I bought this dress:
and these shoes:
for the two weddings I am attending this month as guest/photographer.
Likes
I think the dress looks better on me than it does on the model. That’s a much needed morale booster.
The shoes are absolutely the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever put on my feet.
Gripes
I wish I wasn’t wearing a shirt-dress to a wedding. I feel very passionate about the Dressing Down of America (something I should post about sometime), and I don’t like being so casual. But I have no choice. Finding a dress that hits below the knee, with a high enough neck, a high back, and sleeves is next to impossible on any budget. And I was trying to find a dress for $100 or less.
The shoes are both the most cofortable, and most expensive pair of shoes I have ever purchased. Even more so than that time I splurged at Harrods in London.
You can find the dress here and the shoes here if you are interested!
Jenna (155)
Sophia (90)
Jessica @ One Shi... (63)
Sarah for Real (47)
Meg (45)
Jessica (43)
Katy (39)
Amanda (38)
Kelli Nicole (38)
Cristin (35)
Cécy (34)
April 9th, 2009 on 1:05 am
Super cute! I think you’ll look stunning in that, and I applaud that you’re dressing up as the photographer for a wedding. I know you’d do nothing less, but I have seen several photographers that have worn jeans or something less fancy than the wedding guests, and it stood out. I think your attention to this detail is very telling of who you are, and the respect you bring with you to an event.
Oooh and Gentle Souls (the shoes)! A co-worker has been really talking those up and I keep meaning to get a pair. Those are swanky!
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Jenna Reply:
April 9th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Punam Bean always wears a dress when she photographs! If she can do it, so can I. Although I will likely be wearing spandex underneath my dress
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April 9th, 2009 on 1:40 am
Cute dress! Be sure to post pics.
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April 9th, 2009 on 1:47 am
It’s a very cute dress! great choice! And I would love to read your opinions on dressing down.
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April 9th, 2009 on 2:17 am
good choices. have you been to shabbyapple.com? modest dresses. good prices. there might be a dress or two that is dressy enough for you
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Jenna Reply:
April 9th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Yes, I adore Shabby Apple! And if I had thought about getting this dress any earlier than this I would have ordered from them, but I didn’t want to pay overnight shipping. I love their new “Fit to Flatter” feature on their website.
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April 9th, 2009 on 3:01 am
I think the dress is totally cute! I, however, am going to be wearing black trousers (smartish) because I KNOW I will keep lying on the ground to get good angles, and I don’t feel happy doing that in a dress. I am actually going shopping today for a simple but chic black blouse to go with it, and I think I will wear my black ballet flats as well – they’re not the best, but they’re not too bad comfortable-wise. Unless I find something else while I’m out! Hmm, I should leave instead of playing on blogs…
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April 9th, 2009 on 4:06 am
too cute! In fact I think it is plenty dressy for a wedding! It’s funny you mention the “dressing down of America” (I like how you gave it all caps) because I was just talking about this today. See, growing up, going to family weddings, it was kinda a big deal. We always got new outfits to wear to a wedding. In the church I go to now, we always dress up for Sundays, but for weddings, people seem to, generally, be more casual. I don’t know if it’s because, since we have churches up and down the west coast and “Everybody knows everybody.” And that means multiple weddings every year and it’s just not a Big Deal, but the whole thing really doesn’t make sense to me.
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Jenna Reply:
April 9th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
It makes me so sad when I see people show up to wedding receptions (because in mormon culture you are usually just invited to only the reception) in jeans! It looks so ridiculous to have the parents and immediate family dressed to the nines and you wearing jeans!
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Mandy Sue Reply:
April 9th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Well, people don’t show up in jeans, usually. But on Sundays men wear suits & ties (so to wedding they usually just wear slacks and a button up shirt sans tie) and women wear skirts or dresses (so to weddings a lot of them just wear a jean skirt).
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April 9th, 2009 on 5:55 am
Those shoes are so cute! I love them! I bet finding a dress to fit all that is hard! Even though it is cute! And most importantly it looks amazing on!
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April 9th, 2009 on 6:11 am
Just as a tip to a fellow photographer, you may want to wear shorts under your dress! I usually end up everywhere and in EVERY position and it’s impossible for me to wear a skirt. I wish I could though because trust me, it goes against everything in my being to wear pants to a wedding but after one near mooning experience, I learned that skirts are not wedding wear for me as a photographer! I stand on chairs, lay on the ground etc. and sometimes it’s too hard to be pretty and functional. Instead I wear black dress pants and a dress shirt and dress everything up with accessories.
Those shoes look really comfortable. I may have to go try them on! SUPER cute outfit though, I hope it works out!
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Jenna Reply:
April 9th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
It will be different when I am the “sole” photographer, but this time around I’m just a guest who has permission to take photos. It’s a no pressure situation that allows me to eat dinner and dance and take photos all at the same time!
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Corey Reply:
April 10th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Ohhhh then I’d absolutely wear a skirt! I wish I could wear them b/c I seriously feel just icky not being dressed up at weddings but I’m not there to be a fashion statement and it took me a bit to realize that. My shootsac cover though is what everyone ends up loving so that helps LOL!
I now have a serious obsession w/ those shoes now!! They LOOK so comfy.
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April 9th, 2009 on 6:52 am
I would love to read that post about society dressing down, because I think I probably feel the same as you. I think the way we dress is actually very important and says a lot about us as individuals and as a society. What you wear when you go to meet someone is a huge part of how you communicate with them. That’s why I insist on dressing smartly (most of the time) in an office full of… well, less smartly-dresses people
Anyway, I actually think that dress is really cute and certainly smart enough for a wedding. A lot depends on your hair, make-up, jewellery, handbag etc. remember. I know you’ll make it look fabulous!
Oh and I’m totally jealous that you got those shoes. I want them! I’m sure you’ll get loads of comfortable wear out of them and they’ll be well worth the investment.
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Jenna Reply:
April 9th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I like that you put it “dressing smart” because it isn’t about dressing “up” necessarily (because that makes people think $$$$$ which they might not have) but dressing smarter.
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April 9th, 2009 on 7:40 am
Oooh yes. I’d love to hear about the Dressing Down of America. Sounds interesting.
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April 9th, 2009 on 7:51 am
I think that dress is totally wedding appropriate, especially if you’re going to a day wedding or a summer soiree. You really can’t go wrong with a little black dress and you can glam it up with great accessories. But I have to echo some of the other folks here; are you sure you want to wear a dress in the first place? I have several photographer friends and wearing dresses is almost never an option for them because of the crazy stuff they do. Just something to consider! No one minds when a wedding photog wears black pants.
Re: dressing down of America, I work in an office where it’s ok to wear scrubs (we’re not a medical office). I still wear dress pants (except on Fridays). As for weddings, though, I feel like people dress up even more nowadays. In NY, some folks even change between the church and reception into something more glamtastic.
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April 9th, 2009 on 8:38 am
Although I do think the dress and shoes are a little casual (of course, it depends what kind of wedding you are going to as well), I think you could easily dress it up with the right hairstyle and accessories so it shouldn’t be a big deal!
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April 9th, 2009 on 9:27 am
Adorabe! Even thought I don’t actually know you — it looks very you
And KCole makes the best shoes. A great investment!
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April 9th, 2009 on 9:40 am
LOVE the dress! When I lose my baby weight and additional Katy weight…and I will so help me…that’s a dress I’d like! If you are ever worried about feeling too dressed down, I’m sure some simple, yet dazzling jewelry could make this dress even dressier. I do think it looks very professional and chic for any event.
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April 9th, 2009 on 9:46 am
I blew a nice chunk of change at Ann Taylor Loft yesterday too. It’s my favorite store in the world.
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April 9th, 2009 on 10:02 am
My friend who was also our (paid) photographer dressed for work at our wedding- durable shoes and black pants and shirt. I think if you’re the official photographer you can dress down quite a bit, as you have a very important job to do. She was on her feet running around for 10 hours – so of course she had to dress comfortably. Plus, photographer often kneel, so a longer dress or pants is good for that.
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April 9th, 2009 on 10:35 am
You’re gonna be on your feet all day, girl – those shoes are an investment.
Well done.
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April 9th, 2009 on 12:07 pm
I second Amanda on recommending Shabby Apple. We used them in the St. Louis Pure Fashion show this past weekend. Pure Fashion is an international faith-based model training and formation program for high school-aged girls that culminates with a city-wide fashion show. The girls model clothes that are modern, yet modest; trendy, yet tasteful. I think that Dallas has a program and maybe you can check out the show or get involved (purefashion.com).
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April 9th, 2009 on 1:15 pm
I think you’ll look very professional! Hope you post pics!
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April 9th, 2009 on 1:48 pm
What about this? http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=19037&Ns=CATEGORY_SEQ_349&N=1200065&Nty=1&categoryId=152&showAll=Y&defaultColorNameFromCategory=Sable&defaultSizeTypeFromCategory=Misses
or this one – http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=21190&Ns=CATEGORY_SEQ_349&N=1200065&Nty=1&categoryId=152&showAll=Y&defaultColorNameFromCategory=Black&defaultSizeTypeFromCategory=Misses with a jacket or shrug.
Even this guy – http://www.anntaylorloft.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=18739&N=1200257&categoryId=211&Ns=CATEGORY_SEQ_211&defaultColorNameFromCategory=Ivory&defaultSizeTypeFromCategory=Misses might be a slightly dressier alternative…but otherwise, don’t sweat it – if you’re working, a shirt dress is totally appropriate. A lot of female photographers wear dress pants and nice tops and look totally appropriate.
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April 9th, 2009 on 2:16 pm
I think it’s fairly typical for photographers to wear mostly-black to weddings (at least, mine did), and once you’re being “the photographer” I think this outfit will be plenty dressy – especially with some cute accessories.
The camera will be a dead giveaway that you’re not just another guest.
Also – are there people who show up to wedding receptions in jeans? I would die.
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April 10th, 2009 on 3:30 am
I got some Gentle Souls “O Gee” pumps at Nordstrom Rack that I initially intended to wear for my wedding, but alas, they weren’t quite the right color off-white, so their pink tone clashes with my dress’s yellow tone. That being said, I have no regrets about the $70 I dropped for them because a) They retail for $200+ usually and b) They’re amazingly adorable aaaand c) They are far and away the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever owned, let alone the most comfortable heels!
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