Yeah, sure, youbetcha!

This is What Happens When you Don't Spend Money for a Year....
As I shared with you on Monday, last weekend I had a "closet audit" with my friend Kathleen. She and I worked together at camp in 2004. She has a really fun part time job working as a fashion consultant with Urban Darling.


As I mentioned, I finally came to the conclusion that I wasn't doing myself any favors with my wardrobe. It was time to start dressing....glup....like an adult.


*sigh*


I met Kathleen and we hit the mall last night! And surprisingly....we only hit one store....Lane Bryant. As a plus sized girl, Lane Bryant is great with the cut of their clothing. While the patterns sometimes make me raise and eyebrow, I do feel that their clothing is well made and lasts.


The experience was great. We made our way through the store and I tried on many different pants, tops, dresses & jackets. We discussed the different items...why they looked good....why they didn't.


There were a few items I wasn't crazy about and Kathleen had one rule: if I didn't like something, I had to say what exactly I didn't like. For example, I tried on a top that fit well, but the pattern was just not something I cared for. Once Kathleen heard that she found this....

Same top...just in a solid.
Adorable!


When all was said and done I walked out of Lane Bryant with:
*2 pairs of dress pants (one in tan, one in grey)
*1 pair of trouser jeans in a dark wash
*4 tops (one of which came with a belt!)
*1 cami top
*1 jacket
*1 skirt
*1 shirt dress
*1 black cardigan sweater


When all was said and done, I paid about $220 for all of my items. I would have paid close to $400 had we not had a coupon that saved us $125. I also had a gift card from Christmas for $100. So, I did splurge a bit.


The other reason for a splurge was that these pieces can really be worn with so many more items already in my wardrobe. For example, this top:

...can be worn with all of the pants in my closet, the fun skirt I picked up, as well as jeans!


I will also say this: I wasn't forced to buy any of these items.
Kathleen and I may have tried on half of the store....but it was, in the end, up to me if I would buy it or not. This was coming out of my own pocket, and it wasn't mandatory for me to buy x amount. I could have bought just one pair of pants and a top and Kathleen would have been just fine with it.


All in all...my experience was great and I can't wait to go back this spring.


After all, if I can find more cute clothes to match this awesome shirt dress.....

I'm in.



Urban Darling has no idea who I am, nor am I being compensated to write this. I'm simply a girl, who loves her UND sweatshirts, but realized that it was time to start dressing like someone who has a Master's degree and works for a university.