Sometimes things “just work,” and….sometimes they don’t. I try Very Hard to only buy things that REALLY work. Some may think I’m too picky or too particular or that I dismiss too many options because they’re not PERFECT.

And I would agree. I am picky. I am particular. And I deserve perfect.

I’ve come a long way since the days when I would buy anything just because it would fit on my body. Just because something fits around your hips or belly or boobs, doesn’t mean the item fits well. Or that it will work well with your wardrobe. Or that it suits your style. Everybody (and Every Body) deserves clothing they love, that fits well, and that suits them.

But as a clothing renter, sometimes I find myself with something less than that. You pays your money, you takes your chances…and you don’t always end up a winner. I’ve been trying out the rental service Nuuly. You pay a monthly fee of $88 and get to select six items that you keep for a month. I’m only doing this through my trip to California in February and then I’ll have to set it aside for the time being. Anyway, the first month, two of the items I selected were not available when they went to ship my order…so they substituted two other items (plus they’re giving me a two-item credit towards another month of my choice). One of them was just unwearable. The other…well, you be the judge.

It’s a dropped-waist, black and white houndstooth check dress by Maeve, which is an Anthropologie brand. It’s not awful. I’m generally not a fan of the dropped waist…on anyone…! And if you saw my recent Nordstrom Trunk Club try-on, you’ll know that black and white houndstooth is not my first choice. On me. But the material was nice, the fit was better than I expected, and I figured let’s make this work. 

I feel a little…

Image result for 19302 drop waist dress

Bear in mind, this outfit is not something I would actually wear out in the world. But it was fine for a little photoshoot dress up.

I went with the 1930’s dropped waist theme and paired it with some black patent oxfords a friend passed onto me. I love the style but the patent leather is so unforgiving I can’t wear them for long. And covered the whole thing up (ha) with a black duster length cardigan (a duster length cardigan can improve almost any clothing situation!). I wish I’d had some sort of red accessory – a bag or headband, or…a cloche. But I didn’t, and I wasn’t going to spend time or money accessorizing a dress that’s not even mine.

It would have been a tinch better with black tights, but alas, the Perfect Tight (and by “perfect” I mean The Ones I Can Get On My Body) still eludes me…although my Snag Tights order was just delivered and need to be tried on. They don’t LOOK that different from other tights, but…we shall see. They’re supposed to be wider, I think. So getting them on is not like stuffing a large pig through the mouth of a (stretchy) water bottle. Sorry for the image but that’s how it always feels to me.

Anyway, did I make it work? I think I at least made the best of an unfortunate situation. And sometimes that’s the most you can hope for.

What I’m Wearing

  • Maeve Sterling Houndstooth Tunic, 3x. Sold out.
  • Old Navy Black Fine Knit Longline Open-Front Cardigan, 2x. Old, sold out. Comparable here and here.
  • Black Patent Oxfords, old. Comparable here and here.

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