Dress obsessed. | Le Hoarder
Le Hoarder

A NYC -ish* Style and Shopping Blog

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Dress obsessed.

I easily own over 100 dresses. Dresses are pretty much my uniform. When you're a busy mom of three you need some simplicity in your life. These days I've been throwing on a sheath dress, a jacket (I have a collection of those as well LOL), my black thrifted Barneys NY moto boots, grab my trusty Balenciaga & black Ralph Lauren (75% off @C21) sunnies and I'm out the door. My jewelry will vary by my mood but 99% of the time my ensemble begins with a dress.

I really don't have anything against pants, they just don't seem to like me very much. I've always had a behind like J-Lo and thankfully as my 92-yr old grandmother keeps telling me it's very much in style these days. Thanks Gram. I spent my teenage years hiding my butt with baggy tops and shirts tied around my waist until I finally started to accept my body and properly dress for my body shape.

When you have curves and a smaller waist it's much easier to find a dress that fits than a pair of jeans - even if it's made with spandex. What it comes down to is always show your skinny. Over the years my dress styles have evolved but I've always looked thinner in dresses. Plus no tops and bottoms to match up. Easy peasy.

I'm always perplexed by women who don't think they look good in a dress. If this is you, you simply have not found the right silhouette for your shape. You also may need to find a tailor. Most women are perfectly imperfect and can't shop off the rack. I recently watched an episode of  TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress" and a bride who spent thousands on her gown refused to spend any money on alterations. Her boobs were hanging out and she looked sloppy. In the recap she affirmed that she felt good about her decision to not spend any additional funds on alterations. I cringed. Poor girl. A few more dollars and she would have looked perfect. If you're going to invest in any kind of fashion you should make sure it fits properly.

Don't get me wrong, a $10 H&M dress that isn't perfect isn't a big deal for me. I believe in finding some inexpensive passable clothing when you've put on a few pounds to manage until you slim down. I hid my baby-weight under cute thrifted jackets and larger-sized T-shirt dresses for years. No need to do alterations when you're in at a transitional weight. Now that I'm down to a 4/6 I've started to tailor again. It's a good feeling.

Lately it's been raining dresses so I picked up a couple more closets for my basement to accommodate my clothing obsession. If you're in the market, these Rubbermaid 60" Garment Closets are great for storing off-season pieces. They will break if you overload them but they are pretty sturdy for the $34 price tag.







So I supposed you'd like to see my recent dress haul...quite a few cute ones if I may say so myself :)

In addition to all my recent Altuzarra for Target dresses I scored this amazing Givenchy geometric print sheath at Nordstrom Rack from just $99.90 from $1,940! Ah-ma-zing.




It's actually clear the Rack at Nordstrom Rack right now (thru Tuesday) and you can take an extra 25% off red ticket clearance. Here are a couple dresses I picked up at the last clear the Rack that I never shared...

My $575 Haute Hippie emerald green and black silk blend leather accent sleeveless dress was around $60 after discount - plus I used a $20 Nordstrom note, making it $40 :)






And my $355 Tracy Reese dress leather and tweed sheath dress was under $40 after discount. I had to have the top taken in because I needed a full size smaller on top.




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I've been picking up tons of cheap dresses at the thrift store too.

There was something about this silk Tibi dress for just $3.95. I don't like the elasticized long sleeves so I'll be turning them up (see sleeve on the left). Much cuter on...



Love this Asos dress for just $7.95. Coral is my favorite summer color.




Tom and Linda Platt dresses tend to start at $500 and go into the thousands. Mine was $15 :) The fringe is so on trend and I love a good LBD with a twist. This picture doesn't do it justice. As soon as it comes back from the tailor I'll post a mod shot. I already wore it last week with my new Loubs and it's a showstopper.






This 100% cashmere sweater dress from Elie Tahari is easily one of my new favorites. Love that shade of blue. Where else can you get a $13 cashmere dress? I love thrifting :)




My daughter swiped this $2.95 (retail $80) Kaiya Eve tutu from her younger sister. I keep getting messages from my nieces how much they love this tutu and want one too. My 7 year old is squeezing into a size 2 LOL. Check out her Minnetonka boots that I thrifted for $8 last year. I've been getting requests for those too LOL.



I'm not a huge fan of Longchamp (or fanny packs LOL) but this brand new leather one was just 4 bucks! It even had the authenticity cards :)








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You'll never guess where I picked up these Rachel Zoe dresses for next to nothing...Burlington Coat Factory! Funny thing is I stopped by 5 different locations and only the first had anything good. Scored the buttery soft "Luella" leather dress for $50 from $750!









 I also found this cute "Sierra" black silk tank dress for $35 from $350 :)








Picked up this cute C.Wonder dress for a client for next to nothing - I think she's going to love it :)





I also purchased this $395 size 4 DKNY sheath with leather inset - it's cute but I'm not sure I need it. If you're interested it's $55 US shipped.




Not as exciting, this top was just $11. I think it will be cute tucked into a fitted midi skirt.



Grabbed these Vince Camuto box chain bullet drop earrings for $6. If you love them they still have them online at Nordstrom Rack for $12.97. 



So Burlington....who knew? :)

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My shopping reports are never complete without an H&M update :) I popped in to try on the floral dresses I spotted online and sadly they were a bust. I'm not a fan of tiny florals and the fit was terrible. Think maternity and you need VERY skinny arms. The circle skirt was cute but wasn't exciting. I did purchase the top in the center for $17.95 less my 20% off mall coupon. I know I swore off mustard but I liked the boxy and slightly cropped fit.



In the fitting room I noticed this 10% off text coupon - it works on your entire purchase, even sale items.


My 20% coupon couldn't be used on sale items so I used the text coupon on this dress. It was originally $60 and half-off so after the 10% it was $27. I liked the bold colors and it makes me think of the NY Mets.




That's it for now - gotta get to bed. A new runway TJ Maxx is opening nearby and I want to be there for the grand opening tomorrow :)

-Shoppinggal
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2 comments

  1. Loveeee the leather dress- can't believe your amazing score! And the C.Wonder dress is amazing too. When I was much heavier, I couldn't pull off dresses, I really couldn't, but that was my experience....

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    Replies
    1. Thanks - I've always wanted a leather dress and for that price... Not buying that you couldn't pull off dresses when you were heavier. I have several plus size clients (sizes 14 thru 24) and I've found really cute and flattering dresses for all of them. I'm guessing it was in your head. I haven't a clue what you used to look like but these days you look amazing in a dress :)

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