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Nifty Thrifty

How to Rock a Long Dress

I found this dress at Beacon’s the other day for $14.95. On the hanger, it looks kinda blah; it was equally meh in the dressing room. I bought it with the full intent of shortening it into a mini shirt-dress (by “shortening,” I mean hacking at it with a pair of fabric scissors - I don’t waste money on professional alterations unless it’s absolutely necessary).

Pre-hemline surgery, I tried the dress on and cinched a thick brown belt around my waist. The dress didn’t look hot. It looked understated and classy - two of the most difficult adjectives to achieve where style is concerned.

The length wasn’t doing jackshit to create the illusion of height I’m constantly striving for, but I restrained my urge to shorten the dress and added ankle boots instead. I needed public opinion to affirm the outfit’s awesomeness, so I wore it out to a party that evening. “Great color,” “Love the dress,” “You look gorgeous,” from guys and girls alike. Yaay, my massive ego totally needed that. Now let’s talk overall cost.

I wore the dress with Scoop textured tights, which generally run around $20. The brown belt is from Mommy’s closet and thus, free. The Aldo ankle boots were $110 on sale, which is slightly shameful, (I know right, $110 is Aldo’s on sale price? Who does this store think she is?). But the dress, at only $14.95, more than evens things out. Sometimes less leg really is more hot (or hotter, whatevs).