The Only Skirt You Need

Yes, I adore this sweater, but this skirt? True love.

I wrote about the navy colorway in this skirt before; today the cream version gets its due.

the J.Crew midi skirt in double serge wool

This skirt is the best J.Crew release of the past year. Perhaps last five years.

It is a return to form to the J.Crew with which I grew up and every once in a while, was treated to as part of my school shopping. To clarify, that would be the 1998 through 2002 era. Before the 36 inch inseams were offered only to be brutally ripped away from us. Before the fibers turned synthetic and the brand lured us with with “georgette,” only to find out it was actually polyester. Before the meteoric rise of Jenna Lyons and an era before she was added to the cast of RHONY.

While I would not classify this skirt as a midi as marketed, I love the length. Even better? This length does not require a tall size for even someone of the six foot, two height to be able to wear in the office. Again, it is the exact type of skirt I saw in the pages of the catalogue (not “style guide”) circa 1999, the very type that did not need to order in a tall back size then, even while going to a high school with a rather conservative dress code.

The shape is one that I have not seen from J.Crew since that same high school era. It is a glorious a-line. While J.Crew has been churning out straight pencil skirts and floaty, sometimes flimsy, midi skirts for the past decade, I have not seen an a-line from the retailer in ever so many years.

I also cannot get over the fabric. Like the mini version which I own in navy, cream, and violet, the midi is double serge wool. It feels sturdy without feeling stiff and weighty without feeling heavy.

This is the only skirt your closet needs.

the circa 2007 Banana Republic Factory leather satchel

I bought this tan leather satchel from the pre-fall rollout of Banana Republic Factory Store circa 2007. I worked at the very store where I made the purchase in high school and undergrad.

While the zipper bit the dust and I had it replaced by another zipper that also bit the dust, it is still one of my favorite handbags and one I don’t see giving it away. Even after a friend’s cat urinated on it and a few of my other belongings. A decade in, the leather had developed such a patina that it was feline urine spot- and smell-proof.

I digress.

In addition to the zip closure, this satchel also has a zipper pocket interior and smaller pocket for cell phone storage. It is not so big that I ended up carrying my life in it and not so small that I could not bring all of my necessities with me: planner, wallet, phone, pochette that gets moved from bag to bag filled with smaller items that tend to get lost. There are small snap closure pockets at the ends, the contents of which I tend to forget about. (Oh look, business cards from three jobs ago.)

Why am I telling you about this? Because not only is Banana Republic staging a comeback, but it’s Factory arm is doing the same. While there is more faux leather (i.e. plastic) than I am comfortable with, Factory is also serving up the real thing as well as suede and cashmere and in styles typically inclusive of tall sizing.