I’m only a day away from departure (sob!) but a few things have happenned back home that have made me keen to get back to Australia, so it’s a bit of a too-soon / not-fast-enough kind of conundrum!
The Sophisticate and I spent last night in Kansas City picking up the second wave of antipodeans descending on Bolivar for The Big Family Reunion. It was bucketing down rain, so we didn’t manage to do much of the shopping I’d anticipated, but the trade-off was that we got to spend the evening at the Gallery, which was – frankly – AMAZING! I haven’t seen such an extraordinary range of art and artifacts since The Louvre, and I could have happily spent another day perusing. Instead we met up with an old family friend, Sally, who this morning to us to two of the very best vintage places I’ve ever stepped foot into. More about that later, but first: another dressing room report.
Whilst in Kansas City one of the few places I ended up weathering the rain for was the MASSIVE Forever 21 I could see in The Plaza. You see, in San Francisco I was surprised and disappointed to discover that actually, very few Forever 21 stores carried the plus-sized “Faith 21” line, but I figured that the whopping great two story behemoth in Kansas City MUST, even if the one in SF hadn’t. Alas, this proved not to be so, so it looks like I’ll leave the US this time without having been able to check out their products in person.
I did try a couple of nice-looking silk tops on in Forever 21. One was ridiculously too tight:
The other about perfect, but I was cranky about how the Plus Sizes had been relegated to being, basically, online only so I decided not to spend any money there (and I’m sure they missed my $24.80, lol!)
Instead, I headed up the road to Ross, which seems to be a bit of a dumping ground for lots of close-out items from more boutique stores. Which is to say: there was rarely more than one of anything, but you could find some amazing gems, and when you did they’d be good and cheap! Everything was categorized by item (dress, shirt, pants, skirts)
At Ross I managed to find something I’d been searching for fruitlessly in Australia.
If you can see past the grotty mirror, and the crinkled fabric you’ll see my perfect cream shift dress: From Liz Claiborne, fully lined, cowl neck, tulip skirt and perfectly fitting. I skipped out of there, so thanks to everyone who recommended I checked Ross out!
I love the cream dress! Gorgeous! I could never wear it though – within minutes it would be covered in food debris and I would be bound to have a time of the month accident in it as well (sorry if that’s too much info!).
I wore a ivory wedding dress but my mother made me wear a bib during the dinner…I’m that bad!
Beautiful dress!
That dress is amazing! I love when a Ross trip ends with some serendipity and finding something you really want and love.
I love the cream-colored dress although I cannot imagine wearing something like that. Maybe I should start trying. Just started reading your blog after seeing an article about it in the German magazine Maxi. I love your blog!!!
Ahhh! Ross is the best, isn’t it? Basically 100% of my non-thrifted clothes (so like… 10% of my clothes) comes from Ross. I just got a new winter coat there that’s nicer than my old one and it was only twenty bucks. I never seem to have any luck with their dress selection though, so congrats 😀
I got a Gothic Lolita-esque trench coat there once with bell elbow sleeves, double breasted collar, and pintucked back. Came home and googled the name on the tag and it was 120.00. I paid 10.00. Ross is the greatest 😀
That white dress looks divine on you! I use to have a Ross near me when I lived in Georgia. Sadly, I never was able to find anything worth buying there.
This cream dress is to die for Lilli, I am so glad you bought it. In my most fancy dreams..I see myself wearing a dress like this, with a beautiful clutch bag and pumps.
Also cream is better than white, it is warmer and gentle on any skin tone.
oh btw Forever 21 used to be favourite store before I finally out grew their sizes. I am not very fond of their plus size line.
The white dress fits you like a glove! Just lovely! I’ve always said that when you go to Ross, you must have both time and patience. Like you said, there are hidden gems to be discovered but you have to be willing to really look for them. That said, they do carry out of season by good designers like Liz Claiborne, who’ve I’ve always thought caters to the career woman, much like Ann Taylor.
Love the white frock, very Jackie o
Oh my gosh cute dress….and I haven’t been on for awhile. You are so close to me right now ( I live in Nebraska). Hope you have had a nice trip. KC is wonderful place to visit.
The cream dress is so cute.
I like forever21 – they have such cheap accessories.
The cream dress looks great on you 🙂
I have heard Ross is a fantastic store.
Hi Lily,
That cream dress looks AMAZING on you!! My DH and I spent our honeymoon in the US and I remember well the Ross stores.. they were fantastic! Old Navy was also a favourite for hoodies that were gorgeously thick and warm (think Billabong and Roxy back in the 90s when I was at high school- but a fraction of the price!)
Glad your dad is ok now 🙂
Ronnie
Thanks Ronnie – I just ironed it actually, and it looks even better. Can’t wait to wear it.
The dress is lovely!
A Forever 21 with a plus section is such a rarity. If you are ever back in the states, there is one in Minnesota at the Mall of America (and I’m sure others). I’m lucky enough to go to University only 15 minutes away from it. Even there, though, the plus section is tucked in the back and only constitutes about 1/6 of the store. But they often have a lot of items that aren’t listed online so it is always worth it. And there is a separate store for accessories! Oh the money I have spent there…