Sea of Sullivan: Fall Shopping Essentials

I wanted to talk about my shopping plans for this fall, don't get mad, ok? It's just that I still get so excited when I see ads for back-to-school shopping. I know it's sick, but it's the result of having a Mom who's a teacher. She even loves this commercial:

This time of year brings back memories of how much I used to love to go back-to-school shopping with my mom and sister for sweaters, plaid, and tights. Every year around this time, we would spend a day at the mall buying shiny new shoes and crisp sweaters and jeans. After, I would excitedly run up the stairs to my room, dump out all my bags, and re-try on all the clothes we had just bought.

My best friend through elementary school, Lauren, would always have her first day of school outfit picked out by July. It always gave me such anxiety since I was never even close to having mine picked out yet. Picking out your first day of school outfit was so stressful- it was the first impression you got to show your new classmates how cool you'd become over the summer. I clearly always nailed it- especially since our mom had this peculiar thing of always liking us wear plaid the first day of school. On the first day of third grade I insisted on wearing a Batman hat to match my plaid skirt. I was always pushing the envelope when it came to grade-school fashion.

I still intend to nail it this fall, and these are the items I think will help do it. It all goes with my Hustle & Shine Strategy of shopping smarter too, because I've been taking mental stock of the items I need to round out and fill certain gaps in my wardrobe.

1. Chunky gold necklace