Simply Bliss {ooh! and a giveaway!!}

It's been a little over a year since I started my capsule wardrobe life, and in that time, I've learned quite a lot about what works and what doesn't. I'm still building it, piece by piece, and I just got something new!

So because I like to think we're the kind of friends who go shopping together and give opinions after trips to the fitting room, check this out!

As you know, I have {for many years now} shopped at Cato nearly exclusively, but in an odd twist of fate, Kokomo does not actually have Cato. {What!?!?} My backup store was Old Navy and Kokomo's store closed right around the time we moved.

Sigh.

So I've started shopping online a little more, even though this makes me nervous, because I'm a girl who kind of needs to try on clothes to make sure they fit my oddly proportioned self.

Here's a shop I just learned about: Simply Bliss Boutique. It was started by two friends {who are, by the way, adorable} who met in a class at church and ended up going into business together! Their desire is to provide clothing options to women and girls who want to be cute and trendy without losing all modesty in the process.

And it just so happened that one of the pieces in their boutique is the exact thing I was looking for to add to my capsule. Happy coincidence!!!

Here's the thing.

It's no secret that my thermostat is broken. Like my personal thermostat. It's hard to layer up when doing so produces an overheating of gargantuan proportions. So "throwing on a sweater" just doesn't work for me. I had two vests in my capsule that were sleeveless and lightweight, and I liked them, but I needed one more: a neutral one that could go with anything.

AND THEY HAD ONE!!

I was so excited.

One thing I've learned in this capsule building process is that when you're not buying clothes all the time, it's important to go with quality when you do buy something. And this thing is quality. It's heavy duty {in a quality sort of way} without being heavy {in a temperature sort of way}.

Besides the heat factor, I struggle with vests and sweaters because they tend to just hang, and I need a little definition in my clothes. I don't need the extra invisible pounds of hanging clothing. So guess what? This vest has a drawstring! I love it! I can pull it in and give a little bit of shape, which makes me feel so much better about myself. 

Wanna know my favorite part?

UNENDING POCKETS.

Oh my word, people. I cannot tell you how happy I am when I have pockets. Seriously. Why were clothes even designed without them? This vest has multiple pockets - six, to be exact -  so my phone will be safe and at the ready for my endless picture taking. {Because that's really what it's all about.}

It also has a hood, which is just cute, and even though I probably won't use it unless I get caught in a rainstorm, I like the extra little bit of personality it provides to the vest. But if you hate hoods, it zips right off completely, and you don't have to wear it at all.

It has a lining that gives it durability without making it too heavy. It both zips and snaps, or you can just wear it open. Works with dressing up or dressing down, which is a requirement of anything I put in the capsule. And because it's neutral {stone, if you want to be specific}, it can go with anything.

I am thrilled. It's perfect for me and feels so comfy. You're going to see a lot of this on the old blog in forthcoming pictures!!

The nice ladies at Simply Bliss sent this vest my way in exchange for an honest review, and I'm excited that I honestly LOVE IT!!

So here are some things you might need to know.

* Go check out Simply Bliss Boutique. You can subscribe to their emails and get 20% off your first order. {SWEET!}

* Free shipping on orders over $50. {DOUBLE SWEET!}

* If you like the vest I got, it's called the utility vest in stone, but they have other vests too, if you prefer a different style.

* They told me {and were right} that if you're unsure of which way to go between two sizes, to go with the bigger one. Since I lost weight, I wear mostly medium, but I tend to be bigger through my back and shoulders, so I went with a large on this, and it fits perfectly. A medium definitely would have been too small.

* They do have a return policy, outlined here, in case you want to know the particulars before shopping for clothes online.

ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNND Simply Bliss is providing a $25.00 gift card to one of you so YOU can shop, too!

So if you want to win, leave a comment and tell me your favorite thing you're looking forward to wearing this fall. {I love the return of fall clothes.} I'll put your names in a hat and Ryan {aka my photographer extraordinaire} will draw on Saturday night and I'll announce it before the Shuffle on Sunday! {You can comment anonymously, but type in your name in the comment!}

Thanks for shopping with me. Hope you had fun...and if you win the gift card, hope you have some fun of your own!

Thanks, Simply Bliss, for all this fun. I'm looking forward to shopping again soon!