Hello and good day my friends! I am in a wonderful mood today and am hoping you are as well. I feel positive change in the air – is it just me?
Not too long ago when anyone asked me where I got a certain dress my answer was always “Free People,” with an unsaid “of course.” But that’s changing. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m getting older – which, BTW is a great thing! You’ll never catch me saying what I seem to hear from everyone else: “don’t get old, it sucks” or some variation of that message. I’m not saying all aspects of aging are desirable, but what’s the alternative? To die? Um no thanks, I’ll keep up this adventure we call life, thank you very much.
Free People tends to make pretty revealing clothes; often I’ll see a dress I think is just gorgeous, only to then see the fully exposed back or a shorter than short hemline and immediately realize that’s a big ol’ no for me. In the last few years I’ve found myself desiring longer hemlines, sleeves, and a ladylike silhouette – so more of my purchases lately have been from places like Anthropologie’s sale section (still a Free People brand lol), Express, Abercrombie (never thought I’d say that back in high school), and Amazon (the deals and that speedy shipping!). Only 1 piece within the 5 outfits I’m sharing with y’all today is from Free People *gasp!*
Expre
Let’s start with the biggest outlier. I have not bought a clothing item from Target in what feels like forever, but more realistically maybe 5 years? The fact that I can get better quality stuff for the same amount – or even less money – just turns me off. However, the other day I grabbed the cutest gift for my niece’s birthday at Target when a friend and I were killing some time before grabbing our takeout order and I had to grab this pretty peach dress for myself as well.
It is the perfect length, a really lovely color, and it even has pockets! I know come summer this will be a go-to that I can throw on to just lounge around the house while giving my husband a break from seeing me in oversized tees and sweats 😉 The only think that would make this little lady better in my eyes would be for it to be lined and contain a shelf bra, but now I’m just nitpicking. For $20 it’s pretty great and it is offered in quite a few colors. It’s basically a slightly lower quality dress than this one, which I already have in two colors. I guess that’s why I chose to pair it with the same denim jacket?
It took me so long to wear this next look, even though I had it all laid out (I hang up outfits I want to wear on 2 wall hooks in my room so I do not forget about them) and staring at me since autumn of last year. Not really sure why. The top (similar options here, here, and here) was actually a free impulse buy from Express. Every so often Express’ rewards program gifts me $5-10 and since I can have their items shipped to a store close to me free of cost I’ll usually grab something from the sale section for free or very close to free. Because why let that free money go unused? I actually really like this outfit and had to stop myself from wearing it two days in a row. It just screams springtime to me. White + eyelet has a way of doing that.
It also went really well with my new favorite shoes. I never would have thought I’d find shoes that were as comfy and versatile as my favorite booties – let alone mules, but I did! These practical mules ended up being so good that I had to get them in black and brown. I restrained myself from buying the suede ones though! I LOVE that Bella Vita offers very narrow and very wide options because all feet are not created alike, after all. I was shocked at how well they fit, how many cute outfits they went with, and the super low sale price. I pretty much wear them with everything, as you’ll see in this post.
The burgundy pants (similar) are from Abercrombie. I love pants with stretch and their mid-rise jeggings fit me quite well so of course I got a pair in grey and a more colorful cropped pair as well. Others must really like them too because a lot of the sizes are currently sold out, but they restock quite often. I’ve found that this dark red color is actually quite versatile and goes with a lot in my closet – like this top:
I first spotted this sheer blouse at a Free People store pre-COVID, but balked at the price tag, as often happens with FP stuff. I eventually sotted it on sale online so I snapped it right up and I’m so glad I did! It looks fab untucked, tucked, and even tied in front (I unbutton the last few buttons and then just tied the ends together). It can look very causal paired with jeans shorts and a little dressier with pants or a skirt. As I mentioned it’s sheer, so it does need a base layer and this lace trimmed cami is perfect. Sadly I waited so long the “Lela” blouse is not really available online anymore, except for places like Ebay, Poshmark, and Mercari. Sorry y’all!
And now for some Amazon dresses I’ve been loving. I heard about both of these from Meghan Lanahan, a life and style blogger who often posts Amazon looks. I wasn’t really convinced Amazon was a place to shop for dresses until she showed me it is, so thanks Meghan! Leo thinks I look too much like I belong on a prairie when I wear these two dresses but I do not really care. I feel great in them so that’s all I really need.
 
This dress feels so good on and makes me feel very feminine for some reason. And just look at these sleeves! As you may have noticed I have a passion for billowy sleeves right now.
I call this one my Mormon church dress. The smocked top, tiers, pattern, and color all got me:
As always comfort is key for me and all these looks deliver!
XO, Kate
Photo credit: Leo Amar