Dress to Impress Obsess

A few weeks ago I asked my lovely readers (ie you) what you wanted to know. The lovely and talented Andhari was first and she wanted to know about my dresses. And her wish is my command. (And have you read her blog, Insomniac Lolita? It's fabulous.)

Anyways, I became a dress fanatic in 2007. Up until then, I mostly wore jeans and shirts. Cute shirts, but mostly not too feminine.

In the spring of 2007, I bought a gray dress from Forever 21. Since then, I have been expanding my collection exponentially.

That original gray dress is on the left. I have acquired these from right (oldest) to left (newest).
Let me tell you a bit about each dress (ok, this might be boring for most people but if you are like me you need to know where these things are from.. ok?). From left to right...

• Gray Dress, Forever 21, purchased in Spring 2007, $20.
• Blue Dress, Gap Outlet, purchased in Spring 2007, $25 (side note: this dress is what my friends call "Sarah Blue" or "Gap Blue". It looks amazing on me-well at least I think so.
  
• Pink/Purple Dress, Gap Outlet, purchased in Summer 2007, $25 (side note: this dress isn't flattering. The color and cut are all off).
• Purple (but looks blue in the pic) Dress, Soprano brand, purchased at Nordstrom in Fall 2008, $30.
• Black Dress, Soprano brand, purchased at TJ Maxx in Spring 2009, $20
• Gray Dress, Lucy & Laurel brand, purchased at TJ Maxx in Summer 2009, $20 (side note: this dress is not flattering on me. Has no waistline).

So in terms of these casual, cotton dresses, I look for a couple of things.

• Nice fabric, not too sheer. Never put them in the dryer because the fabric burns out and gets pilled - hate that.
• Must have a waistline of some sort - it makes me look skinnier. The last dress is bad for that reason - no waist.
• Inexpensive. Clearly there is no reason to spend a ton on these. I just check TJ Maxx every time I stop by and I am bound to get lucky at some point.

Ok, now onto nicer dresses.
From Left to Right:

• Pink Dress, Ann Taylor, purchased in Spring 2005 for high school graduation, $85. Can't believe I can actually (barely) still fit into this.
• Black Dress, White House, Black Market, purchased in December 2007, $99. This is one of my favorite dresses because the top fits like a glove. Excuse the bra straps.
• Floral Dress, Express, purchased at TJ Maxx in Fall 2008 for $12. Steal of a dress... a bit booby-licious.
• Blue Dress, Calvin Klein, purchased at Marshalls in Spring 2009 for $60. I love this dress, but it's the reason I started doing the Shred. My thighs dont' fit into this dress, period.
• Black dress, J. Crew Outlet, purchased in Spring 2009 for $50. It has pockets(!!), but unfortunately is 100% cotton and I think it will fade. Am thinking of re-dying it black to keep the color dark.
  

As you can see, I try not to spend a ton on dresses. Clearly, good ones are worth the investment because even the pink one, which was supposed to be a one-timer, can be worn again and again.

My best advice for dresses especially is to try on everything, check the sales rack every time you shop (because most of these were purchased on a whim - I can't ever find a good one when I'm looking for it), and if you find something good - buyt it. It won't wait around for you to find an occasion to wear it to.

So, I think I've beaten this topic into the ground, right?

Remember, every comment this week earns you a chance to win!!

And, as I said yesterday, feel free to ask me anything. My life is an open book, and I want to know what you want to know.

Happy Tuesday!

P.S. I am insanely dedicated to you, little blog, because I tried on every single one of those this morning and even though I was unshowered (which is why I cut my head off), I took all those pics. For you. Because I love you long time.