Dressing Room Diaries: First Fall Finds at Marshalls

I've been looking for fresh content and new ideas for this blog, and after a few trips to the mall and stores while I didn't have much spending money, I came up with the idea of what I'm calling "Dressing Room Diaries". Usually I don't try clothes on in stores unless I'm planning on buying what I'm trying on and really need to see how/if it fits.

But now I've realized that trying clothes on is a good way of trying on trends before buying and getting outfit ideas even if I don't currently have plans on buying anything. Lately I've been trying to think more about my purchases and not buy something simply because I like it and can. So trying clothes on more is a good way to see how I can wear one piece of clothing multiple ways and what it could go with that's currently in my closet.

So for this first dressing room diaries post, I'm featuring a few looks from a recent trip to Marshalls. Now that it's mid-August and school's starting back up, more fall clothes are hitting the shelves and racks, so I decided to try out a few new things.

(I know there's a pair of pants in the photo above, but they aren't actually featured in this post because they didn't fit and I couldn't find them in any other size.)

Floral and leopard print bodysuit and Rewash leopard stripe denim skirt

Leopard print is one of the rising trends for fall and even the summer, and this outfit features a bit of the print on the bodysuit and the skirt. A lot of leopard print clothing includes the animal print by having it everywhere, but these pieces give just a hint of it. So it's nice to see something different but still trendy.

Here's all of the bodysuit, which is actually super soft. It's definitely the softest top I've ever worn, so that's definitely a big plus to wearing it. The combination of florals and leopard print is definitely unique and something I've never seen before. It provides a nice juxtaposition of girly and edgy.

It's so weird to me to see these denim skirts back in style, because I wore these all the time when I was in fifth and sixth grade, and now they're back. This is one of the first trends I wore as a kid that's come back, so it's just weird to see all of these clothes I wore as a kid come back. 

Anyway, there's a way for these to not make it look like it's 2005 again, and the leopard print stripe on the sides is definitely one way to do that. It's a cute, easy way to incorporate two trends into one.

CiSono cropped utility jacket, Stella Luce bodysuit, and Rewash A-line skirt

I saw all of these pieces separately and liked the colors of them and thought they would go well together. They're all very fall-like colors that could be paired with a lot of different things for the fall season.

I haven't seen much about jacket trends for the upcoming season but really liked this one that I saw. It's a flat, muted pink color and is made from a more structured, thicker fabric that works well for fall. I also really like the tortoiseshell buttons that have been so popular lately. Its cropped fit gives you options as you could wear this over a shirt and jeans or a casual dress. 

A nude bodysuit may look weird considering it's meant to look like the color of skin, so you may think 'Why or how would you wear that?' But honestly it could be useful. Ever wear a semi-sheer shirt where your bra annoyingly shows underneath? If you wore a nude bodysuit under it, then there would be just one solid, natural looking color underneath and no bra showing. 

Japna snakeprint top 

The last thing I tried on during this Marshalls trip was this pink and blue snakeskin print top. Like leopard print, I've been seeing a little bit of it in the summer but am seeing more of it pop up for fall. The cool thing with snakeskin print is that it looks cool in lots of different colors, so you could arguably make it work for any season.

I didn't have any bottoms to try these on with, but what I really liked about this top is how versatile it is. You could wear it with some denim shorts or jeans for a casual look or pair it with some black pants and heels to dress it up. You could wear it underneath a blazer or a cardigan, with sneakers or flats. The possibilities really seem endless, and that's always good to have when buying a clothing item.