Remember When Your J.Crew Catalog Looked Like This?

It's not just recently that we've had a deep fascination with the J.Crew catalog. Or, Style Guide, we should say. We've been infatuated with this particular piece of snail mail since way back. In case you weren't in the loop, check out what it looked like ages before Jenna Lyons took the reins. In a word: amazing.

We've landed a collection of vintage J.Crew gems, with covers going back as far as 1989, that remind us not only why the brand has so much staying power, buy also how on-point its swimwear game was, even back in the day. In fact, the '89 cover take could easily serve as inspiration for swim styles we're scooping up today: They're athletic, have higher waistlines, and are meant to be mixed and matched. As for as the catalogs themselves, the covers provide styling tips, like "color play" and "color on color," the models look effortlessly chic using oversized button-downs as coverups, and the '97 edition even nods to surf culture with boy shorts and, yes, micro-beaded chokers.

Consider this a treat for #TBT. Or, a reason to peruse the brand's new stock. Should these old-school styles whip you into a nostalgia frenzy, consider penning your own Dear Ms. Lyons letter. We've heard those work.