It started out as a simple photo that I took to post on my Instagram account earlier this morning. I decided to wear a dress that I had for years but never bothered wearing. The dress was purchased when I was thinner and then I gained weight and then I lost weight and then I gained and then I lost. And it’s back in my closet.
The dress is nice. It was purchased at J. Crew Factory and I’m sure I was attracted by the stripes. The cut of the dress is a “Fit & Flare”. I’m not sure if this style dress is still as popular as it was a couple of years ago, but there were a few seasons when this style achieved great notoriety!
My Instagran compilation. I do these little montages almost every day. If you want to see more go to @atypical60 on Instagram (shameless plug)
Perhaps it brought back memories of when I was a little girl and my mother would have me wear these types of dresses. Whatever it was that possessed me to make the impulsive purchase, the dress is not the type that is flattering to me.
This is probaby the only time in my life when a Fit & Flare dress looked good on me–and even then the waist is a bit high!
Hold on a minute there. In the photos that I took, the dress doesn’t look that bad. That’s because I had to manipulate. I had to pull the dress down before taking photos. My natural waist is low. I’m long-waisted. The waist on this dress is high. Ridiculously high. It doesn’t touch my waist in any way, shape, or form.
If I pulled this dress down any lower on top, I could have been arrested for indecent exposure!
If the waist was lower, this would be a go-to dress.
Do clothing manufacturers not realize that one style does not fit all? Trousers and jeans come in various lengths. Why can’t dresses be made with different waist lengths for different torsos?
This is a beautiful example of a Fit & Fl… Oh. Wait. It’s a Princess line. See how the waist is dropped and doesn’t cut? It’s a Donna Karan. I can’t afford it..
The dress on the right, by Alexander McQueen is beautiful but the waist still looks too high!
And don’t even get me started on THIS one. It’s ill-fitting all around!
I am now convinced that the only seamstresses who can make a longer torso dress are the Irish Dance dress makers. This one was made by Siopa Rince. I should have kept Oona’s dress. Maybe I could have worn it to work!
I did wear this dress to work today. And all day I was incredibly uncomfortable.
I wore it because I was too damned lazy to change!
Sitting down, the dress rode up so high that I looked like I was wearing an empire waist!
I must say. I felt like Ed Grimley in his high-waisted pants. Actually, his pants are probably more comfortable than my dress!
And that is why I am most at ease when I wear a simple shift. For me, they are a flattering style. Same thing with those great swing dresses I picked up earlier this summer at Old Navy. Simple. Uncomplicated!
Me with my cousins, AnnMarie and Kate. We were together over the weekend at a family baby shower. I’m so comfy in my shift!
The dress came off, went into the wash, and I’ll send it to Oona. If she doesn’t want it, she can bring it to a local thrift shop.
It’s ok though. We all make impulsive purchases and we all make clothing mistakes. Wearing that fit & flare dress today made me realize that I shouldn’t have bought it. I learned a valuable lesson.
To not make impulsive purchases!!!
And speaking of valuable, I ordered some makeup brushes last week and received them today. They were an excellent value at $14.00. The shipping was a bit pricey at $7.00 but they were shipped from California. The brushes are from Morphe. Morphe sells brushes, tools, makeup—all sorts of girly goodies. The free shipping kicks in at $75.00 but I wasn’t ready to spend that much.
The brushes come packed in a genuine pleather case…
I love that the case is magnetized. It’s perfect for travel. It is also perfect for clumsy people such as myself!
A plastic shield gives more protection…
The brushes are very soft and…
…offers a good variety. I’ll be reviewing soon.
I heard about the brushes from one of my favorite vloggers, TheHeartsandcake90, mentioned them in a makeup tutorial that I watched and the bendability looked great!
Brittney of TheHeartsandcake90 is one of my favorite wig reviewers and now that she’s doing makeup tutorials…….Check her out on YouTube!!
My diet was sabotaged today. One of my co-workers tried her hand at making sushi last night. She made a lot—and brought a platter into the office. I couldn’t stop eating this! It was so good that I now want to get a sushi kit and make some at home. After I lose seven pounds!
Nicole made Shrimp Tempura sushi and cream cheese, avacado and jalepeno sushi. I can see the outline of rice on my thighs as I write this. Seriously. This was delicious!
J Crew also sabotaged me. Those emails they send me are too tempting. The first “Fall 2017” item was purchased. I’m waiting for it to be delivered. A navy ribbed top with bell-sleeved cuffs. It’ll be a great diet aid because I’m such a natural slob that anything I eat will automatically get stuck to the cuffs.
I KNOW, the photo is so tiny. I didn’t know how to make it bigger. I’m not a techie!
Thank you, J. Crew, for assisting in my diet!
What say you ladies? Any impulsive clothing purchases that you regret? I know I’m not the only one! Do tell!
I feel compelled to play “Give Peace A Chance” for obvious reasons. There is a lot of hatred brought on by bad politics. I won’t get into it. That’s what I use my personal Facebook page for.
John and Yoko. We need peace now and more than peace we need love. We need to bring back hippies!
Peace and love will prevail.
Hi Catherine, I like that striped dress on you, but comfort is important.
You got that right Julie!! Comfort rules above all. I really should keep the dress as a reminder that sometimes, we just shouldn’t make the purchase!!!! XOXOXOXO
Love this! And yeah, I have three pairs of (gulp) LEGGINGS hanging in my closet right now. They’re all as good as new, because when I got them home, I realized I was never ever EVER going to wear them in public! (I’m saving them in case there’s ever a day when every other stitch of clothing I own is in the wash.)
Oh. Christine. I think we ALL have those leggings we’ve never worn. I have a couple in a drawer. And the tops fall down–it’s another “whatwasIthinking” purchase!! I’m glad that I ain’t alone in this!!! XOXOXOXO
Hi Catherine- I think you look adorable in the dress but if you don’t feel comfortable then good idea to send it to your daughter. I have so many mistake purchases…that is why I now hold on to every receipt and keep the tags on for a few weeks…I do like to “live” with things for awhile before I wear to them to make sure I really do love them, they can be worn with other things I already own, are flattering, etc .
I think my worst purchases have been when I let price rule my decision…way too many items that aren’t a great fit or a good color, etc etc but I talk myself into buying it because its such a good deal and if I only wear “it” around the house…you get the idea but as I bag all this purchase mistakes (to donate) I realize I could have had one thing I really loved and feel good in. So trying to be better in this area but I do love a good deal and its difficult for me to i.e. walk into Nordstroms and buy something at full price.
I love all your blog posts and always so excited when I see that you have a new one.
Hi Nancy!!! I like your way of keeping the receipt for a while and “live” with things before wearing them. That’s a very wise and pragmatic take on things. I like that a lot! I try very hard to not purchase items that I won’t wear, but it happens. I think this summer I was lucky. The swing dresses I bought at Old Navy for $10.00 and $15.00 were great choices because I’ve been wearing them constantly. I have already assessed my winter garb and other than the J. Crew shirt I ordered, I’m in good shape. I don’t need anything so I probably will put the kibosh on spending on clothes–but you never know!!!!! Thank you for continuing to read the blog–that makes me very happy!!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Oh I need to find you on Facebook for the politics, LOL. And I have a loooong torso and short legs; most dresses are just a no-go for me. And jumpsuits? Forget about it! One piece bathing suits, too.
Cyn—I looked for an email addy to send you an email with my real life FB info so you could friend me. I go on rather wild rants!!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Where to begin………….good buy on the brushes……I could have mailed for cheaper!NEXT TIME!
Dress is cute try it with pants………….
WHY IS HE STILL THERE………didn’t the daughter and son in law run back to NY?!!!!!!!!!!
HELLO TO THE FRENCHMAN……..sorry I have been missing in ACTION!Not worth going into………….XO
Hey Elizabeth. I saw that post today with the leggings. I need to venture over to have a better look but the photos were astounding–you looked fetching! Are you ok? Don’t be missing!!! XOXOXOXOXOXO!!!
Some days I feel like my whole wardrobe is like that! Which is why I’m tempted by the capsule Idea. Have realised that it will be a huge capsule though, more like a spaceship! My worst buys will probably be the partydresses I have bought for parties I never will attend – dresses that looks like a good idea in my head or are too pretty to be ignored!
Hi Angelin. I dunno. I”ve thought the capsule over so many times and I know I would get so bored. I have a good number of clothing and am still getting tired of the summer clothes. Don’t even start on the party dresses. I have a black dress–this is no lie. It’s beautiful. I either got it at TJ Maxx or it was the only dress I ever ordered from QVC or HBC whatever it is. It is a plain shift with a strip of satin on the hem. All black with a boat neck and 3/4 sleeves. Damned if I haven’t worn that dress to nearly every special occasion the last 13 years! I kid you not. It’s comfortable but also great!! I’m rambling. Sorry, but I can’t even with the party dresses. LOL!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!
I have the opposite issue – I’m short waisted. I love an empire waist and probably look sort of pregnant a lot of the time but I really don’t care. Anything with a fitted “normal” or lowered waist just gets all odd and bunchy on me. And I’m on the taller-ish side so petite sizing not a solution for me. I love your idea of different sizing for different torso lengths. I also agree that any piece of clothing that makes you feel uncomfortable (physically or mentally) should GO, immediately. No point in making yourself miserable and wasting closet space when someone else can probably enjoy it.
Hi Turner. Isn’t it true though? Don’t you think clothing companies should do a different sized torso thing? It’s crazy but one size does NOT fit all–All sizes do not fit all!! But I really cannot hang on to anything that I’m not comfortable in–that’s why I wear a lot of the same kinds of clothing!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXO!!!!
I am stupidly long bodied (I would be about 5 inches taller if my legs were proportional to my body) so I hate waisted dresses like this. I love fit and flare when it has more of a skater cut, and no wasit band!
Most of my work dresses come from an Australian company called Cue, they aren’t cheap, but they last forever, I have pieces that are 10 years old that still look brand new even though I toss them in the washing machine and ignore all the dry cleaning instructions. Best of all, POCKETS!
Something like this, i would wear at least once a fortnight for the next 5 years (and really I own about 5 of this cut in different patterns and fabrics and I DO wear them at least once a fortnight) – https://www.cue.cc/Shop/Product/Zip-Front-Floral-Dress-C91646-W17/316998
And I am seriously considering going and getting this (without the belt), because I know that cut would work on long bodied me – https://www.cue.cc/Shop/Product/Funnel-Neck-Frill-Dress-C91691-S17/319752
We have a corporate dress code, but I call my version FunkyCorp, today I wore a plain black dress in the same cut of the first one I linked too (with long sleeves), with bright blue tights with feathers painted on them, and black combat boots. Oh, and a pom pom beanie, which I planned to only wear outside, but the heating in our building is out at the moment so it got worn all day.
Q–Your comment ended up in the pending for moderation section. That’s odd!!! Those dresses by Cue. I’m so jealous that they aren’t sold here. And it looks like they are worth the price. They are beautiful!!! I love your FunkyCorp personal dress code. I’ll bet you are the best dressed in the entire building!!!
I think it is because I had links that may look like a spambot posted? But I knew it would be fine in the end!
Today’s FunkyCorp look involved a skater skirt teamed with a north face puffa vest (with fur on the hood, and a long sleeved t-shirt underneath of course), tights, and sketchers sneakers that look like mary janes. How I keep getting away it with it is beyond me!
I’ve got the opposite problem, as I’m extremely high waisted. I look like Ed Grimley no matter what I wear!
I just spilled my water! You gave me a good laugh at that one. Ed Grimley–he’s my favorite Martin Short character!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!
I agree…you look fabulous in the black/white striped number, but if you feel uncomfortable, you’ll look uncomfortable and that look doesn’t look good on anyone…hmmm…did that make any sense?! Love your critical eye, Catherine…it is always spot on. 🙂
Thanks Jeanne. It’s funny because Bonaparte loves that dress on me, but when I told him I have to keep pulling it down because it is so uncomfortable–he gave a French Shrug. XOXOXOXOXO!!!!
I am high waisted but in my minds eye I am long waisted haha! I have the clothing mistakes to prove it. I am sure a lot of long waisted ladies would try on that frock and think they look awesome until they wear it to work and are constantly pulling at the darned thing! Long waisted garments hit me wrong at the hip in regular sizes. I am getting pickier about what I purchase these days and if it doesn’t hit my goals of fit and moderately stylish I walk. I buy clothes from a small boutique near me and the owner commented on how well her clothing fit me. We have the same shape and she buys stuff( for the most part) that she likes wearing herself.
Buying coats can be a real trial though, according to a lot of manufacturers petite women always are 100lbs or less with flat chests!!!
Momcat. You’re lucky. In Canada, and France and every place outside the USA that I’ve traveled, I’ve seen the greatest clothing in boutiques that were affordable and moderately priced. Here, if it says “boutique” it’s super-expensive and that’s why we have so many Mallrats! But you are spot on with becoming pickier. I find myself not wanting to go out of my comfort zone with clothing. I know what I like–and I think that comes with age!! Oh God, outwear is the hardest to shop for. Period! XOXOXOXOXO!!!!
Edwina Grimley, we all have those pieces that we pull and tug, but we want them to fit. Nothing worse than having to keep adjusting what you are wearing to be “cute.” My dear Mother, that handmade my clothes, said a lady dresses, and never has to touch a well-fitting garment until she takes it off. God I wish she was still crafting my wardrobe.
Look forward to each post, and suggest you to all my friends!
“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive, that is Youer than You.” Dr. Seuss
I am built like a daschund – long body and short legs, buying dresses and trousers can be such a nuisance – but I remember nearly every department store where I grew up had a department for alterations and not only did they do a good job but nearly every female was handy with a needle. Nowadays fashion is considered so transient and disposable that even higher end stuff can be shoddy (I am sure there is a knock on effect), what is more it is not always the expensive stuff that fits the best – you just have to try it on, bend in all sorts of directions to see where it will naturally gravitate to on your body and then it still seems pretty random…
That’s why shift or even tea dresses are great
Juliet. Nordstrom has alterations for free and they do a great job. So does Brooks Brothers. But–alterations people are few and far between in this disposable day and age. I agree about the shift dresses!!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!
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