Gap: Magic!

Knowing that I would be at BlogHer, the Gap invited me to come to one of its stores and try on some clothes to wear* to the big event. Since this made me feel like a movie star, I of course said yes (and because there is a Gap near Mayberry–so many other blogger events are too far away for me to consider).

Although I know many department stores offer the service, I’ve never used a personal shopper before. The only time I’ve ever had a salesperson suggest clothes for me was probably when I went to Kleinfeld’s for my wedding dress (true story). And here’s the thing, when someone else picks out clothes for you, they choose things you might not have ever dared to try on.

Exhibit A: Slim crop pants. Yes, I cropped my head out of the picture because I had a goofy look on my face. But the point is, who knew I could wear slim-fitting, basically tapered-leg pants? I certainly didn’t. But my friend Meghan at the Gap did.

She also suggested the skinny belt at the waist–clever. Also note the cute gold shoes.

I also tried on two other pairs of the new Black Magic pants. The curvy pants were also super-flattering (and one size smaller than I thought I’d need, speaking of flattering). The perfect trouser pants were a little overwhelming on my short self. Even in a petite size, they were just too much fabric for me.

Next up, jeans. Again, Meghan managed to drag me out of my comfort zone and into a pair of … legging jeans! Two pairs, actually, in two different washes, and I liked them both.

In the first pair (classic wash, I think), Meghan styled me with an embellished v-neck tee, a slouchy v-neck sweater, and the very comfy, very packable city flats (I’m including all these links so you can see better pictures if you’d like). The bag is the metallic canvas hobo.

Once again, I was amazed that these jeans looked good. I did have on a different pair at one point that gave me the bubble-butt look–super-wide in the hips. But these legging jeans didn’t do that. With the right top and the right shoes, they look good and feel comfy too.

Here I am in the second pair of legging jeans, in the faded dark wash. With the faded spots in just the right areas (front of thigh), these were even a tiny bit more flattering. The red Ray-Ban style shades don’t hurt, do they?

In this picture I’m also wearing the cascading ruffled tank (didn’t love the straps/sleeves on this one), a wide braided belt, and that cozy yet cool cardigan.

I left the store with not only some new clothes, but a new resolve to try new things. Even if you don’t have lovely women like Meghan and Lori helping you when you shop, you can grab something different and give it a chance. You might be surprised.

And if you need some ideas about how to put clothes together into outfits, don’t be afraid to peek at the mannequins or just ask a staffer. Maybe you’ll find your very own Meghan.