Back to school shopping - aka, I'm a bad, bad girl.

I spent a bit of time shopping in Nashville yesterday, and I was a bad, bad girl. Specifically, I shopped for some back to school items and spent a bit more than I planned.

First, Talbot's is having an amazing sale. I've now checked out my local Talbot's, Talbot's online, the store in Hendersonville, and the outlet store in Opry Mills. Altogether, I've purchased 4 amazing dresses that I'm sure will last me for a long time. I paid less for all 4 of them together than I would have paid for 1 at full price, but it was still a bit painful once the final tally was figured. I'm def a fan of a sheath dress because I love the simplicity of the cut and the retro 60s vibe that they create. Nobody does a sheath dress better than Talbot's, ya feel me?

Next, I ventured into the Polo Ralph Lauren outlet at Opry Mills. I'm not a huge fan of their casual wear because the tops always feel too short for me. Big boobs + tshirt = short tops. If I get a bigger size in ladieswear, then the fit is just wrong. If I buy a men's tshirt, then the fit is really wrong. Nevertheless, I thought I'd bop in there to check out their sale items at least. Of course they had something I needed. I snagged a fall dress - long sleeve navy with gold buttons and white trim - that is just to die for. At just $24 and change, it was quite a steal from it's original pricetag. Yes, it came home with me too.

In Hendersonville, I grabbed a couple of the spa body cremes from Bath and Body Works at half price. I absolutely love their spa line with eucalyptus and mint and various ingredients. I'm not a huge fan of their floral scents, but that spa line does it for me every time. Prob is that it rarely goes on sale. At half off, I had to purchase a couple of tubes of body creme at least. I checked out a Coldwater Creek going out of business sale, but their prices were still too high. The last time I checked, 70-80% off shouldn't still mean a $25+ pricetag. Besides, I waffle as to whether I think their clothes are 'too old' for me. I know that's hilarious since I'm no spring chicken (hello, I'm 42), but that doesn't mean I want to feel old in my clothes. Yeah, it's exhausting being me sometimes. At Ross, I found a fabulous retro print BCBG dress that is both comfy and cute - that's almost an impossible combo, ya know.

The piece de resistance (why can't I create accent marks for my French terms?) came when I visited the Michael Kors outlet store. I'd been coveting an MK bag for a while now, and yesterday I bit the bullet and purchased one. In fact, I also went ahead and purchased a matching wallet! Let's just say I had a bit of sticker shock when I finally handed over my debit card. I trust that I will love that bag for years to come, and that my investment will be worth it. If not, I'll really hate myself. For now, I'm keeping my 'beloved' in its protective bag, only to unveil that baby when I head back to school in a couple of weeks.

Do you do much back to school shopping for your family? If you don't shop for kids, do you find yourself getting sucked into the back to school frenzy? My argument is that I'm a teacher, so each new year is like going back to school for me. The argument makes a little bit of sense, except for the fact that my closets need some major editing to be manageable. Looks like that will be on my to-do list next week. :)

Y'all be on the lookout now - Lowder's going to be stylin' in her sheath dresses and swanky bag beginning August 1!

**Disclaimer - yes, I know this post needs pics, but I thought it'd be more fun to 'unveil' my purchases as I wear them. I'm working on the concept of delayed gratification here. We'll see how long I hold out!