A Wedding & a Shopping Trip

My family and I went on a little trip out of town this past weekend for my cousin's wedding.  It was one of the most fun and unique weddings I've been to.  After a summer full of weddings and receptions it was actually quite fun for the last one of the season to be so different from all of the rest!  The wedding was outside at a lake and the weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor wedding.  It rained Friday, so they actually didn't get to rehearse everything, but Saturday could not have been a more gorgeous day for a wedding!

We decided to make a weekend of it and spent Sunday doing some shopping in Kansas City.  I try to go there a few times a year to visit friends and go shopping, but the last time I was up there (other than a very short trip to drop a friend at the airport) was back in December.  Since I was with my family, we didn't hit all of my usual stores, but we did go to the outlets and a couple other stores.  I still had some money in my vacation fund, so I allowed myself a little freedom to shop and get some fall goodies.  Of course I had to make a point it hit up the J.Crew Factory store, Banana Factory, Gap Outlet, Loft Outlet, and Old Navy (Super Cash!).

I've tried to refine my outlet shopping strategy in the past couple years.  I used to go a little crazy and bought a lot of items that were just so-so because they were cheap.  I didn't get a lot of quantity during this trip, but I passed on a lot of so-so items and really got items I love and that I know will get a lot of wear.  Sometimes the real retail stores have better bargains, but outlets can be a great option as well or where you can pick up new colors of past favorite styles.  I think you've just got to be wise about how you spend your money and focus on getting items that you will truly enjoy and not just grab whatever is the cheapest!

Not a huge haul, but it's one that makes me happy! :)

My biggest purchase was at the J.Crew Factory store.  I only got 3 items, but they're probably my favorites. I ended up with a light teal cardigan, a bright purple merino sweater (a total Tippi lookalike), and this gorgeous paisley scarf!

You all know how I love cardis and so this one was a must have...  I love the color and I think it's going to get a lot of good wear.  They had it styled with navy and pink and it was adorable!  I love how it also goes with the teal in the scarf.  I wore both on Monday with one of my black tank dresses.

Oh, JC, you get me every time!

You also probably know how much I love my Tippi sweaters.  I love that this one is merino like the real ones.  They had a lot of colors, but this one was really the only one that I fell in love with. It's going to be my classy K-State sweater because in real life it is totally K-State purple!  (For reference, this one seemed to run a teensy bit bigger than the retail store Tippi sweaters...  I've lost a couple pounds, but I don't think that's why since I wore 2 of my other Tippi's this past week.  I tried the size smaller, but kept my regular size in the end in case so I can have some layering options.)

I was in love with this paisley from the retail J.Crew stores last year, but never had the opportunity get anything.  I was thrilled to see it had made it to the factory store!  It was on sale 40% off, plus my 15% teacher discount making it a little under $24.  I know I'll get a lot of wear out of it, so I decided it was worth it to grab this one while I could!

I was pressed for time by the time I hit the Gap Outlet and really didn't see much that I couldn't live without.  I found this shirt, though, and knew it needed to come home with me.  I have the yellow version and it was a nice easy summer shirt.  I tried this one with a cardigan (that I didn't buy) and it looked really cute layered, so I know it can go for cooler or warmer weather.  It'll even go with my new scarf!  I got this hot pink bag for free (with an e-mail promo) and saved 20% on my shirt!

Please excuse the wrinkles!  My shopping bags got crushed on the way home!

My only other purchase was this picture from HomeGoods  (seen in the first pic).  OMG, I love that place!  My mom had never been before and she pretty much said she could go crazy in there.  This one is for my kitchen and goes perfectly with my memo board I made last summer.  (Come to think of that...  I'm not sure I ever did that post. Hmm...)

The only thing I was really hoping to get that I didn't get was a nice navy cardigan.  I tried a couple, but none that I loved enough to purchase.  I'll keep searching.  I doubt I will die from lack of navy cardigan disease.

Have you done any shopping over the last couple weekends?  
What fall finds have you picked up so far this season?
What's your outlet shopping strategy?




PS ~ Please forgive my slightly crappy photos...   I'm still trying to figure this camera out and figure out where and when is the best place for me to take pics.  I just can't quite seem to get it right!