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Friday, January 21, 2011

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.

4 comments:

Mark said...

I bought Claire a shirt dress two years back but she quickly outgrew it. I love those dress and especially in denim. Well, I love them on her.
I'm glad that you went shopping and are dressing smarter. It must be a great feeling.
So you were in Camp in 2004? So that would make you, what, about 23?
Your Friend, m.

Rebecca Jo said...

Those pieces all look like classics too - will last for a LONG time - just changing accessories - so that's well worth your money!

I'm so jealous you had your own "stacy & Clinton" shopping with you!!! :)

I'm in love with that shirt dress!!!!

Dorkys Ramos said...

I hear ya. I'm such a lazy t-shirt-and-jeans dresser and hate getting into skirts and dresses unless the weather is perfect. I've always felt that there shouldn't be a need for me to get all dressed up to impress someone, that my abilities and personality should be enough. Yeah, wrong. People judge you based on how much effort you put into your appearance and boyfriends get tired of seeing you in a pony tail and casual wear day in and day out.

Glad you had such a great experience with this. Now comes the actual work though: forcing yourself to care about the clothes you choose each morning until it becomes natural. I'm nowhere near there yet. Maybe once the temperatures start rising...

Caren said...

Way to go Kelley! That is an awesome experience. You doing something nice for YOU! Woo hoo. Can't wait to see photos with your new attire!