the best time to shop for an occasion dress is when you don't need one
27 dresses from my favorite niche brands/keywords—and how I would style them.
Hi hi hello. Did you survive tax filing? I hired a tax person for the first time since going freelance and it was so, so helpful. Still excruciating though.
I woke up early this morning because I needed to finish this newsletter, and then rush over to the city to film a video project. It’s been warm this week, so currently eating cold pineapple + cottage cheese for breakfast in an airy Deiji Studios dress my partner once mistook for a pillowcase.
Some quick mentions:
Freda Salvador has a rare 20% sale going this week (code: FREDAFRIEND). My tried and true picks for comfort/versatility are the Elba Loafer and the Jada Flats.
Oddobody sent me their organic cotton triangle bra in the new print colorway and I’m very pleased with it!!! The band has some elasticity, it’s not padded, and the triangle part is thick enough that I wear it for dance class and everything stays in place. I recognize that just because I find it comfortable doesn’t mean it will be supportive for every body shape!
Still using my Hatch clock (sponsored mention disclosure) to try and fix my night owl habits. I will never be A Morning Person, and am not into Morning Routines. I just wanna hate mornings less, and that starts with having a defined wind-down to lights-out accountability tool.
Now, onto the main topic: SPECIAL OCCASION DRESSES.
When I was kid, my mom would bring us to the Marina Square outlets on the weekends. It was one of my favorite activities, and a point of family bonding (post-shopping “fashion shows” in the living room).
So by the time I was a teenager in high school, I had my outlet store lineup on lock. Pac Sun was the first top, then Nordstrom Rack, then GAP, then Marshall’s—where I’d usually leave with some aggressively preppy discounted stationery. If I was bored waiting for my mom to finish shopping, I’d kill time by doubling back to Banana Republic Factory or even Talbots, in case there was something “cute for debate club.”
Also, you’ll just have to believe me when I say that there were some genuinely amazing scores at the outlets back in the 2000s. Even a 15 year old girl could find an insufferably precocious blouse from Talbots to get excited about.
It was in this environment that I inherited my mom’s philosophy towards dress shopping for special occasions:
The best time to shop for a special occasion dress is when you don’t imminently need one.
This has held true all my life. Here are some notable examples:
Junior prom dress—I didn’t want one of those traditional bedazzled chiffon halter dresses and felt SO pressured the weeks leading up to prom that I wasn’t thinking straight and somehow ended up with a lilac floral minidress from Ann Taylor (yes, you can laugh at me).
College graduation dress—got it in my head that I “needed” a new dress for senior photos and again, was panic-shopping so I ended up getting pressured into opening a BR credit card for a $140 floral wrap maxi dress…which I did feel good in, but for the price it was so not worth it.
NYC vacation dress—in 2017 I was on a family trip in NYC and did not feel the need to buy any new dresses for vacation because I already had the perfect one. It was this long, asymmetrical BCBG number with gray and navy fabric flaps that my friend Catherine gave me earlier that year. I thought it was so New York lol.
30th birthday dress—thought I “needed” a new dress but remembered I had already had this vintage beaded dress in my closet that just needed some tailoring magic. With the help of a tailor, I transformed it into an approximation of the iconic Blumarine dress in Uptown Girls. This is a dress I’ll cherish forever!
So these days, I like to casually browse dresses even when I don’t have an immediate “occasion” to wear them to. When I see that a dress has potential or collectible value, I’ll considering buying it because I know I’ll love it. And when an event rolls around, I already have an outfit I feel confident in.
Here are 27 secondhand dresses, sourced from my favorite niche brands and saved keywords. And for each one, some ideas on how to style them.
As you’ll see, there is a wide range of styles and colors represented in this list. But most of these options are silk, because that is my personal preference for fancy dresses.
1). Black and red floral silk maxi dress with beaded detailing (S, $75)—Classic Y2K romcom style dress. I like beading because it looks pretty at night under soft lighting/candles.
All you need is a red lip and strappy sandal.
2). Light pink 1940s silk dress ($148, L/XL)—this Etsy seller models all her dresses which I think is so helpful for vintage fit + sizing. Layer the neckline with your gold lockets/chains and tuck a flower in your ear. The bias cut and soft vintage glamour speaks for itself.
3). 90s retro Chadwicks silk midi dress (4, $35)—this is a hidden gem because the photos are not very appealing…which is how all the best deals are found.
It’s a pale blue silk dress with little white polka dots and a empire waist. Simple, elegant, understated. Imagine it in a nicer backdrop, styled a pair of flirty kitten heels and baubly cocktail rings.
Doen would be charging $575 and you know it.
This next dress is a vintage dream—something fit for a beachy summer wedding.