Save Money with Style at Lane Bryant

If you aren’t doing this already, you should be: looking for promo codes from every retailer when you shop online. Not some of the time, not most of the time, but every. single. time. Case in point: while shopping at Lane Bryant, I almost missed out on getting $25 off my order knocked off instantly . But while the discount was good, the clothes were better.

Lane Bryant’s “Checked Collection ” was where I did most of my damage: it’s bold, it’s on-trend, and I’ve seen the same look on the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. My favorite, by far, was the gingham flounce top , which comes with a built-in bandeau bra and cute criss-cross straps (and up to size 46DDD, no less). I imagine it not only with the high-waisted gingham bikini bottoms (sold separately ), but with a lot of other pieces come summer: a pair of tight jeans that I picked up on eBay, a cute snap-front skirt, and a navy sarong that I’ve had so long, I can’t remember where I bought it. This bandeau is a wardrobe-refresher, because it’s simple enough to work with all the things I’ve pulled out of summertime storage (in March – don’t judge).

And I’ve discovered one other thing about Lane Bryant, possibly the most important thing for women who need to find ways to make their wardrobe work twice as hard: the resale value of each piece you buy this year may amaze you. Those awesome d’orsay flats you scooped up for $40? They can go on eBay for half the price when you tire of them. Same goes for the espadrilles you picked up for a song. You can cut the guilt in half when you shop strategically, use a coupon code, and then take good care of the pieces you own.

 Hello, My Name Is Maurice           
...Maybe it should be after I did my last haul! Every time I shop at Maurice’s, I head to the plus-size dress section. In both mini- and maxi-length, the t-shirt dresses start at insanely affordable prices (especially with the newest maurices-coupon that’s out ). My dress-of-choice is the sleeveless t-shirt dress ($26), which received a five-star rating for a good reason: the sizing is generous, and with the basic colors listed (maroon, black, and dark green), you can't go wrong.

So far, this is how I’m planning to wear my t-shirt dresses: 

• With a statement necklace draped across the front, unbelted and paired with super-strappy high-heeled sandals
• Belted, with a bandana tied around the neck
• With a long silk scarf looped around the neck and trailing over the shoulders
• Topped with a lightweight chambray vest and flat sandals
• With a fun little collar-style necklace

Talk about making $26 s-t-r-e-t-c-h! If you get three dresses for the summer, you will have every weekend covered, style-wise. The black sleeveless one, with metallic accessories, will even work for night.

Now go and make those coupon codes work for you!