Hello readers! Today is NOT about books. If you subscribed for books, see you Tuesday! This is just a quick pop-in to show you the outfits I bought yesterday for next weekend’s graduation extravaganza ~ all in brick and mortar very traditional stores. I was so successful and wanted to show that it CAN be done!
I live in an area that has a little shopping, but not CITY shopping. We have a mall, but it is dying a very slow and painful death ~ it was at it’s absolute height back when I worked retail in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s but has been losing stores ever since. COVID decimated it. We also have an Old Navy and Target and Kohls. That’s about it! I attempted to do an online haul for next weekend and ended up returning EVERYTHING. My body simply needs to try things on!
The Events
Next weekend includes LOTS of graduation events! Friday is a very small graduation ceremony at my daughter’s very small charter high school followed by dinner at a pizza place. Saturday is her graduation party at a shelter in a city park with her friends. These are all pretty casual events, but I want to wear something special, both to feel good and for pictures!
Then on Sunday, I’m flying to New Haven, Connecticut for another niece’s college graduation. There are ceremonies on both Sunday and Monday with dinners out both nights and I was told to dress as if I were going to a wedding. Which, where I live, can mean LOTS of things. So, I went shopping with my phone yesterday and was texting my sister and niece the whole time to make sure I didn’t embarrass anyone at those events - I mean, I went to a wedding at a LITERAL WORKING BEEF FARM and was the only one in jeans and then went to a wedding at a fancy event venue and was way overdressed. My everyday style tends toward casual and funky and I usually am not winning when it comes to appropriate outfits.
The Outfits
I shopped at JC Penney, Maurices, and Target and you guys, I was so happy with what I was able to find! These are the types of stores that so many of us have available in our smallish cities, but I admit to often skipping over them and just ordering stuff online. I’m glad I took the chance!
Here is the jumpsuit I found at Maurices for my daughter’s graduation ceremony:
The dress I found at Target for my daughter’s graduation party:
The dress at Target I found for flying across the country, riding a bus and a train, and walking for an unknown distance and then wearing straight to my niece’s Class Day ceremony, all while wearing a backpack:
The jumpsuit I found at JC Penney for my niece’s actual Commencement ceremony
The absolute win is I will be able to wear ALL of these to work and for many other events and NONE of them are one-wear purchases!
The Other Stuff
Everything at my niece’s graduation is outside and spring = always a possibility of rain. We have been assured everything will proceed in the rain. That means I need to wear shoes that can withstand being poured on and and walked in for hours when wet. Usually I wear my Birks for almost everything, but for this, I’m wearing these Tevas. My feet are incredibly fussy and I refuse to buy dressy shoes I will never wear again, and I also refuse to ruin my Birks in the rain. My poor children get so mad at me when I complain about the rain because I’m wearing my Birks ~ perhaps that’s why two of them only wear Crocs?
And here’s the rain jacket my mother insisted that I purchase after I lamented how my current rain jacket is horrible ~ she’s a full-time outdoorsy person who lives climbing and biking mountains, so I trust her guidance! I’m only traveling next weekend with a backpack, so I need something waterproof and packable, and I really did need a new good rain jacket. And now when I’m visiting my mom and she checks to make sure I have a rain jacket in my pack (she ALWAYS checks), I can assure her I have the one she told me to buy. She told me to get the bright yellow one, but I got black. Sorry, Mom! I did have to order this since we don’t have an REI nearby.
Speaking of only traveling with my backpack, I’m going with my larger Cotopaxi bag for this trip since I have to fit EVERYTHING in it and may end up walking with it for who knows how long depending on when my flight gets in on Sunday!
And there it is ~ your style guide from the least likely source! Given that one of the comments I got from a student this year involved asking me if I dressed like a Minion on purpose, one colleague always seems to comment with “wow, I never would have thought to put those together” and I usually attempt to get the absolute most wears possible out of every single item (my favorite pair of Birks has puppy teeth marks in them and that puppy is an old man now!), a shopping trip not on Poshmark and resulting in this many dressy outfits is worth noting. If you’re also in middle age, on a budget, and don’t usually buy special occasion clothes, I feel you!
And now I shall sign off to eat my Mother’s Day cake the oldest bought me while looking at the flowers my son (MY SON!?!?!?) bought me and then go paddleboarding with the girls and then attend a soccer game in the sun. Life is pretty damn good 🖤
That’s all for this edition, my friends!
Thanks for reading,
I love to hear from readers, so please do reach out to me with questions or feedback at mindfullibrarian@substack.com . If we aren’t already connected on Goodreads, I would love to see you there as well!
I love all your outfits! Thank you so much for sharing! I think I’m going to look for that last jumpsuit for myself 😊
I love this, Katy! Such cute outfits. Have fun at the celebrations!