This year the warmer weather brought more than just spring flowers and green grass, it also brought the harsh realization that some of my most beloved everyday basics were worn well beyond their best days. You know the story: jeans with holes in the knee, tees both shrunken and overstretched in all the wrong places and other separates that were just sad for no particular reason other than their day had come and gone long ago. The upside of this was that some major shopping was in order. A necessity, in fact!
I was determined to use my limited budget to it's best advantage, unwilling to compromise fit or quality, making this expedition take a little longer than anticipated. After two months of extensive research (yes, I know, two months! I'm embarrassed by the amount of time it took), I think I've found some good separates that will do me well for a while. And like anyone who has dedicated their life (or spring) to research, I would like to share it all with you so that you do not have to waste two months of your life shopping. Unless you want to, of course.
The results of my research are as follows:
THE PERFECT POLO
What makes this the perfect polo? The cut is very feminine and the puff sleeve is just enough to not put too much focus on the shoulders. The fabric is the perfect weight and has just enough stretch so that if falls nicely. Finally, there are six buttons positioned perfectly so that you can keep your neckline nice and open without exposing too much cleavage. I know, more than you ever wanted to know about shirt! But my research was very thorough.
THE PERFECT KNOCK-OFF
This shirt is a dead ringer for J. Crew's Ruffled Henley at almost a quarter of the price!
THE PERFECT JEAN
I know I've mentioned these before and I love them. Enough said.
THE PERFECT OXFORD
Feminine cut, the perfect amount of stretch, great colors, the name says it all.
THE PERFECT SHORTS
Buy these in every color (they're on sale right now, by the way). You will never wear another pair of shorts again. Sits perfectly on the waist, not too high, not too low. Flat front, holds up to a million washings...I could go on and on.
THE PERFECT EVERYDAY SANDALS
I'll admit, I'm a purist, but I just love good old classic Dr. Scholl's. A step up from flip flops, but just as comfy.
SOME FUN ACCESSORIES
Lucite bangle from Forever 21
On a more somber note (yes, this is sarcasm - we're talking about shopping, people), I still can't find a tee that I love as much as my tissue tees from J.Crew a couple of years ago. I'm going to try the J.Crew outlet to see if they have anything similar. If you have any recommendations for tees that you love, be sure to let me know!
Note: In the interest of full disclosure, my purchases did not exactly fit into the budget that I had set in the beginning. You'll notice that I did not always go for the bargain, often choosing a higher-priced item because fit and quality were also very important factors in my shopping. For example, I went with the $80 jeans, rather than the $30 or $200 pair. This decision was based on budget, fit and quality, all variables having equal weight in my decision. But to make my choices work within my budget, I did what any good researcher does: I applied for a grant! No really, a grant in the form of cashing in some credit card points for gift cards. This freed up my budget a bit and allowed me to make purchases that worked for me.
So that's it! More than you ever wanted to know about my spring shopping excursion. Have you found the perfect outfit? Tell us about it!
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1 comment:
I've read several people who recommend tees from http://www.shadeclothing.com/ You might want to check them out. Care to swing up north and shop for me?
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