Arena Five: What I Wore Wednesday - Dressing Room Edition

So, I have a problem when it comes to shopping for clothes. I really have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Inevitably, I take a few things into the dressing room after wandering around the store for several minutes like a lost puppy and then I try on the items only to find they are an abomination to the laws of nature and fashion alike. Long story short, I need help.

It's this problem of mine that led me to try Stitch Fix, but that's a blog post for another day.

For now, I'd like to share with you the other method I use to try to bring some assistance into the dressing room with me. I utilize the skills of the dressing room attendant and send them out for anything and everything they think might work for me and then I take a freakishly long time to try everything on....and I take photos with my phone and consult Twitter for advice.

I know, I know. I'm that woman. I'm the reason you have to wait for what feels like a year for a dressing room to open up. My apologies, sincerely. It's just that I am incredibly hopeless on my own, so I insist on discussing my prospective purchases with total strangers on the Internet.

Because everyone on the Internet is smarter than I am. Right?

Moving along.

A couple weekends ago, I went to the mall armed with some coupons and a couple gift cards from Christmas to burn. I went to LOFT and The Limited, both of which were also having some pretty decent sales. Here's what took place.

Store #1 - LOFT

Curvy Skinny Jeans, Polka dot cami, Green Sweater Jacket

I liked the idea behind this outfit, but it just didn't quite work in the execution. The tank was a little too small (and they didn't have the next size up in stock) and although the jacket was cute, it was a little tight in the shoulders and I wasn't certain I would get enough use out of it to make it worth purchasing. Pass.

Curvy Skinny Jean, Striped Drop Shoulder Tee

I posted this photo on Instagram and begged for help. I couldn't decide if I liked it or not! Yellow is a bit out of my norm, and the black stripes were certainly fun, but I just wasn't sold. The consensus from my responders what that they too liked it, but didn't LOVE it. Pass.

Curvy Skinny Jean, Peasant Blouse

After I posted the photo of the colorblock shirt on Instagram looking for input, I tried this one on while I waited for the advice to flood in. I quickly forgot all about the iffy yellow shirt and was sold on this ensemble! I loved the feminine quality of the blouse and how it hid my trouble spots without being too....fluffy. BOUGHT THE TOP AND THE PANTS.

Curvy Skinny Jean, Coral Boatneck Tee

This coral top had me at "hello." I have a beautiful teal necklace that I had in mind when I tried it on that I knew would go beautifully with this comfy, versatile top for spring. BOUGHT IT.

Curvy Skinny Jean, Coral Boatneck Tee, Green Cardigan

Again, I liked this cardigan with the coral tee. But....I knew I already had a teal cardigan in my closet that would probably work, so I really couldn't justify the purchase. Pass.

Hudson Jeans (mine), Green 3/4 Sleeve Top

Probably my favorite top I tried on at LOFT! Alas, I couldn't find a link to it on the website. I loved the wide band at the bottom that grabbed on to the top of my jeans and how the little bit of extra fabric near the top creates a flattering shape. Loved it. BOUGHT IT.

Store #2 - The Limited

This is where I struggled. I found a couple pieces that I really wanted to make work so I just kept trying different things with them. My Twitter folk were very handy here. Unfortunately, many of the items I tried on can no longer be found on the website, so the links are very lacking. My apologies.

Polka Dot Top, Hudson Jeans (mine - Macy's)

I liked the shape of this top and I was digging the polka dots. I was not a huge fan of it being so sheer that it required me to wear a navy cami underneath, but I put it in the MAYBE pile nonetheless.

White Collared Shirt, Skirt

You guys. I wanted this skirt to work so badly. I tried it with three different tops.

Henley Popover Top, Skirt

Please ignore the fact that I'm apparently tried to sprain my own ankle in the photo above. As you can see, I tried a couple different top options with that skirt, but I just could never make it look quite right. Maybe it was just that my waist isn't small enough to pull this look off. Maybe it was missing color. No idea. All I know was that I finally put the poor dressing room attendant out of her misery and quit on this one. Pass.

Black Collared Shirt, Skirt

When the first skirt didn't pan out, I gave this one a whirl. It was just too unstructured for me and made me feel like my "baby pooch" was too obvious. Again, I wanted this to work. It just didn't. Pass.

Dotted Shirtdress

I loved this dress. It came with the red belt and it had pockets. POCKETS. I thought it was flattering and such a departure from what I normally wear. I wanted to buy it so so so badly. But.....it came down to having to decide between the polka dot top and this dress because the patterns were practically identical. I stood there, agonizing for several minutes until I made my decision.