On Monday, I promised that I would reveal what I’d bought at Anthropologie on our spontaneous Dallas trip, and I mentioned that you might be surprised. Honestly, I was talking less about the specific items I chose and more about the quantity of them.

I’ve only ever set foot in an Anthropologie a dozen times or so, and of those dozen times, I’ve only ever bought an article of clothing (and always only one) maaaaaaybe 4 times (including this dress, which was totally my husband’s “fault”).

This time, though, I was armed with a wad of cash that I’ve been hoarding from selling items on our local swap and shop. For some reason, I’m willing to pay more for things I really want from a store I love when I’ve “earned” the money, and I have it in hand (I rarely use cash for anything).

If you recall, these were the items I took with me into the dressing room.

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Both the red and the blue dresses were the same, and I wanted to love them, but, although it’s hard to see in the pics, they were covered in a swirly ruffly design on the fabric, which didn’t do too many favors to my already wide-ish torso (I’m not bashing myself; my bone structure just isn’t narrow through my rib cage).

But everything else I loved.

So…everything else I bought.

Shocked, much?

Here’s how it broke down:

Green wool blend skirt: $19.99

Floral top: $39.99

Green mixed print top: $19.99

Black top: $9.99

Floral belt: $19.99

Throw in a plate for $8, and I wiped out my swap and shop stash, with one dollar to spare. Now, that’s precision spending right there.

Did I pay more than I normally would? Definitely. Especially  that floral shirt. My fingers kind of faltered when I typed 39.99. For one shirt. But I loved it, and I had brought that money specifically for a trip to Anthropologie and told myself ahead of time that if I had enough to buy something that really caught my eye, I wouldn’t guilt myself over it.

{It’s debatable whether I actually listened to myself since I just wrote a whole paragraph justifying the money I spent : )}

ANYHOO, in the spirit of my pink pants {3 ways}, floral shirt {3 ways}, and white dress {3 ways} posts, I thought it might be fun to style that fun, flippy green skirt 3 different ways, using only the pieces I bought at Anthro (plus shoes I already own).

And so, I give you first…

the sophisticate

I can see wearing this option to a bridal shower or even a business meeting.

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I especially love the playful touch the polka dot heels give the look.

Next, we have…

the cowgirl

Both this shirt and the black one from above actually have a  slightly loose and flowy silhouette on the bottom, which doesn’t exactly lend itself to sleek tucking in, but with a belt and boots, I thought the puckering at the waistline actually worked pretty well with the casual, cowgirl-esque vibe. I would wear this one to church or for a dinner out with girlfriends.

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And last, we have…

the artist

Did I mention I love this shirt? Shockingly enough, so does my prints-averse husband (okay, maybe he doesn’t love it, but he expressed surprised approval without my prompting, which is a pretty big deal for him). He was less enthused about my floral belt, but I’m choosing to ignore that one because I absolutely adore it.

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{Did you notice my spray painted Goodwill heels? They’re still going strong!}

I would wear this version on date night (I  guess I’d have to lose the belt, huh?) if we were going somewhere fancy or maybe to a wedding.

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And there you have it, folks! 3 different ways to wear one green skirt (obviously, I haven’t gotten over my emerald color crush yet).

Did you have a favorite of the three? {I’m torn between the last two}.

Also, do you find yourself willing to pay more when you’ve already designated cash that you earned specifically for shopping? I don’t know why, but there’s just something mentally freeing to me when I can separate out a portion of money as “mine only.” I still love a good bargain, but it doesn’t seem as imperative when I’m not spending my husband’s money on it. 

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy.

14 Comments

  1. Wish this was a thrifted or grifted post because, for once, I was right about your choices! I loved everything on you except the navy and orange dresses and was hoping you picked all the other items!!!

    Being one who is known to “but it all and return it next week” shopper, I tend to make my decisions better at home (plus, I’m always on limited time and don’t have time to debate when I’m paying a babysitter at home)!! I do greatly prefer to buy with cash but I don’t think it influences how much I spend: if I LOVE something (and especially if I found THOSE prices at Antropologie) I get it without guilt: when I adore something, I rarely feel guilty about it (in fact, I bought a full price, STUNNING, dress-of-my-dreams at White House Black Market recently and I was in love…but we didn’t go to the event I bought it for after all and it broke-my-heart to return it EVEN THOUGH it was great to have the credit/cash back)…

    SO: my favorite of the 3 looks is hands down, the 3rd…with the floral top and belt; everything about it…LOVE!!

    Makes me happy you were able to get all those beautiful pieces with your hard earned cash…don’t feel guilty! You did well and will love those pieces forever 🙂

  2. Oh I’m so glad you got those pieces and not the dresses! You have a beautiful figure but those dresses did nothing for it and the other pieces are so flattering!

  3. love it! love your hair! is it weird to ask for a pic of the back of your hair?? as a fellow curly girl who just cut her hair off after keeping it long all her life, i’d like to see the back for a pic to take to my stylist. Thanks!

  4. I love that you got all of that stuff – especially because you got really good deals and used money that you worked hard to earn! The green skirt is so pretty – I love all the ways you styled it!

  5. the cowgirl is my favorite but I luv those polka dot heels! I think you did really well – esp for good quality clothing. I do feel more inclined to spend more money on stuff if its allocated.

  6. I love the cowgirl one! So cute. That shirt is so flattering. I also have a print-averse husband! When we got married he would only wear gray and black (we have since broadened his horizons into the world of blues, reds, and greens).

    I definitely will spend more on something if I have earned the money in an “extra” way, like selling things on ebay or something. I have so many goodwill purchases I end up never wearing, so I think one $39.99 shirt I definitely WILL wear is totally worth it. Well done!

  7. The cowgirl is my favorite of the outfits, but they’re all cute. I’m the same way about spending a lot of money on an item for myself. But I have learned that it is good to pay a little more for things that I’m going to feel good about and will last. The times when I will do it is if I have birthday money or something like that. Then I feel like I can get whatever I want with that money.

  8. I’m the same way about spending money. I love to have Paypal money for that reason. haha

    I’m glad you got all the things you wanted! It’s good to do that sometimes! I was pulling for the dresses, but I noticed that they aren’t nursing-friendly. Do you find yourself automatically ruling clothes out that aren’t nursing friendly?

I love hearing from you guys!