SHOOK by Look Books

In this sad, lonely, cold world, all a human could ever ask for is how to properly style their Zara palazzo pants with their knock-off Gucci sneakers. Not to mention that bell sleeve blouse with mules! And thus the "look book" was born.

But actually - look books have always been around and are key for styling inspiration, both from a retailer and consumer standpoint.

Retailers do it to cross-merchandise their products in store, online, and - though outdated - through catalogs.

Today, retailers create virtual look books on their websites to show consumers what merchandise to buy together in order to complete an outfit and attain a desired look/persona.

Look books are for a specific season or a collection and usually have a certain consistency...

... or color story to them.

J. Crew now has a specific webpage strictly for look books titled "Style Stories." Additionally, they have a full webpage for a specific story under "Looks We Love" where you can clicked on an outfit and "shop the look" by being directed to the actual merchandise.

They even do it for weddings! So nice. Thanks, J. Crew.

Although they have been a steady decline for multiple quarters, J. Crew has always stolen my heart when it comes to conveying their brand image and target customer lifestyle.

Something about J. Crew makes me want to mix and match 8 different prints in a rainbow of colors, go to a bodega in the West Village, and purchase a bouquet of peonies. J. Crew also makes me want to wear big jewelry layered on top of crepe blouses while speaking a foreign language out of red painted lips.

Do these very specific fantasies come from my wild imagination? Most definitely. But they mostly come from the persona conveyed in their look books.

Here's to hoping the rest of America falls back in love with J. Crew the way that I do every morning.