Today, after much internal debate, I decided to wear a dress over leggings for my Monday. We had super-summery weather over the weekend, sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Today promised us slightly cooler weather, but clouds, so I thought I'd take advantage of the in-between temperatures and wear something I was pretty unsure about.
… And for good reason. Behold:
… And for good reason. Behold:
I mean, the dress itself is cute. I styled it awfully: I don't think it's an "over leggings and casual mocs" kind of dress, but it's an objectively pretty dress. I bought it in the fall of 2006, if you can believe it, after a shopping spree at H&M in Philly with an old friend from NYC. It was a good purchase: I was teaching my own Sanskrit class in university (I was a fourth-year grad student) and a cute dress was a must.
Since then, I've worn it often - I'm shocked I've never featured it here - usually with boots. However, after I left grad school and - coincidentally - stopped my 5-days-a-week gym habit, this dress was no longer my friend. It clung unflatteringly to my belly and made me self-conscious about looking pregnant years before Baby Boots was a gleam in our eyes. I did wear it while pregnant, which was great. Today, between biking and super-heavy leggings, I was fine with it and even remembered to suck in every once in a while.
But… I just don't know if I like it anymore. I look at my last outfit and I like myself so much in it! Flowy, unstructured dress, flowy sweatshirt… I love it. There's so much to this dress, with its clinginess and short, flowing sleeves, and that red solid detail that flows into a sad bow in the back -
… The least cute pin-up EVER. I look deranged.
You see, it's just so fussy. And I don't know if I do fussy anymore.
That being said, it's damn cute with tights and boots and who knows if I'll always be working in such a casual environment as I am right now (although I do own a lot of other dresses). I always get complimented when I wear it and it reminds me of happy days in Philly…
So it comes down to your opinion, Style Nation. What should I do with this dress? Donate it or keep it in my closet for a bit longer? Help me out, y'all!
Patterned dress: H&M
White tank (underneath): gift from parents from Geneva, remixed (?)
Grey leggings: Calvin Klein, by way of TJ Maxx, remixed
Mocassins: Minnetonka, by way of Lord and Taylor (NY), remixed
1. Pros: Nice print, great color, good memories. 2. Cons: that tie-back--ugh! And I don't love the fluttery sleeves.
ReplyDeleteI have a tunic-type thing that originally had a detail like that, a band that crisscrossed at the front, was sewn at the side seams, and then did that tie-back thing. I carefully cut off the loose ties at the side seams, used a little clear nail polish to prevent fraying, and now it's a nice A-line shape. Is that a possibility for this?
The sleeves . . . maybe pin them to see if it's worth altering them to standard short sleeves? Might be doable as a DIY, or cheap at the tailor's.
Sue, I'm very close to convinced to just put it in my donate pile. It's a cute dress, but, hey, I have other cute dresses that are way more me…
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