not the brightest idea

A few weeks ago I decided I'd reward my summer of frugality by making a quick trip to J'Crew. I figured I deserved a small splurge. All summer, I've resisted buying myself new clothes and only shopped when I had others to buy gifts for.

After keeping my wallet closed for so long, I thought of a few good excuses to buy a new dress- The Fourth of July, a special date with Jim, and Jim's cousin's wedding. I decided I could only buy a dress for one of the occasions, but having three potential reasons was enough to send me shopping.

But after wandering aimlessly around J'Crew for a solid forty five minutes, looking for something-anything- that caught my eye, I left the store defeated.

Though I'd lost the battle, the war wasn't over. The next day I began the search at Jcrew.com. Guess what? Nothing (minus two neon-patent leather headbands on sale for $9.99).

I was baffled.

Although the Fourth has since passed, I'm still on a search for a dress for one of the two other occasions. And I know I'll be able to find something elsewhere, but I was so excited to treat myself to a little J'Crew TLC.

After further perusing J'Crew's Web site, I've come to realize the issue: there's no color. It's summer and the only real color they're showcasing is coral. Other than a rare splash of yellow or teal (aka citron or aqua) everything is light pewter, weathered stone, or natural.

In this economy people are already walking around with their heads down. The last thing they want to see is a shadow colored top, a dusty shell skirt, and slate shoes. It just sounds depressing.

Seeing as J'Crew's profit increased this spring when everything was bright and beachy (which is in sharp contrast to Gap's 12% decrease) and everything the Obama's sported was brightly colored, you'd think their summer and fall lines would have followed suit.

But there is not enough fresh mint and seaside green in stores and way more than expected in my wallet. I guess I'll have to find that dress elsewhere.