I will always have a fondness for analog and print. I know I didn’t invent the nostalgia for a simpler time but my digital evolution has moved slower than my peers. An example of this is how I loved print magazines. I would go to newsstands whenever I could. The American print version was fine but I craved shelter magazines from England or France. The older, I mean centuries older, space will always be more interesting than new construction. There are many other examples of me craving old over new. Although eventually I started to acknowledge some limitations to my voracious appetite for physical subscriptions. They become the plane ride carry on. When I wanted to hold onto an older issue, which was more often than not, it became problematic to the tidy husband. Sometime after Gourmet shuttered, I really became despondent about where print magazines stood in this heavily mobile app centric world.
Eventually I was convinced into the iPad and it wasn’t the hardest sell. You could be a secret magazine hoarder. Martha made animated versions of her magazines which made it seem possibly more special. And as a carry-on suitcase devotee, the iPad mini was discreet enough to fit in my purse. I adapted. I wasn’t even grumpy about it. Soon, I found myself irritated with retailers that didn’t have an app yet. I need to see the color of the sweater on a person, not a square stack grid, under the description. The immediacy and extravagant product features were deeply satisfying. I didn’t even notice that I lost a sense of fantasy in purchasing. The print catalogs provided an aspirational story that I fell for, especially J.Crew. I breathlessly called my friend Claire after seeing their catalog from Paris. The silk dress with the library print would never have had the same impact had someone not been wearing it steps from the Seine with a top knot following her adventures around town. Who didn’t feel like their life had an enormous void if they didn’t wear tweed and wellies in the highlands of Scotland after their Christmas catalog. The context has been lost. When did buying outfits become so serious?
Like many, I found myself pinning pictures from old catalogs on Pinterest. It could have been a coat that is now dated but contained so many memories that even if doesn’t physically exist with me, it is still sentimental. It became clear that the J.Crew barn jacket or anorak, evoked an emotional reaction to me and to many. The algorithm quickly figured out who I was and what back to school meant. The boards filled up easily with roll neck sweaters, corduroy pants, belted argyle sweaters and statement necklaces. It wasn’t a conscious craving but I was pleased to see these groups of adults together laughing on a pier, sunning on the coast or walking the streets of Manhattan. I have recently heard rumblings of the resurgence of these iconic J.Crew pieces, like the barn jacket so I went to the J.Crew website to confirm. I might be late to the announcement since the anorak’s colors and sizes appear broken. I discovered shortly after that they are bringing the catalog back, possibly temporarily, after it stopped printing in 2017. I am embarrassed to say, I had no idea it shuttered. I have remained stunned every time I receive a Restoration Hardware catalog, both because of its size and insistence. Naturally, I reviewed all the colors online and am thrilled about them. I can’t wait to see where J.Crew is going to send me to dream about wearing them. Until I receive the catalog, I found some nostalgic pieces that I have added to the shop (link below) that feel so perfect for this fall.
