I heart Anthro (again)

If you know me well, and in particular if you are my mother, then you know that if I have an event to go to—such as a wedding—I just have to get a new dress for the occasion. This partly explains why my closet is bursting at the seams. Now, while I have been able to resist the urge to shop for a new frock in the past, I will admit that I almost always fall to temptation. I mean, what better reason to get a new outfit than a party, right?

Anyway, before Steph and Ryan's wedding, I went out looking for such a frock. Only, it wasn't so simple to find! My plan was to use the $50 Macy's gift card I got as a birthday gift from the boy's parents. But alas, after trying on about 10 dresses in the Macy's dressing room, I have learned my lesson once and for all: I no longer can wear junior-size dresses. As Shakira would say, these hips don't lie. And while I wouldn't really consider myself a busty gal, my bigger problem, pun intended, was trying to find a dress that sufficiently covered the "girls."

Realizing there was nothing for me at Macy's, I tried my luck at ANGL. I have bought tops and dresses there before (remember the blue one I wore at the bachelorette party?) so I thought I would find something no problem. Not so. I had the same issues trying to squeeze my curves into the tiny party dresses. By this point, the boy, who had come along with me to do some shopping of his own, was just as frustrated as me. Maybe even more so!

Some shops in the mall were getting ready to close and I was feeling defeated when I walked out of ANGL and saw Anthropologie. It was like the clouds parted. Thing is, I knew whatever Anthro had to offer would be a tad over budget, to say the least. I went in anyway, ransacked the store and worked up a sweat in the dressing room as I furiously tried on dress after dress as fast as I could (the store was closing in 10 minutes! Eeks!).

Luckily, the effort paid off. And Anthro saved the day. I found dresses that fit my curves AND were comfy and cute. Score! Though I only needed one, I decided to get two of my three faves. Then, in a sweet gesture, the boy bought me the dress I put back, saying 'You should have it because it's so hard for you to find a dress that fits!' Ha! Thanks, I think. But really, thanks.

The boy bought the one on the left. I wore the middle one to the wedding. The blue "Greek" dress, as I like to call it, was worn the next day to have dinner with the boy's fam at Duke's in Malibu. Silly glamour shot below.

While waiting to check out, I perused a table filled with jewelry. Convenient how they put that right next to the cash registers, huh? Well, I never buy jewelry at Anthro because some of the gems cost more than an item of clothing; but, of course, I was captivated by a pair of teardrop earrings that perfectly matched two of my dresses. So even though they were 48 bucks, I scooped them up. I immediately had buyer's remorse but I have probably worn them every other day since then to get my money's worth. And a co-worker complimented me on them, so I guess that makes it worth it, right? Say yes!

To spare myself (and my mother) a heart attack at the sight of exactly how much I spent at Anthro, I won't post it here. But let's just say I put it on my credit card. Right when I start paying it down, the balance goes right back up!

Wondering what I did with that Macy's gift card? Well, I was able to put it to good use still. What's a new dress without a new pair of shoes? Especially, when they are free shoes! (Ok, I had to pay about $4 out of pocket, but that's no biggie.) I have also worn these white strappy wedges multiple times since the wedding. They may make me nearly 6 feet tall, but if you're going to be a giant, you might as well be a giant with style.

So, confess. What was your most recent splurge? And are you in love with Anthro as much as I am?