the time i opened a banana republic credit card to buy my college graduation dress

reminiscing a financial fashion blunder

The week before my college graduation, I was desperate to find the perfect commencement dress. At the time my closet was a hodgepodge of thrifted and secondhand pieces from brands like Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, American Apparel, and the rare secondhand designer piece from the Crossroads racks.

What can I say! I was a college girl in 2016 who loved all the things a college girl in 2016 would love. But for commencement, I wanted to wear something that made me feel grown up. Elegant. To mark the rite of passage or whatever.

I was at Banana Republic in a San Diego mall, and a dress in the new arrivals section caught my eye. It was a simple sleeveless wrap dress, midi length, with a splashy poppy print. Since I’d already decided on my shoes (orange suede block heels from &OtherStories, I thought the orange poppies on the dress would match well. I recall thinking it looked silky (it was polyester). I liked how it fit on me. It was 100-something dollars, and even though I rarely bought clothing at retail price, I told myself it was a justified purchase because I only graduate college once and I should love my dress.

The dress. Which has now trickled into the online thrift bins.

What happened at checkout was a blur, and I felt deep embarrassment about it for years to come.