Dress #5

I flew out to Athens Georgia to be a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding on 1/19.  The visit was quick.  I flew out to Georgia on Saturday morning arriving late afternoon.  We had dinner and went out for drinks that night.  The next day we headed over to the hair salon at 8am.  I did my own make up while the bride was getting her hair done.  I had practiced for weeks prior, watching a ton of youtube make up tutorials. I never wear make up so it was a new process for me.  Then I got my hair done.  We didn't have time for the other bridesmaid to get her hair done so the salon lady put hot rollers in it and we drove in a hurry to the chapel.  In the bridal dressing suite we finished getting ready as a ton of people kept rushing in and out of the room for various reasons.  Then it was time for pictures.  Honestly, the day really flew by in a rush.  The ceremony was only about 20 minutes.  Then we were off for more bridal party pictures.  Then we had lunch and cake at the reception.  And then it was over.  It's true what they say, it really does go by in a flash.  It was a really nice wedding and I had a wonderful time.  I was so happy to be there and be a part of it.  I fought back tears at various points but I made it through without crying, thus saving myself from runny mascara face.  The staff at the chapel reception hall was quick to start clean up and usher us out the door by 4pm but the crowd had thinned out by that point anyway.  We had dinner later that night with the groom's family and then went for a quick visit to the bride's family.  I left early the next morning to head back to LA, thus ending my trip to Georgia.

I had purchased the bridesmaid's dress a few months prior and this was my first time wearing it.  Obviously it's a bridesmaid's dress but it is actually very versatile and, contrary to typical bridesmaid dresses, I could definitely wear it again.  Even to attend another wedding as a guest.  It's the Arabelle Silk Chiffon dress from J Crew.  It's a strapless sweetheart cut with draping on the bodice.  Size 4.  Made in China.  We got the color called rich peacock but it's really an emerald green/turquoise.  It's regularly $250 but I got it on sale for $200.

Dress #4

Joe and I went out to a British Pub last night (1/10).  At first I was going to wear a longer skirt to cover my legs since it's starting to get kind of cold but Joe thought it looked too fancy.  This T-Shirt dress was perfect because the material is thick and warm and it's pretty casual.  I wore it with some black slip on flats and put my hair up in a ponytail.  We went to the Robin Hood Pub down the street.  They have the best Guiness on tap ever.  It is so smooth and creamy it tastes like a malted coffee milkshake.  I got their Cornish Pastie which is what I usually order when we eat there.  Joe got the fish and chips.  We shared our meals and both were delicious.  They have good food there but once you find something you really like, it's hard to order anything else.  The owner is an older gentleman that always talks to and checks in on his customers.  I guess the pub is celebrating it's 30 year anniversary.  It was a really relaxing environment and did remind me of England.  I've only been to the pub a few times before even though it's right down the street from where we live.  The first time I ever went was actually at the goodbye dinner when the show I was interning at ended over 8 years ago.

I've worn this dress once before in 2012 when my friend and I went to a theatrical show called Siam Niramit on our last night in Bangkok.  The show was about the history of Thailand. I liked the show.  It had some really interesting sets.  My favorite part was the spiritual worlds.  They had a Hell, a Mystical Forest and a Heaven.  Before the show I fed an elephant cucumbers in the courtyard where actors in costume were posing for pictures.  It also included a buffet dinner but that was a mediocre meal.

I got this dress in Thailand.  I hadn't brought a dress with me of any kind and needed something to wear to the show.  After searching the weekend market and not finding anything I spotted all these different T-Shirt dresses a street vendor was selling on the walk back to our hotel.  In Thailand you always get a deal if you buy things in pairs so I got two dresses for a cheaper price.  There's no real information on it besides that it's made by MIX in Thailand.  No size or material make up or anything.  The material is thick, soft and comfortable.  The skirt doesn't ride up when walking but it is pretty short.  The street vendor had all different colors and styles.  All the trims were black and the rest of the dress was another color but it was a big selection.  I decided on this one and a purple and black one.

Dress #3

I wore one of my skirts out with Joe on 1/5.  We went to The Japanese Garden by the park.  Even though it's January, the weather is still pretty warm in LA so I figured it was a good opportunity to wear a skirt.  I have a pair of flip flops that are pink with a brown floral design that match this skirt perfectly but I opted not to wear them since Joe and I were going to the park to play badminton afterward.  I just didn't think I'd be able to run around very well in flip flops.  Badminton was really fun.  I don't recall ever playing before.  We set a goal to hit it back and forth five times but made it all the way up to nine.  It was actually pretty exciting and I was glad to get some exercise for the day.

I've only worn this outfit once before, but it's my most recent skirt purchase.  I wore it to Palm Springs this past October for my friend's bachelorette party weekend.  I wore it on our first day there while we toured the town.  There's a giant Marilyn Monroe statue for tourists to take pictures with/under.  Palm Springs was a nice getaway.  It's known for being a spa town so the thing to do is to get facials or massages or both but it's very expensive to get either service let alone both.  The cheapest spa treatments I found were at the JW Marriott Spa in Palm Desert which was just outside of Palm Springs. The good news is that we had access to the day spa with the purchase of our treatments so we spent the day in the jacuzzi and in the pool.  The special rates were only on Sundays though so we got them in the afternoon before we headed back to LA.

I got the skirt at Ross for $10.  It's a long flowing pink skirt with brown threaded flowers on it.  It's made by Metro Wear, size M.  Made in China.  It says the shell is 100% cotton and 100% algodon.  The lining is 60% cotton, 40% polyester, 60% algodon, 40% polyester.  I have no idea how these percentages add up.  The top is just a brown cami that I got at Sidecca.  It's 95% cotton, 5% spandex, size M.  Made in Indonesia.

Dress #2

I wore this out to my best friend's birthday party on 1/3.  She reserved a private space at a night club called Rain that had a pole.  We take pole fitness classes together and she invited a bunch of girls from our studio.  We spent the night drinking and pole dancing.  We all wore sports bras and cheerleader shorts underneath our dresses so that we could take them off for more advanced tricks on the pole. You need bare skin in order to grip the pole so if you've ever wondered why pole dancers dress in skimpy outfits, now you know.  There's a funny saying that the more advanced you become, the less clothes you wear and it's very true.  However, I totally forgot to stretch beforehand and think I pulled a muscle.  Stretching is super important before physical activity to avoid injuries.

Most of the girls brought their boyfriends/husbands but Joe had to work late so he couldn't make it.  The night club was decent.  Not too crowded and plenty of parking, which is the way I like it.  I know it's expensive to reserve a table with bottle service but I was really glad we did.  The champagne came over with a sparkler in the bucket.  About halfway through the night they must have switched DJs because the music became terrible.  It was way too loud to the point where it sounded very distorted and hurt my ears, plus the songs were terrible for pole dancing.  We were all pretty tired of doing tricks by that point anyway though.  The bartender also told me the name of my new favorite drink.  It's a Shirley Temple with cherry vodka in it.  I thought I had just made it up but it's actually a real drink called a Dirty Shirley.  Yum!

I wore a black skirt with a black floral print on it and a teal top.  I decided to wear a skirt and top so I could fit my sports bra and cheerleader shorts underneath and take them off easily.  I used to think it was pretty short but in hindsight it's a decent length and not very fitted though the slit up the side adds a nice touch.  It's higher wasted which I don't actually like.  I don't like skirts, shorts or pants to cover my belly button and you can see how high the skirt is under my shirt.  Anyway, there's no tag in the skirt so I have no information on it.  I got it for free from a friend seven years ago.  His sister was donating a bag of clothes and he let a few of us sift through it first to see if there were any pieces we wanted to take.  I rarely wear this skirt because it's pretty tight and until recently I didn't fit comfortably in it.  It's a zipper back and the material isn't stretchy.  I decided after this last outing I'm going to donate this skirt and get a more fitted stretchy black mini skirt.

I got the top even before that when I was in college from the Express sale rack.  I love the color but the elastic sleeves take some getting used to.  It's 93% polyester and 7% spandex, size S.  Made in Korea.  I don't really remember what I paid for it but I'm sure it wasn't more than $20. I actually wear the top pretty often.  In fact, I wore this exact outfit to Vegas back in 2008.

Dress #1

I wore this out on New Year's Day (1/1) for a dinner that my boyfriend and I went to.  We received a giftcard to Larsen's Steakhouse as a Christmas gift.  Since the restaurant was on the fancier side we decided to dress up.  That's when I realized just how many dresses I have and decided to do this blog.

Dinner was delicious!  It was a very expensive restaurant.  Even with the giftcard we spent more than you would on an average meal.  I was surprised how empty and quiet everything was on New Year's Day.  The restaurant was basically empty.  They had a live piano player which was really nice.  Joe and I were able to recognize every song he played.  We of course ordered steaks with Pinot Noir.  I also got a crab cake appetizer and we ordered a mini chocolate bunt cake for dessert.  The food was superb and definitely worth a splurge for a very special occasion.

This is a black dress that has a zipper up the front and teal blue trim on the top and bottom.  The straps are detachable but I like my dresses with straps.  It's by Material Girl, size M.  Made in China.  I got it at Macy's on clearance for $25 last year.  It's made from 100% Rayon and feels super comfortable, soft and static free.  I really love it, but this was actually the first time that I've worn it.

Intro

I was trying to think of a New Year's resolution list and on it, as always, was to clean out my closet and update my wardrobe.  As I looked in my closet, I realized that I have a TON of dresses.  Dresses I never wear, some still with the tags on them.  I felt pretty silly looking at all those dresses and wondered how I accumulated so many and never really had an occasion to wear them all.  So I decided that this year my goal will be to wear every single dress that I own at least once.  If I don't wear a dress by the end of the year I have to get rid of it.  I'm sure there will be a few that I'll want to donate regardless because I honestly don't need 50 dresses.  If I manage to wear all of them by the end of the year I can reward myself by buying a new dress at the start of next year but I won't purchase anymore dresses this year.  Every dress must be worn for an appropriate event (I have casual sundresses, sexy club dresses, formal dresses, costume dresses and skirts, many skirts).

For the purpose of this blog (which is just for fun and my own amusement) I counted all the dresses and skirts that I own.  I have (you guessed it) 50 total!  I figured that I had closer to 20, so imagine my surprise.  In any case I'm going to blog about each dress I wear.  I'll say where I went and list any info about the dress that I have.  Some dresses are really old so I may not remember much information about it.  I will also post a picture of me wearing the dress.  Sorry, but be prepared for some bathroom mirror selfies because I'm not sure how else to get a quick picture in of the dress before heading out.