At last, the promised report on my shopping trip to Mall of America: I had posted a shopping list before going ( http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....pping-list ), and while I didn’t get everything on my list, I feel I did make some headway. I have not taken tags off anything (except the bras and tanks) yet; I wanted to get YLF feedback before finalizing these purchases!!

I started with a bra fitting at Nordstrom. I was pleased to come away with three bras for everyday use, one of which has detachable straps so it can be worn as a strapless bra. The bras that worked best for me were from the Wacoal Petites line. The fitting confirmed what I had suspected: I have been wearing too large a band size since reaching adulthood. In the past I have bought a 34 band size, but after reading more about how bras should fit, I suspected I would actually need a 32, which turned out to be the case. Now my bras stay put, since I have no cleavage to hold them in place!

For jeans, I went straight to the Lucky store, per Angie’s suggestion. The lowrise jeans turned out to be *too* low, so I ended up with a midrise, the Classic Rider. Here’s a photo: http://i285.photobucket.com/al.....oo/096.jpg . (Note: the funny wrinkly-looking area on the right leg is the sticker, which I haven’t taken off yet.) The kicker is that the jeans are two sizes smaller than jean sizes I have worn in the past. I’m wondering if some of my jeans problems (terrible waist gape in most styles, bagging at the crotch with some styles) are partly due to wearing my jeans too large? The inseam is a bit too long for me, so they’ll need to be altered, although the saleslady suggested just tucking the excess under in the back. Does anyone do that and have success with it? I am very leery of having these shortened since my last pair ended up too short. I will definitely be shopping for a different tailor! Also at the Lucky store, I did try on several other styles and washes of jeans, lighter weight summer pants, and clamdiggers, but found nothing else that worked.

At various retailers, I tried on a wide variety of white bottoms, from clamdiggers to walk shorts to capris that I thought I could shorten to walk shorts if need be. I just didn’t find the right fit and look…still lots of issues with waist gape, too-thin fabric, pocket show-through, etc., etc. So I didn’t come up with any summer bottoms. I’ll have to keep an eye out and limp along with my tired khaki walk shorts.

I also did not find the knee-length, A-line dark wash denim skirt I was hoping to purchase. Here’s one available online that might be a possibility: http://www.llbean.com/webapp/w.....38;feat=sr . Does anyone have other suggestions?

I had no luck with dresses. In fact, I tried only a few on. Most of the prints seemed too large for my height, or they were strapless, spaghetti straps, or halter tops, which I don’t do. So, as an alternative, I ended up purchasing two skirts, and, with the advice of Tanya to “shop for outfits, not pieces” and Angie’s advice to avoid skirt orphans, I did get tops for both.

The first skirt is a green/pink/black/cream floral print (the brand is Bernardo, via consignment), and is paired with the Banana Republic top Angie featured in her “Skirt Orphans” blog entry. I am concerned about how I look in the black with my fair skin. Feedback, please? Also, the shoes in the photo are the Naturalizer Verdum: http://www.zappos.com/n/p/p/7375476/c/129707.html . They’re certainly not 8-hour shoes, but there is such a dearth of colorful, attractive flats available in extra wide that I dare not send them back. I actually wanted yellow, but they were sold out in my size. So now I have *one* pair of skirt shoes! Photo: http://i285.photobucket.com/al.....oo/097.jpg .

The second skirt is a turquoise and white print (the brand is Harold’s, via consignment). I ended up going with a sheer white blouse, also from BR, to go with the turquoise and white skirt. Photo: http://i285.photobucket.com/al.....oo/091.jpg . Obviously, the skirt is miles too long and will be shortened to my ideal knee length. After looking at this outfit, I wonder if I need more waist definition, perhaps in the form of a belt? Ana, I’m counting on you to suggest widths and colors! I had hoped to get a rich pink knit top that could work with both skirts, and found one that was perfect, except they didn’t have my size in stock at the store. It is available online, so I could order it: http://www.cache.com/cache/con.....2A70216664 . What do you think? The style of the top does wonders for my non-existent bust. Also pictured is one thing I purchased which wasn’t on my list: a new handbag to replace my tired, 5+-year-old summer bag. As I thought about what colors would best accessorize my frequently worn reds and rich pinks, I decided yellow would be perfect. Although yellow looks awful too close to my face, I felt I could get the current look and pop of color with a yellow handbag. Here is the one I purchased from Wilson Leather: http://www.wilsonsleather.com/.....age=search . It has really grown on me!

I did not find any wrap tops. I only had one day to do all my shopping, and I certainly wasn’t able to do my list or the selection justice. Tanya, any recommendations that could be purchased online? I saw the ones you posted for Sarah, and I really like the first one.

I purchased tanks in red (surprise, surprise!!) and cobalt blue, as well as a couple of new white ones to replace the ratty leftovers from last year. I am considering tracking down a rich pink tank or cami to wear under the sheer white BR blouse with the turquoise skirt. Or would that look odd?

Whew! That’s a long post! I will appreciate all your feedback. It’s good to be back.