All Dress April | Outfit

It’s my birthday month! This month, I am going to participate in All Dress April which was, I think, started by someone in the Modcloth BST group that I’m a part of. I’ve done Dressember and I’ve done other various wear-a-dress-all-the-time challenges, but I like that All Dress April’s rules are a dress OR a skirt every day.

And what better way to start out the month than with this glorious eShakti dress I found at Goodwill? Apparently, there’s a return center based in Seattle, so a lot of eShakti dresses get donated to Goodwill from the return center. I’ve thrifted one other eShakti dress at my local Goodwill, and can I just say… like, dear eShakti returns center, if you really want to donate dresses anywhere, can you just donate them to me? I will plug your website all the time.

Technically, I started yesterday so that I could have a post ahead of time, for once, because I want to try to blog every day’s outfit. I know, it’s probably a crazy goal because I have a two-year-old and a 7-month old, but it might be a fun challenge and it’ll make me get dressed daily. And if I don’t blog a dress or skirt, you can check my instagram (even online!) for what I wore that day.

I nearly missed finding this dress at Goodwill; my favorite one has a “fashion focus” section, where they put everything trendy or brand-specific and overprice it (in my opinion) for a secondhand item. Like, once I found a pair of shoes that had wear on them for $40… and a dress with runs in the chiffon for $100. Yeah, no, Goodwill, not gonna fly. I usually avoid that section merely because there’s rarely vintage in that section, and usually the trendy/brand items are not to my taste. And also the whole thing about how they overprice stuff.

But the day I found this dress (on my 7-year blogging anniversary), I thought “oh, why not!” and went to browse the dresses hanging there. When I saw the plaid and the eShakti label and the long sleeves… well, I knew I was a goner unless it was ridiculously priced. But for once, it was worth going over my “don’t-spend-more-than-ten-dollars-on-anything” rule while thrifting.

I have been hunting a plaid button-down circle skirt dress for so long. It actually buttons, which many retro dresses don’t do, and while it’s a little bit big in the bodice, that’s nothing I can’t fix. It has pockets, and it’s fully lined, and it twirls gloriously, and it is perfect.

So, thank you eShakti returns center for (I assume it was you, anyway) donating this dress because… I appreciate getting it for a little over 70% off the original online price. It was basically like a blog-anniversary gift straight from Goodwill and one of my favorite online stores! Now, if you could just donate all those other dresses to me directly, that would be great!

I tried really hard to photograph this dress at one of the local parks, but so many things were going against me. Time of day (right around noon, so bad for light!), the type of day (so sunny, so many people at the park!) and the fact that it was like… reallly hot, and this is a long sleeved dress, and I have a slip on which makes me SO WARM. I tried, you guys, I tried. But I felt awkward and sweaty and blind, so… I gave up.

Thankfully, both kids went down for a nap at the same time today, and I was able to run outside to the beautiful ivy in our front yard and everything ended up being so perfect!

Our neighbor was out doing yard work, so I’m not sure what he thought of me twirling and posing by the ivy, or if he even saw me. I always wonder what neighbors or people driving by must think. I’ve only ever been approached when I was totally alone and in a more secluded place, and the person just assumed I was a photographer.

But neighbors who might see me on occasion photographing myself posing in the yard in full retro getup?

And they’re all older, so I’m not sure they’re even aware of fashion blogs. I’m so, so curious to know their thoughts.

Dress, originally eShakti (no longer online), but thrifted | shoes, belt, headscarf, thrifted | glasses (old) c/o Firmoo | lips, Colourpop Solow under NYX

Have you ever been approached/stared at while doing blog photos? What was your experience?

Have a happy Friday, and happy April first!

(I just realized, it’s April Fool’s day. Are you a prank person? I’m not. My husband and I both hate being pranked, so I forget it’s even a thing.)

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