"Stretch" shopping: Springing for something different

A friend has invited me to shop with her for a spring-summer dress, maybe two. This is harder than you would think, because Kris has not bought a casual dress for close to twenty years— and that style might not be what she wants today. 

She is like many of us: it's not hard to find trousers, shirts, tees—but take us into terra incognita, we're less confident.

This is what I call Stretch Shopping: the search for something with which you have little experience,  or haven't bought since you made a phone call from a booth.

Where to begin? Three steps:

1. Look at someone who wears this piece well, and is roughly your shape and age.

My friend Paula, slim and fine-boned, and newly-retired like Kris, sprang to mind. Paula wears only dresses unless gardening. Her signature look is graceful and feminine; her dresses are comfortable but never mumsy. Paula said, "I choose knee-length fitted dresses with a defined waist and a-line skirt. It's the right balance for my frame." 

(Wondering what style is good for you? Here's a post by American stylist Nada Manley with dress cuts that work for various shapes, and ones to avoid.)

2. Ask her where to look. 

Paula mourned the closure of the big departments stores where dress departments filled an entire floor and knowledgeable sales associates helped with selection. She loves consignment, saying apparently many women wear a dress a few times and then sell it. Boutiques, she says, are hit and miss and many have reduced their inventory.

Her favourite is Tory Burch (which she buys on sale or on eBay) and for travel, Tilley.   

Kris says she prefers "more tailored than loose pieces", and wants short length and sleeveless or cap sleeves as she will be keeping up with two young grandchildren in outdoor settings. I sent some photos. Though the actual dress may be s/o by now, it gave us both a firmer idea.

Left: April Cornell's cotton Parakeet Dress: a summer dress that's lighthearted! Price, $CAN 118. There are many nostalgic, feminine dresses offered every season by April Cornell, and they have a local boutique; however, the full line is available on the web site.

Centre: Sun Gleam Dress (Seasalt) (now s/o in most sizes) is a style she likes, but shorter.

Right: Boden make jersey dresses that wash like a dream; I've had a couple in rotation for years. Shown,  Naomi short jersey dress in Meadow Scatter; made in petite, regular and tall, and they provide detailed size charts. Price, $CAN 152. The Naomi is also made in long sleeve and midi versions; terrific travel dress.

3. Stay open to variations

Kris saw this Waxwing Jersey Wide-Leg Jumpsuit on Seasalt's site and really liked it. If you're on a bike, for example, a cropped jumpsuit is a fun option. (Now s/o in most sizes, shown as an example.)

It's designed with an elasticated, smocked back that creates shape, unlike baggier jumpsuits that look like a mechanic's work clothes.

And sometimes your stretch is the fabric; Kris has never worn linen, but it is a godsend for our hot, sticky summers. 

Vivid Line make this Sakura pink slip-on dress (price, $CAN 181); she looks marvellous in that shade! It's machine-washable in a mesh bag. (I hand-smooth instead of iron, regarding linen as an organic fabric that does not require ironing into submission, and accepting its character, as the Italians do.)

Stretch Shopping is an adventure to approach with optimism rather than resignation; just one fresh flourish (whether new or secondhand) can blow a breeze through your wardrobe. Go slowly, starting with one dress and if you think this may be a bad idea, go to a thrift store and try on this "stretch" garment just to see if it feels right for you.  

Kris and I will shop in the next few weeks; I'll report back. In the meantime, please tell us about your Stretches and what you learned as you engaged with another genre.