Having spent a brief period of my college career at St. Joe’s University, I’ve always loved Suburban Square. It’s conveniently located right in Ardmore and has so many stores & restaurants, which they’ve added A LOT more since my college days. Sometimes you just don’t feel like dealing with the hustle and bustle of the mall and being a California Lover, I’ve always been envious of their outdoor shopping malls I saw on shows like the O.C. & Laguna Beach. Just because we’re east coast doesn’t mean we don’t love outdoor shopping as well! Well lucky for me, I’m so close to Suburban Square. Back when I use to frequent there, I was always limited on what I could spend there. Being a college kid, with a part time job doesn’t leave you a lot of funds for outfits. Luckily, having friends at college = one big shared closet. Reminiscing on the struggles of my college self, I challenged myself to try to create an outfit from 3 different stores for under $150 (or close to it) and guess what!?!?! I did it 😉 ! Now join me as I walk you through my shopping adventure below.
First stop, Free People. If you follow me on Instagram or Like to know it, you know how much I love Free People. They always have so many different unique pieces and although I shop majority of the time online because it’s convenient, nothing makes me happier than walking into a Free People store. Especially this one at Suburban Square! Their store has beautiful sky lights with boho (of course) chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The displays are always perfect, and the girls at this store in particular are so sweet & helpful. Since this was the starting point of my outfit, I tried on ALMOST everything in the store (as you can see). Let me preface this by saying, I’ve never been one for spending my whole paycheck on a pair of designer denim. Free People’s jeans are AMAZING and usually under $100. With that being said, I ended up getting a yet another pair of jeans with frayed bottoms & they have now become a staple in my wardrobe. Don’t worry I’ll link all outfit details below!
Having found my starting point, I walked over to Free People’s sister store Urban Outfitters. I love that these stores are owned by the same company but have COMPLETELY different feels to them! Equally as unique & gorgeous, Urban Outfitters is definitely more on the affordable side & also one of my go-to’s! If you’re a shopaholic like me you can appreciate a well organized store & stunning displays. Opening the door I was welcomed by an Urban employee & a sign saying UO dress shop. How many people can relate to walking into a store and wanting to buy everything you see not just the clothes but all the home decor and that awesome cat pillow you didn’t know you needed until you walked in here and saw it making eye contact with you? Yup, well that happened here but I had to slap my own hand here and remember I was on a mission and a budget. I ended up purchasing the perfect white ribbed top, which again I can now wear with so many other outfits. Staples are key people! I also got a pair of sunnies & one splurge item (I did warn you all I have a shopping problem).
My friend who was helping me shoot the pictures and I really worked up an appetite from all the shopping! We passed Besito on the way to back to the other stores. When we saw table side guacamole being made we were powerless. We had no choice but to sit down and enjoy a gorgeous lunch outside on the patio.
Last stop, Madewell. Where do I even start with this store. First off you can’t walk by this the beautiful brick building & window displays without going in. Madewell has quickly become one of my favorite stores for basics & denim. This was my last stop of the day so I was really looking for something to tie the outfit all together and that’s exactly what I found. A floral print bandana. These are trending this season & can be worn so many different ways! I wore it as a head band & a neck scarf with my outfits but I’m not going to lie, I did ask the girl at Madewell to teach me the best way to fold the bandanna to make it a neck scarf! And she did it without hesitation and absolutely nailed it!
This is everything all pulled together! Denim from Free People $78, Basic White Tee Urban Outfitters $24, Madewell Bandanna, $12. Bonus item : Urban Sunnies $16.00. I spent a total of $130 for a head to toe look (besides the shoes) but I can say this is outfit that even college Cait could afford & the best part about this outfit is all these pieces can be used to create other outfits!
The shopaholic’s splurge: Chambray Romper from Urban Outfitters $69.00 paired with the Madewell Bandanna.
That’s two outfits for under $200. Someone please tell my husband I know how to shop responsibility! But honestly, if I can do it so can you it’s so easy & I’ve only mentioned 3 stores at Suburban Square but there is so much more! Check out the full list here.
Final thoughts: It’s one thing going into a store that looks pretty but I love going places where the employees welcome you into the store with a smile, and literally cheer you on as you try on outfits but also tell you when something just isn’t you. Literally, that was the exact experience I had at Suburban Square and let’s be honest people, try going to the mall on a Saturday. That just doesn’t happen there. Shopping at Suburban Square felt more personal to me. Not just the stunning stores, outdoor areas, and amazing restaurants, it’s the people there that make you feel welcome & make you want to come back. And this blogger will certainly be returning to Surburan Square very soon!
This post is in colloboration with Suburban Square. As always, all opinions are my own.
