Shopping Trip!

This is a much overdue entry.

A few weeks ago after work, Whitney (my coworker at the Joseph Smith Papers Project and friend obviously) and I went on a shopping trip to Fashion Place Mall. She said that she was getting kind of sick of her wardrobe and wanted me to help her pick out some fun things. Plus, it was her first time going to H&M. Love that store!

Whitney had already established that there were a few things she wanted: a blazer and more pencil skirts. H&M is great for business workwear at an affordable price. They always have cute pencil skirts and blazers for awesome prices. I'm happy that they now have two H&Ms in Utah—it's about time!

Anyway, so as we walked around the store and ended up with tons of clothes that we wanted to try on. I have a love-hate relationship with trying on clothes because a part of me secretly hopes that whatever I'm trying on will look AWFUL on me so I won't buy it. The good thing was, I ended up walking out with only one thing (meaning everything else didn't look so great on, haha). A cute blue and white polka dot peplum top. I'm loving the peplum trend right now. Those of you not familiar with what a peplum shirt is, it's when the bottom of the shirt kind of ruffles out to make almost a little skirt at the bottom of a shirt. They're also really popular right now with dresses/skirts:

Who better than Kate Middleton to use as a fashion example?

Note how the top of her ensemble is in the peplum style.

Now, back to Whitney. After trying on some cute clothes and sharing some of my opinions, she decided on getting some great staples for any working woman's closet. Here are her outfits for the next few days:

The blazer (from H&M). A great way to make an outfit seem more businesslike and a great way to add sophistication to a pair of jeans. As shown in this outfit, it's also fun to pair a fun, flirty shirt underneath a blazer. It also gives you girls concerned with modesty an excuse to buy a cute tank top—pair it with a blazer! Also, fun thing: Whitney's shoes reminded her of the Commuter Fashion post I did a few months ago. Definitely reminded me of that too!

I also have this dress (from H&M), but mine has a cream and black print on it. I recommend it because of its comfort and its flattering shape. And it's only $25! I love that H&M has so many different colors/prints available for their clothing. This dress is so flattering because it drapes around the waist and creates a nice feminine shape. Whitney paired this dress with red accessories, which is definitely a good idea for a black dress. It's a great way to make a neutral dress more interesting.

For those of you who work in the office, a button-down shirt is a must. It can flatter your shape (when fitted correctly) and looks especially sophisticated tucked into a pencil skirt. Also, weather permitting, Whitney paired her ensemble with fishnet tights. I love a good patterned tight (especially lacey tights or fishnets!) and fishnets can add a fun factor to your sophisticated ensemble.

I had a lot of fun shopping with Whitney and sharing my advice and opinions on the fit, material, etc. of clothing. Those are all really important factors to take into consideration when shopping. For example, "will this fabric pill, run, wear out quickly, etc.?" "How many layers do I have to wear with this shirt?" I like to think that's the practical part of me coming out when I shop. :)

Now who's next?!