Because I'm a big believer in telling the truth.

I'll ease into my shocking fashion secret by telling you I bought this awesomesauce bracelet from J.Crew yesterday. When it comes to jewelry, I'm a bracelet girl all the way. The more embellished, the better. Keep your huge, heavy necklaces and oversized earrings that get caught in your hair... bring on the wrist candy and I'm one happy lady.

And now for the embarrassing admittance...

My name is Alaina. 

I am 25 years old. 

And I still buy my jeans from Abercrombie.

Before you quit me and this blog altogether, hear me out. In a world where a comfortable, stretchy, great-fitting pair of ladies' jeans runs you anywhere from $150-$250, I find the reasonable $78 price tag on my A&F's Erin Skinny jeans very appealing. Not to mention, I've owned my fair share of Sevens, Citizens, Joe's, and most recently J Brand, and they all get holes in them. I swear, I don't know if I'm sitting cross-legged or doing lunges without being cognizant of it, or maybe I just walk funny and my hips are too narrow, but they all end up wearing in and eventually tearing just below the butt, along the inseam. (This is my discreet way of saying inner thigh area.) Does anyone else have this problem? I've seen plenty of skinny-minnie ladies (my own sister included) who have this happen also, so I'm pretty confident it's not a weight issue (I hope). But I don't know what's causing it! Either way, it happens regularly. $150 on jeans down the drain within eight months. But not my cheapo Abercrombie's! No siree! They have never once failed me. No rips, very little wear, very little fading. And they last this way for years. I also know there are other options for under $100 - I've tried J.Crew, Gap, and other retailers, but none of them fit right. So despite all the ridiculousness that the A&F brand represents, if I have to drive 45 minutes out to the suburbs (because there isn't a single store in downtown Chicago) to get myself an affordable pair of great-fitting denim, so be it.

And now we've all learned a little bit about me today. How was your weekend?

*Allow me to clarify, my 'embarrassment' stems not from shopping on a budget - I'm all for that! - but rather the reputation the store has garnered from their blatant promotion of selling teeny, tiny revealing clothing to tweens (yeah, like we need more of that in America), the excessive splattering of their brand name across all their products, and their absurd method of selling clothing by using mostly naked models.
**Second side note, apparently there is an A&F in the Water Tower Building downtown. But Chicago tax is cruel, so to the 'burbs I will go.