Random advance praise for …Forever21.com?

Before a little shopping trip last week, I felt like “forever twenty-one” should be a dirty, dirty term in my vocabulary, reserved only for whispering. Why? Well, I spent the ride home figuring that out.

My conclusion? Like many other ladies my own age, in the past two years, I’ve suddenly found myself paying my own bills in a post-grad lala-land. I started a career job and attending “networking” events and slowly began resenting my clothes I wore in college to my 6-hour design studios; I realized after my first interview that they were a far cry from the office-saavy outfit I imagined myself wearing in my daydreams.

So, somewhere in the last two years, I slipped into thinking that the places I bought clothes in college are suddenly off-limits “as an adult”.

Well, I have new feelings: I’ve learned that the physical places I bought clothing at really have little to do with the maturing process of dressing… what I understand now is that the style of clothing or place it comes from isn’t as important as understanding the quality of what I’m buying. AKA There are certain times and places for certain clothing. AKA, I can totally love my Forever21 sundress I’m wearing at this cafe, but I should maybe skip on wearing it to work.

I’ve found my new sundress from Forever21 isn’t really appropriate for business hours (see the neckline), but it’s totally awesome for a breezy afternoon in the park… AND IT WAS 22BUCKS. Everybody wins.