I have my favorite shirt and jeans and feel like I wear them all the time:
So I figured I’d search eBay for the brands and sizes and see what I found. And I found these for about $30 total. Love them both!
Category Archives: Clothes
The dress in 1991 and 2016.
Okay, folks, who wore it better? Yes, here’s a DOOZY of a Then & Now. I first wore this dress to my high school Senior Awards Night and then to my graduation party (as seen in the photo, 1991). I loved the dress and kept it at my mom’s house all these years, wanting to get back into it someday. And that day was today to celebrate our 15th anniversary! And I traded the single-strand pearls for the pearls I wore with my wedding dress!
Sidenote 1: Owen took the picture from tonight.
Sidenote 2: When Owen saw me working on the collage, he said “WAIT. YOU HAD THAT DRESS 25 YEARS AGO?” 😯
Me and Owen can be twins, too.
Let’s go to the movies!
A shirt from the shopping trip I had with my friend a few months ago (that I haven’t worn yet) and one of my new XS (!!) Lularoe maxi skirts!
It’s still feels a little weird to be “dressing up” just to go to the movies, but this is what I wanted—it’s not really dressing up, it’s just looking put together. 🙂
Getting ready to see Finding Dory and splurge on delicious hot buttered movie popcorn!
LuLaRoe Party!
I had wanted to show how awesome everything was but I was so busy hosting and trying on stuff that these were the only two pics I got during setup:
Katie on kitty watch as the consultant was hauling in racks and bags of clothes.
One room starting to get full. She brought over 700 pieces and it was literally like shopping at a store!
I had a great turnout with 17 ladies attending and one friend even ordering via texted photos and then paying over the phone! I was lucky enough to earn three pieces of my choosing so picked the style maxi dress I’ve been wanting and two maxi skirts. I then also bought matching leggings for me and Owen—he really wanted some after he felt mine and Katie’s—and a shirt I keep looking at and liking.
As a completely unexpected bonus, the skirts I bought? Size XS. Yes, you read that right—EXTRA SMALL. What?! I tried the medium (my expected size) and while it fit, it felt a little loose so I pulled out a Small. That didn’t feel much different, so on a total whim I tried the XS and it fit fine. What?! So actually any of the three sizes would have been fine so I was able to pick the patterns I liked the best! BUT AN EXTRA SMALL!!
Happy family on our way to see friends for dinner!!
I absolutely love it when a quick spur of the moment picture turns out perfectly. 🙂
And one of my new dresses since I rarely have occasion to dress up.
Our first Mommy & Me outfit!
I bought us a Mommy & Me set of LuLaRoe leggings and gave them to her today. She loved that we had matching stuff and the first thing she said when she put them on was “Wow! These are super comfy!” 🙂 Yes, yes they are. Smart girl. 🙂
I had to get this $8 shirt.
Cool, comfy, and casual!
Living large on a Friday night.
An exciting Friday night…labeling shoe boxes with photos so I know what’s in each one. These are obviously the ones I don’t wear very often or are off-season.
F WHAT ANYONE ELSE MIGHT THINK—I’VE LOST 135#
So, I have my good ol’ standby bathing suit that I love that I found in a smaller size, so I’m happy about that. But I need more than once suit, so I found a cute one—size 12!—that *GASP* doesn’t have a full skirt. (I’ve worn a full-skirted suit for as long as I can remember.) And even though it fits and looks decent, all I can see when I see myself in it is THIGHS and VARICOSE VEINS. Ugh.
But, since my new mantra is FUCK WHAT ANYONE ELSE MIGHT THINK—I’VE LOST 135#—I wore it to the pool the other day with a friend. She said it looked adorable. Other Naturally Slim friends asked for a picture and I told them baby steps: I wore the suit. In public. To our pool. With other people. A pic would come later this summer. But then I put it on again today and said WHAT THE HELL. So here it is.
Of course my friends all applauded me and said I looked great (and that I wasn’t an 18yo Sports Illustrated swimsuit model so who cares about thighs and varicose veins). 🙂 But, to make myself feel better, I found a Before picture from last March. 🙂
Tooth-brushing photobomber.
I was taking a picture of my outfit (a new shirt I absolutely love) while she was getting ready for bed and she had to join me. 🙂
My little gymnast…with a pudding face.
A hand-me-down outfit perfect for gymnastics…
And what she looks like every single time she eats pudding. 🙂
Comfy in stripes
I never thought I’d wear pink.
But it’s my style top and it was on clearance. 🙂
My new LuLaRoe Julia dress!
I bought it without trying it on so it could have been a huge failure…but it fit pretty well (though I could honestly use some Spanx!) and Tom really liked it so that’s a bonus!
If you’re wondering what LuLaRoe is…
They sell women’s clothing (dresses, skirts, leggings, tees, etc.) from at-home parties and pop up boutiques on Facebook—and of course there’s a big market on eBay. The leggings are usually described as “buttery soft” and the best you will every buy/wear. They aren’t cheap but also aren’t outrageously expensive, so I decided to dip my toe in with a pair of plain black leggings. (They are also known for their crazy patterns. And to be honest, most of them are downright fugly to me.) They have sizes from XXS to 3XL so that’s a draw as well.
A friend actually introduced me to LuLaRoe about a week ago (gee, was it only a week ago?!) and for not ever having heard anything about them, I quickly realized it’s an obsession with some people! I actually had a conversation at a baseball game the following night because a friend showed up in one of the dresses and three of us proceeded to talk about wishlists. 🙂
I signed up for a few Facebook groups and the popups seemed overwhelming with people snapping things up super quick so I went to eBay…where I quickly realized there’s a much bigger selection…but the prices are crazy. (If you buy direct, the prices are set. Otherwise, all bets are off.) They only make like 1000 of each pattern (I think, I’m still new at this) so if you see something you like, you need to snap it up. And once it gets rare, the price goes up exponentially. (For example, leggings are $25. I’ve seen some on eBay for $100.) I liked the black ones so wanted to find a cool pattern. But I wanted to make sure I get the ones I really like. So I searched eBay and watched a bunch and once they go past $30-$35, I’m out. (I figure I’ll pay a few extra bucks to get exactly what I want.) But then I actually got the hang of the Facebook popups one night when I was surfing through three of them at the same time (and chatting with a friend who was at the same three). We were sharing pics and getting opinions…and it was like a shopping outing with your bestie without leaving your house and spending hours doing it!
So once you start looking, you kind of get hooked. As I told my friend, they hit on a brilliant strategy—you can’t just go to a store and look at everything. Or a website even. So you get sucked into looking everywhere at everything every time it’s posted in case you find exactly what you want. My friend told me she belongs to 17 LuLaRoe groups. Yeah, she’s addicted. I wouldn’t say I’m addicted, but I ordered two more pair of leggings and this dress from eBay…and I actually won ANY PIECE I WANTED from a popup drawing!! HOLY COW! Of course they didn’t have anything I wanted in leggings, tees, or dresses (!) so I chose a $70 cardigan because I’d NEVER pay $70 for a cardigan!
So, that’s LuLaRoe. 🙂
My little photobomber.
I asked Owen to take my picture this morning but it was a bit rushed since he was on his way out the door to the bus stop…so I didn’t get to set it up right…and I didn’t realize until later that I had a sneaky photobomber. 🙂
The dress passed the test.
This is a dress from Le Tote that I was pretty sure I was keeping so today was the real world test. It passed.
A five-star tote!
Dammit. I liked my whole recent Le Tote box. But I don’t need all of it. Hell, what am I saying?? I don’t need ANY of it LOL.
I more than like but not quite love the dress. Great length, good color, nice feel, not my favorite neckline (as a general rule I choose V-necks) but I can branch out, and it’s easily changeable with accessories. It’s a bit expensive at $64 but unfortunately isn’t available anywhere else online so no cheaper option.
I like the pants. They are a bit more current (hip?) than anything I own—they have pleather-type panels on the front (better seen in the stock photo)! My fashion-guru friend says these are a definite yes, plus says they’re a steal at $29. I’m still debating but leaning towards keeping them.
The tunic isn’t exactly my style but it’s super comfy and my friend really likes this one, too. I’m not convinced, though, since it is a bit big, a tad short (for just leggings for me), and a bit more than I’d want to spend ($30). I’m wearing it today to see how it works in real-life but I’m leaning towards returning it and then keeping my eye open for a more suitable tunic (since apparently these are totally IN now).
Necklace 1 is very similar to the silver one I already bought for $19 and I don’t like the shiny as much—even at $22. So I like it but it’s going back.
I LOVE necklace 2. And it’s a known famous brand so Google told me it was cheaper direct from the company so it’s already on its way! (And it looks much better in person than in this photo!)
If they discounted for buying a whole box, I might have just taken it all…but they only give you credit for another month and this is my last month…so that was a no. But it was good to end my experience with Le Tote on a high note (though it does make it harder to cancel—I just have to remember my other boxes that weren’t as successful)!
GwynnieBee success!
So I joined another monthly clothing delivery company on a free month…and their clothes are awesome—much more my style and somewhat cheaper. This dress was the third thing I’ve purchased (out of six sent items). Tom loved it, too, which is why it’s now hanging in my closet. 🙂
Unfortunately (fortunately?) I’m only doing the one free month, otherwise this could get very expensive!!
It’s fun wearing things for the first time.
Charlie likes my new tote.
I got a Le Tote box today and left it on the ottoman while we went to Owen’s baseball game. Charlie decided it was the perfect place to lay…though she was technically in the empty side of the box!
YANJO
I need to start paying attention to back holes.
I really need to start paying closer attention to the BACKS of dresses a) in real life and b) when I add things to my tote. I guess I never think about BACK HOLES. 😯
I bought a gorgeous ball gown from Marshall’s for $69—it was a similar style to one I have but a different color. We were in a hurry and it was a size 14 so I didn’t try it on. So we got home and I went to zip up the back and wondered why it got stuck at my butt. Yeah, it wasn’t stuck—that was ALL of the zipper. The entire back of the dress was open. Ha. No wonder it looked wonky hanging on the hanger. It looked something like this:
From the back? EEK!
And then today I tried on a gorgeous dress from Le Tote. Except I couldn’t figure out at first how to get it on. That should be my first clue that something is weird with the back. I got it on and the front is amazing. The back? Yeah…open. Yuck. (It was WAY more revealing on me than the photo shows.)
Back holes. I’ve known they exist but I never thought they’d attack me like they did. 🙂
YANJO
New(ish) shirt (worn it before) but new yoga pants that happened to match perfectly.
Kidless afternoon!
For one of my first kidless afternoons, I decided to run some errands. Do I look free and unencumbered?! Positively joyful?
How about now? (Still giddy, even though I’m on my way to pick up the kids.)
(I have technically had one or two kidless afternoons since Katie has started school, but either my parents were here or Tom came home early so even though I was kidless I technically wasn’t alone. If that makes sense.)
Continuing the dress saga…
I had to return some shoes to Nordstrom Rack so I looked for the $90 dress. And look what I found?! The dress—just with yellow instead of pink! And only $30! Perfect! 🙂 Except…they only had sizes S and XS. Of course. 🙁 (I also found a Large of the other V-neck dress but even though lots of friends liked it, I just didn’t love it. Plus it was more expensive.)
So I asked and they were able to order it in my size from another store! Even with the $7.95 S/H it was a major bargain (a savings of 44%)!!!
I let Katie pick my shirt today!
Adulting is hard.
So while we were out, we stopped by Marshall’s so I could look for a similar, less expensive dress than the one I was wearing.
The top photos are the original $90 dress that I love…and the bottom dress is a similar $30 version of the same brand. Interestingly, the original was an XL and the less expensive version was a M—both fit, but I think a L would have been a *cough* happy medium. 🙂
I polled my Facebook friends to see what they thought, and it was pretty evenly split between the two.
I really wanted to keep the original dress but $90 was just ridiculous. And I really wanted to love the new dress but it just wasn’t right, either (even at the cheaper price). So I decided to be an adult and return both, pledging to keep my eyes open for the perfect dress. 🙂
I’m REALLY liking REALLY nice clothes.
I love this dress from my current Le Tote tote, but…
- It requires a strapless bra (I might get away with really skinny straps but I don’t have any right now).
- It’s $90 (I’m sure I can find something similar for half that at Nordstrom Rack…I just have to cross my fingers).
I love that I’m able to wear these awesome clothes but I hate that I’m now learning what REALLY NICE clothes feel like. 🙂