If I had to choose one word to describe this weekend, it would be shopping.  And only because I spent a total of seven hours at the outlet mall on Saturday.  Two of my coworkers from London flew in to Miami on Friday (we have our biannual team meeting this week) and spent the night with us so that we could hang out and go shopping in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday.  And shop we did!  As you probably already know, the exchange rate favors the pound over the dollar, so my coworkers were in heaven as we walked through Sawgrass Mills Mall.  And honestly, so was I.  I truly believe that the best deals occur after the holidays (January-March), and this shopping excursion proved it.  We all walked away with some fun purchases.

So while at the mall, I came to realize something about my shopping strategy.  I’m a double duty shopper.  What I mean is that I try to buy things that are both work appropriate as well as weekend friendly.  And if you think about it, keeping both work and play in mind while shopping is also a money saving strategy.  That’s what I told Vishnu when I came home anyway!

I should mention that there is one caveat to this whole thing.  Your workplace dress code.  Business casual (depending on your company’s definition) is generally a little more lax, while business professional usually equates to suits.  I’m lucky to work in a business casual environment in Miami.  As long as you’re not coming to work in jeans and a t-shirt, no one really cares!  In fact, creativity is encouraged.  I’m really trying to use that to my advantage as I work on my personal style this year.

As I packed for my stay in Miami this week I picked out a few of my favorite double duty pieces to share…

This wrap dress is from the Banana Republic outlet store.  Great for both work and a date night.

This dress is also from the Banana Republic outlet store.  Paired with a blazer or cardigan, it’d be perfect for work.  I wore it to my company’s holiday party, and I think it worked well in that setting as well.

 

From left to right, top to bottom: J Crew outlet store, Target, J Crew outlet store, The Loft, and The Limited.

Each of these tops work with both jeans and dress pants and can be dressed up or down for almost any occasion (note: iron before wearing!). 

And finally, these plain t-shirts from the Banana Republic outlet store are awesome, awesome, awesome!  They fit extremely well, and if paired with a blazer or cardigan, can be worn to work.  And because they are super double duty, you are guaranteed to find me wearing one on the weekends. 

I just realized that there’s one more caveat to this whole double duty thing.  A lot of work appropriate blouses/dresses require you to hand wash or dry clean, and if you wear them often, this could end up being quite a pain.  However, in my opinion, it’s well worth it.

Well, I hope your weekend was relaxing and fun!  And here’s to another good week.

What are some of your shopping strategies?  Favorite stores?