Dress, The Sequel

I wore a new dress to work today.

For the record, I have decided dresses are the flippin' fastest way to get ready in the morning and the easiest way to live in the world. You don't have to match anything when your head is still foggy from sleep. You don't end up tugging on shirt tails or pockets or whatever is twisted up and squiggly all day long. And, you don't have to deal with buttons, snaps and zippers every time you hit the head.

So, in that spirit, I've been on the lookout for simple, cheap, work-appropriate smocks. And a few weeks ago, I found one I couldn't pass up.

You see, I had a relationship with it's big sister two years ago.

Yup. A relationship. With a dress.

What I mean by that is while I was just beginning to move from plus sizes into "regular" sizes, I spotted this size 14, copper/gold/brown-toned simple sleeveless sheath dress. It had an all-over paisley print that was not too big, not too tiny ... just right. I loved it on the rack at a Burlington Coat Factory store and took it to the fitting room immediately.

It was too tight. Not a lot too tight, but a little too tight. And I bought it anyway. Because I knew I was headed in the right direction and that it would fit soon.

I was right. Rather quickly, it fit. Unfortunately, I didn't actually wear it that long because it became too big too fast ... surprising no one more than me.

But I loved it. I loved it because it was pretty and flattering. And I loved it because it represented a milestone. An accomplishment. A new world where I could shop for clothes in normal sizes.

Fast forward to May 2012 and I'm in Marshall's at Greenway Station in Middleton (See a pattern here? Bargain Hunters Unite!) and I spot the same freaking dress. But this time it's in a purple palette and a few sizes smaller than a 14.

Fitting room, checkout, closet ... bing, bang, boom!

And today, a pretty good feeling inside.