<p>^^^^the truth is that most of the stuff from your stores isn’t dress code. we cant wear bottoms shorter than a certain length, we can’t wear tank tops or strapless things without some sort of cardigan, and we can’t wear blue denim. but that’s beside the point. i enjoy my style, and i am very proud of how put together i look. it is incredibly narrow-minded of you to think that your style is superior or that anyone who shops at j.crew is nerdy or boring [though it might be fair to assume that they are preppy]. i think the clothes at j/crew are beautiful, personally. </p>
<p>for the record, i buy things at forever 21 on occasion too… mostly for dances where we’re supposed to wear crazy clothes [like the much-loved “random dance”] because you can find weird stuff at forever 21 that’s cheap. plus it’s generally really poor quality but i don’t care if i’m only going to wear it to a dance.</p>
<p>I really enjoyed this thread… I only meant to post once and go on my way, but I ended up getting sucked in. This was actually a pretty fun way to spend my night. </p>
<p>Good luck to everyone who is starting school this week! :)</p>
<p>I’m trying to find cheap cardigans too!! However, I think cardigans may be one item where I’ll sacrifice price for quality.</p>
<p>My first day is over three weeks away so it depends on the weather, but I’m thinking of an H&M blouse-style dress (either blue and white striped or grey) and silver flats. If it’s cool, white jeans and a shirt that has yet to be determined (or bought, in all likelihood).</p>
<p>You can find a variety of inexpensive cardigans at Forever21. I buy a bulk load of cardigans from basic colors to stripes to floral ones there each year for the new school term (I don’t like wearing anything that’s a sweater for more than a year). The basic colors are usually $10, and the ones with designs are more for at least $13. On sale, some can be as low as $6.</p>
<p>My first day outfit consisted of a Lacoste black track jacket, Lacoste tee, and some off-white shorts. It doesn’t sound dressy or anything, but it was a good outfit.</p>
<p>I used to like J. Crew, but not so much anymore. The mens section doesn’t have much variety, I guess I’ve switched styles. Banana Republic is horrible for men, I can never find anything really nice in there.</p>
<p>Besides me, the school was decked out in their usual Hollister graphic t-shirts. People just don’t like to be original around here!</p>
<p>^ I agree. I despise Hollister shirts, hoodies, and any tops. Their jeans are also horrible overpriced. HCO is only good, in my opinion, for their perfumes, flip flops, and bags.</p>
<p>^^^i like to invest in quality pieces, and sweaters is where i’m spending most of my money. yeah, it hurts to spend $70 or more on a cardigan, but i like that my cardigans are of very good quality. i prefer quality over quantity.</p>
<p>^i agree. why buy a low-quality RIPPED [i think it’s just ridiculous that people will actually spend more on jeans for them to be ripped, which just looks tacky, and look worn in. why not just wear them out yourself?] jeans at hollister when you can spend the same amount of money at another store for better jeans.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about the perfumes, but the male colognes are way too overpowering. Every time I walk past the store I do a double take. I just despise the way the brand is designed. I live in St. Louis, Missouri. We are not near a beach or coastal area, why do we have kids and adults walking around with such apparel?</p>
<p>Oh I love J. Crew. I mean, if you only buy the really basic stuff that they sell every season and wear it all together, then yeah, you’re going to end up looking preppy. If you mix those basics with clothes from Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, Anthropologie, H&M, etc., or buy the not-so-basic clothing (watch this: [fall</a> lookbook](<a href=“http://www.jcrew.com/womens_feature/falllookbook.jsp]fall”>http://www.jcrew.com/womens_feature/falllookbook.jsp)), your outfit is going to be more interesting.</p>
<p>Frankly, I find that the teens who only shop at A&F, Hollister, Wet Seal, Aeropostale, American Eagle, etc. look rather boring. Yes, you can find some nice looking clothing at all of these stores, but the people from where I live buy the dull/nauseating stuff. I go to a private school, and the kids there tend to have pretty good style (maybe more money? I know that sounds awful, but they have more access to nice clothes). I went to a dance at my friend’s public school, though, and everyone wore either a tight neon v-neck tee or an Abercrombie/Hollister logo tee with skinny jeans (both in normal shades and neon) and Vans/Converse or Uggs. EVERYONE.</p>
<p>Yes, everyone has their own style. Some are preppy, some like wearing tight neon clothing. Truly preppy clothing is pretty boring, but so is the typical teen uniform. J. Crew isn’t even that preppy compared to a brand like Lacoste. I think mixing different styles together, juxtaposing them, being original, is more stylish than any label.</p>
<p>I like Hollister jeans. I’ve had the same couple pairs for about five years and they’ve held up. They’re also great for really tall people who have difficulty finding jeans long enough.</p>
<p>I have an aversion to J. Crew just because my school looks like a J. Crew catalog and I usually never find anything there, but once in a while I’ll find something I adore. I bought a blazer from there yesterday that I absolutely love. I think their clothes can be boring, but if you find the right things, they definitely do have some adorable clothing.</p>
<p>I just realized I’m way behind in the conversation…</p>
<p>Anyway, I usually buy my cardigans at J. Crew, Nordstrom, and Urban Outfitters. Out of all of them, I like my Nordstrom (the brand) ones the most. I recently got one for less than $20 on sale…I think they go for something like $35 usually. At least one button has fallen off each of my other ones, but the Nordstrom ones have held up pretty nicely. Also, I like the fit of them. The color/pattern selection isn’t as great as J. Crew’s (probably one of the only reasons I buy them…the fit isn’t the best on me), and Urban Outfitters usually has more trendy styles, but if you’re looking for a basic cardigan, go to the Nordstrom juniors section.</p>
<p>I really don’t like Hollister jeans (or really anything from there). I had a couple pairs and they fell apart fairly quickly. On the other hand, I had a pair from J. Crew that ripped after I wore the hell out of them. I took them back and they gave me a new pair.</p>
<p>Not sure…I still have to hit the mall and get more shopping done…</p>
<p>It’s the first day of school so maybe i’ll just wear smething comfy…no one’s gonna remember what you wore on the first day of school so who cares?</p>
<p>You lucky people whose first days of school haven’t happened yet… I just wore a dark gray tank top and blue and white striped shorts with yellow flip flops. (Not the best choice because it started raining and my school is slippery as all hell.)</p>
<p>We don’t have a J. Crew within at least fifty miles of where I live. People here think high quality is American Eagle.</p>
<p>EDIT: I got on the website and went to the “find a store near you” page, typed in my area code, and my result was “No Results Found,” so I’m guessing it’s a little more than 50 miles away.</p>