Returned $250 Worth of Clothes

A long time ago in a far off land I loved trips to the mall. While not everything looked great on my curves, for the most part outfits fit. And as a student I could get away with wearing funky looks, including low-cost versions of trends.

These days, I'm having trouble finding the right look for work. Over the past few weeks I've done a lot of shopping, and despite spending a lot, not much buying.

Old me would have kept items I bought hoping to be inspired to wear them one day, even though in the back of my mind I knew I never would. But from now on I'm not letting any money go to waste, especially on expensive clothes that I just don't love.

So I returned the $130 pair of patent leather shoes to Ann Taylor that were too big and had a high heel that I'd never wear. The other day I found a pair of low-heel shoes by Nine West that were $78 and have worn them every day since. The Ann Taylor shoes are back at the store and the money is back in my bank account.

I also returned a blue cotton Theory dress to Bloomingdales that cost me $140. I don't love the dress. My boyfriend says it makes me look bigger than I am, which was enough to inspire the return. So that's back to the store as well.

Even with returning those items, I've purchased a few things I am keeping:

2 pairs of machine washable work pants from Nordstrom petites, $78 each.
4 button down short-sleeve shirts from Express, about $20 each.
1 Calvin Klein black jacket, $99.
1 pair of black shoes from Nine West, $78.
1 black turtleneck by Theory, $80
1 gray sweater jacket by Theory, $140
1 pair of Ann Taylor black pants, $100
1 blue dress t-shirt for work at Ann Taylor, $40
1 skirt on sale at Express, $20

So I've spent a lot on work clothes, but I feel better now that I've returned the two items that I'll never wear. Right now I'm looking for a few items that I need, and then my work wardrobe will be complete..

- 1 brown or blue jacket (for brown pant days)
- pair of brown shoes (or shoes that match brown pants)
- 3 button down long sleeve shirts that are machine washable and actually fit me

I've been looking at all the stores but have had no luck with these items. Oh well, nothing wrong with waiting until next month to make more purchases. I haven't even gotten my first paycheck yet!