Outlet Outing

On my last day in Florida, my friends and I decided to head to the outlet stores. We hadn't had a specific plan while we scheduled our stay and after seeing 3 or 4 outlet shopping malls during our drive, we thought it'd be a good idea to see if there were any good sales around. We absolutely forgot that it was Memorial Day weekend and therefore were lucky enough to see major sales everywhere. However, with a little weight gain comes the issue of realizing that shopping sucks. I'm not saying at all that I am huge and I hate my body. For a few years, I have had a body that I am quite content with, but in the last few months I have gained a few inches in certain places and that makes me uncomfortable in my skin. I feel like my body should not be like this and I'm currently remedying that with better dietary control and exercising.

Here are the only items I deemed worthy enough of taking pictures in order to remember the pretty and forget the ugly. I had also tried several jeans from Lucky Brand, several shirts that looked nice but didn't fit my personal style, and saw some awesome leather jackets before realizing they were way too expensive for my budget.

This dress here is from Ann Taylor and it has this navy-like attitude. the fabric is a soft and rich jersey texture. If I had more of an hourglass figure I would say this would be a lovely dress for a warm spring or summer wedding. Eventually, I decided against buying this dress because I couldn't justify buying it and I didn't feel quite comfortable in it. The fabric showed every inch of my body. (Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a link of it online which makes me think I'm going mad and I didn't try this at Ann Taylor, but I really thought I did!)

This next one is the denim jacket from J. Crew Factory that I discussed during my May budget review. So excited to finally have one! The jean fabric is pretty stretchy, which I love especially since I have larger upper arms. The dress, from Old Navy, is one of the items I had my eye on for a bit and sales brought it into my life :)

How cute is this floral dress?? I am so happy that I snatched it up and cannot wait to attend a fancy event so I can wear this out! It feels amazing against my skin, and although it does not have any stretch to it whatsoever, I like the structure of it. It fits well around the waist and flares out right above the hips. And it's got pockets! Accessorizing won't be too much of an issue, but I'm having a hard time finding a good shoe to match with this dress. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

I'm posting these two pictures side by side to show the difference between the two dresses and how my body looks in each. Because of the sleeveless shape and V-neck with the dress on the left, my body appears much smaller at the top and provides a nice symmetrical body type. The dress on the right does not provide the best balance between the top half and the bottom half of the body, and the round neckline isn't very flattering. So while I loved both dresses online and on the mannequins when I first saw them, clothes are not always perfect for someone's body type no matter how big or small you are. If you've had a similar experience about clothes, I'd love to hear your experience or see pictures.

The Ann Taylor dress

A few posts back I linked this beautiful dress onto the blog as an item I wanted in my closet. I finally managed to head up Ann Taylor and figure out what size was right for me so I could order it online with a few promo codes.

First, let's talk about the importance of playing with your size. Here I am wearing a 4P, thinking that since I usually have short people problems, this was an easy fit. I also brought a 6P in the dressing room just in case I needed to size up. Unfortunately, it didn't quite fit - it's way to short. I felt like I was dressing up for a high school date night and felt incredibly underage. I had really quickly decided to give up on this dress, and then realized "Oh look! They have normal sizes too!!" So I tried a 4 normal. What a difference that makes! I felt like a grown up. You can tell from the first two photos above that the dress is too short - cuts me a good 2 to 3 inches above my knees - and the waist does not sit at my natural waistline. 

Comparing the first two photos to the ones below, you can tell the fit is much better.

 

 Necklace: one of the 3 H&M necklaces | Dress: Ann Taylor Dress | Sandals: Kenneth Cole Reaction

 

In the end I chose not to get the dress. I don't feel like it's a fit for my body shape, if I had a larger chest maybe? Or a smaller waist or larger hips? I don't know, it just doesn't give me a flattering figure, and that's my personal preference when it comes to dresses. Otherwise, the fabric is very tough and I wouldn't be afraid about see through stuff, the seams are done well - no lose threads. It's light enough for spring and summer, but warm enough for 60 degree weather. I would definitely wear this with a jean jacket and wedges or sneakers. 

I so wanted to love this dress, but this dress didn't scream "Pick me!" Check out how the dress looks on Fran, and let me know if you'd tried it on and what you think!