More importantly, I needed something to wear! I had a skirt that is a very nice skirt that I paid way too much for, even on sale, but my new job started the next day and I needed some clothes lippity-split - so I bought it. It is really lovely.
This is it....
This black skirt has almost a fake asymmetrical piece of fabric on the front over a pencil skirt. I want to say it is made from some sort of shot satin, it is quite a heavy fabric, fully lined ends just at knee length. I know, I know, I should have ironed it, but I had a very limited window to take the pictures...
I also had a lovely pair of shoes and a gorgeous little leather evening bag my sister gave me.
My lovely mother-in-law offered to come with me, she said she could push the pram around while I shopped, dreamy! So, off we went. We decided not to have coffee or anything, just shop. We trawled through some really nice shops, I even tried on some things in my dream boutiquey kind of shop {expensive, classy, snooty} - but, alas... no joy.
The problem is, when I buy clothes they have to be functional, look good, reasonably easy to care for, can be worn with other things, and I was hoping for something that wouldn't be a complete disrobe affair to feed MM....
So, after our limited time shopping together, I had to dash across to playgroup with empty hands, while I am sure my mother-in-law had a nice sit down and a cup of tea. At playgroup I spoke to some of the other mums and asked them for advice. A good friend, who was going to the same wedding, mentioned that she had snaffled up a dress on sale from a store at the bigger of our shopping centres. So... CraftyMummy and I decided we should go and check out the sale.
Again, we poked, we tried, we looked, we wondered. Still no joy. I had decided I wanted something really nice, so I wasn't going to go to good old Target, because, you know, it was a wedding afterall. A fancy wedding. But, I had looked through all the shops and had about half an hour before picking up the big kids, so I figured I may as well have a look at what Target had to offer.
Sigh. I came across a rack of shirts. Lovely shirts. Gauzy, frilly, spotty shirts. This one in fact...
I had actually looked at this shirt when it was full price at $39.99 and thought it would be cool to have in my wardrobe. It could be worn with my nice black skirt, with my black pants, with jeans and even with my nice summer shorts. I could wear long sleeves under it so it could be mid-season. So... I looked at the price.
Reduced to $12.88. Good old Target.
I figured for that price, I could justify it.
When I got to the check-out. It scanned at...
$7.88.
Can you believe it? I shopped all day looking for something really unusual and cool and everything. Poor BabyCool was lugged and jostled around, not getting the chance to sleep in his own bed. And then I found what I was looking for at Target. On a bargain rack. For $7.88!
Unfortunately, the story does not end here. When I got home and tried it on with the skirt and the shoes and everything, I showed Mr Cool, who, to his credit, oohed and aaahed appropriately. I was pretty chuffed.
When I got undressed and hung my skirt back in the cupboard, I noticed my favourite little Cue cocktail dress hanging in the wardrobe. I bought it to wear to a wedding we went to in Tonga the year before I had Baby Cool, I also wore it to two other weddings and a New Year's Eve Party {the events were within three different social circles, so I got away with it!}. I thought I would be no-where near able to fit back into it after having Baby Cool, but I reckoned I might as well try. So... I slipped it on and ziiiiiiip - it zipped up. I showed Mr Cool who oohed and aaahed even more.
The dress is silver, funky and made of the most amazing fabric. It can be folded down into the smallest size and was superb for an international wedding where it had to be lugged around in a suitcase. It is meant to looked crushed and different every time it is worn. I really love it.
The end of this long and pointless tale is that I wore my cocktail dress to the wedding. I am only mildly embarrassed that I wasted my lovely mother-in-law's time and CraftyMummy's time, but it was a nice day out shopping nonetheless. AND I have a very nice top to wear now that the prospect of Spring is in the air.
There are a few fashion morals to this story...
1) Check out what is in your wardrobe and what fits before going shopping
2) Get an idea of what you like from the big name designers/stores then look in shops like Target. You just never know your luck.
Oh, and taking photos was no walk in the park. It had been the most gorgeous sunny day, but just as I was setting up to take photos, clouds swept across the sky... I also had company....
You have to love having chickens who are into shoes and bags!
