Why is it that, on days when you shouldn't be buying anything, everything catches your eye, but when you need to buy an item of clothing for a certain occasion, you can never seem to find exactly what you want?
I set out this afternoon to find a dress for my rehearsal dinner and a dress for the ceilidh. (As much as I'd love to wear my wedding gown for the entire dance, I don't think I will last too long in the layers and layers of dress I will be covered with.) My only requirement for the rehearsal dinner dress was that it had to have some blue in it to match our colors--not too much of a challenge. On the other hand, I needed to find a nice, white dress that looked fancy enough for a wedding reception but was still comfortable to wear.
I walked into my local JC Penney to see what they had to offer and was happy to see that most of their summer dresses were on clearance! Those of you who regularly shop the clearance racks understand the challenge a shopper faces when approaching one. I picked through dress after dress, often finding a cute one only to learn it wasn't in my size, until I had 5 worthy dresses to try on.
The next 10 minutes were a test of my self-esteem. None of the dresses I tried on looked good! Some made me look like I was wearing a sack. Others made me look like I should be walking the streets. Still bound and determined to find something good, I headed back out to search some more.
With the next batch of 5, I still had a few that looked dreadful! But I also found 2 that were perfect. The best part was they were on sale for $15.99 and both work-worthy so I could certainly wear them again post-wedding. I was pleased with my finds.
Still, there was the perfect white dress I needed to discover. I headed through the mall toward Kohls, only to find teeny-bopper dresses that ended mid-thigh. Then a miracle happened. I noticed the Deb store and remembered how I'd found plenty of cute party dresses there for other occasions. I eagerly made my way toward the back of the store, and that's where I found the perfect white dress! It is a sundress made of white eyelet fabric with light blue trim around the edges (to go perfectly with our color scheme!). Special material underneath helps "poof" the skirt out to make it truly party worthy.
After 2 hours at the mall and loads of searching, I headed out, Starbucks in hand (I had to reward myself on a job well done, after all), and pleased with the finds of the day.
Comments (2)
Only 2 hours?! Why, I'd say that was a successful trip, indeed!! I totally feel you on this one. I dread going shopping when I really need something. It's then that I realize just how stumpy my legs are, the huge-ness of my "lovely lady lumps," and my bulbous arms. Thanks for reminding me of this, by the way. I need some ice cream now to drown my sorrows... j/k
One more thing: I found out this morning, Jon will be able to attend your wedding. Hurray!