Monday, May 14, 2018

Dress Shopping

I was invited to go dress shopping with a true, authentic girl. Why? Just for fun, of course! And it was. (Although I didn't find any keepers this time).


I liked the cut of this dress a lot more than I thought I would, once I put it on. Look at the way it rounds my hips! But like most of these dresses, unfortunately, it was too small around the top - I couldn't even zip it up in the back.


This dress was just adorable. Very fairy tale prom princess. There was ample space in the bust, though, and - again - I couldn't zip it up. Not because of my waist, mind you - it's always that last stretch as my back broadens out. But I'd love to find a dress in this style that I can fit.


I've discovered that I look really good in pink and gold. I suppose it accentuates my skin and hair. This dress was a little bit busy, though. It was also in the over-$100 range, so even though I actually fit into it (I suspect that's because it had an open back, rather than a zipper - I should make a mental note of that), I didn't like it enough to pay that much for it.


Still looking for a wedding dress I could do a photoshoot in, so I tried a couple. Really hard to find something I like, that also fits me. (This one was pretty, but perhaps a bit too modest). I ducked my head into a couple bridal shops (as opposed to consignment stores that sell used clothes like this one), but they're all so formal that I get easily spooked.


I loved the cut of this dress. The way it frames my upper torso - it just looked fantastic! But this is, sadly, another one that wouldn't zip up in the back. :-(


This dress was a very pretty shade of pink. But I think the cut of the bust was designed for chestier girls - it accentuates my flatness in a not-so-flattering way.


You know how sometimes you put something on and just instantly fall in love with it? It's not even necessarily the dress you thought you were gonna love when you took it off the rack. I thought this dress was kind of ridiculous - I mean, gold plating? - but it looked fun, so I tried it on. And oh my god, I loved it! It looked fantastic on my figure. It even matched the shoes I was wearing! And it made me feel fierce and beautiful, like some kind of Amazon warrior princess. Sadly, it had the same problem that most of these dresses have - it wouldn't zip up all the way in the back. So I had to pass on it. But I so want a dress like this that fits...


This dress was a gorgeous shade of deep red. I liked the ruffled accents. It was a very thin material, though - not unlike a less shimmery dress I already own, that I've pretty much exclusively used for photoshoots to emphasize the visible outline of my "anatomy" underneath. So, not necessarily practical. It has its pluses, but my anatomy is a pain in the ass sometimes...


Buh-bye. See you next time!

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Afterthought: Somebody really needs to invent a dressing booth for photographers. I'm surprised, in this selfie-obsessed age, that this hasn't already been done. I know I'm not the only person who takes selfies in fitting rooms (and not just for perverted reasons, either - how are you gonna remember or show your friends how you looked in that dress?), because I've seen them on the internet!

I'd like a booth with decent lighting, enough space to take full-body shots (without tilting your phone), and a mirror wide enough not to have awkward angled borders along the edges that you can never crop to your satisfaction. And if we're taking the time to design it right, we might as well make it so that there's enough space to hang up clothes, somewhere that doesn't end up creating bulky clutter in the background of your shots. A trick or two with angles and positioning could be enough to accomplish this. If a store wanted to go the extra mile, they could even install some kind of phone mount on which you could hang your phone, in a position convenient for snapping photos (or even video) as you twirl in front of the mirror in each of your prospective outfits. Am I crazy, or does some or all of this sound like a great idea?

You'd have to make a point to keep the mirrors clean, also - which could be a huge job. At the very least, you could provide mirror wipes in each booth, and a small trash can for discarding (applying the same technique for hanging hooks to keep it out of view of the mirror) - like they do for wiping the handles of buggies down at the supermarket. Then, those who are truly serious about their fitting room pictures could take the extra time to clean the mirror, and those who aren't can simply ignore it.

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