Putting it Together
Check out the receipt below. You'll see that I bought a 2-piece suit, a pair of slacks, 2 blouses and a pair of shoes for $91. Take out the shoes, and I spent about $75 for items that will give me (adding 2 pieces from my existing wardrobe) 6 different outfits I can wear to the 5 series interview I have coming up.
The trick to shopping at Ross, where I made my purchases, is patience. It doesn't hurt to be feeling creative, either. Always keeping in mind what you have at home, start combing the racks in your size, the size below, and a size up. Items frequently make their way to Ross for a reason: They are oddly sized. You might wear a 16, but that size 10 dress fits, or vice versa. If something catches your eye, and looks even remotely close to your width, snag it. Try it on. Just see what happens.
My shopping trip really started with a green blouse. I saw it, loved the color, and then started building around it. I found a fantastic floral jacket--something I normally wouldn't go near, but when I put it with the blouse, it took on a whole new life. The cut and fabric of the jacket made the flounce of the blouse seem more professional. And since I needed a pair of navy trousers anyway, I decided to try on the clearance rack navy blue suit that came as a jacket and dress. On my way to the dressing room, I found a shrimp colored shirt that is fairly slutty on its own, but looks fantastic under the navy blazer, as does the green blouse.
Pairing up the navy trousers with the jacket from the suit, I get these:
And to change things up, I added a red top I already had. (Okay, it's not a top, so much as it is part of a peignor set from Fredrick's of Hollywood, but I won't tell if you won't.) This I would tuck in.
Moving away from the navy jacket, this is the floral. I could just as easily put a navy, white, or darker green shell under it and make 3 different suits. You kind of have to trust me that the jacket is really cute in person.
And pairing the jacket with a $15 dress I bought at WalMart, I get another look.
The dress that came with the navy jacket is one of the worst parts of shopping at Ross. It is labeled as being almost 2 sizes larger than I normally wear (as is the jacket), but I couldn't even get the dress up over my hips, much less zip it. It happens. But it was on clearance for $14.99, and I decided the jacket alone was worth that much. And who knows? Maybe one day the dress will fit?
So there you have it. Over a week's worth of outfits for well under $100. Shop like that, and you'll still have enough money left over to go to the dollar store and buy some fun, funky jewelry.
Meanwhile, I am clearing out room for the new, and parting with some very nearly new items. Check out my ebay store to see two suits, a dress, and a fantastic, vintage jacket. Think you could mix and match these items, and come up with your week's worth of wardrobe for under $100?
Oh, and back next week: Wonder Woman Wednesdays!
