Back to School Shopping: Part Two

On Monday, I wrote a post about back to school shopping. Well, my own entry inspired me, and it didn't take long before I was at Wal Mart, the mall, Target, and, finally, on the phone ordering from a Victoria's Secret catalog (in that order, allow me to explain...)

I started my back to school shopping at Wal Mart, in a quest to stock up on shampoo, conditioner, picture frames, etc, for this semester. Well, it seems that Wal Mart basically got rid of anything useful they used to sell, rearranged their entire store, and hid their employees so that nobody could help me. Oh, and did you know that at Wal Mart you can't buy just one bottle of Lysol wipes? They only sell them in a pack of three. I did not want three. I don't clean that much.... So, after an hour of walking around Wal Mart with a confused mind, frustrated appearance, and virtually empty carriage, I purchased what little I was able to find there, and headed directly to the mall. I walked in, went straight to H&M, spent 70 dollars on back to school clothes, and quickly exited the mall before I could do anymore damage. Next, I went to Target, found everything I could not find at Wal Mart, plus so much more, and bought some adorable back to school decorations and items (plus one shirt I couldn't resist.) Then, I headed home, saw that I had a catalog from Victoria's Secret in the mail, with a 70% sale and free shipping, and spent 37 dollars. The end.


Here are pictures of all of the relevant items I bought on my back to school quest. Everything is, of course, AFFORDABLE, and I got a lot for my money. (I'm working on one day having pictures that are artistic/high quality, but until then...)


(Yes, I am fully aware that only one of these items is for winter. Call me crazy, but I still have summer on my mind. I'm just not too concerned with practicality)

White Romper: Victoria's Secret- 10.99
Bathing suit top (underneath): Victoria's Secret- 9.99
(Unfortunately, the bottoms were sold out in my size.)

Blouse: Target- 19.99
The rest I didn't buy recently, but include Forever 21 shorts, Charlotte Russe sandals, and a belt that came attached to a shirt from a random store I found in NY.


Yoga pants with knot on side: Victoria's Secret: 16.99

Pink high waisted skirt: H&M- 12.95

The rest of the outfit is from previous purchases: Charlotte Russe sandals and necklace, AERIE ring, Forever 21 top. Since I'm so obsessed with finding bargains, and proud of myself when I do, I happen to remember the price of everything I am wearing here. The grand total for my outfit? 40 dollars.

Picture board with floral pattern: Target- 6.99. I can't wait to fill this baby up.

Baby Pink shirt with tie and sequin detailing: H&M- 17.95. It's perfect for wearing out with leggings or dark skinny jeans.

Ridiculously comfortable black zip up: H&M- 19.95

Black Crop shirt: H&M- 4.95. GREAT DEAL. I ended up putting a tank top underneath the crop shirt because it shrunk and got a little too short for wearing out. I will definitely wear it sans an undershirt to the beach, though. My pants were previously purchased from Forever 21.

Striped dress (that definitely makes me look like a candy cane:) H&M- 17.95
The belt is also from H&M. I bought it at the beginning of the summer for 7 dollars. The shoes are Forever 21 and cost around 10 dollars.

Out on the Town

The beginning of the school year also means the beginning of having something to do on a Friday and Saturday night. I generally buy casual clothing, firstly, because I'm naturally drawn to it, and secondly, because Storrs, CT isn't exactly the classiest establishment or fanciest area. This means that I never know what the heck to wear when I'm going out to a club, bar, or, essentially, anything other than a party in a filthy house, with broken couches and a flooded bathroom. Therefore, I've been making it a point to buy clothing I can picture myself wearing out, even if I would normally put it aside, claiming that I would have nowhere to wear it. This post is perfect for any girls out there with the same issue.

I really love tight, high waisted skirts... loose, decorated tanks...high heels, (but not too high)...dark, skinny jeans... and, of course, dresses.

Ok, so these Charlotte Russe heels are pretty high, but I think they'd be awesome with leggings or skinny jeans, and they're only 25 dollars.

This American Apparel high waisted skirt comes in 8 different colors, and is 25 dollars.

This tank from Charlotte Russe is only 4.99. That's crazy cheap, considering I saw basically the exact same thing at J-Crew for 32 dollars. It would look great tucked into a high wasited skirt and jazzed up with a long necklace.

I absolutely love this 26 dollar, Charlotte Russe dress. It's undeniabley cute.

I think this Charlotte Russe top is extremely pretty, perfect for going out, (especially when paired with dark bottoms) and a steal at only 22.80.

Learning to Fashion

As much as I hate to admit it, summer is coming to a swift end. It's just about time to hit the books again, which SHOULD mean that I'm preparing myself to learn, but really, back to school fashion is on my mind. Although I no longer take back to school shopping as seriously as I did in high school, I still have a few items I'd like to purchase (or have already.) As I said in my CollegeFashionista post, back to school fashion incorporates two different seasons; the fading summer and the looming, quickly approaching fall. Back to school fashion finds a way to make summer linger, but also keeps up with the ever changing weather. It also means showing off your new and best back to school outfits for all of your peers to admire.

As always, my back to school looks MUST be affordable. Especially since the end of summer means the end of my employment and the beginning of my seemingly unending spending.

My back to school wish list:

A cropped shirt (which I finally found at H&M,) Leather boots, One last sundress, Cardigans and light sweaters, high waisted skirts, yoga pants...I'm sure I'll think of more eventually!

Some inexpensive finds:

This 24.80 Forever 21 dress is perfect for the early fall.

29.99 J Crew Ruffle Sweater...on sale!

 

24.50 Victoria's Secret yoga paints :)

The picture for this skirt was being fussy and wouldn't post, so here is the link for the adorable Urban Outiftters skirt. It's a little pricier than I normally like, but the whole outfit is just so darn cute and perfect for the fall season.