I’ve been lusting after Issa dresses for a long time, but I’ve never thriftspotted one, and they are hella pricy on eBay. So. No Issa for me. But! I did recently find the next best thing, which is this Michael Kors dress that has a very familiar cut. You may remember it — it’s the same style of dress as the one which the former Kate Middleton wore at the announcement of her engagement. That dress? Issa.

This is such a comfortable, flattering style, you guys — way more so that actual wrap dresses. If you are able to track down this MK version on eBay, do it! The brand resells for way less than Issa, and while this dress isn’t silk jersey, it looks (and feels) like a nice poly-spandex blend. I got quite a few compliments on it too, which is always nice. As much as my closet is overrun with dresses at the moment, I think this one will be safe from the dreaded purge for a good, long while.

I wore this outfit on the first day of the 3 week hearing that will be consuming my July, hoping that I had judged the business informal dress code correctly. Luckily, I had. It’s actually been interesting to see the style choices of the other women at the hearing (it’s a huge one, so the room is packed). So far, there’s been a lot less “safe” black than I was expecting.

For my part, I decided against wearing a matching black blazer with this outfit because it seemed a bit too severe, I like how the greige blazer softens the look, while still keeping things polished. I know I’ve said this before, but this Theory blazer (thrifted for $8!) was such a good buy. Of course, I couldn’t resist a little bit of whimsy — yellow butterflies, what could be more cheerful? That cheer will come in handy over the next 3 weeks …

… that’s how long my husband has survived matrimony with yours truly (and, coincidentally, how long this blog has been around). And this is the outfit I wore for a quick date night to celebrate said anniversary. (Love ya, babe!) It’s one of my favourite dresses, updated with a brand new pair of fancy schmancy shoes. Oh, and a return to lipgloss, because I turn into a 13-year old in the make-up aisle at Superstore, apparently.

The shoes are surprisingly comfortable for such strappy, highs-heeled contraptions — which is to say that I could walk in them for about an hour before they started to hurt. That’s … pretty good, all things considered. I was honestly surprised. Why would I buy shoes which I expected would hurt my feet? Good question, but see exhibit A: they are yellow; and Exhibit B: they are cute. I feel like I can rest my case now, yes?

As a bonus, here are a few of the other times I wore this dress.