Fashion Cents?

You know, I like to think that I'm not completely without some sense of style. However small that be. But, for some reason, that itty bitty bit seems to have left the building. I mean seriously, when I was in my teens I wore a "bag" (aka ugly blue smock dress) to school and was relieved of the more tedious task of dressing to impress during school. Though I must admit, I thought my choice in skin tight jeans in the 80's was far superior to that of my friends, whose daily choice seemed to consist of yet another pair of brightly coloured harem pants. In the late 80's early 90's I graduated to leggings or stirrup pants (which have made an interesting come back) with big baggy shirts. That coincided nicely with my 2 pregnancies and I managed to look like crap from 1992-1996. Oh there were some "ok" moments when I stole something out of mom's closet and made it work (really?), but seriously, while raising 2 kids on one income, fashion was hardly a priority. Somehow after losing a little bit of weight in 1999 I managed to find a groove. I was wearing suits to work, everyday. My shoes were good and I was pretty consistent. It felt good. Sure once in a blue moon I'd look in the mirror in the morning saying "yes, this is good", then I'd get to work and go "what the *^$# was I thinking???" Of course the odd car accident here and there coupled with multiple knee or foot issues over the years tended to throw a snag into my carefully planned wardrobe. Skirts and dresses just did not go with my black Nikes! So again I modified. Then work circumstances changed to the point where suits weren't necessary, everybody went a little more casual. Now I own one suit - that is just a little bit tight! Everything else was given away when I gained/lost/gained/lost weight in the never ending battle we call life. Of course some of the stuff I got rid of had served me well but was certainly past its prime. And good riddance. Somehow if it remains in my closet, I'll try and recycle it, even against my better judgement.

So where does all this leave us? It left me convinced that I could "make do" or recycle a dress for Mandy's grad. That thought was dispelled last week when I started trying things on. So I've started doing some shopping. I'm trying desperately to find the dress that will be perfect. Not to sexy as to be slutty, not to classy, not to frumpy, not to flashy. Nothing at Polo Park will do, that's for sure. (did I mention I don't want to spend an arm and a leg?). Yesterday I found what I deemed to be a good choice. Actually 2 dresses caught my eye at the same store. I went for the one that I thought might be a little more subdued, it flowed, it was cute, showed off my tattoo well and had lots of purple (which I like) but I called Mandy first to ensure she was ok with it having some purple since her dress is purple. Ya, it had more purple than she thought. But that was not all. DH thought it wasn't quite fancy enough and Samantha just kind of gave me the "that'll work, I guess" look. So, today I took it back (exchange only within 7 days!!!) and got the other dress I thought I liked. Well both Tim & Samantha gave me the, it kind of looks like the same dress in a different colour speech. **sigh** And now that I think about it, its actually not fancy enough, it looks more like a pretty, summer dress you might wear to lunch. Ok. Now what. Well, its four days till grad. Still enough time to find a dress. How much more do I want to spend??? That will be the question I guess. I will go return the newest dress, get my store credit and very carefully look over the same store to see if there is something that will be appropriate. No more snap decisions. Careful thought and a careful eye to make sure I do not compound my mistakes yet again.

Stay tuned. Next post "still got those shoes huh?"