Can you handle it? There is always room for one more dress in my closet, in case you were wondering. This is definitely on the casual (and short) side for work, but I wore it on a busy Thursday when everyone was in get-it-done panic mode over a big project – so, basically, no one noticed. Probably. And I got to wear a pretty frock on a stressful day. Sometimes, it’s the little things, you guys.
Anthro lovers out there might recognize this skirt; actually, it used to be a dress. This one:
I thrifted this dress, new with tags, towards the end of my last pregnancy (if memory serves). Basically, I loved the print and figured the size would more or less work – or be made to work – with my post-pregnancy body. Except it didn’t. At all. It was too big in the bust, and gave me the dreaded Strapless Sheath Pooch. (You know what I’m talking about, right?) Even from the best angle, it looked … not good.
I tried to sell it, but quickly realized that I would never get my money back (all $20 of it), and I couldn’t quite bear to part with it for the $5-8 I’d make through consignment. I still really loved the print. What to do? The bottom half of the dress fit nicely, so making it into a skirt seemed like a good solution. (Side note: I used to be really reluctant about drastically altering clothes until I realized that there is nothing special, necessarily, about the original design. It may or may not be the ideal design for my body or preferences. If your chances of recouping a good portion of the purchase price through resale are low, I say go ahead and alter clothes to your heart’s content.)
All in all, I think things all turned out for the better. In my line of work, one can never have too many cute pencil skirts. Can’t say the same about Strapless Sheath Pooch.
I threw this outfit together in a last minute panic (the dress I was planning to wear looked terrible – the downside of ordering a ponte sheath dress online, untried) … and absolutely loved it. That doesn’t happen as often as it should. I find Joe Fresh really hit and miss; the quality is often a miss, but they occasionally get everything else so on point, I’m minded to overlook the quality. This is a good example: the top front of the dress is poly, and the bottom and back of the top is a poly-rayon blend; overall, it has a nice feel to it, but poly is poly. It’s a shame, because I adore the dress in every other respect.
This shapeless/shift/tunic style generally does nothing for my curvy figure, but this particular dress conveys the loose-on-purpose message better than most. It feels like an extra-long t-shirt, but looks like something that is conceivably office-appropriate. It has a slightly edgier vibe than my usual style, but for once I’m enjoying pushing my limits a little. $20 well spent, I say.
