Too Old For American Eagle Outfitters?

by: Jenny

...I've always thought that I was. In fact, until recently, I'd never even set foot into an American Eagle Outfitters store. I assumed that it was geared toward the high school--maybe early college crowd--who resemble Miley Cyrus more than I do; most definitely not a 30-something married mother of 2 (that would be me, for those of you playing along at home). All of this changed when I somehow landed on the American Eagle Outfitters website and saw some jeans that piqued my interest. 

Here's a little backstory for you: I'm one fickle pickle when it comes to jeans. My whole life (well, most of it, at least) I've been on a quest for the jeans that will change my life forever. I've owned about every big-name, fancy-pants, designer brand as well as about every incarnation that Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and JCrew have to offer. I've come close to finding the Holy Grail of Denim, but then something earth-shattering would happen...like, I'd get pregnant or (of equal impact and importance) the fashion world would change, and I'd be left holding a pair of un-worn jeans. So, the lesson in all of this is that, as soon as you've found "the one" everything goes to hell and the quest must begin again, at least in my humble experience. So I've officially abandoned my ostentatious quest for the "jeans that will forever change my life." My new search will hereby be known as, "the quest for the jeans that I'm going to really wear the snot out of for a little while, until the style or my body changes." 

So, I saw some jeans on the American Eagle Outfitters website called the "Skinny Kick." They looked like a great pair of skinny jeans with a slight boot-cut at the bottom.

Skinny Kick in antique medium wash (currently on sale for $29.99!)

I figured that I'd humor myself and go into an American Eagle Outfitters store at our local mall and give them a whirl--expecting to be shot down completely. I'd already psyched myself up to go way above my normal jean size but was surprised to see that the sizes were the standard "misses" sizes (0, 2, 4, 6...and so on) and not "junior" sizes, like I'd expected. Just to be safe, I took several different sizes into the fitting room with me and, lo and behold, my usual jean size worked and also, they were adorable! And comfortable! And stylish! And flattering! And ON SALE! Another great thing is that the length was perfect for me, which means no additional expense or time spent altering the length. 

I bought them in 3 rinses and plan to wear them throughout the fall and winter. They're easy to dress up or dress down and I feel less like a dowdy mom when I wear them, but also still somehow "age appropriate." In the interest of showing them in real life, here's a picture of me wearing the Skinny Kicks in the antique medium rinse. 

My daughter has the one and only full-length mirror in our house, hence the kid paraphenalia in the background.

 

What are your thoughts on American Eagle? Do you shop there?

{Photo credits: www.ae.com and my own}

Comments

[Megan H]

Ok, I'm going to be honest here: I worked at AE in high school and college. I loved it, but backlashed once I had kids. I thought I should "grow up" - when is that going to happen anyway? - and then last Christmas my sister dragged me into the store and I found this awesome fisherman sweater. Needless to say, I'm a big fan again.
I think in the end it all comes down to the styling.

[Lisa]

I don't shop there but maybe I will now. :) Can you tell us where you got your shirt? I love it!!

[Em]

I haven't shopped there in years but I'm not sure why not. Aside from not wanting my clothes to be covered in store logos, I could totally wear the jeans and other items that don't have the name written across them.

[Elsha]

American Eagle jeans are my go-to jeans. I'm a big fan.

[Lauren]

I'm with Lisa . . . where did you get the adorable shirt?

(The jeans look great, too!)

[ellbeejay]

This was SO timely! It's actually jeans weather in Denver today, and I was bemoaning my lack of well-fitting/stylish jeans. (After spending the better part of a decade as a visual merchandiser, up to date on all the trends AND flush enough to buy what I wanted, it came as a great shock to transition to WAHM. I haven't bought a new pair of jeans in two years!)
Anyway, I actually got up the nerve to head out to the mall and hit up AE after reading this and now own two pairs of Skinny Kicks. (Love the slight stretch.)
Yay, new jeans! And yay, sale! I think I would have balked at the normal $49.99 price tag.

[Jenny]

Ellbeejay: Hooray! I'm so glad that my post helped--that's what I was hoping for when I wrote it!
Lisa and Lauren: The top I'm wearing in that picture is about 1.5 million years old--Nicole Miller for JCP. It's been in my "donate pile" more times than I care to admit, only to be rescued at the last minute every time. I've developed a renewed interest in it lately. Thanks for the kind words!

[Nicole]

All of my jeans are AE! They're the only jeans I've found that are the PERFECT fit!

[ariel]

LOVE AE. Their shirt sizes are completely wonky for a busty girl, but I'm a devotee to their "artist" style jeans(AND they come in extra long just for me! ...and a thousand others) and recently bought a pair of their jeggings for the impending fall/boots weather..they're so comfortable you could wear them to sleep it.

[Jen]

Thanks to this post, I went in to AE for jeans today. I wouldn't have thought to try them on there because I fall into the "I feel too old to shop there" category, but I'm so glad I went in. Found two pairs that fit great, and all of the jeans were on sale for $29.99 this weekend! Thanks again for the tip!