Dressing Room Follies: TJ Maxx Edition

I still love to play dress up. I just do it in dressing rooms now instead of my mom's closet. And sometimes I inevitably fall in love with what I try on and take it home with me, which is why I don't play dress up in dressing rooms all that often.

But this week I stopped in TJ Maxx to browse around and decided to document the experience for my blog. Because I thought it'd be fun at the time (though it's probably going to just be embarrassing.) Oh well, here goes...

Item #1 - Navy jersey cowl neck shirt with ruched sides

Sorry for not remembering the brand name of this. It wasn't one I recognized, and the shirt was about $17. I thought it was a flattering fit and color, though the ruched sides were a little too reminiscent of my maternity clothes I just parted with mere months ago.

Verdict? "Meh."

Item #2 - Kimsche sequined chevron jersey top

Ok, truth be told, I adore this shirt and had already tried it on like three different times at the 'Maxx. This was on the clearance rack at $7, but some threads were coming loose and it was missing almost a whole row of sequins. The tag said "final price as is" and I thought $7 was too much to pay for a shirt in that shape.

Verdict: Should have bought it earlier.

Item #3 - Cynthia Rowley open cardigan

Such a pretty sweater. Lightweight, gorgeous color, and intricate, lacelike details. 

Verdict: I like this one. A lot.

Item #4 Bailey Blue V-neck jersey dress

Pretty dress, with cute smock detailing. The v-neck, however, was pretty darn revealing. (My sense of modesty doth protest!) 

Verdict - I liked it, but probably wouldn't feel comfortable to wear such

a plunging neckline without a cami.

Item #5 - Calvin Klein red dress

I love red, and I love oversized "flutter" sleeves, but this was a little too much dress. I probably would have liked it better in a smaller size but this was as small as it came in my store. 

Verdict - beautiful, but too much fabric.

Item #6 - Cynthia Rowley gray dropwaist dress

This is a different shape than I'm accustomed to wearing, and I'm not sure if it's "right" for my curvy, mother-of-2 figure, but I liked it. The fabric was of super quality. And I'm a sucker for anything with pockets.

Verdict - I think I like it.

So what did I end up taking home with me?

[Drumroll please...]

The Cynthia Rowley gray dress.

I really liked how it looked with a cardigan (though, sadly, I did not get the pink Cynthia Rowley sweater with the dress,) and could imagine at least a dozen different ways to style this simple dress. I know I'll get a lot of wear out of it this fall, and through the winter.