fashion friday

I was having a hard time thinking of an idea for this week, so I decided to do mini product reviews for a few items I've bought recently! (Unfortunately I don't have pictures of myself in them, though that would make for a better review.)

I was surprised that I really loved this Express sweater. It's hard to tell but it has a banded bottom and then is a little looser above. The sleeves are ruched on the top, which is the only thing I don't love about it because I usually hate ruching, but I think they look fine on (surprisingly that is the correct spelling of ruched haha). The v-neck doesn't sit quite as high as it does in the picture. It' a great light sweater for spring and next fall. This was originally $34.90, but right now it's on sale for $24.50, so I would definitely recommend it! It comes in a lot of other colors too.

This sweater is also from Express. I've wanted one similar since last fall, but thought they made me look too bulky. I actually like this one a lot and I think the picture again doesn't really do it justice. It looks much more fitted on me, especially the underarms. It is pretty thick and, even though it's short sleeved, it's very warm. I wore it to church Sunday and I was really hot most of the day. I paired mine with just a white cami, jeans, and nude wedges. This sweater costs $49.50, but I used a coupon and ended up paying around $38. I do recommend it, but I would wait for it to go on sale.

This Express sweater is much thinner than the previous one. I wore it on a cooler day and it didn't offer much warmth, but that's probably better as we are going into spring. It's much longer than I expected to be (which I guess you can tell by it hanging down behind her in the picture), and I was able to wear it with leggings. It can be dressed up a little, but it is mostly pretty casual (I've even worn it with a cami and yoga capris). The only thing I don't like about it is the way it sits on your hips. You can kind of tell from the picture how the folded bottom gapes out a little. It wasn't a deal breaker for me, but it definiely feels a little awkward at first. They have a similar one with a shawl collar that is more dressy and doesn't have that problem at the bottom, which might be a better choice. I don't think this one is worth the $39.90 price tag, but on sale or with a coupon I think it's a good deal.

I purchased this dress (which I think I had on a previous fashion Friday) at Express as well. I haven't had anything to wear it to so far, so I don't have much of an opinion on it yet. I do like the way it fits and the style, but the print isn't my favorite. The colors are a little different than in this picture as well. I may still exchange it if something I like better comes along before I have a chance to wear it. They also have the same or a very similar dress in a couple more patterns and some solids last time I checked online, so I might also trade it for one of those (they are cotton, unlike this one which is chiffon, so they are also better priced). It was originally $49.90, which I wouldn't pay for it, but right now it's on sale for $34.90, which is a really good deal. I would definitely recommend it for the sale price!

I've been stalking this Anthropologie dress online ever since I posted about it weeks ago. It went on sale Tuesday morning for half off, and by the time I realized this (at 10am) it was completely sold out. If you call their 800 number, Anthropologie will locate your size in a store and you can then call that store and they will ship it to you and run your credit card over the phone. I needed to try it on so luckily the store at Northpark had some still in stock. I tried on an 8 and a 4 (unable to find a 6) and neither fit very well. The 8 looked frumpy at the bottom because there was too much fabric and the 4 was way too tight at the waist. I decided to buy the 8 and have some fabric taken out of the bottom because I really wanted this dress. I told the fitting room attendant this and she searched everywhere and found me a 6, which I then bought without trying on because I didn't want her to have gone through all that trouble in vain even though I had a feeling it might end up being too small. Of course at the waist (which sits almost like an empire, around your ribcage) it is really snug and the rest of the dress fits perfectly. I know my ribs aren't getting any smaller so I'm not sure what to do! This dress was originally $138 and I got it for $69. I would definitely recommend it if you can find one that fits well! I love it and it seems like it's made very well, so you aren't paying a lot for nothing. The pleating and details are so pretty in person. I'm going to figure out how to make it work somehow!

After my fashion on a budget post, I decided to browse Target's clothing section the other day and see what I could find. I got this boyfriend cardigan in the oatmeal color and I really like it a lot. It can be worn a lot of different ways, dressed up some or just worn casual. Again, I think it's better in person than in this picture, I probably wouldn't have purchased it online after seeing this. It comes in a lot of different colors and I would love to get a few more. At $18, this is an awesome deal on a really cute sweater, so I would definitely recommend it!

I've been going back and forth on whether to buy these since last spring, especially after they went on clearance at my Target. Last weekend when I had nothing besides sandals to wear with my new navy short sleeved sweater, I went and grabbed the last pair. They are pretty comfortable, especially because they are wedges. Next time I wear them I will get some kind of insole to keep my feet from sliding down in them though, which made them not very comfortable towards the end of the day. I think they're very cute and I got a few compliments throughout the day. They were originally $30 and mine ended up only being $12! They aren't on clearance at every Target, but I would still recommend them for $30 because they are cute and comfortable, and $30 is still a great price for a pair of heels!

Lastly, I also bought these at Target a few weeks ago. The heel is a little lower than what I was looking for, less than 3". With jeans I like them a lot because the low heel makes them much more comfortable (and you can't tell with jeans covering it) and I don't really care to be much taller. With a skirt I think the low heel would make them look too much like a sensible business shoe, and not do much as far as lengthening your legs. I will definitely use an insole the next time I wear these, by the end of the night my toes were hurting a lot from sliding down into the point. For $24.50, I think these are another great deal and would definitely recommend them!


I'm so excited it is finally the weekend I can hardly contain myself! Only two more hours (or hopefully less!) of work and I'm freeee!

ps. No weight loss update this week because of a scale issue. Yesterday I was at 152lbs, so I'm guessing at most I'm -2lbs since last week, not quite at my goal. Next week my goal is 149lbs, and I will be so happy if I can make it and get down into the 140s!