Title : Zero Waste Wardrobe IV: Dresses
link : Zero Waste Wardrobe IV: Dresses
Zero Waste Wardrobe IV: Dresses
When it comes to dresses, only Dior survives the scorched earth policy I apply to my wardrobe. Fully lined in silk, with hook and eye closures above a concealed zipper and attached belts, in smooth wool and crepe, they handwash (or machine wash) beautifully and dry, wrinkle-free overnight. At least in France, EVERYONE can tell it's Dior, unlike, say, a vintage Valentino dress, which may not be instantly recognizable. Flattering necklines, hand stitching, excellent fabrics, and midi lengths always seem to give them away. Even better is telling people how much I paid for each, and where I found them- "This was $36 at a thrift store," I say, before walking away- mic drop.
I realize that, as much as I loved my Prada shirtdress in a Bianca Stratford kind of way, full skirts and unlined dresses are problematic for me, a person who never met a subway grate she didn't accidentally step on. Or I'd ride the Metro from Barbes to Chatelet and struggle to keep the skirt down whenever a gust of wind came through the car. Plus, cotton is a pain to take care of. I always felt messy in that easily wrinkled dress, which my more polished sister owns now.
These days I stick to close fitting dresses, with open necks (the black Dior scoops down just enough) for freedom. All my dresses have the advantage of looking kind of nice with sneakers, especially with a coat on top. They hit just below the knee, which is the most versatile length- as appropriate in the office as at dinner or Silencio (does anyone still go there? Does it even exist anymore). My dress collection isn't extensive, but I never need anything else:
- 1 crepe Dior dress (similar but not really), for formal events, cocktails, dinners, work, and funerals. The simpler the better, especially if it's black. I learned the hard way that black clothing must be extremely well designed and well made, because the shade betrays every error of cut and finishing.
- 1 wool navy dress, pictured here (similar). I chose wool because it's seasonless and navy because it's the official color of Paris. This is my everyday workhorse, and the longest lasting piece in my wardrobe. I've never needed a tailor to fix anything on it, only to take it in.
- 1 grey wool dress (similar). I chased this down because I remember seeing the actress Nora Arnezeder wear it to the 2009 Dior Haute Couture show and thinking, "It will be mine someday." It surfaced years later on the secondhand market, and I had the skirt, which hung straight down, taken in on an angle to make it more fitted. I don't usually wear the attached belt with it (both of my wool dresses came with belts- I gave one away and wear the other primarily with jeans), but it's nice to change up the look once in a while. This is my go to for interviews, presentations, or big meetings. For instance, I wore it to COP21 and then to the Louis Vuitton exhibit after.
- 1 ponté foil American Apparel dress, $12 at a thrift store, my casual dress to wear with sneakers (pictured here). I unexpectedly fell in love with it and remember thinking every roll would show in the ponté but a girl in tiny disco shorts shook her head and said, "Tu es mince." That was it. With her blessing I've worn it to picnics, Versailles, lunches, nights out, shopping, hot chocolate runs, donut runs, and with heels at the Chedi. It's my favorite because it packs so easily and rolls up really tiny.
- 1 grey ribbed cotton American Apparel henley dress. I mostly wear this around the house and to bed now, after my friend's chic Parisian daughter told me it looked like pajamas. Sometimes I'll wear it to a barbecue or to play outside with friends' kids though. As a house dress, it has the advantage of not being embarrassing when someone drops by unexpectedly (which seemed to happen every week I lived in France- we were too liberal with our code. Also: our gardienne was the worst), and I could run out quickly for groceries or whatever without feeling indecent.
Since I collected them over many years, and cared for them over several more, I love these dresses more than I love most people. Also, I just found the Reformation Capri dress in Marley secondhand and ordered it, so we'll see if it works. I had a gingham dress I was obsessed with in high school and wore to pieces, to my graduation party, bonfires, etc. It's cotton and unlined, though, and Reformation dresses are famously short. If I can't wear it around judgmental Korean relatives of a certain age, it's going back.
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