Making Progress
The good news is that at last, the new laptop and the old printer decided that they could work together. So now I've got your questions printed off and am ready to start responding.
The bad news is that because I had to go do last-minute shopping for a dress to wear to my cousin's wedding (good news #2: I did find one), and I have to grade some assignments in order to have enough grades to upload progress reports tomorrow (ugh), I haven't gotten a chance to sit down to answer questions yet.
So sorry for the delay! But let me tell you about the dress.
[Hear that? That was the sound of my male readership's clicking over to ESPN.com or something else manly.]
I didn't mean to wait so long to look for a dress. I secretly was hoping something would magically appear in my closet that fit and was appropriate, but the more I looked through my closet, the more I realized that I had summer dresses and Christmas dresses, and nothing in between. Not to mention that most of the dresses in my closet aren't fitting that well because I've just started back on an exercise regimen, carefully, after getting knocked flat last year.
It's that weird time of year where stores are full of Summer dresses on clearance, don't have much in the way of Fall dresses (who needs a dress for Fall? Just wear tights and a sweater with your Summer dress, right? Um, no!), and aren't quite ready to roll out the holiday dresses--which are too over the top for a Fall wedding, anyway. At least one that's not black tie optional.
When you're a short woman, there isn't much out there for you, dress-wise, unless your budget is unlimited. Mine was a hopeful $40 but a more realistic $75.) If you're a short woman who's not a stick, you're even worse off. I tried some petite dresses; I tried some regular dresses. We almost had something with this turquoise dress, but it was a size too small, and even if we'd found the right size, it would have needed extensive tailoring to fit shorty me. However, Mom found a cool wrap-style jacket in cream/gold/black print that will look nice with a black skirt she already has. We tried to get the salesclerk to look for the dress I liked in either petite or another size, but I think she was not exactly proficient in searching. She did redeem herself by giving us a "shopping pass" that gave us 20% off, even regular-priced items (like Mom's jacket). So that was Score #1.
At the outset, I had said I might consider the Juniors department, because they tend to have homecoming dresses, but I had no idea how many shiny and tacky options we'd have to wade through. Even when my mom pointed to a leopard-printed dress hanging on the wall, I hesitated. Still, I'd said I would be open-minded, so I said I'd try it on. There were no Mediums, so she grabbed a Large and a Small. Juniors' sizes tend to run smaller than misses' and it seemed pointless to bring the Small. . . but I'm glad she got it.
After we sneaked over to the adjacent department's fitting room (Intimates) because there was no waiting and more air conditioning--seriously, how can the Juniors' fitting room seem so huge on the outside but be disappointingly cramped inside?--I tried on the handful of dresses we'd picked out, saving the leopard dress for last. The Large of the leopard dress was. . . not bad. Not super, because it seemed big in the shoulders and a little too full in the skirt, but it was not horrible, to my surprise. It actually had sleeves, which was a plus. It is like this dress (by the same maker) only in the leopard print and with a rounded neckline--small gold "studs" at the neckline, too. I had to take a chance and try the Small.
It looked even better. I still felt a little ambivalent because I don't wear a lot of prints, let alone a print all over, but the longer I wore it, the more comfortable I felt. And with the 20% off justification, I went for it. $47 and change (O.K., O.K., plus a little more for something to wear under it) and I was all set.
Now I just need to figure out jewelry and makeup. I picked a fun dress because I'm going to have fun and not feel weird that I am among the "last of the unmarrieds" in the family. It's just a small detail on a big day.
Plus I am going to sing the heck out of the wedding music, and there won't be anything else for anyone to consider!
The bad news is that because I had to go do last-minute shopping for a dress to wear to my cousin's wedding (good news #2: I did find one), and I have to grade some assignments in order to have enough grades to upload progress reports tomorrow (ugh), I haven't gotten a chance to sit down to answer questions yet.
So sorry for the delay! But let me tell you about the dress.
[Hear that? That was the sound of my male readership's clicking over to ESPN.com or something else manly.]
I didn't mean to wait so long to look for a dress. I secretly was hoping something would magically appear in my closet that fit and was appropriate, but the more I looked through my closet, the more I realized that I had summer dresses and Christmas dresses, and nothing in between. Not to mention that most of the dresses in my closet aren't fitting that well because I've just started back on an exercise regimen, carefully, after getting knocked flat last year.
It's that weird time of year where stores are full of Summer dresses on clearance, don't have much in the way of Fall dresses (who needs a dress for Fall? Just wear tights and a sweater with your Summer dress, right? Um, no!), and aren't quite ready to roll out the holiday dresses--which are too over the top for a Fall wedding, anyway. At least one that's not black tie optional.
When you're a short woman, there isn't much out there for you, dress-wise, unless your budget is unlimited. Mine was a hopeful $40 but a more realistic $75.) If you're a short woman who's not a stick, you're even worse off. I tried some petite dresses; I tried some regular dresses. We almost had something with this turquoise dress, but it was a size too small, and even if we'd found the right size, it would have needed extensive tailoring to fit shorty me. However, Mom found a cool wrap-style jacket in cream/gold/black print that will look nice with a black skirt she already has. We tried to get the salesclerk to look for the dress I liked in either petite or another size, but I think she was not exactly proficient in searching. She did redeem herself by giving us a "shopping pass" that gave us 20% off, even regular-priced items (like Mom's jacket). So that was Score #1.
At the outset, I had said I might consider the Juniors department, because they tend to have homecoming dresses, but I had no idea how many shiny and tacky options we'd have to wade through. Even when my mom pointed to a leopard-printed dress hanging on the wall, I hesitated. Still, I'd said I would be open-minded, so I said I'd try it on. There were no Mediums, so she grabbed a Large and a Small. Juniors' sizes tend to run smaller than misses' and it seemed pointless to bring the Small. . . but I'm glad she got it.
After we sneaked over to the adjacent department's fitting room (Intimates) because there was no waiting and more air conditioning--seriously, how can the Juniors' fitting room seem so huge on the outside but be disappointingly cramped inside?--I tried on the handful of dresses we'd picked out, saving the leopard dress for last. The Large of the leopard dress was. . . not bad. Not super, because it seemed big in the shoulders and a little too full in the skirt, but it was not horrible, to my surprise. It actually had sleeves, which was a plus. It is like this dress (by the same maker) only in the leopard print and with a rounded neckline--small gold "studs" at the neckline, too. I had to take a chance and try the Small.
It looked even better. I still felt a little ambivalent because I don't wear a lot of prints, let alone a print all over, but the longer I wore it, the more comfortable I felt. And with the 20% off justification, I went for it. $47 and change (O.K., O.K., plus a little more for something to wear under it) and I was all set.
Now I just need to figure out jewelry and makeup. I picked a fun dress because I'm going to have fun and not feel weird that I am among the "last of the unmarrieds" in the family. It's just a small detail on a big day.
Plus I am going to sing the heck out of the wedding music, and there won't be anything else for anyone to consider!
Comments
Have FUN at the wedding!
xoxo
Christine--Short chicks of the world, unite! There's stuff out there if you want to spend hundreds and/or get alterations, but who has the money or the time?
Annie--Yeah, it was one of the easiest to wear dresses I've ever had and it worked out well. That's rare!