In my family, there was back-to-school shopping and spring shopping. Every August and April my mom would take my brother and me to the mall to pick out $100 worth of clothes to last for the next two seasons.
Since my mom is a shopaholic and has raised me in the same way, our semi-annual shopping outings have continued, long after most people had ditched their parents in favor of friends for mall trips.
Marathon shopping days with parents just hold more significance than quick outings for a specific pair of jeans or after-school trips to Old Navy. The requisite arguments over what is appropriate (which, for my mother and me, has gone from her disapproving of my scandalous pre-teen jeans to me scolding her for picking out a frumpy top) build patience and personal character. And the end-of-the-day fashion shows in which you put on everything you just purchased bring joy and accomplishment that is unmatched by other shopping trips. I have also learned more from my mother about clothing, fit, colors, style, and bargain-hunting than I ever have from my “InStyle” magazine subscription.
My mom is coming to Williamsburg later this month because our August shopping trip got cut short this year. Here are a few of the items I’ll be hunting down during our outlet back-to-school shopping trip:
* Beaded belt
* Printed, short sleeve dress with waist ties
* Raincoat in a fabulously bright color
* Buffalo plaid flats
* Flirty, flowy, printed high-waist skirt
* Fruit of the Loom men’s v-neck plain white tees (and fabric dye to turn them into every color, or to tie-dye!)