February Target Haul: Midsize Fashion

It's so cliche, but man do I love Target. Their clothes are so affordable, and I love seeing the fashion on real women when I shop online. I did a little winter clothing haul and purchased a few things I've been dying to try. I paired some items with a few things I already had, but most of what I tried on was new!

I've been keeping my eye on the upcoming colors and trends expected for spring and summer this year and I'm really excited about the patterns and colors that we can expect to see! I wish that I had more places to go (thanks COVID!) so that I can rock my new clothes, but work and the grocery store will be my runway for now!

I promise to give you my honest opinion.

ONE

Gray Women's High-Rise Skinny Jeans from Universal Thread- Size 12

8 out of 10

I love these. I wanted to wear them every day this week. I haven't had a gray wash pair of pants before and I honestly didn't expect to like them because I figured they'd look a pair of black jeans that I'd had too long that just got dingy.

These do not look like that! They are frayed at the bottom just slightly, there's no seam. They also come up to about my belly button, not too high and not too low. They give me such a great figure.

These pants are also super slimming, they held my mom pouch in and I wasn't self conscious that I didn't have a shirt covering it all day! Big win! They are very stretchy and don't dig into my stomach. I can squat down in these, sit on the floor comfortably, and don't feel like I need to unbutton my pants every time I sit down. If you know, you know. Is the hair tie trick still acceptable to use if you aren't pregnant? Asking for a friend...

I paired these with a cropped tee with ruffled sleeves from Forever 21 and Steve Madden slip-ons. I thought they also looked great with a deep green camo shirt tucked in or tied right above the waist. I actually picked this shirt up at Target, too. I'm in a size large.

I also paired it with one of my favorite tunics that I got on the Jane app. These bottoms could truly go with any color top! I love them and would definitely recommend.

The price point for these bad boys was $29.99. That tempted me to go buy a few more pairs so I could wear them even when the other pairs were dirty. Yes, I love them that much.

January Midsize Fashion

Romantic Valentines Day Gifts for Men that are as Unique as He is!

TWO

Women's Floral Print Balloon Long Sleeve Wrap Top - Universal Thread™ Blue- Size XL

5 out of 10

I really wanted to like this shirt. I've been drooling over others wearing this and how cute they look in the cropped peplum style. Plus, I thought the print was super versatile. The blue floral could go with any season.

When I put this shirt on it fits well comfort wise. The material isn't restricting and I really like the stretchiness around my stomach. The sleeves are a good length too.

But, I don't love how boxy it made me look. It was so cute, but just not how I prefer my shirts to fit. The peplum style flows out and hide my mom pouch that I try to draw attention away from, but the length of the shirt on my torso accentuates it anyways.

The neckline is super cute too, but definitely not something I could wear if I was out with my kids (who are notorious for grabbing the necklines of my shirts and yanking). I also can't wear this shirt to school, either. It shows just a little too much cleavage to be considered professional wear, but will be so cute at a farmers market or a date night!

I usually wear a size large in shirts, so I'm curious to see how a large would have fit. I definitely would size up in this.

The price point for this is right on track, too. $16.99! You can't go wrong with that!

THREE

Women's Short Sleeve Button-Up Trapeze Dress - Who What Wear™ Cream- Size L

6 out of 10

Again, I am really excited about this dress! Let's be honest, I get so excited about every single piece of clothing I buy. I pretty much wait by the door for my packages to arrive.

This dress is a great length and actually has a lot more room in it than I imagined. I pictured it being really stiff and the arms to be tight, but the fabric had a bit of stretch to it and it was super comfortable. I am 5' 7" and dresses tend to hit me just below the butt which makes it difficult to do things with my children and at work (bending over to tie a kindergartener's shoe? Not without flashing!), but this dress is just fine.

The buttons are really large and all functional. I had to unbutton three of them to get the dress over my head. I mean, I do have a big head but that felt a little overboard! I love the color but will definitely have to be careful with what I wear underneath. Also, I'm super clumsy and usually shy away from white or cream, so I'll need to be extra careful.

At first, this dress gave me Austin Powers on Mini-me's shoulders wearing a trench coat vibes. So oddly specific but when you see it, you'll understand.

I would recommend this dress, its versatile for any season. It could go so well with slip-on dress shoes, sandals, wedges, booties, leggings and high boots, etc.

I'm usually a size large in dresses, so this was true to size.

The price point for this was $36.99. I got it for 30% off, but it still felt a little high for the quality of material in my opinion.

FOUR

Women's Short Sleeve Casual T-Shirt - A New Day™ Purple-Size L

5 out of 10

I have been loving this color. Actually, I bought this color for a lot of items in our daughter's nursery to compliment the dark green colors in it. (Check out the tour of her nursery in this post).

When I saw this shirt I had to have it. I love looser fitting tees that can be really versatile. I like pairing them with jeans, black jeans, dress pants, skirts, denim jackets, etc.

The fabric is super soft and stretchy. It's not clingy, but I do with the shirt was a bit more flowy. I didn't expect it to fit like it was cropped but it did. That is very much the style right now. I'm not necessarily a huge fan just because it's not something I can wear to work, too. The sleeves were a nice length, though. I don't love the capped sleeve feeling, it feels super restricting to me, but this definitely did not feel like that!

This shirt looked super cute with no matter what wash of denim I paired it with! I would pair this with silver jewelry to dress it up a bit.

This shirt was true to size and the price point was unbeatable. Only $5?!? Are you kidding me? You cannot go wrong.

FIVE

Women's Leopard Print Slip Dress - A New Day™ White- Size XL

6 out of 10

Again, I'm usually a size large in dresses. I ordered a size up because I knew the slip type dress materials tend to be clingy and I didn't necessarily want that, but xl was a little too big for me. The length didn't hit me quite right.

I tried this dress a few different ways. First, I tried it by itself with some black booties. It looked edgy and I actually dug it! That's not my usual style but I felt great in it! I wasn't loving the length of it, I wish it was just like an inch shorter, so I tried knotting it on one side and that looked cute, too!

I then paired it with my denim jacket. It definitely gave me kindergarten teacher vibes--hey, just calling myself out here. It was super cute and I'm waiting for warmer weather to get here so I can wear it to school.

Then, I added a tee on top knotted with my Steve Madden slip on shoes. I love those shoes but they just didn't make the outfit. I think it will be super cute with black strappy sandals or heels or a chunky sneaker.

I would definitely recommend this dress. They had it in a camel color, too. It fit true to size and the price point was awesome, just $24.99.

SIX

Women's High-Rise Distressed Skinny Jeans - Wild Fable™ Black 12

6 out of 10

I have been looking everywhere for a pair of distressed black jeans or leggings. I tried these ones because for $20, you can't go wrong.

These were a stretchy material and could go with just about anything I paired them with. My favorite look was a black tee with a light wash denim jacket.

You could also pair with just about any shoe and these pants would look great. I do wish the bottom was a bit more distressed near the ankle, but that's just me being picky.

These bottoms were a little tighter in the waist than I prefer, it dig in a little and make me look a little lumpy. They're just not the amazing gray wash bottoms I tried on earlier! I'm like the bachelorette Clare after seeing Dale, you just can't talk me into giving anyone else a fair chance. It is what it is.

They were pretty true to size and very well could fit another size 12 gal perfectly, I just didn't love how they hugged my curves. The price for these is just $20.

SEVEN

Women's Puff Short Sleeve T-Shirt - Wild Fable™ Pink L

4 out of 10

I really surprised myself by purchasing this shirt. My closet is like 80% black clothing, 10% navy blue, 5% red (my alma mater's colors and my current school district's colors) and 5% every other color. It is 0% hot pink! But this shirt peeked my interest!

Again, this shirt came much more cropped than I expected. It's the style that's in right now so I should have known, but it just made me look perfectly square. I like accentuating my curves, so I don't love how I feel in the shirt. Plus, the puffy sleeves makes my shoulders look boxier than I prefer, too. This was a thin material as well.

I really think this shirt would be so cute on so many of my friends, but it wouldn't be the first shirt I suggest for curvier gals like me!

This shirt only cost $8. Uhm, wow! I didn't realize how friendly the tees at Target were priced.

I can't wait to be able to walk into Target and try on clothes again! Ordering online is so much harder for me, I prefer to hold the clothes in my hand and make pairings as I go. I feel like my creative side shines more and I get a little more brave when trying things on than I do when I have to pay for them before they get to my house!

To see my daily looks-- mom looks, teacher looks, and casual midsize looks, head over to instagram and follow along @this.unfilteredlife. I'd love to see what new trends you're trying and what you want me to try next!

Until next time,

Erica