Target Basic Staples...When You Want To Be Disney Without Being Disney Edition

Left To Right: Wild Fable Cropped T-Shirts, Empowered Women T-Shirt, Wild Fable Cropped Black Billowy Sleeve, Cat & Jack Gold Sandals, Wild Fable Lavender High-Waisted Shorts, Who What Wear Green Gingham Top, Wild Fable Medium Wash High-Waisted, Mad Love Canvas Sneakers, Shade & Shore Sandals, A New Day Ruffle Sleeved Black T-Shirt, and A New Day Black Tiered Dress

Anyone else buying clothes for when we are all vaccinated and we can go out amongst the living again?!

I will begin this segment by saying that I am incredibly fortunate to work for a College that from the VERY beginning took the pandemic very seriously and transitioned everyone home. I have been an Online Advisor for 3 years for our state institution (not for-profit), so honestly other than being home with the two kiddos, not much had changed for our team. The rest of the College had a slower adaptation period, but honestly with the amount of support in place and the timeframe in which we had to acclimate, I think the College did amazing and continues to do so. Even though our team is Online, our department was located in our Human Resource building so we still dressed for the occasion even though other than each other, we did not see people face to face. With that being said and living in Florida (no jeans or leggings for this girl in March), my attire went from business casual to jean shorts and graphic-tees pretty much overnight.

We also renovated our closets at this time (thank you IKEA and Pinterest) and I was hell-bent (basically because everyone told me I wouldn't be able to do it) to get my husband fully into our closet (I know I know, it was solely mine...don't judge) as all of his clothes were in the Commodore's closet. Anyone else begin to feel really claustrophobic in their own home during the pandemic? I really wanted the kids to start feeling as though they had their own space as we were using it for his closet as well as a guest bedroom/catch all/office area. In doing this however, it also meant that I had to streamline my closet and only keep things that I considered timeless (is this phrase aging me....also, here is looking at you all the Lilly). The only part of my life that I would consider as falling under the hoarder category is my love for the items in my closet (and anywhere else I can hide closet-y items). I firmly believe that this is genetic as my grandmother and mother are the same way and I have been of the firm mindset that "I just might wear it again" even though I know deep down I wouldn't. Knowing that without fail I was going to make sure that hell or highwater that ALL of the Hubs clothes were going into our closet (he basically was prepared to transition to the garage) meant that I was going to have to have a much more select eye with what I was choosing to keep. I have been the person that has been the same size since College, so I have kept so many clothes (mainly dresses) that fit under the presumption that the style will either come back or I will wear it again. Forty-two year old me who is a mama of two kids should not have been looking at one of my bodycon dresses and going "yep, this is a keeper". If this is your jam....go girl, but honestly it does not look good on me during this season of life and to be honest probably did not look that great when I bought it and therefore I had no idea why I was keeping them (yep, there was more than one...cue face palm emoji) Hoarder College Dana, thought otherwise and can talk me into ANYTHING.

First step: I had ordered off of Amazon THESE vacuum seal bags. I used one for Halloween Costumes of which I had a lot of and that were hanging in the closet (you all know how I feel about costumes by now) and lets be honest...didn't need to be. The second bag (they came in a pack of three) I used for work clothes. Each semester we are told we are pushing off another semester and staying remote and since I was not using work clothes, I didn't find it necessary keeping them in my closet. I did keep several pieces for Zoom meetings and just in cases', but that's it. You would not believe how much stuff these bags fit and then just slide under the bed. They are heavy so you may need someone to help you hoist it on top of one another if your intention is to stack and put under your bed. I originally had intended to stack them and put them in a big storage container for the garage, but it didn't quite work out that way (they were much too wide and become 'hard' so you can't really fold them into the container).

Obviously with the above shown Target staples, I chose not to include the Disney t-shirts that I purchase from Target (I buy very few from small businesses as I make my own, but when I do they are LakeBuenaVisitors or LostBros). Since one, I am pretty selective and barely get any of the adult ones unless I really love them and two (which kind of goes with one), I fit in the Girls section (L or XL) and tend to buy these more as I can match EV. I recognize that not everyone is going to be able to make this choice, so posting them may be a point of contention. However, I do post them when I do matching days with EV on Instagram. I also recognize that when going to the parks, not everyone likes to be clothed head to toe in Disney regalia...I don't understand why, but I do know that these people exist. You all have seen how extensive I can be when I pack for Disney so obviously things can change depending, but I feel the above mentioned staples can transition into so many looks and are extremely comfortable for long days at the park. Plus, if you are of the 'I only take a carry-on' mindset, these basics are perfect and you can maximize your space (I NEVER check luggage...I hate checking luggage more than anything).

A couple things about the staples/basics, one I feel that if Wild Fable is NOT your thing (and I 100% understand why), I feel that you can get the same looks from any one of the fantastic basic lines at Target whether it be Universal Thread, A New Day, or Who What Wear (although this tends to run really big on me). Wild Fable runs immensely small. I want to say it is one step even behind a Junior line. Size the heck up people and I am going to even say maybe even twice, which is absolutely crazy to me. There are going to be individuals that are not going to want to do this as one, their size may not be available or two, it is going to make them feel awful doing this and in which case I say nuts to that and do not do it (mental health first). I have bought just as cute Universal Thread high-waisted shorts as I have Wild Fable (I just happen to like the distressed Wild Fable's more). Traditionally I am a 00 or 0 in shorts and with Wild Fable I am 2. With the high-waisted, the 2 fits me perfect at the waist and is a little baggy at the crotch. I don't mind this as I do a half tuck traditionally or wear them with a crop top. Yes, I like the mom jean trend and no, you can't talk me out of it. Which brings me to their crop tops. Again, not for everyone, but I like them and I sometimes wear a tank underneath depending on where I am going. Again, I have to size up to a Medium (I recently bought a bunch of small and am regretting it). I cannot say enough that any of these looks can be recreated with a style that you are comfortable in and makes you feel good in the parks.

Part Two: The biggest thing for me to do during the BIG PURGE of 2020 was not to fill the closet back up with other things. Not that I need my husband's permission on anything and he could careless with what I wear as long as it makes me happy and I feel good in it, but as I was getting rid of everything, I would show it to him and say "do you see me wearing this more than once and is it something you would want to see me repeatedly wear?" and if he said no, I put it in the donation area. If he wasn't harsh for me, I would not have been and then College Hoarder Dana would have kept everything. So trust me, him doing it was my best interest and his if he wanted to get into the closet. I also took the time to make note of staples that I felt were missing from my closet or needed to be replaced. The items included were new shorts that fit my post-partum two kiddo mom body and solid colored shirts (I had been dying to get some cropped inexpensive t-shirts that if I hated I wouldn't care about returning).

I genuinely love the Wild Fable cropped t-shirts (they are $5!), the $5 A New Day t-shirts and the New Day tank tops. When Target Cartwheel has their 20% off I buy these buy the boatload (I actually do this for the kids Cat & Jack solid t-shirts as well). Excessive yes, but I also own a Cricut so I will use them to make cute Disney inspired shirts for the kids and I. I feel that having t-shirts that fit, feel good AND that I can transform into some Disney Magic, is a complete win for $3. As mentioned, I order THESE cropped shirts about two sizes up and I own them in both short and long sleeves.

I normally cut the white tags off of all of the ears because I hate them and lately I have been more into the simple design, but I loved the Pride ears with the teal, so I wanted to show variety. I actually missed the Mickey (w/o the bow) sequin headband when it came onto ShopDisney and by missed I mean I wasn't sure I wanted them until I did and went through FOMO withdrawals with everyone posting them, went to buy them and they were sold out. We have a Character Warehouse at Sawgrass Mills mall which is pretty much down the street and they had the above sequin with red bow Minnie ears. I had my mom scoop up a couple pairs while she was there (I kept two original w/o modifying for EV and I) as they had gone down to $3.99 and used a thread remover to cute the red bow from the band. I had bought extra ears just in case I screwed up the first pair, but it was so easy. I just pulled the sequin red bow as far as I could from the headband piece with my forefinger and took the thread remover and sliced through separating the bow from the sequin headband. It. Came. Out. Perfect. It was one red string strongly holding the bows to the ears and voila, I had my FOMO ears in my hot little hands for $3.99. The Disney California Adventure ones are my newer ones and I love that they are simpler and not sequins. I will say that the fabric is kind of a a velvet feel and a little bit heavier, so I am not sure if this is something I would be able to keep on my head all day in the parks.

Anywho moving on...

Nothing gets me more excited than packing the kids and I for Disney and having a plan of what to wear into the parks. Decking out in Disney gear and going all out with kitschy t-shirts, ears, shoes, etc. is a 100% my jam, but it can get HOT in Florida (who knew, right?!) and a long day of Disney attire/Disney bounding however you see it can be a lot, which is why during the big purge it was important to ONLY keep Disney shirts that I saw myself wearing several times over and not just keeping them because they were Disney. This ended up being the hardest thing to get rid of. This also meant that when I selected my transition pieces they had to be items that I could wear all day in the park and be comfortable.

You are totally going to look at these items and go...black....you bought a bunch of black shirts that have all different looks...you have been rambling on for fifteen minutes about transition Disney inspired pieces and needing colored shirts to tell us that you bought a bunch of black shirts....you are correct...I did...

There is some color though...I promise...

I am Greek, what do you want from my life....We. Like. Black.

Just to prove my point, here is the non-black first

The bow is BellaNotteCo (I own several) and I absolutely love them. They are perfect for individuals that might not be into ears or if ears give you or your kiddo a headache. She has a bunch of fun styles many of which are Disney prints or are Disney inspired and are perfect if you just want something to reflect the Disney look without screaming Disney. The tank top is A New Day (true to size) and if you see below there is a hemmed line. I love this tank, it is super cute and the quality is fantastic (not too thin, not to thick). The shorts are Blank NYC and are my absolute favorite shorts of all time (they fit true to size). Yes they are pricey on the Nordstrom website, but I will either wait for a sale or I will get them on ThredUP. I set up filters to send me emails so I know when they get posted.

Pay no mind to that patch that needs to get painted behind me or the bed mess #reallife. The wall has since been painted, but the bed mess remains with mess.

The Cat & Jack Sandals are actually Girls Sandals and they are in a size 5, but fit my size 7 foot (I never knew this was a thing). THESE particular sandals are incredibly comfy and can definitely be worn all day comfortably in the parks. I am not big on my feet being covered as I suffer from foot claustrophobia (its a thing), so if I do wear sneakers they have to be one of those light canvas ones (not Converse as I hate those too...sorry VP Harris) that basically feel like either sandals or slippers.

Notice my adorable model's hands proudly showing you the ears. I take a pair of professional hair cutting scissors and I cut the white tag off as closely to the band as possible because I hate that big white tag that is on the Minnie ears more than life. I think keeping the outfit simple with a really fun pair of ears is the way to go on those overly hot days where everything can feel heavy and uncomfortable.

Here is the black that I know you have been dying to see. Honestly, I thought I was going to hate this and was going to end up returning it. However, it has actually been one of my most worn t-shirts lately. I feel like I am dressed up in it, without being dressed up.

I love THIS ruffle sleeved top (t-shirt) from A New Day. It is fun and light and has a little bit of a scooped neck and would be super cute in the parks and could transition easily to dinner. There are just days you may want to be dressed up a little more in the parks for pictures or a special reservation lunch without being overly dolled up because Florida. Is. Hot. and this would be the perfect top. The sandals are Shade and Shore and are the ones that have the toe ring, but they do come without the toe ring as well. I find the toe ring perfectly comfortable and I own them in the tie dye pattern as well. Although they may not look like it, these are also all-day park shoes and could also just as easily be worn to the pool or one of the pool parks (Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, etc.). I am particularly excited when Disney Cruising is a thing again and I can bring these.

Pay also no mind to the unmade bed, my kiddo is actually curled up in it behind me or the fact that I need to do my roots ::sigh::

For the next outfit, I do want to say that I did not come up on this on my own as I saw the girls from TargetDoesDisney on Instagram post a similar look on their stories and I thought it was adorable. I was able to score THESE and a pair in the medium-wash that you will see later in this post at 20% off (full-price they are $15) and they were a steal since I needed new denim shorts to begin! I have not been one with the colored jean trend even when it was huge (are black and white jeans considered color) in general, so it was nice to buy something that I didn't have at all and that could be used in a lot of fun ways. TargetDoesDisney used it for a DisneyBound of Rapunzel and used a yellow headband as a homage to Punzie's hair. It was super cute and I had bought THIS pack of bowbands from Amazon where there are multiple colors including yellow.

The white cropped is from the TargetXLillyPulitzer line and was actually from the Girls section. Even though it hasn't been sold for awhile, you could find it on Ebay or again ThredUp. But honestly you could use any white tank or t-shirt.

If you zoom in on the Bellanotte Bow print you will see it is the flowers that make an appearance in Alice in Wonderland. I absolutely love this print even though I am not a fan of the movie. I know I know it is a classic...don't come from me...

You could also get the right colored orange shirt and do a nice nod to Figment as well.

Moving on....

I did buy this particular piece for next year....crazy, I know! I saw that a Disney Gram'er had used it as a Figment piece for Festival of the Arts and I loved it. I never seem to find anything where I can do a slight nod to Figment without it looking really young. Unfortunately, it is no longer being sold, but it would not be anything you could wear anytime soon anyhow as it is a sweater dress and it is a heavier piece (not incredibly heavy), but not ANYTHING you would want to wear starting now even with a Florida "cold front". Again, this is another piece that I thought I was going to return, but ended up loving.

I loved the tiered look (I hate using the term baby doll at my age, but that used to be the way to describe this style dress...is that still a thing) with the length and the bell sleeves and If you do end up wanting to to look for it, it is Wild Fable.

My goodness....look at those ashy knees...apparently I do not look at ANYTHING when I filter LOL

and hulllooooo.....pockets people!!! Done and done!!

The only other dress I have bought this year is the THIS one. Honestly, it is cute, but I could have returned it and would have been fine too. If you have a smaller top, It. Is. Wide. and hangs kind of low. I would suggest wearing it with a bralette underneath. The Auden line at Target has several cute ones (which I own), but I know a lot of people have the Free People ones (which I own also) as well. Either would work. I think that if you had reservations at a nicer restaurant or were going from the park to have cocktails or dinner reservations, this would be really cute and it is nice and light and comes in a variety of colors and patterns. A lot of bloggers seem to have the pink seersucker looking print and it is adorable, but as you know...I am Greek and therefore a sucker for black and nothing else existed once I saw there was black.

Because it is a solid color, I actually added fun ears and the shoes above. I actually bought these at Character Warehouse and they were $14. I cannot get over how incredibly comfortable they are. They feel like slippers, but because they are kind of crazy, I tend to only wear these with basics (including very simple ears...as simple as ears can be lol)....for obvious reasons, but they are awesome, so I do not care.

Apparently this is the year for tiers and pockets and I am here for it. And in case you wanted to see what more stuff on my bed would look like, here you go...

Lately I think Target has been hitting it out of the ol "I am going to hate this", but I end up loving it ballpark. I am probably jinxing myself just by saying this. I feel that girls that have posted THIS next shirt have either loved it or hated it. Surprisingly, I thought it was going to be the latter, but it ended up being another piece that I loved (I 100% understand though if you do not fall into this category). It is SUPER lightweight, but excellent quality and is another one of those pieces that even with the billowy sleeves I felt I could comfortably wear it in the park and have it transition to dinner or just something cute to have on for pictures.

Here are the Shade & Shore sandals in the tye-dye print

You can also drop the sleeves below your shoulders and it still looks cute and is comfy.

The mess continues and appears to be growing

I can going to be honest and say THIS next shirt I kept solely because I had nothing like it (or shear laziness to bring it back, I had gotten it on mad sale too) and I felt that it could transition with a lot of things. If you are smaller on top, it takes a lot of futsing (is that how you spell it) to make it look the the way you would want and I would suggest wearing it with either a crop tank top, a regular tank top or again one of those lace bralettes as the tie does not tie tight enough to not show a bra and the "cups" are really big and make it distinctly obvious that they are big if you cannot fill them in. I have seen this on quite a few Target Instagram accounts and it looks positively adorable on them however ::le sigh::

These are the Medium Wash version of the lavender. Yes I see that they are baggy in ::cough cough:: certain areas, yes I still like them and yes if this is not your thing I get it!

Super simple outfit, super simple DIY take of the bow yourself ears, but again can be transitioned into the parks without over doing the Disney look if that is not your thing...

Is cleaning your shoes before a flat-lay a thing!? Should I be doing that?!

When I bought THIS t-shirt, I literally went to the Character Warehouse when it opened (they are being super safe with proper precautions in place) and went back for the red sequin ears since they went with the shirt and were only $3.99. It was the black sequin headband FOMO moment all over again, but I knew I had to have them when I bought this shirt, so back again I went to scoop them up (my inner monologue is the worst...anyone else...). Again, it is a way to still show Disney Spirit without going overboard and in general I just loved the message. Okay so maybe the shoes are a little overboard, but this is how I would style and wear the shirt for Disney, so there ya' go.

The checkered shoes are Vans (as you see lol) and are super old from when there was a collab. At the time, I paid full price and I can tell you without even batting an eyelash that they were/are a 100% worth it. I have never and I mean NEVER had a pair of shoes like that were this structured and as comfortable as these are. I get a 1001 compliments and questions every time I wear them. The big one being "are comfortable for full days at the park" and the answer is YES!! I could wear these shoes all day and never have to sit or give my tootsies a rest. I am not one of the Disney peeps that will throw on a bunch of Disney prints and not care that they go together and walk out the door. Huge praise hands for those that do. Because of this, I end up not bringing these shoes as often as I would like since its kind of a waste of space in my suitcase if I can only wear them once. However, with so much I have shown above including the Empower Women t-shirt I feel that this is now a game changer and can be my sole (::giggle:: I love a good play on words) shoes (who am I kidding...I am totally going to pack the sandals too). If you can find these shoes online somewhere....anywhere...I highly suggest purchasing them.

Well that is it my lovelies, that is pretty much everything I have bought since the pandemic started and really I only started doing so with the mindset that we might slowly begin integrating into the land of the living again (hopefully to the Mouse House).

Since everything is pretty much recent purchases and with the exception of the tie-dye dress, everything can still be found on Target's website currently. It is nice knowing that I can consider packing less (here is looking at you shoes and ears....you all should know I am hella excessive by this point since your girl has an ear carrying case and so does EV) and stick to minimalism for ease and travel. Now will I do this? Probably not, but a girl can dream and now your girl has options and I am alllll about options. This is probably going to have me packing more isn't it? ::sigh::

How about you all?! Do you have staples when you go into the park or are you full on Disney-fied.