“I can’t afford to dress the way you do.”
“I can’t wear a sleeveless summer dress, because my arms look gross. What would you suggest I wear instead?”
“Do you ever wear any bright colors? Or do you always stick to basics?”
Those are some questions I’ve recently been asked by peeps who read my blog. And in this post, I’m going to offer an answer to all.
First, I’m a bargain shopper. In my former life, I earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance and worked as a series seven licensed financial planner. (Big yawn, I know.) Let’s just say the value of money has been chiseled into my brain by a professor or two.
Before finishing college, though, I worked extensively in retail. My favorite and most valuable experience was when I went to work for a small fashion boutique. It was there that I was allowed to see behind the wizard’s curtain. Until that time, I’d walked into retail wonderland with a skewed belief that each price tag represented true value. The owner of that sweet boutique, however, took me under her wing and showed me everything that had made her a success … including the mark-up in clothing.
The fit and flair dress I’m wearing in this blog post is made by Elle . I got it at Kohl’s for five dollars. So basically, I could’ve had a Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha Venti OR this cute dress. Same price. And I chose the dress. You should choose the dress too!
I understand the value of money and am unashamed of my penchant for hunting down a good bargain. So if you believe you can’t afford to dress like me, you are 100% incorrect. It may take some time to uncover a good deal, but if I can do it, you can too.
Second, if you’re not comfortable wearing a sleeveless summer dress, then go for capped sleeves like the ones on this dress. A benefit of capped sleeves is that they draw the eye away from the rest of your body … in addition, they make your shoulders appear more broad, which makes your waist and hips appear smaller. Win. Win.
Third, on the question about color, I do wear color sparingly. I typically prefer solids, and my go-to colors are black, gray, army green, white, and navy. However, I make exceptions, and my exception is usually red. This dress is coral, out of my color comfort zone, but it was too cute to pass up.
Since I’m calling this upcoming season “The Summer Of The Dress”, I’m pairing most of my dresses with flat sandals to dress them down and to make them more sensible for every day errands. While any flat will do, choosing a nude color tone will make your legs appear longer. I think this goes without saying, but legs, ladies, are important when wearing a dress. Take good care of them! I’ve gone crazy over the vanilla shaving cream by EOS. It smells like a sugar cookie and leaves your legs feeling smooth and super moisturized. You can find it for a great price on Amazon by clicking here.
To close, this week has been one filled with the highest of highs and lowest of lows. My two youngest kiddos, both who have Down syndrome, began regular school this week. And to my utter delight, they rocked it!!! My house and my car were broken into. Two laptops were taken, one of which held a 100+ page novel I’ve been writing for six months and the back-up USB thumb drive. Someone I dearly love moved away. Someone I once held in great regard pushed a boundary and disappointed me beyond words. A friend stepped up and honored me by offering the act of selfless love. And to top it all, I was given the opportunity to watch in utter amazement as an adult friend of mine who has Down syndrome carried his beloved father’s casket to what would be his grave site. Before walking away, he kissed the casket and looked toward heaven. Tears literally popped from my eyes.
Aren’t the highs and lows what make the journey so interesting? Life is too short to worry about what to wear or what not to wear. There’s too much to see and experience to be concerned about what others may think or say. Choose the dress. Wear the dress. Feel good. Know that you are special because you are uniquely you.
Just my thoughts!
~Melanie
Brick Marshmallows 