Hey guys! I know, I know…it has been a minute since I’ve done a fashion post, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been serving lewks—I promise! If anything, because I only leave the house a few times per week , I’m making an extra effort to put myself together these days. I’m not gonna lie, I’m having quite a bit of fun playing dress up in my own closet.
Speaking of closets, when it comes to building a wardrobe, I’m sure we are all familiar with shopping’s Golden Rule:
If you can’t wear a piece at least three different ways, don’t buy it.
Now, I would say about 90% of the time—if not more—I fiercely advocate for this line of thinking. It is the most practical approach to shopping you can find, saving you money on two fronts.
First, it stretches your dollar. Personally, I like to take the cost per wear approach with my purchases—that is, original cost of the item divided by the number of times you can wear it equals the cost per wear. More ways to wear something yields a lower cost per wear and, inversely, a higher overall value. While I may have severely struggled in math in high school (shout out to my bestie, Liza, who let me cheat my way through freshman and sophomore year #sorrydad), THIS is some arithmetic I excel at.
Second, it prevents you from spending frivolously. By pausing to take an inventory of your current wardrobe before handing over your card or clicking “add to cart,” you may realize that you already own something similar and don’t really need the item anyway. Plus, when the addition of one piece leads to multiple new outfits, you likely will be less inclined to go right out and buy something else. Or maybe you won’t. We all have a weakness. No judgments here.
So the next time you’re shopping, I want you to imagine me on your shoulder, serving as your Retail Fairy Godmother. As you browse the racks or scroll through images online, there I’ll be, hovering delicately, whispering “cost per wear” softly into your ear any time you decide to give something a closer look.
Creepy, yes, but highly effective I assure you.
However, every once in a while, you will stop on a piece that instantly sets your heart fluttering and causes your face to light up. You will be the very embodiment of the heart-eyes emoji. The dress or bag or trouser or whatever will be unique and stunning and exceptional, and even though you don’t know exactly where or when you’ll wear it, you just know that when you do, it’s going to be a mo-ment.
To which I will respond: “yasssss girl, fuck the rules, BRING HER HOME TO MAMA!”
As you can imagine, that’s exactly what happened with this dress from VICI, an online boutique that has some really great pieces with that one-of-a-kind feel. And sure, I could switch out my shoes and maybe add a denim jacket in an attempt to “style” this dress in a different way, but honestly, it would feel like I was doing it a disservice. Between the ruffles, open back, and plunging neckline, the point of this dress is to make a statement all on its own, no supporting characters necessary.
To put it simply, this dress is beautiful, and I feel beautiful in it. And as silly and cliche as it sounds, the confidence I feel when I wear it is priceless. There’s no formula to quantify feeling sexy in your own skin, and for that reason, I will always encourage you to buy the things that have you, as Queen Lizzo puts it, feeling good as hell.
Golden Rule of Shopping be damned.
If you happen to be on the hunt for this sort of thing, I highly encourage you to shop online boutiques over major retailers. There’s something about hand-curated collections that feels special, and while you may have to spend a few extra bucks, it’s totally worth it when you know the pieces are going to be unlike what everyone else if wearing. I’m hoping to get a Favorites post up in the next few weeks where I’ll be sure to highlight a few other faves. Stay tuned!
