objectified in some advertisements (male models?) but .. seeing it in this perspective is kind of weird and enlightening.
SIXTEEN.
Parents and pet owners alike, please watch this video and take heed.
SEVENTEEN.
Who says women have to have it all? I really liked this post from Gia, and you should really read this interview with PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi.
“My observation…is that the biological clock and the career clock are in total conflict with each other. Total, complete conflict.
When you have to have kids you have to build your career.
Just as you’re rising to middle management your kids need you because they’re teenagers, they need you for the teenage years.”
She’s right. Right when my career is taking off and having a bit of a peak season, my clock is ticking to have children. Taking time off is difficult when you have to pass on $250,000 contracts like I did.
Then even if you become powerful, a Princess effect happens and you aren’t taken seriously.
I don’t want it all.
I want a 50/50 relationship where I share childcare and rearing with my partner and I also bring home half the bacon.
(He can cook it though. I’ll clean up afterwards.)
Speaking of having it all, women are definitely treated differently at work. I have experienced some, if not all of these treatments. The only thing you can do is be professional and rise above it, while not neglecting to firmly inform them that it’s not acceptable behaviour in a courteous way.
(Easier said than done.)
You also have to fight fight fight. I didn’t get a lower job offer than ANY of the people I competed against, but I know I got the highest, and this is how I got $30,000 extra.
Lest you think it was a fluke, my original job out of college was also a 30% more than what was initially offered.
I negotiated to get the highest salary possible, and I don’t doubt that all the guys in my year didn’t make as much as I did.
EIGHTEEN.
EMERGHERD CUTENESS OVERLOAD. Baby animals and their parents.
20 Comments
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The Asian Pear
Ya know… I never even thought about Aboriginal and First Nation’s traditional foods til I read that website. What an eye-opener. Now I’m intrigued. The author only wrote about Objiwe tribe food. I wonder what the foods of the other First Nations are like… Now I want to try to cook some!
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Alexis
I like to splurge but only very seldom because I learned my lesson back in the days that I can be splurging every weekend.
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AdinaJ
I’m a J. Crew fan. I buy all of mine secondhand (usually new with tags) for Target prices – your observation is correct, but works in your favour if you’re a buyer not a seller – or from the Factory store at rock bottom clearance. The quality is great considering I have never paid more than $60 for anything, and that $60 was for a pair of (supposedly) made in Italy leather shoes. Work-appropriate pants, skirts, blouses and blazers for ~ $30/piece … I’ll take it. I usually get bored of pieces before they fall apart, and I re-sell them. If I can still make ~$5-10 on each piece, I consider that a win. That works for me, but it may not work for everyone. I can’t believe J. Crew is positioning itself as a Chanel contender. No way. I can see that they’re aiming for that middle ground (Kate Spade, Tory Burch, etc.) but there is no way they are aiming higher. Even the JC Collection stuff is mostly under $500. Them’s not Chanel prices 😉 And, as you said, that kind of reach is bound to fail anyway. I’d like to think they’re a bit savvier than that.
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save. spend. splurge.
They opened a store on Bloor beside designer stores and I read an article that their J. Crew collection was meant to be high end luxury like Chanel
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MattNY
It’s not available on a daily basis, but if I want naitive american food I go to a powwow. There are usually 4 or 5 during the good weather around here. Just google them.
My favorites are the sprouted corn chowder, elk sausage, and fry bread with everything 🙂
Some of the vendors do hunt/grow their own stuff, but some of the food vendors are basically commercial food services and use conventional food sources. Some are basically hispanic guys that put on a headband with a feather to make a little extra money :/
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MattNY
Food vendors put up signs with the menus and the name of the company, like “Iroquois Food Service Inc.”. Generally, I look at the cookware. If the have steam tables and commercial grade utensils, they are a commercial outfit.
If their stuff is cooked in big pots and aluminum trays, comes out of an ice chest instead of a fridge unit, with homemade signs, and it looks like the people are related, then it’s more likely to be the real authentic stuff.
Also, use your judgement – if the people look sketchy, or things aren’t the cleanest, you might want to pass them by.
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MattNY
@save. spend. splurge.: and by authentic, I mean the family had a good year hunting and wanted to sell off the excess, vs farm raised elk or venison or whatever.
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Taylor Lee
I wonder for those 16 cities where women make more than men whether there’s a high percentage of underemployed men (fleeting manufacturing sectors, etc.), small town erego highly variable sample, or otherwise what the “deal” is. It’s sad I have to assume in any case that a woman makes more than a man there’s something “wrong” in the area to explain it, but it’s just so prevalent!
I remember rifling through the BLS data a few months ago on 200 or so surveyed careers, where they recorded median earnings for men and women. In only 3 of those careers were women paid more than men: bakers, retail wholesalers, and “computer occupations, other” (not an admin, software developer, data analyst, or any other job you could think of that used a computer). In everything else, even in female dominated industries like education, men made more than women.
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save. spend. splurge.
That is really shocking actually, although I wonder what it was about those careers that let women make more than men.
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Anonymous
I’ve been disappointed with J.Crew.
A couple of years ago I bought a shirt from J.Crew and once I put it in the wash, it got a few holes and I had to throw it away. Then I bought some shoes from their factory line, and they lasted me for quite a bit but the shoes felt pinch-y if I stayed in them for 8 hours.
J.Crew clothes have the quality of Wal-Mart/Target with the price tag of Banana Republic. Like you I will never see them as a big luxury brand like Prada, Chanel, or Gucci. I don’t even shop at those places but I never saw J.Crew clothes as clothes to aspire to buy.
I went to J.C. Penney a few times and their clothing had more quality than the clothing that I bought from J.Crew. Of course it depends what you get from J.C. Penney but I like their St. John’s Bay brand. For example about 3 years ago I bought some argyle sweaters from J.C. Penney from their brand St. John’s Bay.
Those sweaters are still in good condition to this day. I also like Ann Taylor lately, their clothes have also lasted me longer than anything I’ve gotten from J.Crew.
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save. spend. splurge.
You’ve said it perfectly: J.Crew clothes have the quality of Wal-Mart/Target with the price tag of Banana Republic.
I will NEVER see them as expensive. They are nowhere close to Chanel, Gucci.. they can’t buy their way into that industry. Their clothes hold no resale value, unlike the other brands and aren’t well made.
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