Fitting Room Finds

I had brought up earlier this year about starting this 'Fitting Room Finds' and where you all would like me to shop! I had two votes for Nordstrom... and that was my intention - to start at Nordstrom like I was asked.

Oddly enough, there was no Nordstrom in Bentonville, Ark. And the closest Nordstrom to me is on Michigan Avenue which would be fun if I had lots of hours to jot down there. But I was limited to about an hour and a half on this trip, so I went to one of my favorites... and that was close.

The Loft.

Why do I like The Loft? I like it for many reasons as well as have issues with it. My issues are that some things look old to me. And there are plenty of stores that produce enough 'old' clothing that I don't need it at this store, too. But my likes outweighs the dislikes for sure.

I love the quality. I love the color. I love how there are simple pieces and fun pieces. I love that the sizes range and for the most part, I think they run on the large side, so you can size down which is fun to do!

So I started my Fitting Room Finds at The Loft and literally walked back with about 25 different things to try on for you. But decided tot only show you things that I felt good about this readership liking.

Without further adieu...

1.) Chambray Top   2.) Modern Skinny Jeans  3.) Button Wrap Skirt

This top was one of those that really would go with anything! You can't beat chambray, people, so don't even try! :)

The skinny jeans were super soft, super comfortable and KEY - super stretchy! The color I have on is green. 

The wrap skirt was also extremely comfortable and I felt it was a great fall addition for a work wardrobe. 

1.) Plaid Smocked Blouse   2.) Frayed Cuff Straight Leg Jeans   

This top caught my eye as soon as I walked in the store! It's very versatile -- day-to-night, fall-to-winter, work-to-drinks, skirt-to-jeans... I LOVE sleeves with smocked cuffs because it seems to make my wrists really skinny which somehow makes everything else seem skinnier. 

These jeans I also loved! The frayed cuff was actually really cute and I think that it's a trend that isn't silly to purchase! I also wore the top with the wrap skirt from above and again, just another cute outfit option! 

1.) Bonfire Sweater    2.) Striped Cutout Sweater    3.) Blouson Sleeve Sweater

My go-to outfits for the fall and winter are jeans (or leggings - I'm one of 'those' people) and a sweater. And these three sweaters are perfect with the frayed cuff jeans I had on. The Bonfire Sweater is my favorite because it has some color, it wasn't itchy and it hit in the right spot on my torso! 

The Striped Cutout Sweater was uber-comfy, but on me, probably made me look wider than I need to be. But still... big fan! 

The Blouson Sleeve Sweater was perfect, came in a few different colors and would look so great dressed up as well! 

1.) Smocked Cold Shoulder Top    2.) Diamond Button Wrap Skirt

Cold shoulder tops are everywhere right now... if you don't know have one in your closet by now, I don't know how you got away from them! I will say that for the most part, these tops really do look good on everyone and are ageless. My six year old has one and my mom has one. This particular one that I tried on was more of a sweater material and again, had the smocked cuffs that I love. It was very comfy and will march right on through winter for you. I tried it with the frayed cuff jeans as well as this adorable wrap skirt! 

Prints can be scary sometimes, which is why my wardrobe is so blasé. Prints can sometimes make you look heavier, but I really felt like this one did the opposite. In fact, I should wear this skirt every day because I felt like it made me look smaller! BONUS POINTS! 

As you all know if you are frequent Loft shoppers, they have new items coming in all the time so if I walked in today, I would literally try on at least 15 new items. But I felt that what I picked out to show you all are classic pieces that you can make lots of different outfits with items from your own closet. But splurge on yourself a little bit, grab a few new pieces for fall that make you feel good about yourself and will allow your to diversify your wardrobe. 

Happy shopping! 

XXOO,

Allyson

Friday Favorites

It's Friday! We made it! Pat yourself on the back, sit down, put your feet up and have a drink!

It's only 8:45 in the morning you say? Who cares! Do it anyway! :)

Busy weekend ahead for the Clark's. We are off to Manhattan to celebrate my dear friend Abby's wedding.

Me and a bunch of my sorority sisters. LOTS of laughter to ensue!

It's also my Sloane's sixth birthday... six going on 16, I can't believe it!

I shared this on my blog Facebook page this week, but I had went shoe shopping for this weekend's wedding at Payless.

Sidenote: Friends, I NEVER wear dressy shoes. The dressiest I get is Minnetonka Moccasins. So even though I really would have loved to find a really nice pair for the wedding, it is just so pointless for me. My friend Megan will be wearing a pair of Jimmy Choos that I will be trying on and taking pictures of myself in because there will never be a time that I'm as cool as Carrie Bradshaw, except for that moment that I'm in the Choos. Stay tuned.

Anyway, I found some shoes for the wedding, but also found some adorable flats by Christian Siriano who was a winner on Project Runway (great show)! He has a line of shoes at Payless and I'd seriously recommend taking a peek. There are some really cute options!

Here is the pair of Keltie Flats I found that were comfortable and adorable -- love them with some skinny jeans or skinny dress pants! They also come in black.

I also tried these Gianna Pointed Toe Flat and loved them! And they are currently on clearance for $10. So... I'm just sayin'...

And here's the shoe I ended up going with for the wedding. It'lldo. :)

Not to toot our own horn or anything, but if you gals haven't checked out the latest stuff coming in to Two Dots, I highly recommend you stop reading, click this link and go browse! We have so many cute items coming in for Fall, it's hard for me to not swoop in and take one of each!

 

It is no secret that one of my very favorite stores to shop at is JCrew Factory.

I love JCrew so very much, but at some point in my later teenage years, they took it upon themselves to jack their prices up exponentially. But then they saved themselves and gave me JCrew Factory!

My sister's birthday is right around the corner and we love to give each other clothes (you'd think that would be the last thing we'd want to give each other since we co-own a clothing store together, but far from it...). So I hopped on the JCrew Factory site and sat there staring at all the things that I wanted. That my sister would like, too. But I seemed to forget the main objective here.

But I knew I needed to tell you about the Anya Suede Ballet Flats. Because they are my favorite!

I own them in this color, saddle, as well as pink/coral color, also in suede. I really want to own the cabernet and graphite. I mean... I'd just take them all!

They are the comfiest flats I've ever owned - they have nice cushion on the bottom and I can wear them all day without feeling like my ankles need to be peeled off the back of them!

They are a pretty shoe and the saddle color is a staple for me all Fall!

Everyone needs a pair! :)

I have a fairly simple style. I buy basic pieces that you can add to with a vest, a sweater, a jacket... just fairly classic pieces.

But I am bored with my closet. I walk in every day and can't find anything to wear.

I realize this is a female problem in general because we all "never have anything to wear" but it's really true in my case! ;)

So I was hoping my beloved JCrew Factory could help me out a bit. I love all of their sweaters, but really love these two. PS. These aren't "knock down your door" standout pieces, but ....

I LOVE the bold blue color of this sweater. My mom got me a puffer vest from JCrew in this exact color and I love it! It's a fantastic pop of color during seasons where there is very little color. And this would look good on everyone!

And then, as you can tell from our Two Dots purchases, we love some stripes. And we love some black and white! How adorable would this sweater be with a great pair of jeans (if I could ever find some) and the Anya Suede Ballet Flats in cabernet.

Who's with me?!

I don't know about you all, but I have a hard time finding a lipstick that stays on all day. And by having a hard time, I mean I don't have any that stay on very long.

I love the colors of my Mac lipsticks, but they last for an hour or so (and I don't carry lipsticks around with me).

I LOVE my Clinique Chubby Sticks (I love the colors) but have the same problem as above. And I have a ton of random lipsticks that I love the colors of, but again, nothing stays.

I found this blog, The Small Things, from Pinterest. This blogger is a hair stylist and if you look at her pics, she might seem familiar because pictures of her hair are many I've pinned! :) She does great beauty posts and she is the reason I use a Maybelline cream blush!

Anywho... she just recently did a post on long-lasting lipsticks and tested three different ones out. The cheapest of the three won the test (L’Oreal Infallible 2-step lip color in Toujour Teaberry) and I'm sure it can be found at Wal Mart, Target or Walgreens if you happen to be perusing the makeup aisles next time you are there.

I'll definitely be giving this a test run!


Everyone have a great weekend! I'm excited for a weekend with my friends, and to celebrate my Sloane turning 6! See you on Monday!

XXOO,
Allyson