The day has finally come. My husband graduates from law school tomorrow and that means I claim victory over his legal-textbook mistress. He is mine! No more late nights at the library to write memos and notes and briefs (all of which, despite appearances, are actually quite lengthy).
So how do I celebrate the enormous amount of student loans we’ll have to start paying back soon? With a new dress, of course. And new sandals. And a pedicure so I can wear said sandals after a long Michigan winter. I’m not kidding – it’s May and still 45 degrees out.
I began my search during Old Navy’s latest 30% off everything sale, but didn’t find anything law-school-graduation-appropriate. I did snag this adorable ruffled linen dress for under $12 though.
Except I got it in brown – not sure I’m cool enough for this “multi-cool” style. I also had to fix the slightly loose straps with a little needle and thread. Otherwise it’s a perfect summer dress!
Then in my search for more summer linens and jersey-knits, I forgot all about graduation. Until three days ago when I realized I had nothing to wear and it was way too late to order a dress online as planned. Oops.
So I began to search at my local mall. Horrified by the prices at my most-favorite-retailer-of-all-time (I don’t know why I’m even surprised anymore), I headed for Marshall’s where I tried on every single dress they had in my size, the size above, and the size below. I found nothing.
Too busy. Too little girl-y. Too matronly. Too bright. Too long. Too short. Too dark. Too formal. Too Impressionist-y. Seriously. I love Renoir but who really wants to look like a painting from the Louvre? Everything was “too” something – except the prices. I love shopping at Marshall’s because the prices are fabulous. But that’s not very helpful if the dress selection is a disaster.
Next I went to Target where I knew I could count on delicious Target popcorn, even if my dress search failed.
Yes, Target sells popcorn. For $1.
Anyways the good news is that I found a dress at Target!! (Not to worry, I still got the popcorn.)
At $40, the Merona Abby Sleeveless is a perfect graduation dress. It’s the ideal length for me – hits just above my knee which is flattering but not too flashy. The neckline does wonders for my shoulders and the A-line shape flatters my Latina curves without making me look huge. And it’s not a bad price either!
I will have to iron the dress though. Sigh.
About Jo-Lynne
Ooo, I like it! And, I got the multi-print ON dress that you posted – though I can’t say whether I’m cool enough to pull it off, it was comfy and I liked it so there you go. 😉
Congrats on the graduation!
WOW! That dress is VERY flattering on you!
I agree with the others, the dress looks good. Target is truly a wealth of great stuff at Wal-Mart-esque prices. I also agree with this being posted on this particular blog, because Target prides themselves on being very “chic” with their clothing and home decor. I know this first hand because it is my girlfriend’s favorite store.
Another reason I like Target is their affiliation with my organization, CafeGive. We are essentially an online shopping portal which donates a percentage of every purchase to charity, at no extra cost to the shopper. What makes us different from other such sites is the ability for the shopper to choose where their money goes from a list of over 40 great non-profits like Mercy Corps or Second Harvest Food Bank. Wouldn’t you love to know that the purchase of your dress went to help the recovery efforts in Haiti or Chile or possibly helped keep an impressionable youth off the streets?
Here is how is works. Visit http://cafegive.com and choose your favorite charity. From there, click on the “shop” link, which takes you to our 260+ merchants including Best Buy, Borders, Home Depot, and of course, Target.com. Then you just have to finish the transaction as you normally would. CafeGive provides a way to feel good about the online shopping you already do, so give it a shot! There’s nothing to lose.
Nice pick. I understand the “dress shopping manic”. I just spent 4 hours looking for an 8th grade grad dress and formal with my daughter. Can you say “exhausted”? The good thing is, while I was resting from the excursion, I got to try a bunch of great products at Sephora. I will be chatting about my experience tomorrow.
Cheers
That’s ADORABLE. I love it. Good work.
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