Category Archives: Fashion

Sep21

If The Shoe Fits – Fall Haul Edition

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If The Shoe Fits – Fall Haul Edition

Hellooo everyone and happy Hump Day! Today I am concluding my Fall Haul with a brand new If The Shoe Fits article. Amazing shoes are usually the last thing you put on while getting ready but some would argue that they are the most important. So however you see it, it only seems fitting that some fabulous new shoes are what brings the Fall Haul to a close. Take a look at my latest footwear finds from Target and TJMaxx and let’s discuss:

The Haul:

  • Faux Snakeskin Booties: Target, $25
  • Studded Mary Jane Heels: TJMaxx, White Mountain, $25

Target Booties: My mom can serve as witness to the fact that when I saw these beautiful faux snakeskin booties, I literally gasped. I am usually not fond of any type of animal print but I. Love. Snakeskin…Fake, of course. For my birthday, I got a gorgeous Nine West faux snakeskin tote and these booties match my favorite bag exactly. These boots are edgy, cool, perfect for fall, and I got them for a steal. What could be better?

I love snakeskin so much because it is such a fabulous neutral. These booties literally go with everything. A true testament to that is when I paired my boots with a burgundy and floral print dress to wear to school. Instead of looking like I got dressed in the dark that day, I had a look that truly popped thanks to my new boots. Thanks to the gorgeous tans, creams, and greys in the snakeskin pattern, the contrast of the white florals against a deep burgundy dress looked much more severe and eye catching. The look was tied together with my matching tote and I seriously never felt better.

I can’t wait to continue pairing these shoes with unexpected pieces like loud patterned dresses, skirts, and tops because I am so confident that all they will do is enhance the look rather than make the patterns clash. These boots are going to be perfect with everything from jeans to dresses to cute little shorts in the summer. I am so pleased with this purchase and you can follow the link above to get a pair for yourself! #Twinning

TJMaxx Heels: I’m very excited about these sweet little heels because there was a pair on ModCloth that looked identical to them but costed at least eighty dollars more! These shoes aren’t as bold as some of the pairs that I own but I think that’s why I like them so much. I like that they are kind of simple but have edginess in their own right via the studded decal that goes around the shoes.

Unfortunately, the studs brought me a lot of woe but in the end, these shoes were so worth it. The day after I brought my heels home, I noticed that the stud on the middle of the left shoe’s toe was missing. Was it a big deal? No. But it drove me freaking crazy! It isn’t like anyone would ever notice that one stud on the shoe was missing but the fact that I knew that it was there was almost too much for me to handle.

That evening, I went to another TJ’s to see if they had the shoes so I could exchange them and had no luck. Then, I searched my home all over to see if there was anything that I could put in its place and came up with nada. After a few more days of stewing, I finally had it! I would pull a stud off of a super old and grungy pair of combat boots that I never wear and replace the missing stud.

The stud was easy to pull off of the boots because they’re well over four years old but everything after that was a hot mess. It took a good half hour to find super glue that wasn’t dried up completely and once I found one, I could not get it open for the life of me. After minutes of straining, I finally had to walk with my tail between my legs to my dad who got it open on the first try. Awesome.

*Sigh* At least the glue was open! I began to super glue away and the first couple of times didn’t work at all. After about the fourth try, the stud was finally sticking well so I decided to put a few more layers of glue on to make sure that it would stay put for forever. Bad idea. After the additional gluing, my thumbs and index fingers on both hands were glued together completely. I had no idea what to do because this had never happened to me before so I just started trying to pull my fingers apart.

After a few minutes, the glue finally started to give way and I was able to get my fingers separated. But, my god, did it hurt! The one good thing that came out of this story is that my studless shoe finally had a replacement and I no longer had to go crazy thinking about it. However, I think the craziness that I endured to get said stud onto the shoe was worse than just letting the fact that my shoe was missing a stud go! That just shows the great lengths that I will go to for my shoe babies. But hey, if the shoe fits! 😉

So there you have it, my latest issue of If The Shoe Fits – Fall Haul Edition! What is the craziest thing that you’ve ever done for a piece of clothing? How far would you go to fix a pair of shoes that you deeply loved? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep19

TJMaxx Fall Haul

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TJMaxx Fall Haul

Hi everyone and happy Monday! As you read in my last article, Hats Off, I did some major fall shopping this past month. TJMaxx was oh so good to me and I ended up with a hat, shoes, sweater, jacket, and dress for under one hundred dollars!! I’m so obsessed with everything and I’m wearing my new dress as I type this, so let’s take a look at the latest additions to my fall wardrobe:

The Haul:

  • Patchwork Jean Jacket: Ci Sono, $20
  • Patchwork Sweater: Monteau, $16
  • Paisley Pattern Dress: Pink Rose, $13

In case you guys haven’t noticed, I. Love. Fall. Clothing. The styles, the colors, the potential to layer and mix and match – I love it all. So needless to say, when autumn comes around I shop like a mad woman! It’s no exaggeration when I say that at least seventy-five percent of my wardrobe is fall clothing and like a woman possessed, I have no problem adding to my vast collection.

During a shopping trip at TJ’s with my mom, I was simply swooning over the fun patchwork pieces that I got and the adorable patterned dress which will be perfect with tights and booties. I have seen patchwork all over the runways lately so when I had the opportunity to snag two sweet patchwork pieces for thirty-five dollars, I just had to indulge!

I look forward to pairing my cream colored sweater with everything this fall once the weather cools down. Jeans, maxi skirts, a-line skirts, over a dress – I CAN’T WAIT!! The weather has been perfect for my dress and jacket, though, and I’ve already had so much fun sporting both pieces on campus both together and separately. There is nothing better than finding clothes that make you feel confident, chic, and perfectly ready for fall. And at just the right price, how can you say no?

Make sure you keep it posted on lifewithlilred to see the conclusion of my fall haul with a brand new If The Shoe Fits article for my latest finds from TJMaxx and Target! There will also be a new Bath & Body Works Freebie article on the horizon to discuss my three September freebies. Stay tuned!

So there you have it, my TJMaxx Fall Haul! What is your favorite type of fall clothing to wear? What have you splurged on recently to welcome the fall weather into your wardrobe? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep16

Hats Off

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Hats Off

Hi everyone and TGIF! The next few posts on lifewithlilred are going to be all about my fall fashion haul that took place last weekend. I thought we would start from the top by discussing two gorgeous new hats that I can’t wait to top off my looks with this fall! Take a look:

Hat Haul:

  • Black Calvin Klein bobby hat: TJMaxx, $16
  • Mustard Yellow turban: Forever 21, $7

TJMaxx: While shopping at TJMaxx with my mom to find some new fall staples, my eyes locked in on my gorgeous new CK hat and I knew that I had to have it. I have never owned anything Calvin Klein before and at sixteen dollars, I thought the hat was a steal. The fit of the hat screams London Chic and the chain accent on the front is a great edgy detail to complete the look. I am planning a European trip for the spring of 2017 and I can totally picture myself ambling about the streets of London in this darling bobby style hat.

Forever 21: One of my favorite things to do when I have some spare time during the day is online shopping! I love browsing the pages of my favorite stores and drawing inspiration for spicing up my wardrobe. On Forever 21’s website I saw quite a few turbans that I was obsessed with so on Monday, my boyfriend and I went to the mall to check them out. Even though he told me that shopping in F21 with me was what purgatory must be like, he did treat me to this pretty crocheted, mustard yellow turban! Mustard yellow is one of my favorite colors to wear and this turban looks perfect against my bright red hair and pale skin. Shout out to my boyfriend for braving Forever 21 with me for this fabulous new addition to my fall accessories! ❤

So there you have it, my latest fall accessories haul in Hats Off! What fall accessories are you most looking forward to wearing? Who else loves sporting hats of all shapes and sizes during the cool weather? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep11

What’s In My Bag?

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What’s In My Bag?

Hello all and happy Sunday! Today’s post in my fall guest bloggers series is compliments from my friend, Natasha, at Ninjette Natasha. In Natasha’s post, we get the breakdown of all of the goodies that she stores in her most gorgeous Gucci purse! Take a look and try not to drool too much:

What’s In My Bag?

Hey everyone, so I’ve never done a ‘Whats in my bag?’ post before and I absolutely love reading them. So what better opportunity than to do this as a guest blogger on LIFEWITHLILRED’s blog!

To start with I recently got the Gucci Dionysus bag in blue suede which is stunning and so beautiful. You can find the review of the bag over on my blog here. It is very roomy, and has a few compartments to keep things in so you can fit quite a bit in there. The chain is very sturdy and the bag itself is quite heavy. This can be off-putting to some, however I prefer it as I feel it really reflects the quality in the materials used. I bought this bag from a concession in Harrods in Knightsbridge. I couldn’t find a link to the exact bag online but here is a link to the tan version. I’m sure you could go down to your nearest Gucci store and ask them if they have it in stock.

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I always keep my purse with me as it’s a standard handbag essential due to the fact it has all of my cards and money inside of it. I also like to keep my points cards in there, as well. The make of my purse is ‘Floozy’ by Frost French, this brand is exclusively sold in Debenhams. Its made from polyurethane and I’ve had it for around 6 months. It’s held up pretty well and there hasn’t been too much wear and tear apart from the metal branding at the front which has gotten a little scratched.

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I always make sure I have some kind of lipstick or lip product in my bag when I go anywhere, so the lip balm ‘Smooch Operator’ by Soap and Glory is a must have. It makes your lips feel all tingly and plumped up and I love that feeling. It also doesn’t make your lips feel too sticky which is a godsend especially when it’s windy outside. The lip balm is also completely transparent.

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Another lip essential is a trusty lipstick. I have recently ventured back into my MAC collection and have had this old favourite in my bag ever since. ‘Faux’ is a beautiful mauve pink colour and works on any skin tone and with any outfit. I absolutely love it.

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Then I have a whole concoction of different little bits that I keep handy in my bag. Apart from another obvious essential being keys, I also keep a little cat mirror which was bought for me from Tiger as a gift. This is great for applying makeup and for looking at yourself after you’ve eaten a big lunch to make sure you don’t have food on your face!

I also keep a Tokidoki pen which can change colour, just in case I ever need to write anything down. Note – I don’t have a notebook to use said pen, I usually use my hand haha.

Unfortunately I am asthmatic so I keep my inhaler on me just in case I need it. My train pass as I use the train all the time so this is essential for me to get around. Paracetamol for any aches and pains. Gum for after lunch, tissues for…well…to blow my nose. A hair band, specifically the ones that don’t leave kinks in your hair, I use this for when I go to the gym, karate, or if I just want to keep my hair out of my face when it’s windy. Last but not least, my earphones. I got these in Tokyo last year so I’m not sure what brand they are, but I bought them from Tokyu Hands which is a bit like Japan’s version of TK Maxx.

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I really hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it! What would you say is your favourite handbag essential? Let me know in the comment section below.

Ninjette Natasha xx

^^^ Thank you so much to Natasha for such a wonderful post! Once again, please make sure to check out her blog and give her some love! What is the most random thing that you have in your purse? What is one thing that you could not leave your home without? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep9

One Top, Five Fall Looks

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One Top, Five Fall Looks

Hi everyone and welcome to Miss Danielle’s OOTD post for my fall guest bloggers series! Danielle from Ride The Waves is going to teach us how to style five gorgeous fall looks with one simple top. This post takes the hassle out of getting ready and will have you on your way to being a fall fashionista in no time. Take a look and TGIF:

One Top, Five Fall Looks:

These looks feature an off white neutral top that can be worn five different ways to achieve five very unique fall looks. The looks go from casual to semi formal. Something for a day at the park, a nice dinner, and a night of dancing. Mix and match without the hassle of piles and piles of clothing…which later leads to a very messy room. (I know from personal experience!) Have fun with your fall looks – it’ll be here before we know it!

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^^^ Thank you so much again to the beautiful Danielle for showing us some fabulous looks for the fall. Once again, please check out her blog at Ride The Waves! What is your favorite outfit that Danielle created? Which look can you see yourself sporting this fall? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep6

Street Chic OOTD

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Street Chic OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a guest post created by my new friend, Andrada, over at Miss Andrada! For this look, Andrada treated us to an OOTD that can be dressed up or down for an autumn day or night. This look transitions perfectly from an outfit worn for an errand filled afternoon to a sweet coffee house date night. The magic being that all you have to do is change your casual cool Converse to a pair of heeled booties and you’re a whole new woman! Take a look at how Andrada styled her fall look:

Street Chic OOTD:

Hello everyone,

My name is Andrada and I run a blog on fashion and accessories. I would highly appreciate if you would follow my blog because I am very passionate about it and hope that it will inspire you (I will follow back so we can support each other).

Today, I have an autumn outfit idea that can be worn in September for going out during the day and night. For this look, I combined a pair of elegant earrings with a casual shirt & ripped jeans. I tried to give the outfit that ‘street look’ that everyone is going for in September.

For me, accessories are really important. They can add dimension to the look as well as the perfect finishing touches to any outfit. Therefore, I accessorized my OOTD with a traditional handmade Turkish bag which I bought last year while on holiday and a pair of statement earrings.

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This is a super easy outfit to pull together and I’m sure that if you check your wardrobe now you’ll find the pieces that you need. Don’t forget to follow me for more similar posts!

What I’m Wearing:

  • River Island shirt
  • Zara jeans
  • Handmade bag
  • White Converse shoes
  • H&M earrings

What is your statement item for the beginning of autumn? Let me know in the comments below! 🙂

Until next time,

Andrada xx

^^^ Thank you so much again to Andrada for her participation in my fall guest bloggers series! I love your Street Chic look! How do you transition an outfit from day to night? What are your must have accessories for fall? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep5

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice OOTD

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Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice OOTD

Hi everyone and welcome to my fall guest bloggers series here on lifewithlilred! My absolute favorite season is fall. The fashion, the weather, holidays, and traditions – I love it all. Because summer is finally drawing to a close, I thought that it would be a perfect time to call upon a new group of guest bloggers to help me ring in the season with some of their favorite things about autumn. To kick start the series, I enlisted the help of my blogging BFF, Nida, of Shopaholic Blogs to create an OOTD that’s perfect for fall. As always, her post is amazing so check it out and enjoy:

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice OOTD:

🍂 Hello Everyone! Welcome to another fabulous OOTD collab between Life With Lil Red and Shopaholicblogs. When Sarah asked me about doing an autumn collab post I was thrilled because I hadn’t done an OOTD post in quite a while due to the horrendous heat wave we were having.
🍂 What I had totally forgotten was that in Dubai there is no such thing as autumn since summer is here year round with scorching temperatures and laughably short winters. Being from California I truly miss experiencing the beauty of the changing seasons. Nevertheless, I scrambled to put together an autumn appropriate look as I had promised my blogging BFF. 💟
🍂 Back home in California this is exactly how I would picture myself on a lovely day in autumn, surrounded by fallen leaves and the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin spice latte lingering in the air. ☕️
🍂 So here’s presenting Shopaholicblogs take on an autumn OOTD in the desert: 🌵

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OOTD Details:
🍂 Dress: Old Navy – I love this dress. It has full sleeves which are perfect for a chilly autumn day and it has splashes of orange which is perfect for the season.
🍂 Boots: Minnetonka – These were the very first boots I ever bought and I adore them. They are perfect for fall and winter and I love the movement and detail the fringe adds.
🍂 Leggings: Hollister –  These leggings have the perfect amount of stretch and they haven’t lost their shape despite countless washes. Plus I got them for $17 on sale!
🍂 Vest: Old Navy – This is a perfect transition piece that you can wear over a dress or Tshirt in the fall and layer it over a turtleneck in the winter.
🍂 Bag: Oryany – I love the whipstitch detail on this bag and it’s a great accessory to use year round.
🍂 Props: Pottery Barn
🍂 Accessories: American Eagle

I hope you guys enjoyed this OOTD post! Never mind the fact that it was shot in 112 degree weather! Many thanks to Sarah for this opportunity to be featured on her blog. 💞
Until next time xoxo 💋
^^^ Thank you so much again to Nida from Shopaholic Blogs for another fantastic OOTD post! What is your favorite piece of fall clothing? How do you rock a fall OOTD? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Sep2

Hello, It’s Me

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Hello, It’s Me

Hi everyone and TGIF! Welcome to the month of September here on lifewithlilred! My first week of the fall semester went as good as it can get but I am so looking forward to the three day Labor Day weekend! With summer coming to a close, I had to squeeze in wearing as many dresses as I can sans tights before the cold weather begins. Because I was feeling pretty, witty, and gay I enlisted the help of my lovely mother to take some new pictures of yours truly. I feel like I haven’t posted some Lil Red pics on here in a while so it was long overdue! Check them out and have an awesome weekend! Also, be on the look out for my fall guest bloggers series that premieres this week. The posts are amazing and I am so excited! Much love. -Sarah

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Aug27

One Love Yoga & Boutique Trip

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One Love Yoga & Boutique Trip

Hi everyone and happy weekend! This past week, my sister and I made a little trip to Kent which is a college town in Ohio. We live about twenty-five minutes or so away from there so it’s not really far but it’s far enough that we don’t get to frequent the stores in their downtown area as often as we would like. Kristen needed to get one of her piercings fixed at the shop that we both go to in the area and then we thought that we would do some shopping at one of our favorite stores, Figleaf.

Unfortunately, by the time that we were done with Kristen’s piercing, Figleaf was closed because they always lock up obnoxiously early which we forgot. But Kristen said that she noticed a cute looking store that we drove past right when we pulled into the downtown shopping area. We trekked back to the beginning of downtown Kent and wounded up at One Love Yoga & Boutique.

This store happens to be a clothing boutique on the bottom and a yoga studio on top. Kristen was also so right, the store was absolutely adorable. We spent at least an hour in the boutique trying on clothes, admiring the jewelry, and chatting with the extremely knowledgeable and friendly workers. Kristen ended up with a new crop top, some jewelry, and a dream catcher for her apartment. Yours truly ended up with a gorgeous new dress that will be perfect for fall, pictured below:

The front and back of my new Millibon brand dress is pictured although I am realizing now that both shots look exactly the same! Regardless of that, I love this dress so much! I normally don’t wear a lot of burgundies and reds because I feel like it looks obnoxious with my hair but this dress looked so sweet and pretty that I just had to get it. I love the white flowers against the burgundy color as well as the little flutter at the end of its fitted sleeves.

My new dress is in a pattern that Kristen and I both recognized from Francesca’s and the worker told me that they buy from the same vendor which I thought was so cool! All of the clothes that they had in the boutique were gorgeous and the prices were very reasonable, too. This was definitely a pleasant surprise because I thought that I was going to see one hundred dollar and above price tags on everything! I got my dress at thirty-two dollars which I thought was a steal.

I’m looking forward to welcoming fall weather with my new frock. I plan on wearing it with my knee high tan riding boots for a more casual look and my army green Guess wedges for a night out. This is also a perfect dress to wear tights under as the weather gets colder and it will look lovely when it peeks through my navy blue Modcloth peacoat. So much fun fashion so little time!

Also, if you check out One Love Yoga & Boutique’s Instagram, you might see a picture of me because the owner saw me in the dress when I showed it to my sister and thought it would look nice for their social media pages. I also highly recommend checking out their website which is so well put together and a like on their Facebook page would be nice, too!

So there you have it, my One Love Yoga & Boutique Trip! Kristen and I had a blast and I can’t wait to go there again soon! What is your favorite boutique style store to shop at? Who could see themselves taking yoga classes at One Love? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. –Sarah

PS: If you’re not on my Facebook page, here’s a new picture of me in my dress from my shopping trip at Urban Outfitters:

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Aug25

Crocker Park Haul

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Crocker Park Haul

Hello everyone and happy Thursday! Last week my mom, sister, and I went to my favorite place in the whole wide world…Crocker Park! For those of you who aren’t familiar with this amazing, luxurious, Ohio outdoor mall – just know that it is truly the happiest place on earth. It is a little heaven manifested in Westlake where blocks upon blocks of clothing, makeup, and home goods stores reside. Stores like Urban Outfitters, H&M, Francesca’s, American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, Anthropology, Express, MAC, and Sephora…just to name a few! I made two purchases during our shopping outing and I’m seriously obsessed so take a look and let’s discuss:

The Haul:

  • Urban Outfitters Ecote brand dress
  • Francesca’s Miami brand flannel

Urban Outfitters: If I’m lucky, I make it out to Crocker Park about two times a year. Whenever I’m there, there are two stores that I always try to at least purchase something at and those are Urban Outfitters and H&M. Crocker Park is the only location with both of those stores and since it is about an hour drive away, I obviously don’t get to shop there frequently. Unfortunately, H&M had nothing that caught my eye during this shopping trip but I was so happy to find this gorgeous print dress on sale at Urban Outfitters!

Before our outing, my mom and I were chatting about what color clothing that we like to wear the best while we were walking our dogs. During which, I told her that I would love to find something gold or mustard yellow when we go to Crocker Park because I don’t mean to brag but those colors look dashing on me. 😉 I had my eyes peeled in every store we went into for something that fitted the color palette I was looking for. I struck out in almost all of them until my sister found my pretty little new number in the sale section of Urban. I had saw the dress but I skipped past it because the fit of it usually isn’t the most flattering on me. However, Kristen urged me to try it on so I did.

As soon as the dress was on, I knew that it was perfect. The colors were phenomenal and the fit was just right. It was flowy and fun as opposed to baggy and lifeless. When I walked out of the fitting room, my mom said that it was exactly what she was hoping I would find after our dog walking chat and my heart just melted. I love my new dress so much and I’m actually wearing it right now as I type this! ❤

Francesca’s: Of all of the seasons that Ohio experiences, fall is my all time favorite. About seventy-five percent of my wardrobe consists of fall clothing because I live for fall fashion. Therefore, when I saw my new black and white flannel from Francesca’s, I knew that I had to have it. I’m a big fan of flannels but the trick is that they have to be really unique because I feel like most flannels look exactly the same. When I saw that my new flannel had embroidered patterns in the design as well as zippers going up both of the sides, I fell in love because I knew that it would stick out.

What made the flannel even more “must have” worthy was that it looked really good with the outfit that I was already wearing – a black crop top, black shorts, and forest green wedges. That made it even harder to say no to the top which completed my outfit so nicely. I liked that it was more form fitting, too. It wasn’t tight my any means but compared to all of my baggy Gypsy Warrior flannels at home, it definitely was more fitted which was a nice change. I am looking forward to wearing this flannel around campus this fall for a laid back, college cool look.

The Crocker Park outing that I had with my mom and sister was a total success but I would have been happy even if I ended up with nothing. Us girls had so much fun wandering around the outdoor mall, looking in different stores, and chattering away that it would have been worth it to go home empty handed. BUT – I’m so glad that I didn’t! 😉

So there you have it, my Crocker Park Haul! Does anyone have an outdoor mall similar to Crocker Park in their neck of the woods? How about a favorite store to shop at that you live far away from? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah