Make It Work

Have you ever bought something without trying it on, but you were so confident it would fit that you cut off the tags, only to realize you probably should have tried it on to be sure? That’s what happened with this dress from Loft. I did try it on in the petite version and I liked it, but I wanted it to be longer so it would be work appropriate. So I had them order the regular size for me. When the regular size came in the mail, I hung it in my closet, and a couple days later when they were calling for 90-degree temps, I figured it was a good time to wear it. I chopped off the tag and that other little thing in the seam that says “remove before washing or wearing” (what is that thing, anyway, besides a pain in the ass?) and put it on.

Welp. Apparently a lower hem also meant a lower neckline. It might not seem that low looking at these pictures, but just trust me. I did not feel comfortable wearing it to work. Without much on top to fill up the space, the slightest lean forward meant you could basically see my belly button. I just imagined conversations among other people in my building going something like this:

“Hey, you know that new trademark attorney Sarah?”

“No, which one is she?”

“The tiny one who dropped a pen and flashed everybody.”

…No one takes on a lifetime of student loan debt just to be the skank lawyer. But hey, the tags were off, and I wasn’t about to waste a cute dress. The nice thing about getting most of my clothes from just a few stores is that it’s easier to find pieces that look like they were meant to go together, even if they came out in different seasons. I worked a little layering magic with my polka dot shirt that I got from Loft a few months ago, and voila! Skank status avoided.

Dress // similar Shirt (splurge) // similar Shirt (save) // Shoes // Bag* // Necklace // Ring*

*Bag provided courtesy of Hillsberg Company; ring purchased with gift card provided courtesy of Shopbop.