Grandma Was Right About Everything

Last month, both Talbots and Chico’s reached out to partner with me. The great humor of this is that when I was young, my Nana (my Mom’s mom) shopped at Talbot’s almost exclusively because it had petites, and my Gramma (my Dad’s mom) shopped at Chico’s because she liked a loose silhouette. And now, here I am, the once young, stylish offspring eating her rolled eyes and cheeky sneers with a knife and fork.

But what can I say? I’m 43. I need a sleeve. I need a defined waist or an undefined waist depending on that day. I need a dress I can sit in, bend over in, and pick up a toddler in without flashing the other folks at the barbecue. And I am here to convince all of you that these retailers, whose catalogs once graced the coffee tables of our grandmothers, make clothes that you will actually want to wear this summer.

Don’t believe me? Just look.

This Tie Waist Midi Dress has a fantastic embroidered eyelet pattern. It has just a whisper of a sleeve. It’s long without being too long. And as soon as I replace that flimsy belt with something like this white woven belt, it will look effortlessly elegant.

In case you missed the story on this Chico’s tank dress, I will repeat it. Chico’s sent me the red dress as a gift. I loved it so much that I bought the black dress. Then, I wore the red dress to the 4th of July Parade and convinced every female family member present to hop on their phones and snap it up from the holiday sale. So easy. So comfortable. Has pockets. Runs TTS.

This yellow eyelet top from Talbots is the top to wear with your white denim and your navy shorts. It’s bright and fun and pretty.

Also, the weather won’t be searing hot forever. In two months, you’re going to be holding a pair of leggings in one hand and searching for a top that looks nice enough to be seen in with the other. And here it is, a No Iron pocket tunic. Full length. Good tailoring. Toss on, and go.

Also, has anyone else suddenly developed foot issues? I used to be able to strut through a miles-long Capitol tour in heels, now my feet hurt just looking at a pair of heels. Not every shoe at Talbot’s is a winner for a woman under-50, but these gold mules are. And it’s so nice to flip through a catalog and know that each shoe was designed for comfort as well as appearance.

As long as these retailers have diamonds in the rough for me to shop. I will be shopping there. It only takes one good dress or one great blazer to change your mind about the retailer you once balked at.

{the partners featured in this post let me pick any product from their website I wanted to promote — no rules, no approvals — just freedom to promote what I wanted and be paid a small commission (a couple hundred dollars) for featuring their content. as always, I only accept partner posts from brands I’ve used before and know my readers will like, even if it might hurt them to see that Talbot’s tag *wink*}