That 70s Dress

I saw this dress a few times as I was doing my daily scroll through Asos. Every time I spotted it, I was captivated by the colors. There is something about the color combination and the front tie kept bring me back to it. Or I look at my saved items on Asos too often which is where this dress was then living. I, however, was not loving the price point of this main line find. I am typically willing to pay a little bit more for a tall item that I know will fit me right but for a main line find….eh.

As my browsing continued a few days later, they just happened to discount it. So I figured why not give it a try. The colors are even better in person in my opinion. Although you may want to note that your stripes and the ties in the front can vary vastly from the picture they show, depending on what cut of the fabric you get.

Per usual I tossed it on and snapped a pic to Jenilee to see if we were keeping it. I told her the sleeves weren’t quite long enough but I still really like the length, colors and I just felt like the tie on the front was flattering. She mentioned it could be a bracelet length dress. “A what,” I said? Essentially a sleeve length that is just long or short enough to showcase your arm candy. This is a new term to me but if it could be an excuse to make this dress work, then I am here for it.

I want to touch on the above statement a little bit more. Jenilee and I have spoke many times on how we are making an effort to shop more mindfully – not buying items that aren’t the right fit on our body, items we don’t feel comfortable in, items that aren’t of quality. And we really are doing our best but I think sometimes there are exceptions.

Yes, I did stretch this dress a little bit in the sleeve length area. I also know that this is a dress I can wear year round to work, church, casual events etc. I am explaining this partially to inspire all of you to do the same. We all should stop buying items that find their way to the back of the closet and stay there. And also to keep holding myself accountable to do the same.

My mom, Jenilee, and I have all made a conscious effort to stop shopping at TJ Maxx (for clothing). We have shopped there for years, and loved snapping up great deals. The quality has definitely taken a nosedive in my opinion. It also seems as though they took the fun out of shopping there. I used to love finding a diamond in the rough there, like a single pair of Express shorts that were $10 or something else similar from a brand I love. Now it appears that they primarily have brands make clothing for them and it’s just not for me. I will continue to snag their workout tanks and gear from my favorite sports teams but other than that, we are all done sacrificing the fit and quality.

Now that I have hopped off my soapbox back to this 70s striped dress. I will note that the dress is semi sheer which always makes me nervous especially in the workplace. I ended up wearing a nude tank and a slip just to make sure no one was seeing more than they wanted. I tossed on some of my favorite Sam Edelman booties and couldn’t have been more comfortable.

I am going to link a few other striped dresses that we are loving below. They are a great addition to any closet and will transition with you through so many seasons! If you have any other suggestions on places you find mainline wins or just dresses you have been loving drop them below!