Shopping for clothes had it's ups and downs, as do a lot of things in life. I am blessed to afford to meet my needs in every way, but I wasn't super impressed with the availability of cute, missionary appropriate, and affordable clothes. Going on a mission is voluntary; in fact, you have to pay to go! I am not in the business of spending a fortune on a whole new wardrobe. Before I went "missionary shopping" I had this little theory of mine engrained in my brain:
However, I was pleasantly surprised with the haul I came home with. I managed to break my way into the "highly unlikely" category mentioned above. Here's what I did:
I stopped by one of the most ironic stores ever on a recent trip to Provo. It's called Sexy Modest...enough said. I bought a pencil skirt, a maxi skirt (just to wear before I leave), and a blouse. The hem and side stitching came out in the skirt after one wear, the maxi skirt is practically see through now and ball-y all over, and the stitching in the sleeves of the blouse ripped out after one trip to church. Needless to say, I won't be going back...but I still want to take that blouse because it's so cute!
Next, I went to various outlet stores. I am on the taller end, so I didn't have much luck finding skirts in stores like Ann Taylor or Gap, but I did get a couple of really well made button down shirts at Banana Republic. They were a good investment for me because they will last for a while, and I love the look! #winning Down East Basics has a really great selection of longer skirts and cute tops. I got a big portion of my pieces there. I tried not to get too many things there because some of their things seem to fall apart rather quickly. One thing from Down East that is great to stock up on are the Wonder Tees. You can get them a lot of different places. They are the perfect layering tees and are a great way to increase modesty.
I was super excited to go to The Sister Missionary Mall because I was hoping it would be a one stop shop. Sadly it wasn't, but I did get some fun pieces there and everything is missionary appropriate! A really cool feature they have at The Sister Missionary Mall are binders of surveys from RM Sisters. There is a binder for every continent and a section for every mission. It was so cool to read about my specific mission from someone who had served there! I learned more about the climate, things to remember, and quirky things you normally wouldn't think to bring. A lot of the Sisters left there contact information on the survey just in case you had any more questions! I spent most of my budget at Mikarose (thanks for the suggestion Meredith and Cynthia!) While I was hesitant to enter the store, I found the perfect black pencil skirt and a really cute blazer at Dress Barn. I would have never guessed!
At this point I felt really confident in my array of clothing, but I wanted some advice from the experts. I took a trip to Temple Square and had a brief chat with the awesome Sisters there. Their advice to me was so perfect I don't know why I didn't think of it in the first place! They said to look at the DI and to look at Target and Wal-Mart.
DUH!
I took a good look at the DI, but couldn't find much in my size. The great thing about the DI is that there are new things every day, and different things in every location! I will definitely keep looking (: I got a couple staple cardigans at Target and great exercise clothes.
The biggest challenges I came across were:
1. Skirt length
2. Tight fit
3. Learning to buy what's best for my body type
4. Not finding what I was looking for
5. Focusing on buying missionary clothes and not all the cute summer clothes
Luckily, all of these challenges could be overcome! I am still on the hunt for a great khaki pencil skirt, shoes, boots, and some winter things. Come fall, I'll be ready to go!
The best advice I have is:
1. a) Start at the DI, Ross, Savers, etc.
b) Then Wal-Mart and Target,
c) Then Sister Missionary Mall, Mika Rose, and Down East and stores like that.
2. Wear a layering tee. It's so helpful when you're trying on shirts to save a cute shirt that might have been overlooked due to questionable modesty.
3. Take your amazing mother if possible ;) So fun!
Any other suggestions?! What do you think? Share your thoughts and comment below!
“No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt
Click HERE for the secret to always looking beautiful!
I've heard that people are like onions, with layers of themselves. I would rather be a matryoshka doll... Pretty on the inside. You can have all the clothes in the world, but it's what's inside that counts (:
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