Shorts! With Special Guest: Rompers!

So, spending time sitting by the pool in Florida got me thinking about shorts.  But then I got back to Minneapolis where the sky was dumping a bunch more snow on the city.  Not exactly shorts weather.  However, I will not be deterred!  I braved the snow-ment that was falling and stopped into The Gap & Target.

 Pretty standard outfit for the shopping trip.  I bought the leopard print sweater at a Gap outlet years ago.  It's an XL which is probably a bit baggy, but it was the only thing I reneged on donating to charity.

Leopard print cardigan from The Gap
Skinny jeans from Express
Madden Girl Boots
Pink scarf from the market in Firenze.

As far as the shorts go, I feel like these were just an awkward cut all around.  They seemed a wee bit big around the waist, but then snug in the crotch area, then too big again in the leg openings.  I feel like these would bunch in the crotchal zone, which is precisely what I'm hoping to avoid.  They were a size 8 and maybe I could have gone to a size 6, but I think that would have been even more snug in the crotch.  Also, there was this weird up-flipping at the hem.  And they were $39 on sale.  No dice.


 Speaking of size 8s, apparently The Gap has bought into the whole vanity sizing thing whole hog.  I pulled these pants off the sale rack b/c they were $20 and I currently do not own any nice black pants.  People, these were a size 8!  Do you see how far I can pull them out?  I didn't care for them enough to searching for a size 6.  Not that I wouldn't very much enjoy being a size 6.  I think if I keep working at it, it's a definite possibility because my skinny jeans from Express are starting to be a bit too baggy after a few hours of wear once they've been dried.

The next stop was Target.  I think this is the first time a Target fitting room mirror has made me look less-than-svelte.  I think it was in part because the cardigan is an XL so there was a lot more material, but the real focus of this image is the denim underwear I'm sporting.  These came from the juniors' department and they were a size 9 and they were second-skin and I felt like my ass was hanging out the bottom.  Again, I wasn't feeling them enough to go look for another size.
 Something else I did try at Target was a romper.  Last summer, I was very intrigued by rompers, but was convinced I did NOT have the correct body type for them.  I grabbed one off the rack mostly just to prove a point of how unflattering rompers can be.  And I was somewhat surprised at how actually flattering this one was!  It was a size small and was maybe a bit snug around the waist/hip area, but for the most part, it was really cute!  I may have to go back on my anti-romper platform.  My only question (and this is actually a question I have fairly often) is that of shoes.

I stopped at Marshalls as well today and tried on a couple pairs of platform sandals.  And I guess that is the kind of shoe one wears with this look?  Or am I mistaken?  As far as style goes, shoes are the one aspect that I just cannot get a handle on.