JC Penney
The New York Times attacked the venerable department store as a haven for overweight polyester fiends. Renata Espinosa disagrees, and finds everyday couture. VIEW OUR GALLERY.
Renata Espinosa
Styling usually comes down to layering; jewelry, t-shirts, scarves—it all looks better when it’s piled on like you’re wearing everything you own. The asymmetric hems on the vest reminded me of Rick Owens.
The goods: Decree tie-dye vest, $26; SoSik black vest, $26; Twelth of Eleven grey t-shirt, $26; Weavers rubberized black leggings, $20.
Renata Espinosa
The shoulder laced with blue rope made this otherwise boring white top stand out when I passed by the rack. And “generous sizing” is a bonus when it comes to cardigans—in an ice-cold office, this one could work as a shawl, a blanket, a dress as well as a regular sweater.
The goods: American Living top with blue rope shoulder detail, $40 and skirt, $60; St. John’s Bay cardigan, $44.
Renata Espinosa
There was no shortage of boyfriend jeans on sale at J.C. Penney, this year’s hottest new denim trend.
The goods: a.n.a boyfriend jean, $40; Allen B. by Allen Schwartz leopard print top, $44; St. John’s Bay cardigan, $44.
Renata Espinosa
Making the top 12 list of Teen Vogue’s fall trends was “neon”—and naturally, the juniors department had the best version of it in the form of denim.
The goods: Dickie’s jeans, $50; neon yellow t-shirt, $8.
Renata Espinosa
Though I’m a little over checks and plaid, when repurposed as a belt/skirt, this shirt gave some structure to this otherwise shapeless knit dress and vest.
The goods: Pink and black check shirt, $36, blue vest, $36 and dress, $36, all by I Heart Ronson.
Renata Espinosa
This version of the boyfriend jean also incorporates another VIP denim trend for fall: distressed.
The goods: Boyfriend jeans, $44 and blouse, $36, both by I Heart Ronson.
Renata Espinosa
I don’t generally do hippie, but the high-waisted denim skirt and floral peasant blouse felt like a good compromise between secretary style and Chloé faux-hemian.
The goods: Denim skirt, $36 and floral blouse, $36, both by I Heart Ronson.
Renata Espinosa
Yes, you can get essentially the same outfit at Topshop about 34 blocks south of J.C. Penney, but the quality won’t be any better and it will cost you twice as much.
The goods: Oxford + Regent gathered skirt, $36 and Twelth of Eleven t-shirt, $30.
Renata Espinosa
The Misses section at J.C. Penney left me feeling a little overwhelmed, and then despondent, until applied ye olde thrift store trick of random pattern mixing and matching with these pseudo-tribal vintage-looking prints.
The goods: Jones Wear Studio print skirt, $58 and top, $50.
Renata Espinosa
Per Cintra Wilson, I did find that many of the sweaters in the women’s department were only available in larger sizes. However, some inventive cinching, a la my teen years spent working at the Gap, made this sweater a good layering piece over a perfectly crisp white collared shirt.
The goods: American Living skirt, $60 and short sleeved collared shirt, $60; Jones Wear zebra print sweater, $64.
Renata Espinosa
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