When J. Crew came out with the No. 2 pencil skirt a million years ago I wasn’t too excited. It was a pencil skirt, why was everyone freaking out about a basic and overpriced pencil skirt from J.Crew? It couldn’t really be all about the colors, could it?

About five months ago I was checking out the racks at Crossroads and found a wool No. 2 skirt. It was too small, but I tried it on anyways. The skirt was substantial, made of weighty and soft wool, and the color was a lovely lagoon green. It was 15 dollars, but damn it it didn’t fit. I really wanted it to.

I kept going back to Crossroads, but never ran into another one in the racks. On eBay the skirts sell for $20-100+ (depends on the material, “rareness” of the color, etc). If I had known this at the time, I would have bought that skirt and resold it online. But that is a story for another day…

As the years have passed I’ve found that I don’t have the stamina or patience to wait it out for specific items to show up at my local thrift shops. I did the math in my head and decided that if I was still thinking about that damn skirt  5 months later, I might as well just buy it. I got the double serge wool skirt in heather pine at 25% off, which is still too much, but I’m quite happy with the purchase. When worn in the right size, these skirts are deliciously flattering, warm and comfortable. I get the online hype, but still think J. Crew has really lost it with their pricing and general quality levels.

I’ve been playing around with different shoe and top combinations, and I think I’m going to go with this (blurry) look for the opera tomorrow night. I’m seeing Falstaff by myself, and it is supposed to be off the hook.

Anyways, what’s the point of these ramblings? Life is short. Buy the skirt. Go out alone. Dress up.