In my very first post I spoke of doing a “small town parade” of curvy-friendly stores. That was 2 months ago and I’ve been somewhat derailed a few times (thanks to fabulous trips and first dates). However, I’m back with another store report.

Yesterday I went to Cato with the intention of taking some “inside the dressing room” pics. But as with a lot of my plans, things didn’t go the way I thought. I got into the dressing room with a top to try on and realized I was wearing a dress. Since I wasn’t about to take a picture of myself with no pants (I know you’re disappointed), I had to improvise.

I should probably mention that I’m horrible at improvisation. (I should also mention that I was feeling particularly lazy yesterday so I opted out of the simplest solution – trying on new pants with aforementioned top.)

The result: poorly staged purchase photos, a bathroom selfie and a picture of me with the top of my head cut off.

I told you, I’m horrible at improvisation.

Let’s start with the shoes.

I actually have a pair of very similar shoes already in my closet BUT the heel is higher and they are extremely uncomfortable. When I saw this pair and tried them on, I decided I could replace the old ones. Then I saw the clearance price of $7.99 and I was SOLD!

Once you’re done laughing at my horrible camera skills, please acknowledge how much better the colorful cardi looks on me than on the hanger. I love the colors and the fact that it satisfies that inner hippie I was telling you about. Additionally, any item of clothing that you can wrap yourself up in like a blanket, is a total winner in my book.

This shirt was the proverbial cherry on top of the sundae. I thought I was finished shopping and was headed to the register when this caught my eye. Let me tell you why it is the perfect Amy shirt.

• First, it’s solid but has lace detail on the sleeves. I LOVE my solid pieces but I like them even better when they have some kind of texture or special detail added. It makes me feel less guilty about always buying solid pieces.
• Second, it’s maroon. I’m a Texas A&M Aggie (hence the gig ’em sign…a.k.a. “thumbs up”). This is the perfect shirt for the impending football season. I hate the way I look in t-shirts but I like to have school spirit while I scream at the TV screen. This shirt is the solution I’ve been looking for.

Lastly, I wanted to include this picture. That’s my smug face.

Why so smug? Because I took a lazy, unprepared shopping afternoon and turned into a #shoppingwin.