A Coup in a Banana Republic

I gotten this gown the other day. For $17! plus tax!

I don’t normally go into Banana Republic — not since I don’t like their clothes, I do! I just don’t believe of it; they’re just not on my buying radar. however I had a few minutes downtown after my dentist visit the other day, as well as I ducked in to inspect out the sale racks.

Seriously, the only upside to the 28-day horror that is February is the omnipresent sale rack. Sure, they can be full of tired, raggedy, discolored as well as shopworn items, however every when in a while you rescue something that was wrongfully overlooked.

I may not wear this gown as a gown — I’m not one for low-cut backs — however for $17 (plus tax) I can change it into something that I have desired for a while: a pleated dressy skirt. Pleating is enormously tedious; even worse than alteration. A new zipper (70), an hour or so of time, as well as I have a new elegant skirt. I’d wear it with a crisp white tee shirt (maybe one of the girls’ white Peter-Pan collar uniform tee shirts I gotten at Target — the only upside of the youth obesity epidemic, in my heartless as well as self-centered opinion, is that the greatest girls’ size is now a great deal bigger) as well as a elegant black cardigan, extremely Carolina Herrera, or perhaps extremely just with a black cashmere short-sleeve crewneck.

Of course, you may ask — do I requirement a new elegant skirt? Sadly, the response would be a resounding NO. (Especially if you asked Mr. gown A Day.) I have on hand, for unexpected elegant celebrations (of which I go to extremely few; invitations may be sent to the email address on the right):

three ballgown-length elegant skirts: black silk (Lauren, $20 at Marshalls), pink taffeta (which I have only ever used on Halloween, at the request of my son, who desired me to be a fairy princess) as well as a curious eco-friendly taffeta that goes without any color understood to guy (think Kryptonite, if there were a type of Kryptonite that made Superman not able to accessorize), however which I cannot discard since it was $2 when the Esprit outlet store in San Francisco went out of business

tuxedo pants (silk-wool DKNY, $30 at Filene’s, only ever used to a drag-king show)

a turquoise silk 1960s hostess coat, made in Hong Kong (estate sale; I believe it is extremely dissatisfied that I don’t play mah-jongg)

a black heavy silk 1950s gown with velvet trim (eBay, I think, extremely cheap, in best condition with POCKETS)

a black, lightweight polished cotton, pintucked, full-skirted gown with a round collar as well as which fastens up the front with hooks as well as eyes completed with rhinestones (this is rather potentially my preferred gown in the world as well as feels magnificent on)

and a bronze satin as well as taffeta 1930s belted formal afternoon dress, with pockets as well as collar, as well as a TIE. The back of the skirt has a pleated insert, as well as it is astonishing. Not necessarily appealing — the whole impact is extremely “Young Margaret Dumont.” I’ve used it twice: when to provide a talk (it was at the Smithsonian, I believed the gown would feel at home) as well as when to my brother’s wedding event in Boone, North Carolina (it was not so much at house there).

So. I didn’t requirement it, certainly, however c’mon — $17? I do not have the stamina of character needed to NOT get it at that price. (In fact, when I realized I might blog about it with headline, I was sunk.) as well as after I grabbed mine, I told the two other women browsing the sale rack about it as well as had the gratification of seeing them BOTH get hold of one. If any type of of you get one too, let me know, okay?

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