In preparation for this wedding, the bridesmaids were sent on a hunt for a perfect dress of their own following the parameters of a neutral color palette set by the bride. Sounds easy and exciting right? Well, not as easy as I had hoped. I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of picky. In fact, I bought and returned 3 dresses before I found "the one." Whoops.
Of course, before making my final decision, I couldn't help but peruse Anthropologie's wedding line - BHLDN. A little out of my price range, but a great source of inspiration.
First, I had a tiny love affair with this dress before I realized it was a little out of my price range. By a little, I mean by a lot.
{Gorgeous right? But for $375 it is unfortunately never to be a part of my wardrobe}
However, where there is patience, there is reward. Just when I didn't think I was going to find a dress that I truly would wear again, I ventured into American Apparel and found the above dresses fraternal twin sister.
{Little change in color, and you'll need a slip to wear under it, but at $52, this is a far better option - for more reasons than the price. Although, for the record, it saves you $323 - that's like, a lot of money!}
Ok, so I'm sure you're wondering why this is the better option for reasons other than the cost, and I'm going to tell you. You see, I have this rule about buying clothes. I don't like to buy something unless I have a few different ways to wear it. This particular dress can be worn 3 different ways - classic, casual and somewhere in between.
This is how I wore it for the wedding. Classically
{I made a belt to imitate the one from BHLDN. It was easy. I bought some cloth ribbon in a shade darker than my dress, cut to a length long enough to tie around my waste with a little extra. I then sewed the ends down for a cleaner look and to keep it from fraying. When I tied it around my waist, I added a vintage brooch where the knot was. Voila. I heart belts because they act as a nice accent to draw attention to the smallest part on a woman's body.}
{I wore this petticoat slip under the dress to add a little oomph at the bottom, and also because I heart it.}
{I also heart shoes.}
Take 2: Somewhere in between classic and casual.
{I pulled this skirt over the dress and added a little red skinny belt from H&M (remember when I talked about bringing definition to your waist line!) and some nude espadrilles. Just a tip: Choosing nude shoes gives the illusion of height for us short gals out there}
{I love a good nude color palette}
{Ben had to get a shot of the bling}
Take 3: Leaning toward casual.
{Ok, so it's not casual like jeans casual, but quite a difference from the original. I just threw on my favorite oversized striped cotton tee and tied the bottom and tucked it under so it hit where I wanted. Again, my goal was to define where my waist line hits so I don't look too boxy. I also added a chunky necklace, a fedora and some chunky wedges}
{Have I ever mentioned that I heart hats? Well, I do. I heart them}
Weddings are a great excuse to get a great dress. I know I'll get a lot out of this one and hopefully have inspired some thought in getting some more use out of what you may have in your closet. It's fun to try unexpected combinations. Just try. If it doesn't work, it doesn't and life will continue, but you could come up with something fabulous.
