It's Old Navy Dress-TASTIC!!!

It's Old Navy Dress-TASTIC!!! 

(p.s. writing this off and on  in the process of editing and adding... more later. SO SO SOOOOO TIRED. need bed. Will finish later- promise!)

 

So...

      Something that those who know me well know well---> When it comes to clothing myself I am ALL about dresses and dressing up on a regular basis. If ever I have an actual event to dress for it's simply an excuse for me to be even MORE dressed up than usual. Now if you don't know me well, you may think that in this I exaggerate- but trust me I kid you not. I wear dresses nearly All. The. Time. What pant and pant-ular type things I do own usually end up shoved to the back of my closet for the rare occasion when a dressier style is impractical. Then again- if you know me- you're probably PFFT-ing right now and muttering to yourself that I am also often impractical when it comes to personal clothing choices even when I should opt for function first. Fashion ALWAYS above and over being sensible and all that. That being said- because my closet is mostly comprised of dressier items I am pretty picky when it comes to a dress's fit, overall value and design. Which is why when A few weeks ago I was chosen to be a part of this seasons Old Navy Style Council Dress Share through Crowdtap! (What's she talking about? What crowd? Style Council-Whatta? Click here join and find out!) I was both EXCTATIC and wary... Curious while apprehensive as to what I would discover about Old Navy dresses upon an in-depth inspection.
     What makes me fall in love with a dress? It's all in the little details. I know that most people won't notice them upon first glance- or maybe at all. But I do think that things like better/cuter/ designed plackets, collars, sleeves or lack thereof, buttons, lace, an area of extra pleating or ruching, great fabric and fall... All add up to create a more eye catching and pleasing aesthetic. So when I look for a dress- I look for all of the little- but still HIGHLY important -details to make an appearance. I won't buy just any dress or one simply because it fits. The more boutique/ready to wear runway a dress feels and looks on the rack and on me- the better! Since dresses are the IT staple in my wardrobe I want each and every one to be absolutely perfect- too much to ask? I hoped that this share would prove Old Navy another option from whence to pluck the occasional highly affordable- yet still super stylish choice.
     I wasted no time in searching out what dress choices I may like for me and one lucky friend to test out for free (That's right, FREE!) from OldNavyDresses. I won't lie- I was pretty frustrated- because my FAVE choices were only available at OldNavy.com and not in stores... I realize that the exclusivity factor might be the point- but to me it's just a bit of a not so nice tease. Look here are some AWESOME choices- but they won't be included in your share. I tried not to let this be too much of a downer for me- because- HEY! Free dresses! Still pretty dang awesome! Just sayin OldNavy...

A few of the candidates...

Don't Mess With The Dress-TASTIC OldNavy! by violetteviridian featuring old navy dresses

     As I said before- one lucky friend would be joining me in this ON Style Council share. For this one I chose Candace. Before the date of the share to get started I sent links to all the dresses I wanted Candace to try out to her via email. And we discussed their pros and cons over IM. Candace hasn't worn or owned a dress in YEARS. So obviously she was the first one to come to mind when I received the go ahead on this Style Council opportunity. Here she is above in her ultimate choice the Old Navy the V-Neck Sweater Dress in Navy Stripe.

     We planned to hit up OldNavy early and then shop the rest of the evening. Aaaaand as usual we ended up running late- so we didn't get as much other shopping done as we'd hoped. Why? Because every time we go to OldNavy together we end up spending HOURS in the store. ON's like a swirling vortex of colour, cheesy/hip music and sales, Sales, SALES!!! We couldn't seem to help ourselves and left with a mountain of stuff including our free- YAY! FREE! \(^-^)/ dresses. Pictured below are our carts about an hour into our shop-TASTIC event!

     As to be expected on a weekend during this time of year in the US our Old Navy store was MANIACAL. So we made use of the quick change rooms that are parsed throughout the store. Along for the ride on this share- my bestie Stephanie. Here she is peeeaking out...

     My partner in crime and I made dear Candi try on everything in her size and even some that weren't hehe... Below Candi looks a tad unsure in her almost choice the Crepe Shift in Blue Print... Which we both agreed would look better if it were better fitted. Or if she had a belt on. Or if the sleeves and hem were shorter. Or SOMETHING. I tried them on too and to be honest the way these were cut is just plain weird for those with a more shall we say... realistic shape. I think you'd have to be an apple bod to make them fit correctly. Big on top littler in the middle and littler still on the bottom. (Barbie?) Or simply a straight up string. See how oversized the thing is on top for Candi? And Candi is NOT flat chested. We won't be sharing how I looked in this one... because WOW was that ever circus worthy. Even when I sized down... maybe especially when I sized down- I looked ridiculous. I have a small chest and and hourglass like shape. I was either swallowed whole by the dress or looked as though I wore a balloon/billowing pirate top while my middle was being constricted by Chinese handcuffs.

     When we went the store wasn't super stocked with dresses yet and as a result a couple of my initial online choices were not in stock. Admittedly they were few to begin with. I had planned to pick the one that looked the best on me and add to it by way of belts, jewelry, shoes and bags. Like I said- I am EXTREMELY choosy when it comes to dresses. I have a tendency towards the flare end of the spectrum in my outside of the house mode of style. Give me lace! Chiffon! Pleats! Ruching!  CA-RAY-ZAY patterns! Dramatic cuts and dynamite fabric! A million little buttons, or sequins or studs and so on. In a dress I am looking for something a little more- MORE. Would Old Navy necessarily have at least one or two that fit this notion- it was possible right?

Will talk about/post pic of my ultimate choice here when I have time! (^-^)

     After this share I am certain that Old Navy carries some great choices for the more casual dress wearer or for someone who knows how to accessorize to the hilt! Candi found several options that she would be comfortable in/adding to her (all too dress light IMHO (^,^) ) wardrobe. So if you are inclined at all/desire to be more frequent in donning the casual dress or know how/want to turn the simple into the extra-FAB- Old Navy and OldNavy.com are a great 'New Dress' place to start.