Our new fall outfits! We got to take them home thanks to Old Navy.
(The dog mannequin stayed at the store.)

In my current state as a mom with young children, scarves are my thing. I love scarves. I’ll wear scarves when it’s 85 degrees outside.

I can’t wear a necklace right now. My toddler will chew on it and yank on it until it breaks. But scarves? Fair game for chewing. Great for peekaboo, too. Oh, and bonus points to scarves for being big enough to hide stains on t-shirts.

Trying out a few options

So when Old Navy offered to send me and three of my friends on a fall shopping mission to find skirts, cardis, and scarves, you can bet I was ready to go. And I took my friends Danielle, Mandy, and Rebekah along for the fun.

Once at the store, we scouted the styles to see what we liked the best.We each tried on a few different looks to find the perfect style to take home.

Mandy and Danielle add splashes of color.

Mandy wasn’t sure where to start, but she found some in-store ideas that helped her create a great look. Danielle found an outfit that looks good now and will still work for her after her sweet baby arrives in a few weeks.

Rebekah, whom we discovered can rock a hat like nobody’s business, found so many great options that she’s already planning a return shopping trip!

I found myself drawn to the pencil skirts. My friend Jessica, one of my fashion heroes, says every woman needs a black pencil skirt in her wardrobe. I tried to go for a Mad Men-type look with the black pencil skirt, but I found that the corduroy skirt was more suited to my casual style.

Rebekah with some Tennessee style.

I think all of us found extra pieces we decided to buy in addition to our free skirt/scarf/cardi combos. I usually shop alone (or online), and combining shopping with a girls’ night out was a really fun experience. The encouragement I received from these sweet ladies made me feel like I could step away from my normal look and try some new things (hot pink stripes, anyone?!).

Thanks to the employees and store manager at Old Navy Nashville West for their patience and good humor during our visit, and thank you to Danielle, Mandy, and Rebekah for a terrific evening of shopping. What a fun event!

You can see more of our photos from the Old Navy Cardi Party at Flickr and Pinterest.

Disclaimer: Old Navy provided free clothes to my friends and me, and Crowdtap gives me points for writing honestly about my experience. However, the opinions expressed are my own.