a quest achieved - and miles to go before I sleep

I'm happy to announce that after a search that has lasted years, and led to many disappointments,  the Little Black Dress of my dreams has been reduced to possession.

Or, in other words, WOO HOO!

I had a lot of requirements, a lot.

The dress had to be multi-seasonal, this means made of some kind of silk.

It had to be able to go to restaurants but also to look nice if I happened to be standing up.

It needed to survive being in a suitcase, without looking exhausted or needing to be professionally steamed

It had to have a neckline that would show off my neck and would work with jewelry, but would not attract unwanted attention...

Naturally, sleeves that ended somewhere along the ulna, sufficiently above the wrist so as not to swoop through plates of food or get caught on bracelets.

and I wanted it to be fitted but not tight

and to end just below the kneecap (honestly very few people have cute kneecaps, I know I don't).

I came across a number of candidates, but rejected them for not meeting one or more of the above criteria. Those that came close were revisited - generally these were the more expensive, and the purpose of looking again from time to time was to see if I could catch a promotion or a markdown. In today's retail climate, this is a prudent way to shop. My feeling is, if it's meant to be, my size will wait for me. Otherwise, well, I'll still have my money.

Late one night, I realized I hadn't visited The Outnet in a while. So - click, click.

Et voilà!

ALL OF THE ABOVE!

First off, the dress is made of a substantial silk jersey. Oh, joy - I had held on to the belief that somewhere there was still silk jersey on the market, but I did want to have enough money left over to be able to eat. And to buy shoes.

The picture is from the vendor's site, I hope you can see the clever arrangement of pleats and folds across the front.

The silk jersey fabric is a little stretchy, hence there will be room to sit down without leaving horizontal stress marks across the bottom. And since most fit models are a few inches taller than I, I'm thrilled with the skirt length.

The designer/manufacturer is Issa. I intend to look for more of their stuff.

All in, the price was not terrible. I'll live to shop again - I have my eye on a Ralph Lauren single-breasted leather jacket with band collar.

I haven't done a lot of buying and keeping this "Spring" - glad I was ready to pounce when my dress turned up.

Nevertheless, I'll try it on a few times more during its closet probation period. You know how it is.

Saving the world, one markdown at a time...




24 comments:

  1. Lovely dress, xoxo. I think the neckline can be easily adjusted with a brooch or a pin on the inside, if you think it's too low. I hope it meets all the criteria after you have tried it on.

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    1. thanks, Rose! I just have to remember to wear a good bra with the dress and all is well. So far.

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  2. Love the dress. I know, the quest can be tiresome. "Closet probation period" is my new favorite phrase, although I have recently acquired podsnappery as my new favorite word.
    (This term describes a person with a “wilful determination
    to ignore the objectionable or inconvenient, at the same
    time assuming airs of superior virtue and noble
    resignation.” Dickens frequently used this now seemingly
    forgotten term.)

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    1. Tiresome is right! I had about decided it was hopeless, the efforts had dwindled from daily to weekly to "oh, yeah, that, let's see." So - just lucky, I guess.

      love podsnappery, forgot about Our Mutual Friend.

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  3. This is a really beautiful dress. I could even see myself wearing it and I don't wear dresses. I too like the idea of closet probation

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    1. thanks, Rubye! I like that it looks "flow-y" without being "flow-y." We will have to see how it survives probation.

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  4. Love the dress! Issa is great but funny enough the ones I tried on were cut a bit low and I had to refrain bc then it would have been all, about the cleavage....but I am sure you will get lots of wear out of it!

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    1. thanks, Naomi, when I get home I'm going to try it on with a red bra, that will be sure to show up any, um, discrepancies.

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  5. I love the Outnet, but it doesn't love me back. My size is always sold out by the time I click on it or not available at all in the first place (shoes too!)
    Anyway, I love the dress: nothing better than some good draping especially if in a luxurious fabric. Tory has some great silk jersey dresses as you probably know (expensive but more affordable on sale).

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    1. thanks, Ema, I've had the same experiences with Outnet, I think this is the first time I've actually succeeded in capturing something.

      But I guess another look at Tory couldn't hurt.

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  6. Issa dresses are lovely! I think they might be better quality than good ole DVF....
    Anyway, it looks like a perfect dress and I hope it makes it through its probation period!
    Are you still in Europe? Loved your Centre Ville post even though I didn't manage to say anything on it!

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    1. thanks, ruth, dress is behaving and staying nicely on its hanger. We're home, that post was the result of me daydreaming about driving around France and Italy and Bavaria while riding the same city bus I ride almost every day. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

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  7. Yay you for patience and perseverance. The dress looks lovely. Let us know if it gets out of closet jail and sees the sun...or neon lights...anytime soon.

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    1. thanks, BB! watching the dress closely, I think it's gettin' thirsty!

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  8. Dress shopping is always a daunting experience for me. It has taken me some time to recognize that buying a sleeveless dress is futile. I will never wear it. That alone reduces the selection by 60 - 70%? I also start hearing "Oh Happy Day" when I find a winner! Your dress looks like it will be very flattering and great for all of the traveling you do. All that is left to do is to start listing all the great places you two will journey together. Enjoy and wear it well.

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    1. thank you, Teacups! I'm looking forward to being dazzling next winter. Agree about sleeveless dresses, between air conditioning, inability to wear cardigan sweaters over dresses, fear of low armholes, and memories of Grandma leaning on her elbows to play cards with the batwings swaying to and fro... oh, dear. Not a happy thought.

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  9. Always so nice when a quest finishes... I had a similar thing with a pair of mid height black patent heels (incidentally it still staggers me what "mid heel" seems to mean these days. I believe what I wanted is now called low heel). I do love the drape on that Issa dress - looks like it would be very flattering on. And I have to say that a nice weight of fabric adds so much to a simple black dress. Hope it makes it pass the probation period and into permanent residency territory!

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    1. thanks, Heidi, absolutely the drape! and you're right, "mid heels" is no longer a defined term nor even an approximation. And "midi skirt" seems to mean anything that's not mid-thigh..

      well, I am looking forward to enjoying the dress. Hope it's looking forward to being kind to me.

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  10. Such a beautiful "Holy Grail" dress! I love the draping in the front; to find the proper length,too, just amazing. I own several not quite right LBD's, each requiring adjusting and tugging here and there. "Sigh"-- maybe mine will come. Although, I don't even know what the outnet is!

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    1. thanks, Lane! theoutnet.com is a discount site related to - ShopBop? - anyway, the merch is almost always interesting, the prices are on the high side but the sales are good, and it's not a "flash sale" site. Worth a look, I think.

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  11. Congratulations! So nice to have perfection in your closet.

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    1. Thanks, JulieStyles, I'm going to try it on again tomorrow to be sure it's true love and not just infatuation.

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  12. Oh, that dress is awesome, I love jersey, thinks it so very flattering. Issa is the British brand that Kate always wears isn't it? She always look awesome in Issa things. I'm like you I look for ages before I fix on something.

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  13. Fabulous dress, what a great score!! I remember Kate Middleton wore a blue Issa dress for the official engagement announcement. I have never been able to find anything good on the Outnet, it really is luck of the draw. It's nice to hear you found your perfect dress there and for a good price!

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