Abercrombie & Fitch dress, MaryJaneTbilisi shoes, Rebecca Minkoff bag (discontinued, on sale here), J.Crew earrings (old), Frasier Sterling necklace
I started going through puberty when I was a mere nine years old—far earlier than the rest of my Kamehameha Schools peers—and my quickly changing body forced me to shop for clothes in either the largest girls size (it was quite embarrassing to wear a girls size 14-16 when everyone around me was an 8 at the biggest) or in the teen section. I preferred the the latter as I felt the clothes were cuter and at least I was the smallest size there. My fourth-sixth grade closet consisted of countless Bebe hand me downs from my aunty Birdie and at least a few Baby Phat dresses and tops I begged my Grams to buy for me (Kimora Lee Simmons was everything to me back then). I loved the sparkly tank tops and layered skirts I owned, but when girls my age started shopping at Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch, I was left out yet again due to my size. There was no way I could fit the six inch wide camisoles and long sleeve striped shirts those stores offered in their far too dark and perfume-laden caverns, so I avoided both of them throughout the rest of my life until Abercrombie’s recent rebranding to fit more sizes and include a mix of trendy pieces and staples. One of my favorite purchases I made of theirs is this lime green dress that’s perfect as part of my pastel pieces for the end of Summer (I can’t get enough of pastels!). Before 2021 would you even believe Abercrombie would stock pastel pieces much less a flattering, 100% cotton sundress like this one? Childhood me would’ve loved to wear a comfortable and stylish dress that shows some skin without looking like the mannequins in the A&F of my youth. I love this dress so much and would wear it every day if I could (I can’t style it for my current office like I could my former!) especially with these gorgeous yellow Mary Janes I bought on Etsy of all places! Before I started incorporating as much color as possible into my wardrobe, yellow wouldn’t have been in my top 5 colors to wear on my feet, but these shoes are comfy as anything and match most of my outfits! This customized pearl necklace with my name letters is another one of my favorite pastel pieces particularly for Summer and even year round because it’s comprised of pale pink, seafood green, and gold letters. I clipped on my old blue J.Crew puffy earrings and added my all-time favorite Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC that I’ve recently discovered was discontinued (how awful!) for a bit of edge to an especially girly outfit. Now 25-year-old Noelle is just as happy in her body and clothes as 9-year-old me would hope!
