Dressing Room Diaries: Forever21

This post has been sponsored by Royal Hawaiian Center as part of an ongoing partnership, but all thoughts, copy and photography is mine alone.

It’s been a minute since my last installation of Dressing Room Diaries! I guess I just haven’t really been shopping and when I do it’s for things like laundry detergent or dog food. #realtalk Anyway – Dane and I headed down to Royal Hawaiian Center over the weekend and I couldn’t help but pop into Forever21. It’s been awhile since I browsed their racks, but they usually have some good stuff in the summer, so we decided to stroll in.

Dressing Room Diaries: Forever21

First things first — the Forever21 at Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki is 3 levels (maybe even 4?! I did see another escalator, but I didn’t venture up) of different styles for men and women, plus more accessories than you can even dream about! Truly, I could have spent way more time and money in there. Note to everyone: The styles at Forever21 this season are on point, even if you aren’t 21 😉

This is an extra special Dressing Room Diaries, because Dane even found some things! So, let’s get started…

Dressing Room Diaries: Forever21

Neon Fitness Shorts – I saw these bright neon shorts and they caught my eye immediately. I love the neon color (they come in pink neon, too!), but more importantly — they are an almost identical dupe to my favorite Lululemon Tracker Shorts. I tried on a size medium and loved the fit. I did a few squats, too, and felt like they moved well with my body. They are lined, so no worries about the light color or having any see-through issues 😉 They even have a zipper in the back to store things, which I thought was a nice bonus.

While they fit great and I know I would have gotten use out of them, they stayed at the store, but I sort of regret that now looking at these photos again.

Strapless Maxi – The color is what drew me into this dress, so I picked it up in a size small to try out. The material is very light and thin, so I had some slight worries about it being see-through or just overall unflattering. That said, I LOVED it! The cinch at the waist is really flattering and so is the color, plus since the fabric is so light it’s a great summer staple piece. I would see myself wearing a jean jacket over it for spring or as you transition to fall.

I am often worried about maxi dresses being too long on me (I’m only 5’4) and I know that realistically – I won’t take them to be altered – so having a maxi that works “as is” is important to me. This one checked all the boxes and it was majorly comfy to boot! It stayed at the store, because I really only wanted to get one dress and ended up choosing the last one I tried on!

Striped Jumpsuit – You guys, I wanted to love this so much, because it’s a great material and I loved the tassel ties on the shoulders. It’s SUPER cute on the model online, but I think on me, it just fell flat. I think that maybe if I was a little bit taller it would have worked really well, but it definitely did not flatter my body type. I think I would have been more inclined to love it if it weren’t so dang long. I tried it on in a size small and it stayed at the store. BUT! If you are taller than me, this would be a very cute look on you. I love the v-neck and vertical stripes!

Floral Maxi – While we were walking through the store, Dane actually say this print and showed it to me. I fell in love instantly, because of all the color and the shoulder ties. Though, to be honest, I really didn’t think it would work on me because of length. Turns out — it was my favorite try-on! Folks, I very rarely get a win as a card holding member of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee, but this one is a homerun for us small-chested ladies. Why? Those tie up straps are the perfect amount of fabric to make this dress both flattering and a great fit. It’s not too long and it’s also not see-through, which is the perfect summer combination for me in maxi dresses. For $30, this one came home with me! I tried it on in a small and I know it’s a dress I will wear for many seasons to come!

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a big fan of headbands, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to swing through the accessories department on my way to the register. I picked up the American Flag Headband and the Abstract Print Twist Front Headwrap. Since I wear a headband almost every day, it’s nice to add a couple new ones to the collection, especially when they’re less than $5/each.

And I would be remiss in not mentioning that Dane actually found something for himself while we shopped! To be honest, I didn’t even realize Forever21 sold men’s clothing, but THEY DO! And honestly — some of it is really nice! Dane wears polos or short sleeve dress shirts for work each day, so an update every now and then is in order. He found these two shirts that he wanted to try on.

Both were slim fit in style and looked great, but he wound up bringing home the Men’s Floral Shirt since it is red, white and blue. Should Dane do more Dressing Room Diaries? I feel like he is a natural! 😉