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If you’re a millennial and you love shopping, there’s an extremely high likelihood that some of your formative memories involve the mall. It was the nucleus of so much, like after-school hangouts and group dates. It was the spot where you got your first brush with independence, too, whether that was having your parents dropping you off (with a promise to call on the pay phone when you were ready to get picked up) or trying to play budget with the holiday money you’d stashed up.
And the mall, as we all know, had its shining-star beacons. These were the spots where the music was always right, the oversize fashion images hanging on the wall screamed aspiration, and the air just seemed special, as if it had wafted down from somewhere on high. The Express in my North-Central Florida mall was just like that. It was where the cool girls shopped for their staples. All the clothing felt sophisticated and grown-up and kinda sexy.
And as with all things high school, it kind of faded away into the distance … until a nearly perfect button-down reminded me that it’s very much back.
The hero of this story is the Boyfriend cut from the brand’s Portofino Shirt Collection, an entire range that pretty neatly sums up what was perfect about Express then and still is now. They’ve always been so good at finding a staple silhouette that modern women need in their closet, and then making it in multiple versions to appeal to all the dressers walking through the doors. In the case of this shirt, that means there’s a linen-blend version and a cropped cut. A bold lemon-print option is loudly glam in an Italian-coastline kinda way. Rhinestone buttons even exist!
Falling back in love with Express is like falling into the most wonderful time warp, where the things that I’m gravitating toward are more or less the same as the pieces that obsessed the me of two decades ago. Remember the silky camisoles Express did so well? The new version is even better. Have a strong memory of the term editor first being introduced to you via the Express “Editor Pant”? Now it’s an entire category.
Honestly, finding the just-right button-down—one that’s sharply cut but still roomy enough to suggest a casual sexiness—is a win. But realizing that a relic of my teenage years is very much back and better than ever, all at once? Super victory.
3 Other Things I’m Loving from Express
Editor One Button Boyfriend Blazer
High Waisted FlexX Straight Ankle Jeans
Body Contour Compression High Neck Bodysuit
Leah Melby Clinton is a writer, editor, and serious shopper who loves discovering new labels, detailing the best ways to build a wardrobe, and interviewing interesting people.