Mad for Banana

Like almost every other woman I know, I'm addicted to J.Crew (aka J.Crack). There's just something about all those pastel colored cardigans and comfy cordoroys that makes me want to reimagine myself as a horse-jumping heiress living in Martha Stewart's Connecticut.

Alas, I'm no Betty Draper, but I do have something in common with her husband: I've developed a shamlessly wandering eye. My cords? They're from The Gap. My day dress? Banana Republic. (See me in one above.) Ditto for my date night dress.

But my shifting loyalties shouldn't be attributed to any shortcomings on behalf of J. Crew. With two exceptions--the schoolboy blazers, which were cut from less than stellar wools, and the boyfriend jacket, which was constructed from an even cheaper feeling material, a polyester if memory serves--the fall collection was perfectly fine.

No, the real reason my devotion to J.Crew has waivered is because the other brands are getting so much better. So kudos to Banana Republic and The Gap for making affordable, well-made closet staples.

And please keep them coming.

And for those of you not already watching the best show on television, Betty Draper and her husband, the philandering, existentially befuddled Don, are characters from Mad Men.