A Gift Guide For The JCrew Girl Who Can’t Afford JCrew

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Do you have a girl in your life that would be embodying the tweed-and-glitter fantasticness that is JCrew style, if only it weren’t so painfully expensive? Do you know that she lusts after the printed sweaters and brightly-colored loafers and enamel bangles, waiting for a sale generous enough to treat herself to? Well, she can quit waiting, because you have all the gifts for her sparkly-American-classic needs. Without the price tag.

1. A standard navy blazer.

If there is one staple for the JCrew girl, it’s the simple navy blazer. It can be worn with everything from dark-wash jeans to a minidress to a pair of bright yellow shorts in that weird spring traditional weather that requires like eight season’s worth of clothes at once. It’s the baseline to any wardrobe.

2. An adorable travel mug.

You want to carry your coffee/tea/hot-chocolate-if-you’re-feeling-naughty around with you, but you don’t want to be holding a plain Starbucks cup like a plebe. It’s time to upgrade to the adorable travel mug, and carry your hot drinks in fresh-yet-classic style.

3. A brightly-colored cardigan.

This cardigan is basic, well-cut, and — as any demanding girl would want — available in a smorgasbord of bright, happy colors. Pair one with a crisp white button down and you are prepared for just about any situation life could throw at you.

4. An enamel bangle.

JCrew may have the enamel bangle scene on lock, but that doesn’t mean that other brands can’t join in the fun — and for a fraction of the price.

5. Patterned skinny jeans.

It’s all about those ankle-length skinny jeans with the strange-yet-cute patterns on them. Pair one with a button down, a sweater, and some high heels, and you’re going to look like an updated, sporty version of Grace Kelly who has to run to her next important appointment.

6. A huge, chunky necklace.

Who doesn’t love a necklace half the size of their own head? Particularly when in colors such as mint green or lavender, it is the accessory that can take even the most plain outfit from average to “compliment receptacle.”

7. A classic clutch.

You can’t store much in it, except the satisfaction that comes with such an adorable and universal clutch.

8. A basic striped sweater.

Striped sweaters are that transitional piece that can go from the crispness of fall to the layered frozenness of winter, to the slight coolness of early spring with ease. Put it with some bright-colored skinny jeans and you’ll look effortlessly cute.

9. Glittery nail polish.

You had better not be going through life without adorable, glittery nails adorning your well-moisturized fingers, because that is just unacceptable.

10. Bright patent leather ballet flats.

And to top it all off (or rather bottom, but I don’t want to say ‘bottoming it all off), any JCrew girl needs her bright patent leather ballet flats. From dashing to the florists for a new bouquet to getting a quick lunch at the world’s most photogenic bistro, cute flats will improve every aspect of your life. And, like everything else on this list, they don’t have to be pricey to be cute.

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