DOTS

Please check dots.com for locations, hours, etc!

I had the distinct pleasure of taking a tour of my local DOTS store one afternoon. Theresa, the sweet manager introduced me to the different departments and explained what is trending at the store. It was my first time ever stepping foot in a DOTS and my inner-recessionista rejoiced! I couldn’t believe how relieving it was to see their racks and walls filled with cute and trendy clothing. There is an average of six departments in the store: ‘Southwestern Chick’, ‘Preppy Chick’, ‘Clearance’, ‘Dressy’, ‘Accessories’ and ‘Plus.’ ‘Southwestern Chick’ offers denim jackets, feminine florals, summery dresses, crocheted tops, denim starting at $16.80-28 etc. ‘Preppy Chick’ offers polos, stripes, pinks, blues, khakis, color denim and hooded jackets with detachable hoods. ‘Dressy’ offers ladylike and bodycon separates. The folks at DOTS are finding that greens and royal blues mixed with animal prints are what’s trending right now. This will most likely be replaced by golds and reds as we get closer to Fall. They have a plus-size department which they try to correspond with the straight-size department. Prices are just as relaxed too, with denim ranging from $16.80-30. The size range is 14-24. There’s also an ‘accessories’ and ‘clearance’ department worth checking out too. The ‘accessories’ department offers shoes (they still have sandals available and there are cute boots that have just arrived as well), sunglasses, scarves, hair accessories, handbags and jewelry (which is buy one get one half off). As we transition into Fall, expect to see more of a ’90s grunge meets biker babe’ trend, with rocker tees, crosses, bulky necklaces and studs.

I really enjoyed checking out the store. As a ‘thank you’, I was offered a $20 gift card to purchase anything in the store. I ended up getting this AMAZING (and I can’t emphasis AMAZING enough) leopard print chiffon hi-low top. I just LOVE how the back low detail just cascades. I also got a gorg plus-size sweater that I thought would look FAB as a dress. I love the black and white stripes and the oversize drape. It’ll look great with a cute belt and heels.