I
work in retail and see countless people come in to the store where I
work looking for that last minute occasion wear option and panic buy.
I've always thought to myself that if I've ever get invited to
something pretty decent I will
plan
my outfit in advance. Well, I was wrong. I've known
since late January that I would be going to a fancy event in mid
April. My boyfriend has won an award at work and in return has been
given an all expenses paid trip to London to attend the award
ceremony. He invited me as his plus one, no pressure right?
Of
course, being the plus one, I know my role is to ultimately support
him and look good. This means that my outfit needs to say: arm
candy. Stupidly thinking that 6 weeks would be enough time to find
something suitable I only started looking last month. However
I've spent the past few weeks scouring the internet desperately
trying to find the
perfect dress. It hasn't been easy; as we entered the new year the
shops moved quite quickly into Spring and as party/occasion wear is
quite a seasonal thing, I left it too late to look. Plus, to make
matters more difficult, I happen to despise Spring/Summer party wear
and pastels, midi length and prom skirts are all that seems to be
available at the moment.
 |
| I felt that this Frock and Frill dress was just a bit too 'opulent' for the occasion. |
There
have been moments amidst my search when I thought my search might be
over. At one point I found an absolutely stunning Frock
and Frill
gown in the ASOS sale that was literally a dream. When it arrived I
tried it on and loved the way it looked and how opulent I felt,
however I then realised it was perhaps a little too dazzling and I
wouldn't have the opportunity to wear it again. Reluctantly I sent it
back. Shortly after this my sister purchased a dress by Solace
London
for her 21st
birthday and I fell in love with their simple, yet classic and
statement looking aesthetic. I checked them out and their Cara gown
immediately caught my eye. Unfortunately forking out £130 on a dress
I might only wear once seemed too decadent. *sad
face*
 |
| This beautiful dress by Solace London was just a tad out of my price range. |
Feeling
as if I were running out of options I then decided to try out the
ASOS stylist chat. I connected with Safiya, talked her through my
reasons for needing an outfit and explained my body shape and style.
After reading through my ideal specifications she selected an array
of different options for me to try. I do worry that perhaps I was
little too picky as when asked why I didn't like one of the dresses
she'd selected I commented that: “It looks cheap. I worry the
fabric might ruin after one wash.” Whilst I didn't feel that she
found the dress for me, my chat with her did help me narrow down my
search. I realised after our conversation that I was looking for
something black, mini and with a cut out detail on the neckline.
 |
| Haven't tried the 'chat with a stylist' feature on ASOS? Give it a go if you're struggling to find that perfect outfit or in need of some wardrobe inspiration. |
I
then went on ShopStyle and searched: 'black cut out bodycon dress'.
Whilst the search did pull up a lot of options, the majority of them
were either by Hermes or Boohoo. I needed a nice medium with a fabric
thicker than the cheap, popular, bodycon stretch dresses currently
available and still within my price range. I then searched: 'black
bandage dress' and searched through the options again. This time I
felt I had a lot more to choose from including some reasonably priced
options from Missguided.
 |
| This dress by Missguided was the closest I could find to my ideal dress.. |
I've
narrowed it down to one dress and whilst it may seem plain, I'm a
firm believer in the 'less is more' approach to dressing. If I like
the way it looks then I'll jazz it up with some killer heels and a
statement clutch just to make it look a bit more wow.
It's
in the post so fingers crossed it's a winner! Check back next weekend
to see the full look pulled together.
O
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