Fashion and Style

I’ve had this dress for several years but have never worn it.

One day it appeared in the charity shop I used to volunteer at and I couldn’t resist it, due to one-day-I’ll-go-clubbing-a-lot-again syndrome.

I fell prey to this syndrome many times in my early twenties, when I lived at home with my parents and thought I’d move out within a couple of years. It’s why I own more party dresses than I ever wear and far more glittery makeup than I could ever use. I was thinking of a sparkly, nightclub-attending future that never came, because I started dating my partner while I lived at home and then moved straight from my parents’ house to our flat. I still get to dress up, of course, but it’s a couple of times a year rather than a couple of times a month.

Another problem is that I just don’t think this dress suits me. I was seduced by the floatiness and ignored the fact that the top part has quite a lot of beige (I’m a true winter, beige is definitely not my colour). It’s also the wrong shape for me – I look best with a defined waist – and the wrong length. I think dresses and skirts look best when they’re closer to my knees.

So, as I’ve concluded that this dress doesn’t work as-is, what are my options?

Firstly, I could donate it to another charity shop. It might find a new home. But it does have a flaw that really annoys me and would probably put off potential buyers. The lining doesn’t lie properly under the top part, it rolls so you can see it around the neckline, as shown in the photo below.

Another option is to dye it, but I can’t find a label with washing instructions, so I couldn’t be sure it would take.

The last option, and the one I’m leaning towards, is to turn it into a skirt. Here’s how it looks with the top part rolled underneath the stretchy band. This solves the shape issue and makes it more practical to wear – paired with a simple top it becomes more appropriate for everyday use.

I think this is my best option, but if you think I should try something else, let me know in the comments!

The branch of Mind that I found this dress in is usually not that good for clothes, I’ve previously found it much better for books, so I was surprised to spot this dress on the rack. But I had to try it on, as soon as I saw it, because of the dotty print. I love dots.

Amazingly, three years ago, I didn’t own any polka-dot dresses. I had one polka-dot circle skirt that used to belong to my mum, a polka-dotted make-up bag, even a pair of shoes. But no dresses.

I bought one dress with a gift voucher, and that broke the seal. Now I have eleven dresses with some variety of dotted pattern. I’m very fussy about other prints. Stripes need to be the right width. I dislike most florals and novelty prints. Anything geometric is out. But perfectly prim polkas, tiny orderly dots, big bold circles, I love them all!

Furthermore, this dress is by my favourite design duo, Emily and Fin. I must have an index of all their styles and prints in my head, because this is the second time I’ve thrifted an Emily and Fin.

I’ve already worn it to work and to the YA Book Prize event at Twitter’s London headquarters:

Do you have a favourite type of print?