Market Watch: Madewell
Going to over-the-top runway shows is one of the most fun things a fashion writer can do, but let’s be real: we all have to get dressed in the morning, and for most of us, this dress isn’t exactly everyday appropriate.
Enter Madewell. Like its sister label, J. Crew, and some other runway-ready but slightly more pared-down lines (3.1 Phillip Lim, I’m looking at you), this is stuff that we really want to wear. Every day.
The brand’s Fall 2012 collection was no exception. There were slouchy colorblocked knits (including some adorable cardigans with heart elbow patches), silky floral skirts and blouses, varsity jackets, many a Breton stripe and more than a few pairs of boyfriend jeans.
A cognac leather shift dress had just a touch of edge, and on the opposite side of the spectrum, sweaters adorned with fluffy sheep were too cute. There’s a slightly tomboyish bent to everything, with that thrown-together charm made famous by J. Crew.
“It’s one part Wes Anderson-style quirk, one part urban woodland, one part proper English professor,” said the brand in its collection notes.
We’ll take one of everything.
Photos: Offerings from Madewell's Fall 2012 collection