It’s Monday, it’s hot, and it’s humid, that means a floral romper and sandals are in order. In case you haven’t noticed, I wear rompers quite often these days. It hasn’t always been this way, as I’ve just recently starting sort of appreciating my muscular legs, and I have been feeling brave enough to show them off every now and then. There is certainly an art to picking the right romper given the plethora of romper options out there. My go to place for the ultimate romper is American Eagle. One of my favorite things about this store is they are size friendly! I’m a curvy girl, and us curvy girls can’t shop everything off the rack. Size really does matter and American Eagle goes up to size XXL. As you already know, I’ve had struggles finding the right fit for shorts, so rompers come with the same set of rules (i.e. flowy at the thigh, fitted at the waist, preferably no prints, just solid colors). The print for this post was not to bad so I bought it :).

Granted I have to be extra careful with shopping for shorts, I do have some creative freedom with rompers, and love to find ones with interesting necklines and sleeves such as the one I’m wearing in this post. If your wondering, I’m currently crushing on these rompers from American Eagle:

Romper 1
Romper 2
Romper 3
Romper 4
Romper 5

Many of the American Eagle rompers are on the casual side and can be worn with a cute sandal or flat, so if you looking to rock a romper for a dressier event, I’d check out the following locations:

– Ann Taylor
– White House Black Market
– New York and Company (Eva Mendes Line)
– ASOS
– Nordstrom
– J Crew
– Banana Republic
– Ann Taylor Loft

Just so you know, retailers are starting to get shipments of their fall clothing lines in so you know what that means? SUMMER SALE. Note: the first two rompers linked above are on clearance 😉

I frequently shop most of the locations listed above for a dressy look or work-appropriate look. If you are on a super budget like me, I recommend a trip to your local thrift. I ALWAYS find a cute piece or two there, and have paired some pretty quirky looks together that can easily go from day to night. Speaking of thrift, I’m going to start a thrift series basically sharing all of my thrift finds and how I style them. I’m so excited. Hope this helps and happy Monday!

Sincerely,

Deidra Marie

Finding the right short lengths have been a bit of a problem. In all honesty, up until a few months ago, I’ve stayed away from shorts just because I thought they weren’t really all that great looking on me, but I figured out that length and how it lays on your thigh truly makes a difference. I have short legs and a really long torso so making my legs appear longer is the goal when wearing shorts. That being said, any shorts that hit at the knee or longer, such as bermuda shorts, or shorts with an 11′ inseam are not the best option for me. If you have a leaner thigh, you can definitely get away with shorts that are more form fitting to the body. I’m not in that category, and for this particular outfit, I chose to do a more flowy short that doesn’t cling to the thigh. Below I’ve provided a few things I feel matter when you are on the shorts hunt.

1. Inseams Matter
When shopping for shorts figure out the inseams. This will help you with rise and help you determine if the length will look flattering on you. Inseams matter most when shopping online. Take your measurements if you have to. Rule of thumb, if your 5’4 or shorter, you might want to consider shopping petite sizes, if you shop regular women’s sizes, chances are your shorts will be way to long. This may work to your advantage if you prefer a longer short.

2. Fabrics Matter
I like cotton, something that breathes, because my thighs are thick and I need some type of air flow, LOL. Denim is nice, but if you sweat easy you want a fabric that moves and breathes.

3. Colors Matter
I’m fuller on the bottom so I like shopping for colors that are dark with minimal prints and patterns. Of course, if you are leaner on the bottom, I recommend you go crazy with the bright colors, prints, distressed look etc… Sadly, I don’t find that very appealing on me. Lastly, if you sweat easy, it’s best to buy dark colors to avoid seeing sweat stains.

4. Waist Matters
I find that some shorts will fit perfectly in the thigh, but fit very loose in the waist, and vice versa. If your willing, get your shorts tailored. I’ll tailor shorts that I paid very little money for so I don’t feel bad for spending additional money on making it fit. The shorts I’ve worn for this blogpost have a drawstring, this is also a clever option.

5. Shoes Matter
If you have short legs, your goal is to lengthen! lengthen! lengthen! I do this with a comfortable wedge or if I know I’ll be sitting most of the day or I’ll wear a cute block heel. If you have long legs, rock a cute statement flat or sandal. If I absolutely have to wear a flat, I opt for a pointy toe flat, it provides balance to the lower half of my body which is much fuller.

Happy shorts shopping good people.

Shop similar shorts, top and jacket at the links above. I’ve also linked my cute Ralph Lauren wedges for your shopping pleasure. Happy Monday, lets get it!

Sincerely,

Deidra Marie