I am a little behind on my blog once again. This past weekend was a busy and fun one. On Saturday I was lucky enough to have had my sister-in-law, Michelle, come own from Astoria to go shopping with me. She is always very put together and I felt I could benefit from her helping me select clothes to take with me to Japan.
We began at the outlet mall in Woodburn. I had been there before where I did purchase quite a bit of clothing from Eddie Bauer and a few other stores. This time my goal was to have outfits that I could wear to work and look more professional. This may surprise a lot of my Colorado Springs friends since I always seemed to dress so casually (more Eddie Bauer-ish).
Our first store was White House Black Market. I really like this store because my favorite color for my clothes is black. I tried on a ton of clothes. I need up getting two skirts, and three sweater and/or shirts. I was so happy with my first stop being so successful. From there we headed to Van Heusen where I tried on many outfits. I ended up getting many blouses, scarves, pants and a skirt. Michelle was great to shop with because she is a big fan of What Not To Wear. She helped me find cuts and colors that help me to look my best. We selected skirts and blouses that can be interchanged to create different looks and outfits. At the Bass shoe store I was in luck because they were having a very amazing sale. You bought one pair of shoes and got two pairs of shoes for free at the equal or lesser value. You could also buy one pair of shoes for 60% off. Michelle even pointed out why would you buy one pair of shoes and not get the two for free. So, needless to say I left with three pairs of shoes. I bought one pair of heels that can go with all of the different outfits. I also bought a nice pair of gray suede shoes and a pair of sandals. I am thinking that at least one pair of these shoes can be my "school" shoes in Japan. We went to The Dress Barn, which I should say I had never been to before. I do not know why I feel intimidated by stores that are new to me. Hopefully I will get over this. I got a purple and a brown skirt, a pair of black slacks, a couple more blouses, a scarf and some earrings and necklaces to top off my outfit. We were getting hungry by this time, but our plan was to finish up at the outlet mall so we could then eat and head to the Keizer stores. So, we had to hit Jockey so I could stock up on camp undershirts and underwear. You may think that is silly, but going to a new country and needing to have at least 12 months worth of clothes makes you wonder how long some of these items will last. After shopping at Jockey I felt much more prepared for my under attire!
By now, we were starving and getting a little exhausted. Well, I will speak for me....I was becoming exhausted after all the shopping and the heat. This was a very sunny and warm day in my next of the woods.
There were no nice sit down restaurants at the outlet mall so we drove to Salem and ate at a delicious Italian restaurant. It felt so good to be in an air conditioned building and to have some ice cold water to drink. We hadn't had anything to eat or drink since heading out to shop. I am sure this was not the best thing for us to do, but we had a lot of ground to cover.
After dinner we went to the Keizer stores. I have never been a Ross shopper and it isn't because I don't want to save money buying my clothes. It is that Ross takes a lot of work. Michelle is a talented shopper so I knew I was in good hands. She took me through the store and I can't even tell you how much clothing I tried on. I was getting tired. I did get some little shrugs to wear with different outfits and a couple pairs of pants. We ended up having to leave just when we were getting our second wind because it was 9:00 PM and all of the stores had closed. What a bummer. It was probably for the best. I had spent enough money for the day ( and longer).
All in all between the two different days that I shopped for new clothes I walked away with a bunch of new clothes that I am looking forward to wearing in Japan. I bought a new Coach purse and wallet at the outlet mall. I bought two bottles of perfume, at least 9 skirts, 4 or 5 pairs of dress pants, 5 pairs of casual pants/cropped pants, a couple pairs of city shorts (dressy), 3 scarves, 5-6 blouses, about 10 shirts from Eddie B., and about 4 pairs of shoes....as well as all of the stuff from Jockey. It is amazing to think that it took me moving to Japan to finally get a new wardrobe. I haven't taken pictures of everything, but when I get a few photos I will post them.
If anyone has any other suggestions for places to find good clothes for a bargain let me know. I still need gray pants, a couple of items from Soma, and make up. Maybe I will buy a new suit if I have time and have the courage to try them on. I don't love bathing suit season so I may have to pass, although I may need one in Japan.
OK, that is all for now. More to come very soon about Friday and Sunday's activities.
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