Found in my mailbox today.
At first, I was not sure what this thing is (a pamphlet? a tourist guide?) and then my false-patriotic feelings (I still belong to a different nation, after all) got quickly replaced by: a) wonder why, for the love of god, J.Crew is sending me their catalog when I have never ever laid a foot in their store; and, more importantly, b) what's up with this imagery?
This weirdness actually makes sense, for the very obvious reasons. (but they do not make it any more appealing, tho). Tough times not only evoke social cohesion, but also crave for the sense of a higher purpose. This is a nice reminder of both (just in case J.Crew shoppers forgot what the name of the country they live in is, and how great it is). Then also, shopping for patriotic reasons HAS TO make sense. The reasoning goes like this: you feel part of something bigger, you shop in the name of nation, and you benefit America.
Um, no. You shop those damn preppy overpriced clothes at J.Crew and you benefit J.Crew. The bigger problem that I have is that J.Crew seems to equal its "look" with America. If it uses America as inspiration, how about some diversity in those button-down shirts? Second, how ridiculous would this look if the name of some other nation were on the cover (Germany? Serbia?) Nationalistic claims aside, I see zero correlation between J.Crew and America. And I hope it stays that way.