dress: modcloth
shoes: rockport
necklace and earrings: the vault
When I was 15 and shopping for my first bikini I realized that my body shape was not the norm. I was shopping at the Bay and the bikinis came with bottom and top together on a hanger so I grabbed a small and a medium and went to try them on. The small fit my bottom but even the medium would not contain my top — hello inverted triangle.
Having such a discrepancy between my chest and hips has made it necessary to try clothes (read: dresses) on in person — rarely can I grab one size off the rack and be good to go. Usually I fall somewhere in the L-XL-1XL land of uncertainty. As such, I rarely online shop, unless it is for duplicates of items I already own and love.
But, I love online window shopping. Daydreaming and surfing Modcloth and other fun online stores (for which a concrete store does not exist) is one of my heavens. One thing I really like about Modcloth is the review section of the website which lets me see what other 5’2” 36 DDD ladies think of certain items and how they fit. I also love that some users also upload images of themselves in the item they bought to give me a better idea of how things look “on”, and how certain colours look in “real life” or with complexions similar to my own.
Despite my championing of the site, I have only bought two items from Modcloth (mainly due to the high shipping and customs rates). I bought this dress in the spring and felt it was a bit of a risky move— it didn’t come in a XL but reviewers said the L was roomy. I loved the floral print and colours and decided to order it (I could always send it back if it didn’t fit, right?). It came and I anxiously tried it on — hurrah! It fit!
But, I bought this dress before I was really sold on the capsule wardrobe; that is to say, I bought it purely because it was beautiful with no event or purpose in mind (I already had two other maxi dresses in my closet). This dress has been hanging in my closet since it arrived and while I officially added it to my summer capsule wardrobe, I find summer 2/3 of the way over and the dress unworn.
Today was my last full day in Hali before I take off for my Vancouver-California conference/fun trip. Surprisingly, B had the day off, so we decided to make it a bit of a date day (I get really homesick when I am away!). So, we went to the market for brunch, shopped and then took our pups for a walk in the park.
B had not seen the dress yet and, even after nearly ten years, I was nervous — I wondered if he would like it. He did. I did. And now I’ve swapped another item out of my travel capsule so that I can pack this dress instead!
I kept the styling super simple: I went with the pearl set B had given me for my birthday four years ago and grabbed my Aldo clutch, my Rockport shoes and some Bite lipstick in Ligonberry.
How do you guys feel about online shopping and capsule wardrobes? I feel like I need to see how items work on me before adding them to my capsule and for some reason online shopping makes me anxious about that relationship. Do you have any favourite online stores (especially ones without real life counterparts)? How do you decide when to debut new items?
Cheers,
K
Kala's Colourful Capsule 
What a cute dress! I love the colors on you. I know what you mean about being different sizes. For me jackets and tops are always way smaller than my bottom half because of my narrow shoulders and *ahem* smaller bust. It can be a pain when you are looking on Ebay for used clothing. 🙂
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