A long, long ways from roll-neck sweaters…

J.Crew's whimsical, retro-style floral dresses for spring have been getting a *ton* of blog press this past month (we're expecting a follow-up surge of magazine press very soon). Not that we're surprised or anything: There's just something so quirky and charming and instantly covetable about the designs (plus, love the flower below!). We tend to skip over the items with a large amount of overexposure (it reminds us too much of middle school, when we could place any Gap item from the past few years, as in striped denim oxfords? so spring 1990!), but we'll definitely be using these images as inspiration in our upcoming vintage dress quests.

We'd kind of given up on J.Crew – who basically dressed us all throughout college; we had about nine of those cable-knit fisherman sweaters, no joke – but have really been enjoying the intensely colorful, quirky-preppy thing they've embraced recently. We have not been enjoying their increasing priceyness, but what can you do. Except covet from afar, of course.