Quite agree. Back in the day, when I had to look professional M-F, Talbots got a lot of my money.
I couldn't function without Talbots.
But in all honesty, even some of Talbots' things are becoming quite Slutty. You have to pick and choose carefully (but I guess you know that).
What amazes me is the difference in Talbots' stores. The one in Iowa City is almost totally Contemporary Casual and the one in Des Moines is about half business wear and half casual.
If it weren't for the catalog I'd go nutz.