Cinderella DisneyBounding

I feel like it’s time we address something about myself as a Disney blogger… I’ve never DisneyBounded. Given the huge community that exists in Disney’s fan base around DisneyBounding alone, I almost feel some sense of shame in admitting this, that here I am running this blog (that has no shortage of posts by other bloggers on the topic) but I’ve never tried it myself.

Cinderella DisneyBound inspo

To be fair, I’ve thought about DisneyBounding before. I’ve gone through all of the tips, and have always gotten stuck on the “look inside your closet for pieces you already have” trick. I wanted my first DisneyBound to be Cinderella, and when I went through my current stock of clothes initially I thought it would be super easy. Not the case!

When I quickly realized I had literally no clothes that resembled the colors of her gown (at least any without prints on them that would take away from the whole look), I tried to get creative… perhaps too creative for a first DisneyBound. Once it was clear that the blue dress wasn’t going to work, I tried going pink (like her dress for the ball before the Fairy Godmother shows up. I didn’t think this look would be specific enough to not be confused with Aurora so this was also a no-go. Lastly, I tried working out her pre-ball outfit, with the brown skirt and apron, and this also just didn’t work with pieces I already had.

I set out to the mall and came back empty handed. The next day, Target, and again nothing. Finally on a whim I decided to try Old Navy and WOW. I’m clearly no expert on DisneyBounding but Old Navy is definitely the place to go if you need to buy clothes for this.

I picked up this dress, sweater, and headband from Old Navy, and I could easily wear all of these pieces separately and get plenty of use out of them without committing to looking like Cinderella– which is really the goal with DisneyBounding. You don’t want to have to buy clothes that will only work with certain looks, and Old Navy definitely has lots of pieces that will work if you style them right as both DisneyBounds and regular outfits.

Related Post // Experience a ‘Fantasyland’ with Boston Ballet & Save 40% on Cinderella Tickets!

Cinderella DisneyBound – Dressed up

The shoes are from Forever 21, and I actually just bought them recently because I needed new flats that would be good for wearing to work and go with a lot of outfits but I didn’t want to go with plain black again. This shade of blue is light enough that it goes with a lot of outfits, but not something I already have lots on lots of flats like plain black or white. (You could also definitely go with a clear or white pair of heels or maybe even wedges if you aren’t into flats for this kind of look!)

The only piece of this outfit that I didn’t purchase recently was the choker, which I actually got from Hot Topic in a state of panic about a year ago because the clearance section was having a Buy One, Get One Free sale and there was nothing else I really wanted. Ironically enough I’ve never worn it before because I wasn’t quite sure how to style it, but it definitely goes perfect with this Cinderella DisneyBound look!

Cinderella DisneyBound – Dressed down

My initial goal with this look was to take most of the same pieces from the above outfit and find a way to dress them down and make it more casual. So the look above would be perfect for something like going to a ballet (Cinderella, anyone?) or out to brunch, but you could easily take the same pieces and wear it to run errands or walk around Target (another good place to shop for DisneyBounds??).

I’m really not sure how well this worked– again I’m totally new at this, but I swapped the shoes out for Adidas tennis shoes and lost the sweater (or tied it around my waist). Not that I think this matters too much, but I also lost the choker to make this look a bit more casual. These photos were actually shot in Disney before a day in Hollywood Studios, so I did consider wearing my Sanuk dupes that I usually wear with dresses in the parks, but I have really high arches and three days into this trip I needed to have a sneaker day– I definitely think the Adidas (or Converse if you prefer) could work though and comfort is so important for Disney days!

Related Post // Satisfy Your Inner Princess with a Belle DisneyBound

I may be overthinking it, but I was a little worried about how toning down the shoes for a casual look would work (I think Cinderella’s shoes are a pretty important part of her look, so they should be an important part of mine?!) but realistically I guess DisneyBounding isn’t meant to be a complete copy of the character, and if you were to wear this kind of outfit to the parks you’d probably be more comfortable in sandals than in flats.

Takeaways from my first DisneyBound as Cinderella? This is NOT as easy as I thought it was. I really tried not to buy anything new for this outfit, but after going through my closet it became evident that using what I already had just wasn’t going to be possible. And I spent a lot more time shopping for this specific look than I think most seasoned DisneyBounders would have. BUT I’m really happy I did it, and while I don’t think I have the time to plan outfits out like this all the time it’s definitely something I’m going to keep in mind when I’m shopping, especially at stores like Old Navy or Forever 21.

Have you ever tried DisneyBounding? Julianna has a great post all about how to DisneyBound with items already in your closet and Caitlin has one that can help you start DisneyBounding on a budget— both can be extremely helpful if this is totally new to you too! Let me know in the comments though if you’ve tried it before, or if you’re a pro at this and you have any tips for me!