Near Miss: NY & Co Velveteen Dress

I only still have this dress because no one else wanted it. But let’s start the story at the beginning.

I purchased it on New Year’s Eve, 2006. The mall was insane. At New York & Company, I tried a velveteen dress on over my clothes rather than wait in line for a dressing room. That may be why I didn’t notice how low the neckline dipped until I attempted to wear it for the first time. Like the wrap sweater I profiled in December, I didn’t get much use out of the dress until I learned to layer under or over it. (I have a no-cleavage-at-work rule.)


Lisalisa (once an avid reader and prolific commenter), upon viewing the last outfit, suggested that I shorten the dress. I agreed and removed over six inches from the hem.


The final three times I wore the dress, I received some negative comments. I try not to let criticism affect my sartorial tastes, but, this time, they poisoned me on the frock. I stopped wearing it. A few months later, I put it in my swap pile. And it sat. And sat. And sat. No one wanted my dress. No one liked my dress.

But every once in a while, I would sneak it back out and wear it to work.


So, I asked you guys what I should do. And 72% of you said I should keep it. And I’m so glad I listened!


The dress and I thank you for saving our relationship. It’s been a rocky few years, but I think we’ll stay together till the dress falls apart.

I Like To Move It

On work days, I’ll wear outfits I can’t do anything but sit in. On the weekends, though, I’ve got to be able to move it.


Cardigan, Tricot Joli. Tunic, Wet Seal (thrifted). Turtleneck, Old Navy. Leggings, Danskin. Boots, Vince Camuto. Necklace, Zad.

The weekdays are filled with work, working out, and rehearsal (I change clothes, or at least shoes, for the latter two activities). On the weekends, I’ve got to catch up on all the chores: cleaning, laundry, groceries, cooking. By the time I go back to the office, I’m grateful for a chance to plant my ass in a chair and just sit.

Dress Over Jeans

In the late 90’s, my sister reported to me, in her most horrified voice, that my cousin had taken to wearing jeans under her dresses. I imagined long, prarie-style dresses over stone-wash, boot-cut jeans and shook my head at such a fashion faux pas. Little did I know that I would one day emulate my cousin's combination, with a little tweaking. For my own dress-over-jeans looks, I choose an above-the-knee dress and dark, slim jeans.


Dress, Branna Studio San Francisco (thrifted). Sweater, Joseph A (thrifted). Jeggings, Mossimo. Belt, thrifted. Boots, Dan Post. Headband, self-made. Earrings, Urban Outfitters. Kitty, Zoro.

I understand my cousin’s motivation for pairing the two garments. The denim adds warmth, modesty, and a utilitarian feel to a frock. I love how dresses flatter my figure, but hate how they restrict my movements. With a pair of jeans underneath, I can sit as unladylike as I please.



Some of my favorite, past, dress-over-jeans looks:


Ok, the last two feature jeans under a skirt (the last one hiked up above the bust), but close enough!
Slim, dark denim works under a variety of dress types: shirt dress, slinky dress, a-line dress, full-skirted dress, knit dress – as long as the hem hits above the knee. I’m a fan. What about you? Do you wear denim under a dress?

Western Girls

In the summer of 1997, I worked at the Mendenhall Glacier, in Juneau, Alaska with ten other college students. Most were from the Midwest or East Coast. Only Melissa and I were from the West Coast. As she was a wee bit nuts (she slept with a wolf pelt, on “long term loan” from the ranger station), it fell upon me to represent the girls of the West coast. I wore loose jeans, lots of fleece, boxy tees, and clunky shoes. It was certainly representative of what all my friends were wearing back in Washington. However, if I think of “western wear,” I think of something a little more like this:


Shirt, Old Navy. Belt, Buckle. Skirt, Hauber Sporting Life (thrifted). Tights, Hue. Boots, Style & Co (thrifted). Bag, D&G knockoff (thrifted). Tassels, Epcot Morocco. Earrings, Epcot Mexico.

Denim shirt, long skirt, cowboy boots…I feel like a page out of the Sundance catalog. I wish I had dressed like this that summer. It wouldn’t have been anything like what my Western friends were wearing, but would have been much more flattering!

The Set - New Gate Warehouse

Beefy and I have divergent preferences on the backdrop for my outfit photos. I seek out dirty, urban landscapes. He prefers a lovely view (usually of Cincinnati). Really, they are pictures of the same thing…I just like to get up close and personal with The Queen City’s industrial side. Since most of the gritty scenes are private property or in bad neighborhoods, it can be difficult to find a safe, reliable location for urban pictures.

Early in our relationship, we played Lord and Lady Capulet in a production of Romeo and Juliet (New Gate Celtic Theater Company). We rehearsed in a portion of a warehouse, behind the Hyde Park Plaza. After only a few rehearsals, we started taking pictures before everyone else got to the warehouse. Beefy would pick me up from work and we’d grab something to eat, drive to the warehouse, and do quick outfit photos near the loading dock. Later, when he directed me in A Piece of My Heart (also New Gate), we fell back into the same rhythm. Not only was the warehouse convenient, but it offered a variety of industrial backgrounds and great light!

Romeo and Juliet:


A Piece of My Heart:


By the time we had started work on A Piece of My Heart, we had become more adventurous with photo locations and only used the warehouse a couple of times. After we moved on to our performance space for that production, we didn’t use it at all.

And then, one hot and steamy day last July, I suggested that we return, not for rehearsal, but just to take a few pictures.


It’s a special place, now. We might not ever rehearse there again, but we’ve made a lot of memories. Romeo and Juliet was our first time on stage together. Piece of My Heart was the first (and last?) time that Beefy has directed me. Many of Beefy’s first photos of my outfits were taken at the warehouse. We learned how to work together to both put on a play and create images for my blog.

The warehouse stays on my short list of east side photo locations. In fact, I think the next time Beefy asks me where I want to take pictures, I'll say, "The New Gate Warehouse!"

Petite Cherie

I have a respectable perfume collection, but I often forget to wear any. When I do remember, I choose a scent that matches my outfit or the weather or my mood or maybe the occasion. Today, it was Annick Goutal’s Petite Cherie to compliment the sweet pastels in this checked shirt and the bow at my wrist.


Button-front shirt, Eddie Bauer (thrifted). Dress, Merona (shortened). Tights, We Love Colors. Booties, Madden Girl. Rhinestone cuff, Birch Hill. Faux pearl cuff, Forever 21. Bag, Simply Vera (gift).