The Great Frock Swap (Part 1)

You may recall a couple of posts ago my anguish at the "One That Got Away". (or more aptly explained- "The Dress that Didn't Fit".) You may also recall that my dismay was somewhat thwarted by the excitement of not just swapping the dress for one that did fit- but also timing it so that the exchange happened on the same day the 300 new frocks were showcased in store. I swear the first thing that went through my mind on Friday morning was "Yay! Its new dress day!" Yay indeed. The great frock swap certainly didn't disappoint.

The only trouble with seeing that many great dresses all at once is that you certainly run the risk of that good old problem. Total sensory overload. There is such a thing as too many colours and patterns for any average brain to handle at any one time. Thankfully mine has been well trained over the years (and every day when I walk into the wardroom too!), and I was ready for whatever the racks could throw at me.  After the first walk through I hand picked my favourite 15 and went off for round 1 in the fitting rooms. I whittled 15 down to 3- but then figured it would be silly not to have a second whip through the racks in case I had missed anything. Round 2 in the fitting rooms commenced with another 22 dresses...

I should possibly point out at this juncture that I swear I went into this situation with the best of intentions. I transferred some extra money into my savings account so I couldn't accidentally spend too much. I had a plan. I had 1 dress to swap- and figured I had a buffer where I could come out with 1 more. Maybe even stretch it to 2 if they were amazing. My mental pep talk was clear and I was good to go.

So back in store and I had now tried on a record 37 dresses in one go. The 3 I set aside had now skyrocketed to 7. 7 dresses was WAY more than I intended to buy. After some careful consideration I further condensed my selection into 5 that I absolutely could not live without.

The really silly part is that I felt like I deserved some kind of personal reward for not buying all 7 of them! I swear I even left the store feeling like I had done really well instead of leaving the store realising that I had completely blown out my Friday Frock budget.... Never mind. This is a good time to reiterate my shopping mantra to anyone that questions my decisions. "You can't put a price on my happiness".

So that takes us up to the frock featured today. It was one of the lucky 5 that made it through my stringent choosing process. I particularly like the colour combo in this dress.  A white background (always a brave choice with my history of spilling things down my front!) with an unusual mix of teal green, khaki, coral pink, red, cerise and a deep purple. Lots of options for co-ordinating accessories there. I was also drawn to the pattern given that most 70's frocks have flowers OR stripes. It's not often you get them both in the one garment!

This time around I have matched it with the good ol' red peep toed wedges, skinny red belt and a red hair flower. Next time I will try and be less boring with the accessorising. Red is a great staple- but I feel like I fall back on it a little too often...

P.S Now that "The Great Frock Swap" is complete- I can tell you which shop I went to! Smoove on Little High St in Auckland City. If you have not yet been there- you need some Smoove in your lives. Trust me!