Anthro and BR fitting room reviews

I went shopping last Saturday in Kansas City because I had to be there early anyway to participate in a 5K run/walk (I walked!). It was in the 90s so my hair and makeup don't look the best by the time I took these photos. I did buy some basics because I was desperate for new clothes since I have barely bought any for myself since I started having kids nearly 7 years ago. The following photos are from dressing rooms at Anthropologie and Banana Republic. All items are full-price right now so I have to wait for them to go on sale if I want to buy any of them.

I recently lost about 10 lbs. and I was so happy to mostly move out of size Large and back down to my regular Medium. I'm hoping to lose another 15-20 lbs.

 

Wrap dress from Banana Republic. I didn't see it online so I don't have a link to it. I've figured out that wrap dresses are most flattering on my figure so I'll be stalking Banana Republic for this dress to go on sale. I think they also had it in black, but only in a few sizes.

 Braided Belt Knit Dress in Blue Freeze color, Banana Republic. It's practically sold out online. I really liked this one. I think this would continue to look better as I lose weight.

 Tied Campanula Dress, Blue Motif color, Anthropologie. I really like the way it fit me. The skirt is very full so it made me look a little bigger on bottom than I liked. When my husband saw this photo he said the colors were horrible. It's $148 so even when it goes on sale it will still be at least $70. I don't love it enough to buy it at that price.

 Scalloped Stripes Dress, Blue Motif color, Anthropologie. This is not a typical style I'd go for but there's a celebrity interior designer (Cortney Novogratz) who wears dresses with this similar cut and I thought I'd give it a try. This one is size Medium and fit me just a bit tight, but when I try Large it's usually loose around the shoulder area and looks sloppy. I was surprised my husband didn't hate this one. I think this could look and fit even better as I continue to lose weight to reach my goal. Will look for this one to go on sale.

 Polka-Dotted Mini Dress, Black Motif color, Anthropologie. This is another one I would normally not try on because of the cut. The fabric was upholstery-type-ish and it doesn't have any zippers or buttons so it's made kinda roomy. I had no problem getting the dress on, but it did feel a bit snug and you can see on this photo that it looks tight around my arms. When I went to take it off it got stuck. I had my arms way up in the air and I couldn't get it over my shoulder area. I immediately remembered that my back lateral muscles have grown from weight lifting and that's exactly where this dress was stuck. I started getting hot and panicking. I thought I was going to have the sales attendant help me peel it off. I was able to bend down and wiggle it free.

 White Gulls Dress, Blue Motif color, Anthropologie. I thought this dress was going to be a home run because of the cute birds print and the flowy fabric, but it looks very strange on me. To make it worse, there are high slits on the front and back where the fabric is side-gathered. I read the online reviews and other women found that problematic. Not getting this one!

Gilded Estate Skirt, Sapphire color, Anthropologie. I'm completely obsessed with this skirt. The color and pattern are stunning and it fit me like a glove. I worried a little about getting crease marks from sitting while wearing this. It's $128 *gulp* so I would only get it on sale.